Page 33 of For You, Sir

“May I please take the rest of the day off?”

Chapter 13 (Einar)

Jun left early, and I spent the rest of the afternoon grinding my teeth over the situation. There was no way those greedy vultures suspected Jun of foul play. They were trying to scare him, flinging accusations like darts to see what stuck. And it had worked; he rolled over way too easily—another coping mechanism he’d probably learned in childhood.

I paced restlessly through the house, thinking of arguments for why Jun should hold his ground. Twice, I started writing him a text message with unsolicited advice, but both times I deleted what I’d started. This was Jun’s decision to make, not mine. It was perfectly reasonable to give in to avoid an ugly legal battle—innocent people took settlement agreements every day. But then the unfairness of it all pissed me off again, and I couldn’t sit still.

I headed to my exercise room for the first time in months, put on a Swedish death metal album, and cranked up the volume until it rattled the windows. I never listened to that stuff while Jun was around for fear of driving him out of the house, but I needed it now to match my black mood. The lead vocalist growled and roared, venting the rage that burned in my chest. It was cathartic, but the screaming guitars and super-fast drumbeats only amped me up more.

I lay back on the weight bench and started doing chest presses, trying to think of something constructive I could do for Jun. When my energy flagged, I pictured Marshall as a stand-in for the whole vulture family, and slammed my arms forward with the same force I would use to pound his smug fucking face. There were many more reps in me yet.

The next morning, I couldn’t wait to see Jun and make sure he was okay. I would keep my cool, respecting that the final decision was his, while suggesting reasons to fight.

But when I checked my phone, I found a message from Jun begging off work that day. My heart fell, but there was no way I was going to deny him. He said he wasn’t feeling well, and that was enough. I told him to rest, and that I hoped he felt better soon, adding I was there for him if he needed anything, then pressedSendbefore I could agonize over it any longer.

He had sent the message a little after three in the morning. What was he doing up that late? Or was it early? I tried to picture what Jun was up to wherever he was. Lying on the couch, catatonic and watching bad TV? Or was he the type who compulsively scrubbed his apartment from top to bottom when stressed? Hell, he might still live with his infirm mother, for all I knew.

I sighed and laid back on the couch with my hands tucked behind my head. Whatever he was doing, I wished he would come over instead. I wouldn’t make him do any work; I’d just help take his mind off things. Cheer him up. Make him feel good.

I slid a hand into my pants and stroked myself, replayed the details of our near-miss sexual encounter. The timid way he kissed me back, his hushed moans and gasps as his body opened up to me. My mouth watered at the thought of having his sweet cock on my tongue again. Maybe I could wrap my arms around him from behind and jerk him off, my hard-on nestled in his crack in case he wanted to let me in. I would do things differently next time, take it slow and build his confidence…

I stilled my hand.If there was a next time. If he came back at all.

He’d looked so rattled after Marshall left—eyes wide like a spooked horse—I wouldn’t put it past him to do something drastic, like quitting his agency or severing the contract with me after all the lines we’d crossed… Was it partially my fault Jun was staying away?

At least the next morning I could—Fuck!The next day was his scheduled day off. It would be forever until I could see him again. Three days alone in his own head could be enough for Jun to psych himself out and surrender his money and the cat.

I pulled out my phone and found my lawyer’s number, my thumb hovering over theCallbutton. She was tenacious as a bulldog; I knew she’d do right by Jun if he called. Maybe I could just check with her to see if Jun had reached out like I suggested. Would she even be able to tell me, or would that break attorney-client privilege? And if Jun hadn’t called her, maybe I could pick her brain for advice. Or ask her to call him or…Damn it!I threw the phone down. It wasn’t my place, and I knew it.

I put on another metal album until the walls of the house pulsed and hit the weights again. After working myself to exhaustion, I stripped off my sweaty clothes, then padded naked to the kitchen to gulp down a glass of water. The kitchen felt lifeless without Jun there chopping, sautéing, and washing his delicate, long-fingered hands. Even the bouquet of sunflowers hung their heavy heads, missing him.

How long could I keep him before the studio realized I would never write again? I’d have to find another way to make money soon, something with enough rich-Hollywood-asshole pay to let me keep a butler. Maybe I could teach classes to film students and aspiring directors. If I had enough name recognition to charge top dollar, maybe I could even hire Jun full-time—a live-in assignment like he had with his last client. I could fix up a guest room just for him, or he could sleep with me in my own massive bed… Time to hit the shower.

With my eyes closed, I lathered my skin and pictured how it would be if Jun were there with me. I’d have him scrub my back in places I couldn’t reach, and I’d wash him in return. Soaping up his smooth skin, ducking my head to suck at one of those unexpected nipple piercings while the water pounded down. I’d wash the sweet hills of his butt cheeks until they were slick with soap. Make him gasp when I slipped a teasing finger inside… I stroked myself, visualizing the scene from the outside: Jun sliding his leg up to my hip to allow me deeper access, the way his lips parted as he clutched at me, the desperate sounds he made. Even in my fantasies, I framed the shot to capture his expression at just the right angle.

~

“Good morning, Sir.” Jun arrived a little early when he returned to work two days later.

I put down the novel I’d been pretending to read and drank in the sight of him. He looked tired, but not as haggard as I’d feared in my worst-case scenarios. The tension in my jaw eased. “Morning, Jun. Feeling better?”

He favored me with the ghost of a smile. “Much. Breakfast, Sir?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m starving.” I followed him into the kitchen.

He started a pot of coffee, began frying bacon, and put an English muffin in the toaster. He knew me so well, he didn’t need to ask what I wanted for breakfast. The next step would be an egg over easy in the bacon grease, then chopped green onions and a slice of Jarlsberg. In just five minutes, I had the best breakfast sandwich on the planet in front of me.

He added an already-opened box of tea to the cabinet, and a warm feeling spread through my chest as he plugged in an electric kettle beside the coffeemaker.

I decided to bring up the inheritance issue with some roundabout small talk. “How’s Mr. Cuddles?”

“He’s good.” Jun gave a bittersweet smile. “I got all his stuff together, preparing to give him up. But then I couldn’t do it. I figured,‘One more day wouldn’t hurt.’Then I realized I had all week to decide. So, I’m going to wait until the last minute.” He stated the last part boldly. I guessed simple procrastination was an act of rebellion in Jun’s mind.

“Smart,” I said. There was a knot in my chest, but I played it cool, trying not to give away how desperately grateful I was that he hadn’t made a rash decision yet. “Any thoughts on what you’re going to do?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t even received the funds yet, so it’s not like I could give anything back, anyway.” He ripped open a foil-wrapped sachet of tea—orange spiced black tea, I noticed. I’d been picturing him as a green tea drinker, but that was probably a stereotype. “Maybe if I give them half the money, they’ll let me keep the cat.”

“You don’t have to give ‘em anything at all,” I said. I didn’t know the amount Jun had inherited, but it must have been huge if the vulture family thought it was worth hiring a private investigator to harass Jun. Hiring a lawyer to take him to court would cost a pretty penny as well, unless they were bluffing.

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