Page 104 of Necessary Time

“You’ll learn to love it,” Wesley crooned. “Just like you learned to love me.”

“I don’t need to hear the rest of it.” Hendrix was quick to interrupt. “But maybe we can get lunch next week or something.”

“I’d love that, Henny, but I work.”

“Wait. You what?”

“I work.” Wesley waved dismissively. “I got a job. Grayson got me a job. Whatever.”

“Doing what?”

“I’m a doorman.”

Wesley looked so proud, I wanted to kiss him, but I wasn’t going to test the limits of Hendrix’s goodwill. At least not on the first night.

“I think you’ll be great at it,” Henny said.

I reached again for the door. I’d had enough of Grayson’s weird sex room, and it felt like an entirely inappropriate place to be, let alone have the kind of conversation we’d been having.

“Thanks, Henny. That means a lot.”

“So maybe lunch on a weekend?” Hendrix asked.

“Yeah. Maybe a double date.”

“I don’t know about that,” I hedged.

“We’ll see,” Hendrix agreed, taking a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to take you away from your party, Wesley. I just…I was caught off-guard.”

“I know you mean well, I know you always mean well, but like…I’ve got to do it myself sometimes.” Wesley wandered back toward me, stare drifting up to the wall that held all of the rope. He raised a finger and pointed, swaying backward as a smile split his face. “Oh, hey. I know that one.”

“Know what one?” I asked, opening the door for hopefully the last time that night.

Wesley dragged his finger across one of the coils of rope and grinned proudly at me. “This one. Shibari.”

Hendrix moved quickly, grabbing Wesley and shoving him toward me.

“How do you know what that is?” he asked.

Wesley laughed, sliding into me like his bones were made of gelatin. I wrapped one arm around him, holding him upright.

“Hentai, obviously.”

“What’s hentai?” Hendrix asked.

The three of us stepped into the hallway, the bright white light an unwelcome glare after the low purple of the playroom. That was weird, a thought I’d never expected to have. But then again, I’d never expected to be in a playroom either. Life was weird, but not horrible, and definitely not lonely anymore.

Wesley’s bright and giddy laugh pulled me out of my head at the same time he pulled himself out of my arms. He pointed at Hendrix and laughed, shoulder slamming into the wall.

“Oh my.” He covered his mouth with his hand, eyes wide. “Oh, how the tables have turned.”

Hendrix looked at me, mouth twisted into a wry smirk. “What’s hentai?”

“If you don’t know, friend, I’m definitely not telling you.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

Wesley