Page 24

Joe

I was on cloud fucking nine. For the last few days, I’d been meeting Aiden after his classes and walking with him. It was worth it to see the way his beautiful face lit the fuck up whenever he saw me standing there waiting for him.

Nathan was still giving me dirty looks whenever he saw us hanging out, and it was really starting to bother me. There was being a protective older brother, and then there was being a dick to your friends. He was treading into dick territory more often than not.

My head swam with a few ideas for some content to film as I walked up the front steps to Teresa’s house when my phone went off in my pocket. Still feeling ten feet tall, I pulled it out and answered it without even checking to see who was calling. It was a mistake because there was something that could kill my mood, and it was on the other end of the phone.

“Joseph.”

My spine straightened at the use of my full first name.

“Dad?” I opened the front door and entered the house. Teresa and McKenzie were sitting in the living room and my sister’s eyes widened when she heard who I was on the phone with .

“Any word yet on a perspective job?”

I blew out a breath, pinching the skin on the bridge of my nose. “Hi, Dad. Things are great. Thanks so much for asking.”

Maybe it wasn’t appropriate to be such a sarcastic asshole to my parents, but what was I supposed to do when this was the norm? It wasn’t like my parents actually cared. I’d done everything right until graduation. My parents had even turned a blind eye to all my other theatrics because I’d not fathered any children, my grades never suffered, and I was in school. But the second I failed to get a job? Yeah, I was out on my ass. According to them, I deserved to still be struggling. It pissed them off that Teresa let me live with her.

“You know why I’m calling. We gave you a time limit, son. You can’t mooch off your sister forever.”

It would be so easy to just hang up the phone and not let him talk down to me, but there was still that silly small child inside of me that wanted to earn their approval. God, they’d have a fucking field day if they ever found out what I was doing for money.

Teresa grabbed the remote off the arm of the couch, turned up the TV volume, and ushered me to the kitchen, away from McKenzie. She was used to me dealing with Mom and Dad, and it never ended well.

“Jesus, you act like it’s all so damn easy.”

Dad sighed. “It is that easy. You went to school, got good grades, put it to fucking use, kid. ”

My entire body tightened. What was it with the older generations not understanding that it wasn’t that easy? I wasn’t the only one who’d had troubles. None of my friends had it easy getting jobs after school. Brandon was the only person who got lucky because he was planning to take over his parents’ bookstore, anyway.

I paced around the kitchen, my sister watching me the whole time. “I applied to places. You know I did. No one wanted to hire me. Not only that, but I’m not even sure this is what I want to do. Maybe it all feels like I wasted the last four years.”

“You need to figure it out, Joseph. Your mother and I aren’t going to keep waiting. I did the footwork and found you that internship, and you’re being too damn stubborn to take it.”

I growled. “Because it would take me away from everyone. Not just you and Mom. It would take me away from Teresa and McKenzie. Don’t forget about my friends. I don’t want to have to start all over and not know anyone in a foreign country.”

Despite Teresa’s efforts to distract her daughter, McKenzie had wandered into the kitchen. Teresa grabbed her and sat with her in a chair while I continued to fume over the phone.

“And that’s exactly why you don’t have a job. You could, but you don’t want to. That’s your biggest problem, Joseph. You lack commitment.”

I growled in frustration .

“Really? I don’t need to listen to this right now.” And I did what I should have done at the beginning of the conversation. I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call.

The second the call disconnected, all the tension in the room melted. McKenzie still clung to my sister.

“Joe?”

I’d never heard my sister sound so defeated. Teresa was the badass who never let anyone get her down.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t—”

She held up her hand before standing and sliding her daughter from her lap. They both came to my side and wrapped their arms around me. We stood there like the little broken family we were, hugging it out in the kitchen, trying to calm the storm that was created by people who shouldn’t have ever created it.

M y heart just wasn’t in it. I clicked through page after page, trying to come up with an idea, but after the bombshell from earlier in the day, trying to think of sexy poses was nearly impossible. I was running out of content and I couldn’t afford to let my profile slip. Now, more than ever, I needed to depend on those funds .

The phone sitting next to me on my desk mocked me. It would be so easy to pick it up, fire off a text to Aiden or any of my other friends. Surrounding myself with my friends always seemed to make me feel better whenever I had a confrontation with my parents. But that also meant admitting to what the hell they’d said today.

When I finally caved in and picked up the device, there was a notification waiting. I smiled when I saw it was a text from Aiden. It was as if he’d sensed that I would need to hear from him to put me in a better mood.

I opened it up to a gif of a dog with big bushy eyebrows, waggling them at me suggestively. A laugh burst out of me before I fired off a response.

Me: What are you implying?

It took a few minutes, but a message came through, a picture this time of Aiden in nothing but a pair of briefs, hand cupped over his junk.

Aiden: It’s been a while.

I snorted. He was being brave, and that needed to be rewarded. I liked this side of Aiden. He was always so worried, but when he took charge... that was sexy as fuck.

My mind was still all fucked up from earlier. The text should have excited me, and I should have been ready to play along with my what? Boyfriend? Instead, I wanted to get off my damn computer and take a nap. That wasn’t like me at all. Maybe I needed the distraction of Aiden after all.

Me: You could... always come over and fix that.

Aiden: You expect me to get dressed like this?

Another photo, the tip of his flushed dick peeking out from the band of his underwear. A groan rumbled out of me as my cock twitched to life. As fun as this was to do over the phone, I’d rather have my hands on him.

Me: Be here in twenty, and I’ll make it worth your time.

Aiden was thirty minutes away. I knew that. But fuck, would it be fun to see him try to get there in time.