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Chapter Twenty-Two

Tobias

Getting involved with Theo like this is stupid for so many reasons. Not only because his life is going to be a mess after he breaks it off with Marianne, but because I like the guy. Not enough to want to date him seriously, but I definitely like him more than a friend.

Having someone to fuck regularly will be nice.

It’s not something I’ve done in a long time, and maybe I shouldn’t have said all of that to him last night.

There was a lot of alcohol involved, and he was right there in front of me, desperate to suck my dick.

Hell, I almost let him. I almost ignored my hatred for cheating, just to let him satisfy me.

I would have hated myself. I’m proud that I was able to tell him no, no matter how badly I wanted it.

This is the right way to do things. Because I’m tired of denying myself things I want.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about fucking him often.

So if he really goes through with breaking it off with her, I’ll give in to my needs for once.

I warned him that we will not be in a relationship.

I cannot handle that, and guys can never handle the idea of me dating other people professionally. It's a disaster waiting to happen.

Theo is aware of my boundaries, and he wants to do this anyway.

He never said anything about my job or stopping it and has never made a jealous comment—except that one little comment via text, but it wasn't a red flag. That helps me believe he’s cool with this being casual.

The guy is curious, into guys, and has never been able to explore that part of him before.

I’m fine with him exploring it with me. It’s that simple.

At least, it should be, but there’s something niggling at my brain about this, a weird sensation sitting at the base of my spine. Like a warning.

Theo is bright and fun, and he wants all the things I should want.

A healthy thirty-six-year-old guy in his prime who has no reason to still be single other than he wants to be.

As much as the thought of settling down scares the ever-loving shit out of me, the thought of doing it with Theo—or someone like him, I guess—isn’t terrible.

He’s someone I have fun with, trust, can be myself with and I don’t have to worry about him getting mad about how much I work. I’m not worried about him manipulating me or talking to me like I’m trash, all because I come from a family who struggles to make ends meet.

Though Theo comes from money, you’d never know it by talking to him.

He isn’t arrogant or pretentious. He doesn’t throw his money around.

He’s humble and down to earth, which tells me he’d be absolutely okay on his own, if his family were to disown him, but that’s something he needs to figure out on his own.

I have a date this evening, which is typical for a Saturday night.

It’s a dinner date, and I can’t help but wonder what time Marianne will be going to Theo’s house, and if he will actually have the conversation with her.

I hope like hell he does, not only because I really want my dick in his mouth, but because he needs to do this for his sanity.

I can see his discomfort a mile away. Hell, even his friend sees he’s off.

It’s nearing lunch time and if I don’t get out of bed now, I never will.

I dig around for some clothes to go for a jog.

When I get back, I order food and shower while I wait for it to arrive.

There’s a text waiting for me when I get out that it’s been delivered, and after throwing on some sweats, I head to my front porch to grab the bag of food before it gets too cold to eat.

The burger and fries are still semi warm when I get to them and I eat too quickly.

I spend the rest of my afternoon catching up on sports and catnapping.

An hour before my date, I start to get ready I go with a navy blue suit since it’s a business dinner, rather than something more flashy like I normally would.

I get a good mix of dates, but I’ve found it’s women who want me to go to their business dinners.

They’re too busy to settle down, too driven to want to give up their control, but not bold enough to tell their bosses that.

So, instead, they pay $500 an hour for my pretty face. My gain, so whatever.

When I get to the restaurant, I’m greeted by a put-together blond woman who looks ten years older than me. She’s dressed in a grey pencil skirt and white silk blouse. Not quite the outfit I’d pick for a business dinner, but what the hell do I know?

“Tiffany?”

She nods curtly. “You must be Tobias.”

“I am, yes.” I offer her my hand, and she shakes it firmly.

“Thank you for being on time.”

“Absolutely.”

We head into the restaurant and move to the waiting area on the side.

“Did you memorize the information I gave you?” she asks, all business-like.

“I sure did. Of course, it’ll all make more sense when I put their names to faces.”

She hums a sound of approval, and I can already see what kind of night this will be.

Dull. Monotonous. Boring .

But hey, I can get through almost anything for my hourly rate.

Her eyes stay glued to her phone until men in stuffy suits start showing up with glamorous women on their arms, and then we’re all being led to a long table in the back.

The women are all in elegant evening gowns, and either my date has no idea what guys like to see, or she doesn’t care.

One of the men stays standing as the rest of us take our seats.

“Good evening, and thank you for attending our annual Holiday dinner. I will start off by introducing myself, and then hopefully everyone else can do the same.” The guy smiles a toothy smile.

He looks like some asshole lawyer, but he’s one of the top people at the pharmaceutical company she works at.

Not sure which is worse. “I’m Quincy, and this is my lovely wife, Laura.

” He points to a woman on the side of him who is wearing a sparkling red dress. She smiles and gives a little wave.

Everyone around the table gives their introductions, the men saying their names and then introducing their wives, not allowing them to speak.

Assholes. Finally, when it gets to us, Tiffany introduces herself and then me as her long-time, live-in boyfriend, Tobias.

Strange way to introduce someone, but whatever.

It’s her coworkers. I smile and wave at everyone, knowing as “the partner” that’s my job.

The coworkers spend most of the night chatting about work while their partners smile and nod, as if they have any idea what’s going on.

I do my best to get into the conversation when I can, but there isn’t much room for me to talk.

So, I guess sitting here and looking good is my duty for the night.

Fine by me. At least it’s easy, because I fucking hate dates like this.

This isn’t my scene, and suddenly I appreciate Theo so much more for how he is as a person.

He easily could have turned out like one of these guys .

Is this the way his parents act? God, that’s awful. How the hell did he turn out so normal?

When dinner is done, we take our time leaving so we’re the last ones out.

“Thank you for this evening,” Tiffany says with a curt nod before walking away. My mouth is still open, about to say, “you’re welcome,” but she’s too far away at this point, so I just close it.

Okay, then…

With a shake of my head, I hide under the awning, away from the rain, as I pull out my phone to order a ride. There’s a text waiting for me.

She left. Want to come over?

I already have his address from when I picked him up, so I order a car to take me there, then go back and respond to him, telling him yes.