Kept Man: Firsts and Forever Stories

“I suppose that’s possible.”

Ash drained his coffee cup, then asked, “Isn’t this kind of a good thing, though? You’re still getting paid, and he’s not making any demands on you.”

“But he’s paying me hundreds of dollars a day to binge watch Netflix with him, play video games and Scrabble, bowl, and be the guinea pig for his new recipes. I’m hardly earning my keep.”

“Wait, how are you bowling?”

“There’s a two-lane bowling alley on the ground floor of his house.”

“Of course there is,” Ash said with a smirk. Then he brushed his lavender hair off his forehead and watched me closely as he said, “You know, you never actually answered my question. I asked if you had the hots for Micah, and all you said was that it didn’t matter how you felt about him.”

“It doesn’t.”

“Tell me this, then. What do you like about him?”

“Everything. He’s beautiful inside and out, and kind, and giving. He always wants to know what he can do for me, and if I need anything. He’s a caretaker to his core, and I think a lot of people have taken advantage of that over the years. It certainly sounds like it when he talks about his past relationships. He’s been burned again and again, but it hasn’t made him bitter or jaded. In fact, he still has this childlike innocence about him, and he wants to see the good in people. He wants to see it in me. But I feel like I’m taking advantage of him just like everyone else has.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not worth the kind of money he’s paying me. Not unless he’s fucking me, because that’s the main thing I have to offer.” I stopped talking and turned my gaze to my hands, which were fidgeting with my coffee cup.

Ash lowered his voice. “Let me tell you something, Jasper—you’re an absolute treasure, and he’s lucky to get to spend time with you. In return, you’re giving up half a year of your life for a virtual stranger. You’re with him twenty-four hours a day, apart from the few hours you take for yourself on Wednesdays. And let’s not forget, he not only can afford what he’s paying you, that amount was his idea.”

When I didn’t say anything, he continued, “It breaks my heart that you’re so down on yourself, and to hear you say you think sex is the main thing you have to offer. Don’t you see how dead wrong you are?”

“Am I, though?”

“Yes, absolutely, and here’s how I know that. For the past two years, you’ve been my best friend and roommate. We’ve never had sex and never will, because that’s not what you and I are to each other. But the time we’ve spent together has been absolutely precious to me. If you’re giving Micah even half of what you gave me, then he’s damn lucky. In fact, he’s not paying you nearly enough, because your company and friendship are absolutely priceless.”

It was all I could do not to start crying. My voice sounded rough when I murmured, “Thanks for saying that. I feel the same about you.”

Just then, the waitress came by to refill our coffee cups and tell us our breakfast would be up soon. By the time she left, I’d managed to get my emotions under control again.

As Ash poured a ton of cream and sugar into his coffee, he tried to lighten the conversation by asking, “Has Micah sung for you yet? I was playing some of his first album for Wes last night, and I was struck all over again by how talented he is.”

“He sings bits of other people’s songs for me, but never his own.”

He took a sip of coffee and winced, probably because he’d put in way too much sugar. Then he asked, “Would it be cheesy of me to ask if I can meet him? I promise not to fan-boy or make an ass of myself.”

“It’s not cheesy at all. He might like having company, and I’ve already told him all about you. Maybe you and Wesley can come for dinner after his PO clears you.”

“After his what does what now?”

“He has a probation officer who runs background checks on everyone Micah associates with,” I explained. “It’s a condition of house arrest. We told his PO I’m Micah’s new personal assistant to keep him out of our business, and I knew there was nothing to find, but the background check still felt pretty intrusive. I’ll understand if you’d rather not go through that.”

“I’m fine with it, and I’m sure Wes will be, too. I’ll talk to him about it when I see him at lunchtime.”

I grinned at my friend. “You two are so sappy. You can’t even go eight hours without seeing each other.”

Ash grinned too, and he pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times as he said, “We actually have a good excuse for meeting up today. Our real estate agent wants us to take a look at this house ASAP.”