Take My Body (Curse Bound 2)

People had cheered him on when he boxed for money. But not like this. Not just because they appreciated the performance. When Gunner entered the ring, bets were made, and whether he won or lost, someone always left with a scowl. But those people? They simply enjoyed the beautiful sound of the piano.

The stranger stared straight at Gunner, adjusting his crisp green shirt before putting on a sleek leather jacket.

Gunner got a bit nervous, suddenly worried that he’d messed up the guy’s moment. “That was fun, right?”

“Why? You’ve grown out of hating it, Cas?” the other man asked, pinching a mole on his chin, which was the only imperfection on his pristine face.

Oh, so Caspian knew this person? Did all piano players know one another? There couldn’t be that many of them around.

Gunner grabbed his drink, because he wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. “People change.”

The stranger shrugged and stepped away from the piano, which saved Gunner the effort of tilting his head all the way back in order to see his face. “Is that why you’ve changed your style, Cas? Ripped jeans?” A wide smile stretched the handsome mouth, but the question made Gunner self-conscious.

“I… I don’t know really. I’m shopping for some new stuff. I just came back to town, had a look at my wardrobe, and I’m thinking I need something more… current, you know?”

The other man took another step back and watched Gunner in a way that made him feel like a bug pinned under a microscope. They weren’t… exes, were they?

“That shirt isn’t doing your frame any favors.”

“Hey Alex, amazing performance!” A young woman smiled in passing and tapped Alex on the shoulder, but didn’t acknowledge Gunner, as if he wasn’t even there.

Not that Gunner wanted to be noticed, and by a woman at that, but it still stung a bit. He pulled on the front of the polo shirt with a scowl. “Do you have time to help me look for something more appropriate? You seem like you’ve got your shit together.” He hoped the compliment could win him a competent advisor.

Alex went quiet, and just as Gunner was about to retreat, embarrassed over wasting this guy’s time, Caspian’s friend offered him a wide smile and squeezed his shoulder. “Oh, yeah. I lead such a busy life in Atlanta, but I’m here just visiting my parents, so I have lots of time. You must tell me about your plans for the future. Where should we go first?”

Put on the spot, Gunner wasn’t sure, but he did have Caspian’s credit card to boost his confidence. He thought back to Caspian’s boring wardrobe. “I’m done looking like my own dad, you know. I wanna feel fresh.”

Alex’s smile widened. “Of course you do. I know just the thing. With your height, we should probably hit the teenager section though. If I do a good enough job, maybe you’ll reconsider and sell me the car.”

Gunner chuckled when Alex put his arm over his shoulders. Surely with the help of a friend so stylish, everything would work out for him. This day would be good. He’d make himself into the perfect bait for Mike Choi.

Chapter 6 - Caspian

Snowman had to count the money three times, as if his racing mind couldn’t cope with the job at hand. He only succeeded once he divided the cash into five piles accounting for a hundred dollars each. His face was dark pink, like some extravagant kid’s drink from the nineties, and his short, white hair hung over the prematurely-wrinkled forehead like a torn spider web.

Caspian’s feet kept tapping the floor of the dingy office as he watched his hard-earned money disappear into a safe, but Gunner suggested the person he was actually indebted to—the man behind Snowman—was a dangerous character, and Caspian wasn’t willing to suffer the consequences of Gunner’s disastrous financial decisions.

Unfortunately, since he now inhabited Gunner’s body, the bastard’s problems had become his own, and unless something changed, he’d have to visit the cramped office in one of the buildings by the entryway into the trailer park many more times in the future.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Snowman said and took another gulp of coffee that smelled so sharp it could have risen the dead.

“So we’re done?” Caspian asked just to confirm what he already knew.

Snowman nodded. “For two weeks.”

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

“And when will I be done paying this off?” Caspian asked, trying to keep his voice steady, because if he was to deal with the pressing financial issues and move on, he needed to make plans—something Gunner apparently wasn’t very good at.

Caspian didn’t know how long he’d get to live as this alpha guy, and he wanted to enjoy it to the fullest, without worrying about a debt he knew nothing about!

Snowman chuckled and rubbed his scruffy cheek. “I’m not the person to discuss the terms with. You know that.”