Jeremy produced a joint from his shirt pocket. “First we’re going to smoke this. Then we’re going to play a round of golf and while we’re playing golf, you’re going to tell Adam and me what in the hell happened with you and Skylar.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“We know it has something to do with Tiffany Hardwell,” Adam added from the backseat.
I turned in my seat. “What the hell do you know?”
Adam held his hands up in surrender. “Not much, man, only what Sky told Meg. That you used to date Tiffany Hardwell and you were being secretive about stuff. Sky’s a tough nut to crack and she has a very black and white approach to life. I know for a fact there’s more to this story than Meg’s been told, and I also know there are two sides. Jer and I want to hear yours.”
“I can’t—”
“We’re not just partners, Jenkins, we’re friends. Good friends. You can trust us. We’re here for you. Plus, it’s really weird having you slink around the office looking like someone has died. It’s depressing,” Jeremy said, handing me the joint. “There’s a lighter in the glove box.”
“I think we’re going to need a lot more than one joint,” I muttered, flicking the lighter and sucking in a lungful of smoke.
“Then it’s good I have three of these suckers,” Jeremy grinned as I coughed so hard my eyes watered.
By the time we reached the country club where we usually played golf, we were all high as hell. I was feeling floaty and a lot better than I had in two weeks. That floaty feeling also made it easier to say things I otherwise wouldn’t share.
“I’ve been keeping stuff from everyone,” I admitted once we were on the links. Adam was teeing up while Jeremy and I watched. We were practically the only ones on the course, which gave us a sense of privacy.
“Come on now, what you could possibly be keeping from us?” Jeremy scoffed.
“I’ve never told you guys how I made all that money to pay for my brother’s residential facility,” I started.
Adam hit the golf ball and we watched it arc nicely and land on the green. Jeremy was up next. “Honestly, I’ve never really thought about it.” He tugged on his glove.
“When we were in law school I worked part-time as an exotic dancer at The Landing Strip.”
Jeremy’s shot went wide, and he turned around, his eyes bugging out of his head. “You what?”
“That’s the strip club right?” Adam asked, a little slow to the party.
“Yep, that’s the place,” I told him.
“And you’re saying you worked there? As a dancer?” Adam went on.
“Jesus Christ, Decate, yes that’s what he’s saying,” Jeremy snapped. “I have to say that is not what I expected you to say.”
“Yeah, well that’s not all of it. That’s where I met Tiffany and then I went to work for her.” I took a deep breath. Here it goes. “As an escort.”
Adam started coughing and Jeremy had to pound him on the back with his fist.
“You were an escort? As in you were paid to go out with women?” Adam really was having a hard time with this.
“Wait, so did you…?” Jeremy made a gesture to simulate sex.
“Yes, Wyatt, I was paid to have sex with women.”
Both of them stared at me for a long time, clearly processing what I had just told them.
Jeremy was the first one to speak. “Well, more power to ya, man. I mean, you’re about the last dude I expected to work as a paid escort, but you do have a kickin’ bod.”
“I can’t imagine Sky getting pissed about something you did in your past. That’s not her style,” Adam interjected.
“It wasn’t that she got pissed about. It’s because I was still working. I um, well, I had a website up until a couple of weeks ago. I was still stripping for cash. And Tiffany told Skylar about it. She was upset because I never told her. She doesn’t like secrets. She made that clear from the beginning, yet I still kept such a huge thing from her.” I wasn’t sure how they were going to take that. I had been keeping my double life a secret for so long out of fear of people’s reactions. It seemed I had greatly underestimated my friends.
Jeremy let out a whoop. “I knew you weren’t as boring as you let on. You’re like a sexy Clark Kent, Jenkins. Lawyer by day, naughty sex toy at night. I love it.”
“Secrets are definitely a deal-breaker for Sky,” Adam said thoughtfully. “Have you tried talking to her since all this came out?”
I teed up and smacked the golf ball, sending it into the sandpit. The three of us walked to our balls. “No. I figured she’d want space. She threw me out of her house.”