Page 19 of Grind
He gave Ezra’s hole one last kiss, but the moment he rose, his lover grabbed him and pulled himself into a sitting position, greedily inviting Frank into his arms.
It was impossible to deny him, but saying goodbyes might prove too testing for both of them, so Frank didn’t stay for breakfast and left Ezra’s bed deep in the night, after a final glance at his sleeping form. In the light sneaking in through the blinds, his beautiful face looked younger and so innocent Frank wouldn’t have believed it belonged to such a horny man if he hadn’t been there to witness it.
But he didn’t stall and left, silently wishing Ezra a life worthy of him.
Chapter 6
Ezra
WarmSeptemberairsweptEzra’s hair back as he drove out of town, cutting through woodlands and fields no longer bearing any crops. He tried not to let annoyance get the best of him, since that wouldn’t change his situation anyway, but he had better things to do than dealing with a client who did not show up to his appointment and didn’t even bother to pick up the phone.
Were it anyone else, Ezra would have let it go and got on with his life, but Paul had been the largest source of his income over the past two years and demanded to be treated accordingly. Which was fine. He was good-looking enough, didn’t want any weird shit, was an okay lay, and never failed to be generous with gifts, but also sometimes wanted to meet up last minute or asked Ezra to sleep with someone as a favor. There was always compensation, of course, but while at times it clashed with his other plans, it wasn’t as though Ezra could afford to say no to his cash cow. Only so many men around here were willing and able to pay his premium rates.
That would not be the case in LA, where he was heading in a matter of days.
He wasn’t surprised when Paul did not show up at his doorstep at noon, as they’d agreed, since lateness wasn’t that uncommon for him. But when an hour passed while Ezra waited, ready to see him for the last time and get on with closing this chapter of his life by packing and running errands, he lost his patience. Paul already knew Ezra was leaving town in just a couple of days—which he did not appreciate—yet conveniently forgot to take the keys of the expensive car he’d lent Ezra the last time they’d seen one another.
In an ideal world, Ezra would have accepted the vehicle as a parting gift, but since they’d already established his nowexsugar daddy wanted it back, he could pick it up himself from the underground garage. Ezra didn’t know whether Paul’s absence was a way to punish him for leaving, but he had lots of stuff to deal with and couldn’t have this guy showing up unannounced at a later time, to make up for the missed appointment. It wasn’t as if he needed to cater to Paul anymore.
Which was why he made the decision to drive over to Paul’s and hand him the keys, or even leave them on his porch, so he could pick up the Jaguar at a later date. He could even give Paul a consolation freebie while he was at it, to leave all bridges unburnt. One never knew when old acquaintances might prove handy.
Ezra’s thoughts once again drifted to Frank, and he rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself. He wasn’t the sentimental type, and in his line of work, the last thing one needed was to get attached to a client. But the two of them did have a good run, and while Frank paid least out of the men on Ezra’s roster, due to Ezra’s lust-filled brain giving him a discount rate that first night, Frank was fun to be around. And the sex? They had mad chemistry, and in another world, where Ezra was the one with loaded pockets, he would have procured Frank’s services.
He was genuinely bummed over likely never seeing him again, but if Ezra was to get ahead in life, he needed to focus on his game plan, not silly fantasies of meeting up with that gentle giant in the future. After all, youth and beauty only lasted so long, and while he assumed his expiration date would come at a later time than the average female escort’s, at some point he’d stop being the top shelf commodity. Sure, he took care of himself at the gym, and at an aesthetician’s, he ate well, and there were always options involving surgery, which he could look at in the future. But if he was to avoid becoming one of those people who chased youth until they transformed into disfigured caricatures of themselves, he needed to make the most of being in his prime.
Los Angeles was full of other beautiful men with big dreams and empty bank accounts, which was why he’d stalled for so long with the move in the first place. He did not want to end up needing to sell his timecheaply, in order to maintain the lifestyle that would allow him to keep up with the kind of clientele he aimed for. Therefore the connection he’d made with a man from the film industry was the answer he’d been looking for.
The dude was a blockbuster movie producer, had more than enough cash to burn on Ezra’s time, and an apartment for him, as long as Ezra signed an NDA and became his exclusive boyfriend for a year. Their relationship might end after that, but being in this man’s circles would allow Ezra to meet other potential clients and, in an ideal world, follow in his mother’s footsteps and get himself a rich husband.
Hurray for marriage equality.
Ezra briefly wondered if Frank was the marrying type. He made it his business to know things about the men he was seeing, so he knew Frank owned a junkyard, but how much cash could this kind of enterprise bring? A part of Ezra found it endearing that Frank saved his earnings just to see him every now and then, so he made sure that their evenings were extra special.
He’d been somehow both relieved and disappointed when he’d woken up yesterday, to find his bed empty and the cash left on the nightstand. Frank hadn’t even messaged him since. So maybe this would have been inappropriate, but he’d still enjoy hearing from him for the last time.
Ezra slammed his hands against the steering wheel to shut down the useless train of thought. Frank was out, and so were Paul, Abraham, Alexander, and his other clients.Inwas Robert, the film producer whose surname shall never be mentioned if Ezra didn’t want to be sued.
Ezra had a few expensive accessories to sell online and shit to do, so he’d deal with Paul and close this chapter. Maybe a little distraction was in order?
His gaze drifted to the phone attached to the grip in front of him, and moments later, he was calling his friend. Carmen didn’t always pick up, since she had more clients than Ezra, but her iPhone was like an extra limb, and he wasn’t surprised when her sculpted features appeared on the screen.
“Hey, babe! What’s up? Inviting me to your new sugar daddy’s yacht any time soon?” She flashed her bright white teeth at him and lifted the phone to show herself drowning in bubbles. This did not look like the tub in her home.
“Areyouinviting me toyournew daddy’s luxurious bathroom?” Ezra quipped back, kind of wanting to meet up with her after this was over. Otherwise, he was at risk of overthinking his conflicted feelings all evening.
“If you ever come back from California to grace us with your presence and the glow of your new tan.” She rolled her eyes.
Carmen was joking, but Ezra could sense a little bit of jealousy under the nonchalant comment. He’d lie if he claimed it didn’t give him some satisfaction. After all, he’d secured himself a rich guy in LA while she was stuck in the very city she started out in several years ago.
He ignored the little voice at the back of his head, which told him Frank was here as well, and that once he arrived in the promised land of sunshine and heavy traffic, he’d likely never see either of them again.
“I’ll keep that in mind. I just hope I haven’t forgotten anything. I worry what will happen if things don’t work out with my new guy. I only really met him once,” he said, rolling his shoulders to relieve the painful tension keeping them stiff.
Carmen pouted and grabbed herself a chocolate-covered strawberry from the bowl on the side of the bathtub. She didn’t usually eat sweets, so Ezra was pretty sure she was doing this just to show off what she had.
“If he’s a psycho, I’ve got his address. Other than that, what do you have to lose? I mean, you’ll be missing out on the pleasure of my company of course, but with a face like yours, you’ll find another guy, or several, if push comes to shove.”
Ezra tightened his grip on the wheel and sucked in air. Shades of green surrounded him from all sides, but they didn’t bring him peace. Not when he had so much on his mind. “I saw Frank last night. Said my goodbyes,” he said, and despite hoping that spitting it out would offer some relief, conflicted emotions only gained weight in his heart.
