Page 105 of Guardian
Epilogue
Wes
I’m running latewhen I burst into the locker room to get changed.I hate being behind schedule, especially now.Fallon’s been barely tolerating me lately, and I can’t say I blame him.Honestly, I know my head’s a mess.That doesn’t mean I want to lose my brother.
Our mom couldn’t take it.Neither could I.
I’m hoping that Ravi kid is still around.Fallon mentioned his former student’s new boyfriend does something with security, and I think I need to talk to someone about that.Something weird is going on at the hotel I help manage, and frankly?I’m not sure I trust our in-house staff.
At least the gym is quiet now.Most students are gone for winter break.Unlucky for me, I happened to run into one of my mine on my way here, who wanted a reference for a job at the Belle Argo Premiere.One thing I’ve learned as the night manager of that place?She does not want to work there.
Not that I could really tell her so.
I’ve never been terribly comfortable getting naked in front of strangers, so I head to the far back corner of the locker room.There’s usually nobody there.I also keep my head down, so nobody ever thinks I’m gawking like a perv.
So, I only have myself to blame when I run into someone.“Sorry, I?—”
I step back when I see who it is.My mouth keeps working but I can’t manage to make sound.Because I know this guy I bumped into, and I know the one standing next to him.
“Hey, Brunch Daddy.How’s it going, Westy?”the one I bumped into says with a weird grin.Troy, I think?These two guys always seem to be together, and I tend to get them confused.
Oh hell.A cold sensation fans across my back.
“It’s Wes,” I tell them.“Just Wes.My mom calls me Westlake.Nobody calls me Westy.”
“Oh, yeah, Westham,” says the one with the shoulder-length hair.He takes a big drink of the smoothie in his hand.I think that’s Adam?Every other time I’ve seen him he’s got it pulled back in one of those man buns.My soon-to-be ex would probably scoff and say man buns are out of style.Then she’d probably fuck him anyway.
Our boss has long hair, and she seemed to like fucking him just fine.
“I like Westy better,” says the one who might be Troy.
“It’s Wes,” I grit out.
The part I’m not confused about?These guys are sex workers.Like my brother’s boyfriend used to be.I’ve seen them skulking around the hotel when I’m working.I’m forced to tolerate my brother’s boyfriend, but I don’t have to tolerate these two.
I grip my duffel bag tighter and try to squeeze past them.“Look, never mind.I’m late meeting Fallon.We’re supposed to be working out while his boyfriend is fixing up his little ice cream stand.”
I’m not saying it’s the worst job, but how much money can he really make serving ice cream on a beach that’s routinely mauled by hurricanes?
“Oh, right,” Maybe Troy says.“That why you’re in a hurry?Don’t wanna have to deal with PJ?We’ve noticed you seem to have a real beef with our friend.”
I look down at where Maybe Troy has wrapped his hand around my upper arm.The last thing I want is to make a scene, but I also don’t want to keep standing here talking.
“There’s no beef.”There absolutely is.I’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m not comfortable with the way Fallon lets his boyfriend treat him, but I can’t exactly say so to PJ’s buddies.
My brother’s boyfriend used to be in one of his classes as a student.He’s over a decade younger.Worse, he seems to have the same kind of dominant nature as Fallon’s late wife had.Not exactly the same, but enough that it makes me itch to be around the two of them.
With a tug of my arm, I pull out of Maybe Troy’s grip and head back to my usual locker.I don’t realize they’ve followed me until Maybe Adam says, “You homophobic or something?”
“Hom—what?No.Of course not.I’m the one who set up PJ and Fallon on their first date.Would I do that if I was homophobic?What I am is control phobic.”
“It’s just that we remember the day you came storming into our brunch place looking ready to throw down with PJ.”Maybe Troy gestures between the two of them.
Guess that’s why they call me Brunch Daddy?
I’d been trying to get the sex worker I hired to fuck my brother to leave him the hell alone.A situation that’s been biting me in the ass since it first put me on these twenty-something thugs’ radar.
“Right,” Maybe Adam agrees between gulps of smoothie.“And then there was the way you lost your shit at the birthday party last month.”
