Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 96712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
I shudder at the notion.
Inside the coffee shop, Noah finds a table as I order. When I slide a coffee in front of him, he barely registers my presence. He stares at the table with his head in his hand.
“What’s up with you?” I ask.
He startles and looks at his coffee and then at me. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep well last night. This will help.” He holds up his cup of coffee.
“I had the best sleep I’ve ever had.” Sex probably helped. After last night, I’m kicking myself for not risking being outed sooner. Does everyone know sex is that awesome?
Noah grins as if he can read my thoughts. “What’re you thinking about?” Shit, maybe he can.
I lean in and speak low. “That we have three more days until our cruise comes back and that the only thing on my schedule is to work out and fuck.”
“You know, if you retire from football, I’m pretty sure you could find someone and that could be your entire life.”
“You think I should give up football?” I ask.
Noah shifts in his seat. “No, but if the whole contract thing doesn’t work out, your future’s not so scary.”
“Didn’t seem that way a month ago.” My voice rasps, and I try to hide it. “I had nothing. If I don’t get another contract, I’ll have—”
“An opportunity to do whatever you want with your life. Go back to school and study architecture. Become a football coach. Live the life of luxury on the millions you’ve already earned.”
Noah has a point. I have a finance guy who takes care of my investment portfolio, and my expenses are relatively small. I send money to my parents to help with my siblings, and I have my apartment in Philly which I stupidly bought instead of leased. If I sell the loft and invest the rest of my money the right way, I won’t have to work another day in my life if I don’t want to. But it’s too soon for me to think about that. It’s like I’m preparing to give up if I contemplate it.
“I ain’t ready to say goodbye to football.”
“And you say football isn’t in your blood. Face it, Matt, you are football. Instead of blood, you’re made up of pigskin.”
“That’s … a pretty terrifying picture.”
“You’re welcome.”
After Noah drinks at least half his coffee, I bring up a subject I should probably avoid if we’re going to keep this fake relationship sailing smoothly. “Uh, so … are you going to go see your dad today?”
“That’ll be a big fuck no.”
“Can I ask why you work for him if you don’t want to?”
“Because he doesn’t let me quit, and as I said last night, he won’t risk firing me and have it get out to the press.”
“So, no politicking in your future?” I ask.
“I’m not interested in the games you have to play to get ahead in that world. Politicians aren’t there to help people. They’re there to make themselves and their friends richer while screwing over those who actually need the money.”
“No offense, but I don’t see you donating your money to a good cause.”
Noah’s brow furrows. “I have financial advisors who limit my spending. I donate what I can, but the advisors are on the family’s payroll. They’re not going to let any of us blow our money. Think of me as a grown-ass man being treated like a kid getting an allowance. It’s how things are done in my family.”
“Why don’t you—”
“Can we make this an off-limits topic?”
Knowing it’s not my place, I drop it and lean back in my seat.
Noah finishes his coffee. “Ready to head back? I was thinking if you weren’t so desperate for a workout and could hold off to hit the weights until later that we could go back to bed. And not to sleep.”
I don’t think I’ve drank a cup of coffee faster.
A daily trip to the coffee shop is the only time I see outside of Noah’s townhouse for the next three days.
I get up at five a.m., work out in Noah’s basement for a few hours, run to the coffee shop for my cool down, and then bring back coffee for Noah, and wake him with a blowjob. I learned the first time that coffee isn’t enough of an incentive to wake him up.
“I could get used to this,” he pants as I climb up next to him.
I reach for the bedside table for his cup and hand it to him while I take a sip of my own and lean against his headboard. “You could, but you can’t. I’m going back to Philly today. We have to go pick up my car.”
“Nah, it’s all good. I gave Maddox and Damon the keys before we left the ship. They’re bringing it here.”
The hand holding my coffee pauses halfway to my mouth. “You … you gave them permission to drive my car? And you swiped my keys?”