Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 101764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
My mother used shiny silver tongs to set a variety of fruit on her white plate. Cora, our family’s longtime chef, knew better than to provide my mother with an actual stick-to-your-ribs breakfast. Nothing more than fruit and lemon tea for the figure-conscious Miranda Calloway. It was how she kept her petite frame skinny enough for the society pages.
“So,” she said as she joined me at the table. “How are you planning to spend your time today?”
What the seemingly innocent question really meant was, now that you’ve quit grad school, how long are you planning to embarrass me with your lack of ambition?
“Yeah, big bro,” Vera said with a smirk. “What are you planning to do with your life?”
They didn’t want to know. They really didn’t want to know. I’d come out to my parents at age twelve with less dread than I had now. Despite being in the top tier of the social elite, my parents were quite open-minded when it came to my sexual orientation. I think they enjoyed the philanthropy and recognition associated with supporting LGBTQIA+ causes more than they actually supported their gay son, but I couldn’t complain. I’d had an easier time in that regard than almost any of my queer friends. Especially those few queer friends in my family’s circle who were treated like a pariah or whose parents ignored their coming out and flat-out pretended their children were straight.
However, telling them how I wanted to spend my adult working years would not be met with the same acceptance, or any acceptance at all.
So, I went with a version of the truth. “I’m going to take off this semester, then enroll at Boston University. I’ve already been accepted for a transfer.” To a completely different field of study, in which I’d have to take a few undergraduate-level classes before I could enter the master’s program. Luckily, I could do them virtually. My first online class started tomorrow.
“Oh.” My mother blinked. “Well, that’s wonderful.” Surprise and delight transformed my mother’s face, which only made my stomach clench, and since I’d already puked up my guts this morning, this was not a good thing.
“Yeah.” The word scraped my throat worse than the dry toast Cora generously made for my roiling stomach. “Uh, think I might get a job too.” My lips twitched. No doubt, Alex went to bed and woke up this morning praying to the god of alcohol that I forgot my bold promise to work alongside him. The details might be fuzzy, but the look of horror on his face wasn’t. Who could forget that? It would be a blast. Music, liquor, and socializing with sexy men all night? It sounded perfect to me.
“Oh?” My mother tilted her head. “Your father didn’t mention you’d be taking a job.”
Because he didn’t know. Because I wasn’t going to be working at his corporation. Of course, in my mother’s eyes, there were no alternative possibilities.
“No, uh…” My stomach lurched. “Since I’m taking off the semester, I decided to do something just for fun.”
She arched a perfectly shaped light eyebrow. Vera and I got our blond hair from her genetic pool. “Oh?”
“Yeah, I’m going to be working at a nightclub. It’s a high-end luxury one downtown.”
My mom’s shocked gasp met my ears at the same time my sister’s eyes flared wide, and she bit her lower lip. I could still see her damn smirk.
“A nightclub?” my mother whispered as though the etiquette police might be listening. “Must you, Ryder? What will I tell people?”
“Are you going to be a bouncer? No, no… a go-go dancer?” Vera’s eyes danced with mirth. I scratched my ear with my middle finger, making her laugh out loud.
“Vera, please don’t laugh so loud. You sound like a hyena.”
I nearly spit out my coffee. Vera shook her head while I shot her a victorious smirk.
“Please tell me this is a joke, Ryder.” My mother’s face had paled to an ashy gray. “You cannot possibly dance in your underwear for money. I swear, I’ve never understood your sense of humor.”
Rolling my eyes, I pushed my mostly uneaten toast to the center of the table. “I will not be dancing around in my underwear for money. I’ll be working the VIP section, serving overpriced drinks to luxury clients.”
In my underwear, for money.
My mother frowned at her dragon fruit. “I don’t like this, Ryder. This is not what we do. I don’t think we should let this information leave the table.”
“Oh, man.” Vera pouted. “Just as I was getting all jazzed to tell everyone I know.”
I narrowed my eyes at her before turning to my mom with a shrug. “You’re making too big of a deal out of this. As I said, this is just a fun thing to pass the time until school begins next semester.”
A flash of Alex getting up in my face last night spread through my brain like a lightning bolt. He’d been hot, sexy even, dressed in those damn tiny shorts with his nipples on display like two flashing bullseyes. The finer details were muddled thanks to Turk and his love of Reposado. I did remember how Alex had been furious with me, but he smelled so fucking good. Body soap combined with sweat and the scent of tequila.