Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Frank sat in the passenger seat with a frown. “What? Why would I do that? So you lose your precious organic eggs? I’m not that cruel.”
Ezra laughed and shut the driver’s door, itching to lean closer and smell this hunk. What would Frank have done if Ezra put his hand on Frank’s thigh and then leaned in, opening his fly to release the delicious monster hiding under the denim? “Aw, thank you Frank, that’s really romantic of you.”
Frank stalled. “Um. I guess next I’ll be bringing you flowers and breakfast to bed.” He laughed a bit stiffly, and while Ezra had just started the truck, he did need to follow up on that right away.
“Yes?” he asked in a soft voice as the vehicle rolled away from Shane and Rosen’s home.
Frank swallowed, his Adam’s apple trailing under swarthy skin. “So, I was thinking …”
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t know the food bothered you so much. Since we’re not sure how long you’ll need to stay here, maybe make a grocery list, and I can get everything you need first thing tomorrow.”
How was this guy so sweet?
Ezra found himself staring as his stomach did a rapid backflip. He’d been with many guys, many of them intelligent, polite, cultured, but none paid him as much attention as Frank. Sure, sugar daddies wanted the illusion of having a boyfriend without the emotional commitment, but at the end of the day the people who exchanged money and gifts for Ezra’s company expected to have their needs met. Ezra was to remain interested in whatever bullshit they complained about, always smiling and happy about their presence, whether his day was all right or not.
And that was fair. After all, he was providing a service, but the dynamic between him and Frank had felt genuine from the start. Which was why had Ezra forgotten professionalism one time during their lakeside trip, somewhat freaked out by the lack of appropriate food options. It shouldn’t have happened, but Frank didn’t get annoyed, or petty, or passive-aggressive, and had done his best to calm him. Almost like a… boyfriend.
And while Ezra could not get attached to anyone if he was to achieve his future goals and be financially secure, it had felt damn good.
Ezra smirked and moved his open hand down his body, drawing Frank’s attention to his chest and stomach. “All this has been curated by me for years. I would never look like this if I ate TV dinners and fast food.”
Frank was a big guy, so he probably didn’t get drunk easily, but his warm dark gaze was still a little softer when he looked at Ezra. “I bet you’d be just as cute with chubby cheeks.”
It sounded almost like a threat, because Ezra already felt that his face appeared a bit rounder than normal, bloated by all the extra sodium he’d been consuming. But Frank wasn’t laughing or rolling his eyes. It wasn’t a joke, not even a kind-spirited one, which made Ezra feel weird about the way he’d blown up earlier. “I should have told you instead of stewing in it. I guess I already feel like I’m using your kindness too much. And the threat of Paul finding me here is keeping me on edge.”
Frank shook his head and pointed from himself to Ezra. “This is a one-way kindness street. If I do something for you, it’s because I chose to, so don’t question it.”
Ezra had lived in the world of transactions so long, he wasn’t sure what to do with such a declaration. It was hard to believe someone would give him all this protection in exchange for nothing.
But if Frank had been so benevolent and caring to his friends, why would he treat Ezra with any less generosity?
It was both a relief and a problem, since Ezra genuinely liked Frank, both as a lover and a person. Maybe he wasn’t the kind of guy he’d target as his future husband, since he did not own private jets or yachts, but for the duration of Ezra’s stay here, there was no reason to keep things chaste.
He swallowed. “About those groceries, what’s the budget?”
Frank shrugged. “Whatever. As long as it’s not cake covered in edible gold, it’s fine.”
Ezra wondered whether Frank realized how expensive some things were if he never bought them, but then his gaze settled on the Rolex on his hand, and he exhaled, trying to keep his voice level as he spoke. “So you’d be fine spending four or five hundred?”
He could see the calculations all over Frank’s face. “I guess. If that’s what you need. I usually get stuff frozen, so I’m not sure.”
Unbelievable. And considering that he no longer needed to pay for Ezra’s time either, he clearly had some cash to burn.
“Frank. If you can afford that, then why do you live like this? Why did you not consult a nutritionist to help you plan meals that would help you meet your exercise goals? Why do the walls of your home look like they haven't been painted in a decade? Why is your car broken? I don’t get it. You give so much to your friends, but you should take care of yourself too.”