“Follow me, please.” Curtis motioned for Ryder to follow him. As Curtis led us down a hallway, I fell into step beside Ryder.
“You don’t look very relaxed,” I said quietly to him.
“Well, I look like a fucking punching bag for people to stare at. So, yeah, it’s a little stressful for me.”
“Ryder, relax. I promise you that the spa therapists aren’t going to judge you or ask questions.”
I couldn’t pretend to understand how he felt, and I didn’t try to. He had legitimate reasons that caused him to feel like he needed to look over his shoulder or worry about what people thought when they saw him without clothes. He was going to have to get over that.
As Ryder went through the various treatments, I watched him like a hawk, making a mental note how he reacted to being touched because it would be useful information for me to have.He maintained some conversation and eye contact with the therapists and me during most of the treatments. But he grew silent and made no eye contact during the waxing of his ass crack and trimming of his pubic hair. He wore a cooling mask over his eyes during his full body massage. While I watched the hands move on Ryder’s body, I felt myself harden when I noticed his cock had become erect. After the massage was done and the cooling mask was removed, Ryder pulled the robe on and sat beside me while he sipped on a glass of water.
“Doing all right?” I asked him after Justin left the room.
“Yeah. I feel all tingly.”
He finished his water and was told he could get dressed in the clothes he arrived in after he took another shower. The last station for him to visit after the shower was for his haircut. He answered some of the questions the hair stylist had for him about his preferences to the length and cut. By the time we left, he seemed much more relaxed than he had when we arrived. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for lunch and talked more about this evening.
“I’ve never been to a rich people’s party. Do I need to talk a certain way or not do certain things?” he asked after he took the last bite of his sandwich.
“You simply need to be yourself tonight. That’s all. It’s very simple.”
Ryder leaned back in the chair and glanced around the restaurant before making eye contact with me.
“Look, I know this stuff sounds simple to you, Atlas. But this is really stressful for me.”
I reached for my glass of water and took a sip while looking at him. I was thrilled he was opening up and voicing fears and concerns with me. I could help him best as long as he was willing to talk to me.
“Specifically, what is causing you stress?”
“All of it.”
“What are you afraid of, specifically?”
He laughed and shook his head, visibly frustrated.
“Ryder, you just came from a relaxing spa appointment with head-to-toe treatments. You shouldn’t be this tense so soon after.” I paused to finish the last of my sandwich and so he could gather his thoughts. I’d hoped he would have taken the opportunity to voice his specific concerns, but he remained quiet. “If you don’t tell me what you’re specifically worried about, or what detail is causing you stress, I can’t do my best to help ease those worries.”
Ryder nodded, showing me that he’d heard me, yet he remained quiet. It wasn’t until we were back in the car on the way to the hotel that he spoke up.
“I’m concerned about messing up or stepping out of line and then getting kicked out,” he mumbled while looking out the window. “I don’t have anywhere to go, Atlas. I’m basically homeless. It’s always been?—”
He dropped his sentence, shaking his head.
“What, Ryder?” I prompted him to answer.
“Nothing.”
“No, please finish what you were saying. I’m listening.”
He turned to look at me, and I could see the stress swimming in his eyes and the faint wrinkle that had appeared on his forehead. I thought if I nudged him a little more, he’d talk.
“You were saying ‘it’s always been’ something. Please finish your thought.”
“It’s always been a worry of mine. All while growing up, I always feared doing something wrong to get kicked out of the foster home or taken back to the facility to stay while I waited for another chance at a new home.”
Ryder had worried his whole life about not having a roof over his head or food to settle the pain in his stomach. I couldn’t fathom what those fears would be like.
“Ryder—”
