“Another clienttoday? I’m not the only one you’re working with?”
“Of course not. Didn’t you ever wonder why I always let you leave by two? We don’t figure a tenderfoot can handle a whole day working on the range, so we do two shifts. Gives you a chance to see the doctor, talk to the other clients, take a nap even.”
Peyton crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re going to go see another man after you’re done with me?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“And you’re going to spank him?”
“If he needs it. I’m hoping he doesn’t.”
Peyton scowled to let Tex know he was entirely done with the attempts at humor. “And do you plan on fucking him?”
“Now, Peyton.” Tex put an arm around his shoulders, but Peyton shrugged it off.
“Don’t ‘now, Peyton’ me. Answer the question.”
“No, I’m not going to fuck him. I’m not supposed to be fucking the clients. You know I didn’t want to do this.”
“Oh, now you didn’t want to do it. Because you seemed pretty into it at the time. That was your cock in my ass, right? The stuff that ended up in the condom was come, not tears.”
“I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it. Just that it was… regrettable.”
“Regrettable.” He would cry later, but for now he concentrated on being mad. “So I meant nothing to you. I’m a client. A job.”
“I tried to tell you—”
Peyton held up a hand to shut him up. Yes, Tex had tried to tell him. But he hadn’t wanted to believe it. He’d been going through a process of rebirth, and he’d fooled himself into thinking Tex actually gave a damn. But it turned out that for all Tex cared, Peyton could have been Ambrose with his eating problem or that guy from the club who’d wanted to quit smoking. All those wink-wink allusions the guy in the club had made about not enjoying the process—he’d meant he’d gotten spanked. Everyone here was getting spanked. That was what made Ambrose fidgety at meals, was why doctor’s appointments were standard practice. The clients got spanked, the trainers did the spanking, and he and Tex were nothing special to each other.
“Just go.”
He sat on the edge of his bed where the sheets were all bunched up from the epic fucking that had just gone down. Already he could feel his anger morphing into hurt. His lower lip trembled as he tried to hold it together until Tex got the hell out. But Tex didn’t get out. He came and sat down next to him.
“I don’t know what to say here.”
“Then go away like I told you to.”
Still, Tex didn’t go.
“This is why I regret what happened between us. Not because I didn’t like it. I liked it a lot.” Tex looked at his hands, which he had cupped in his lap. The right one was red, calluses starkly white against the chafed skin. “You’re not just another client to me, Peyton. I want so badly for you to succeed, and the time we’ve spent together has been enjoyable. Really, really enjoyable. Even when you’re being a brat.”
“So I’m not just a client?”
“No, you’re not just a client. But youarea client. What we’ve had together, I hope it’ll stick with you for the rest of your life in terms of changing how you approach challenges, but you’ll be leaving in four days.”
“Come with me!” If that was all Tex was worried about, Peyton had already overcome that obstacle, at least in his head. “I make good money, and now that I’m going to have ambition and a work ethic, I’ll make even better money. I’m not saying you’d be a kept man, but you’d have time to find a new job.”
Tex shook his head. “This is my job.”
“Spanking men?”
“Coaching men. Making them better people.”
“By spanking them.” And probably fucking them. Could he really believe Tex didn’t do this on the regular? No. He’d been naïve, and Tex’s attempt to comfort him was cold comfort, meaning nothing.
“I like my job, Peyton. I don’t know who I’d be without it. I can’t just leave here because you and I fucked around a little, even if I do think you’re cute and fun and have a great ass.”
Cute and fun with a great ass. That was him—just a pleasant little dalliance. He’d learned something about commitment over the last week and a half, but he’d been learning it alone.
