I kicked them off, and he did the same. He motioned for me to join him on his bed, then laid out beside me with his hands tucked behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
“When my father got sick, I left school and went back home to take care of him. It was hard. He was stubborn about it. Took me forever to just get him to go to the doctor. He hated doctors—always had. I almost went deaf in one ear because he wouldn’t get my earache checked out.” Arden shook his head. “Anyway, we finally got his diagnosis, pancreatic cancer, but he wouldn’t do chemo or radiation. Because he didn’t think it would help, and he didn’t have the money. All he wanted to do was drink beer and listen to baseball games, and there was nothing I could do to change his mind.”
Arden closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I watched him get worse, day by day. We fought a lot. He was captain, and I was just the first mate. Any word against him was mutiny. He actually made me call him, ‘Captain.’ My whole life.” Arden turned to register my disbelief.
“Sounds like a character.”
“He really was, and after my mom died, he was all I had. Then he passed, and I just kind of spiraled. I enrolled myself at the JC but ended up dropping out again. In the meantime, I’d racked up a lot of credit card debt and developed a drinking problem.”
I turned on my side so that I could look at him while he spoke.
“I was in a bad way when I got… I guess what you could call ‘discovered?’ My benefactor dried me out, flew me to New York, and let me stay with him for a while. He paid for my headshots and hooked me up with a modeling agency. We worked out a kind of payment plan until my career got going.”
I could guess at what he meant by a payment plan. I laid a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t imagine being saddled with so much responsibility at such a young age.”
“Yeah, it sucked for a while, I’m not going to lie.”
“Why didn’t you declare bankruptcy?”
He shook his head. “The banks would have taken my dad’s boat.Myboat. It was all he ever had. It was why he didn’t want the medical bills. He wanted me to have it.”
“And are you still… working off your debt?” I was trying to be delicate. If Arden didn’t want to say it, then I wouldn’t either.
“I am.”
“Do you have just one benefactor or are there more?” I probably shouldn’t have asked, but I couldn’t help myself.
“I only answer to him, but there are occasions when I see other clients.”
Clients, plural.
“But he’s not your romantic partner?”
“No. It’s a business arrangement.”
“Is your modeling career doing well?”
“Well enough, but I have bills that go beyond my day-to-day expenses. What I do… it’s easy money, and I’m good at it.”
I’d yet to see him slip into character, but I’d bet he was paid well for the fantasy. Themystique. Did it make a difference that the people he served were rich and powerful? It shouldn’t.
“So, that’s why I’m not relationship material,” he said. “I’m in enough of them already.” Arden gave a brittle laugh and glanced over at me with an open expression, waiting for my judgment. Expecting it.
I touched his collarbone where the sweater had pulled away. “I think you’re fascinating, and I’d like to get to know you better. We don’t have to put a name to it.”
He grinned without any mirth. “Aren’t you worried what your friends will think?”
Was I? Probably, but not enough to stop seeing him. “Franco’s boyfriend is a male entertainer, and I know a few people who are paying off their student loans with web accounts. Have you ever considered it?”
“My benefactor wouldn’t like it. I’m expected to be exclusive and discreet.”
That was an interesting way to put it.
“How long do you think this gig will last?”
“Until my debt is paid. Or until my hair falls out.” He gave a bitter chuckle.
I touched his hair. Soft, like feathers. “Liam knows just how to find your weaknesses and exploit them.”
