Page 51 of Just the Pool Boy at Vampire Mansion

I didn’t know him, but clearly, he knew me. “What do you want?”

At least we were out in the open. There weren’t many folks around, but whoever this was, he wasn’t likely to pull anything weird out in the open, with traffic passing by on the street.

The guy didn’t seem immediately threatening, apart from his size. Normal clothes, average looks. Just some guy in a pickup who’d been following me for a week.

I had my phone at my side, thumb on the call button.

He scratched his cheek. “Davis calls me Sweet, and he says for you to know you’re being looked after. You don’t need this shitty job or to be sweating down here in this heat. He says to come back. I’ll take you back⁠—”

Pure, unfiltered rage simmered through my veins. “I don’t want that, Sweet.” If Davis had named him Sweet, then it was likely he was anything but. “I don’t want anything from him. Leave me alone.” I turned away and headed for the front door.

“He says to thank you, for what you did,” Sweet called.

“I didn’t do it for him.” Which was a lie. A stupid, petty lie.

I tugged open the door, dove inside, and took the stairs because there was no way I could wait for an elevator. In under a minute, I was back in my apartment, leaning back against my front door, breathing hard.

Maybe that would be it. That one message, and he’d go away?

I lifted the phone, and without thinking, opened Theo’s text chain.

U up?

Am now

“Can you come by?” I deleted that without sending it, and tried,

you ever done something you’ll regret for the rest of your life?

Then sent that one fast, before common sense could delete it.

My heart still pounded, chest tight.

After a lot of bouncing dots and a few minutes, a one-word reply came back.

Yeah

How’d you deal with it?

Drugs drink anonymous sex

I had no idea if he was joking but smiled anyway.

I’m joking

Mostly. U okay?

No

I sent it fast. No thoughts allowed. Just typing, as though he was standing next to me, listening while I talked and let all the feelings flow.

Wanna go out later for drugs, drink, and anonymous sex?

Or just a few beers?

I laughed a little.

Where? We’ll get mobbed by Thowen fans