Chapter 13

Austin was exhausted after his marathon session with Stacy. She’d left him in her bed and stepped into the bathroom to take a long, hot bath. He pulled on his boxers and wandered into the kitchen to find something to drink. Riley had returned from her ‘date’ and was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a glass of wine and looking forlorn.

“Why the look?” Austin asked, startling her. “Sorry, I thought you heard me come in.”

She gave him a weak smile.

“If you’re still here, Stacy must be a happy girl. C’mon, spill the tea.”

“I’ll let her tell you,” Austin said. “Now, back to you.”

“Nicely done. Most young guys can’t help but brag about their exploits,” Riley said, then shook her head. “I take that back. Most every guy brags when given a chance, regardless of age.”

Austin shrugged.

“I guess I was taught differently. I’ve seen how it turns out most times. The guy bragging seldom gets a second chance.”

“Fair enough,” Riley said. “You were right about Don; he’s a total douche. He wanted to write me a check for ‘extras.’ Then, I was supposed to hold it until he got paid at his next closing. I bailed after dinner and came home.”

“Oh.”

“‘Oh’ is right. I’ve been sitting out here for a couple of hours listening to you two.”

Acting like she didn’t know he was still there was a ruse to get Austin to spill the tea.

“I see.”

“Are you two an item now?” Riley asked.

“No. I understand she has a boyfriend. This is just a casual thing, a situation.”

“You don’t seem like a guy who does casual.”

Austin shrugged again.

“I am in Club DTF.”

“Say what? Club DTF? Is that what I think it is?”

“I can’t imagine anything more casual than that,” Austin said.

Riley smiled at his confirmation.

“You should have a party and invite some of my friends. For a little remuneration, your dweeb friends could get lucky.”

“None of my ‘dweeb friends’ are trust-funders, but some of them may know some. I could message them and see. If I find some, when would you want to do this?” Austin asked.

Riley checked her phone.

“Can’t be over the weekend. How does Thursday work?”

“So, all I need to do is find a place and get willing guys to show up?” Austin asked.

“Guys who are willing to give a little,” Riley added.

“All by Thursday?”

“How hard is it to sell sex?”

“Especially if you accept checks,” Austin teased.

“You pull this off, and you can be rolling rent-free that night,” Riley said, giving him a look that curled his toes.

He was going to find a way to make this happen.

“Who knows? You might want to join Club DTF for some stress relief after a night like tonight,” Austin shot back.

“No one should be sleeping on your sales ability. My friends and I might take you up on that if the talent in the club can even come close to your performance with Stacy.”

“Alleged performance,” Austin said, holding up his hand to slow her roll.

“Whatev, player. But if word gets out about how you made my girl scream, you’ll be a busy boy.”

“Just another reason to join the club.”

“Possibly. Let’s see how the party goes before I join,” Riley said.

The following day, Austin took a moment to talk to Emma about the party.

“The boys will be in for sure. I’ll call Mia and get her to help with the guest list. What do you plan to do about beer and the like?”

“I can’t see my grandmother floating us enough beer for a party, and I’m not going to pay for it,” Austin said.

“We’ll make it a bring-your-own type of thing, or maybe Mia can talk Noah into footing the bill,” Emma said.

“Where should we have it? I doubt your apartment’s big enough.”

“I have some ideas. You might have to help out around here today so your grandmother doesn’t get mad because I spend all my time setting up your party,” Emma said.

“I don’t have a class today, so Max and I will be your willing slaves,” Austin said as he scratched the pup’s head.

The wagging tail told them Max was on board.

Halfway through the day, Austin began to suspect his grandmother had given Emma a list and told her to work through it when she had time because it was long. It also looked like he was doing the jobs Emma didn’t want to do. Right at that moment, he was on a ladder, scrubbing windows. It looked like they hadn’t been done in years.

Emma yelled, “Shea agreed to hold the party since her parents won’t be home until Sunday. I told Liam and Oliver they need to return on Friday and help Shea clean up.”

“What about the guests?”

“Mia sent out something, and it’s blowing up. Liam put up a sign at the brewery, and some tourists seemed interested. It looks like it’ll be packed.”

“If it gets too big, we might need help controlling things. I don’t want to see Shea’s place get trashed,” Austin worried.

“Riley said she had that covered. That girl told me you were a little Energizer bunny. When are you going to show me your skills?” Emma asked.

“I’m free after I finish this,” Austin offered.

“No, you have to pressure-wash once you’re done with the windows.”

“I might be too tired if I have to do that,” Austin complained.

“I have more jobs when you’re done. Let’s just say that if you finish the list...” Emma trailed off, giving him a sexy look.

“I’ll be ready for retirement?”

Emma found that funny; Austin, not so much. He started to wonder if thinking with his dick was the best idea. Was it like Don offering a check? Did he believe Riley and Emma would ever actually ‘pay’?

Austin was irritated by the end of the day. Emma had taken his grandmother around to see everything that had been cleaned.

“As I promised,” Grandma Montgomery said, handing Emma an envelope with several dead presidents inside as a bonus. “I never imagined you’d get this all done, if I’m being honest.”

“If there’s anything else...?”

“I’ll cogitate on it and make another list. Thank you. You’re a godsend.”

Emma didn’t even seem embarrassed at having used Austin to complete her list. She didn’t offer to cut him in, either. He let it go because he knew Emma didn’t have a wealthy grandmother like him. Besides, she’d organized the party for him.

But as for the new list, Emma could pound sand.

After Emma left, his grandmother wanted a word.

“Thank you for helping Emma with the chores.”

“You knew?” Austin asked in surprise.

“She never would’ve gotten all that done without your help. It gave me an excuse to pay her extra.”

“Hm,” Austin pondered. “Why?”

Grandma Montgomery gave him a tight smile.

“I’ve known their family for years. Her father was caught up in a riot in DC, where he was injured. A protester threw a bottle, and he got hit in the head, giving him a brain injury. He’s been on disability ever since. Emma is saving money so she can go to college. She has a bright future if she’s given half a chance.”