Chapter 14

Tina asked Austin to go with her to meet the photographer during lunch later that week. Edward Bailey, or Ed as he preferred, had been excited when Tina called. She’d asked Austin if he would go with her to ensure the guy was legit.

Austin had done a bit of research and found Ed’s web page. He was as she described: a fairly young—in his early twenties—and skinny guy who did, in fact, look like an artsy hipster.

Ed suggested they try the new place in town, The Urban Kitchen. Word was they had the best chocolate malts. The restaurant was made to look like a ‘50s joint, and the staff wore period clothing. Tina drove them in her little Prius.

When they got there, they found the place packed. Ed spotted Tina accompanied by Austin.

“Do I know you?” Ed asked Austin.

“I’m Austin. Tina asked me to come along and meet you.”

“That makes perfect sense. Let’s grab seats at the bar; they say it’ll take twenty minutes to get a table.”

Ed shook Austin’s hand while trying to crush it to show dominance. From that point, Austin might as well have been invisible, even though he’d taken the seat next to Tina. Tina was enraptured by Ed’s tales of a recent photo shoot he’d been involved in. She flirted like crazy with Ed.

Austin leaned in closer to hear better. Ed gave him a quick glance to communicate that Austin should get lost. Ignoring the photographer’s intended message, Austin ordered a patty melt, onion rings, and a chocolate malt. They didn’t have much time, so he quickly ate while the other two were lost in their conversation.

Once Austin finished his meal, he made a quick trip to the restroom. When he came out, he noticed Tina had undone a couple of buttons on her blouse, making it easy for Ed to gaze down and admire her assets. Even Travis would have had to be blind to not see where this was going.

Austin grabbed his bill and walked to the cash register, not because he needed to go but just to get out of there. As he stood in line to pay, Austin noted that Ed’s hand now rested on Tina’s thigh, and she showed no interest in asking him to remove it.

Austin walked the eight blocks back to school, which gave him time to weigh his options. In the end, he decided Tina was worth the effort. He wasn’t going to let her infatuation with Ed stop him from trying to get closer.

It also allowed him time to reflect on the other women in his life. Nora had avoided him since the night of the blowjob. He realized he’d pressed her a bit too hard but judged she liked her massages too much to stay away for long. Austin could wait her out and see where that went. He doubted she’d officially date him because she was too worried about what others would think. It might be that her staying away was a blessing in disguise.

The ones that weren’t happy were Red and Bliss. Bliss threw a fit when Austin took Red out and left her in the barn. He’d finally asked Travis to ride her that night so the two horses would stop moping around.

Kelly had been a revelation. She’d taken it upon herself to teach Austin how to please a woman. He’d deduced that Zeb’s wife was a slut who liked to corrupt younger men. But that didn’t matter; he had no willpower to stop anything from happening when she got naked. Plus, she took the time to explain the ins and outs of what made a man a good lover.

Kelly claimed he was a quick study. He had to agree if the massive orgasm he’d given her the previous night was any indication. Austin had never seen anyone lock up like that and just shake as they came. He needed another willing victim to see if Kelly was a one-off or if he could duplicate those results.

Then there was the whole mess with his dad’s future family. They would be coming to the ranch Friday night to spend the weekend. He had no idea whether Lucy would want more experience or would refuse to talk to him. And there was Ruby, the troublemaker. That girl would end up getting him killed when his dad figured out that he and Lucy had given each other their virginities.

On top of that, there were Maverick and Travis. Austin had no doubt there would soon be another group of teen girls, and the guys would want his help with them. He was a bit gun-shy on that count. He just needed to survive until his mom came and got him. Austin didn’t want his dad to have any reason to be mad at him again.

He only had a block to go when Tina came zooming up and stopped.

“Get in. I have great news.”

Once he’d taken his seat and fastened his seat belt, Tina asked, “Why did you leave?”

“I could see you had everything in hand and didn’t need me getting in the way. Besides, I think you like him,” Austin said.

“It’s not like that. In fact, I think Ed’s more into you than me.”

Austin looked at the ceiling and wanted to call bullshit; her gaydar was obviously broken. No guy leaned in like that and touched a girl’s thigh if they had no interest.

“If you say so,” Austin said.

“Ed made it clear he wanted to keep things professional,” Tina explained. “The great news is he wants us to do a photoshoot together. He said it was evident I’d be more comfortable with you around and that it would be easier for the test shots if I had a partner. That made sense to me.”

Austin shook his head.

“I’m not so sure about this.”

“Austin, you have to! This is my big shot at being discovered. Ed said he has clients looking for a young, fresh face and that they’ll pay big money for one. He said that if it worked out, he might be able to get me mainstream gigs. Ed says I have what it takes to become famous,” Tina gushed.

Austin wasn’t about to put the brakes on this. That was something Kelly had stressed: a man had to support a woman, even if he knew she would regret it later. At the time, Kelly had been discussing anal sex, but if what Tina said was accurate, Austin would be the one getting it up the butt. Or so it would seem if he had to do a photo shoot.

Tina was so excited that they missed the next hour of classes as she told him everything Ed had said ... three or five times. As she’d pointed out a few days before, this sounded too good to be true. Austin was surprised Tina hadn’t thought of that yet. He had to admit that Ed did talk a good game.

That was how he found himself promising to help her. It had nothing to do with her squealing as she wrapped him in a bear hug and kissed him. Okay, that was total bullshit: any guy would want Tina Wilkens to press those tits against their chest.

Even a supposed gay guy like Ed would allow it. Austin figured if Ed really was into guys, he had to be bi, at least. Austin would have to pay more attention the next time they met.

Tina was a woman on a mission. She arranged her first photo shoot for the following night. Tina wanted Austin there for support, so she drove out and picked him up. He’d just finished taking care of the horses when she arrived.

Austin walked over to the driver’s window.

“Do you want me to shower first, or are you eager to get there?”

“Let’s get this over with. I’ll even take you to a drive-through and buy you dinner,” Tina said to sweeten the deal.

“I could eat,” Austin said as he got into the car.

Tina put Ed’s address into the GPS. On the drive there, she gave Austin his instructions.

“If I either say I don’t feel well or raise two fingers, you stop it.”