Page 97 of Broken Romeo

I ducked behind a nearby tree and fired off three more emails to her inbox.

I’ll pay you three hundred dollars for one pair that you masturbate in.

I’ll make it a six hundred if you include a picture of your hand in your panties.

Twelve hundred if you include a video.

How many times in my life would I get a chance like this? A chance to watch Kate be scandalized by my suggestions.

The girl blushed all the time, but I’d never seen her so beet red before.

She licked her lips and fell back against the wall.

She’d say no. I knew she would. Never in a million years would sweet, virgin Kate Harris agree to taking masturbatory images and then sell me the panties she creamed in.

But I could sure as fuck delight in asking and watching her squirm.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“So, Holden just paid our rent for the year? Just like that?” Jill snaps a finger and pokes her head around the door to the bathroom.

Steam billows around me as I towel dry my hair and twist it up into a high, wet bun on top of my head.

“Yep.”

“That’s like over twenty thousand dollars!” I ignore her incredulous look as I smear moisturizer onto my face.

“Uh-huh.” I shut off the light and breeze past her, out of the bathroom.

“Are you seriously not freaking out about this?” she asks, following me into my bedroom.

“Nope,” I lie. Internally, I’m having a total and utter meltdown. In some ways, it’s like Holden owns me now that he paid for our apartment. I can’t quit the show now… even if I wanted to.

“Well, I hope you at least gave him a blowjob for it.”

“What?” I whirl around to face her. “You seriously think I owe him a sexual favor because—”

Her smug grin halts me mid-sentence. Dammit.

“Ha! I knew you weren’t cool with this!”

With a sigh, I grab a bag of popcorn and throw it in the microwave. “Well, duh. Of course I’m not cool with it! If I’m not able to take money from my own parents, you really think I’m totally fine taking it from my ex?”

The smell of salt and butter fills the room, and the cracking pops of the kernels are strangely soothing.

I fold my arms, bending at the waist to rest my cheek on the counter and watch as the bag of popcorn inflates. “But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it now. What’s done is done, I guess. I owe Holden yet another non-blowjob favor.”

Jill pauses, head ducked in the refrigerator, can of whipped cream in hand. “What was the first favor?”

“Giving me this part in the first place.”

“What if giving you the part wasn’t a favor? What if you truly were the best and you earned that part?”

I snort and shake my head, still not lifting it from the counter. The cool granite feels nice on my warm skin. “Up against Missy Howl? I don’t think so. That woman has won three Tony Awards. Besides, if it were true that I earned my part, he wouldn’t have needed to give me this ‘trial run’ for two weeks.”

“Or the trial run is more about if you two can work together as a team and less about your talent.”

Yeah. Right.