Page 113 of Naughty November

“I was prepared to live with it if you ever brought a man home, but this is going too far. No son of mine is going to sell sex for entertainment. If you insist on doing this ridiculous thing, I’ll stop funding your education. You can kiss college good-bye.”

“Fine. I’ll make more than a fancy degree can anyway. I’ll drop out.”

“And don’t you show your face back here. You hear me, Kieran? You’re dead to me. This is no longer your home.”

“No problem, Harrison. From now on, you’re not my father anymore.”

Footsteps stomped up the stairs. I wasn’t fast enough to run back to my room. Kieran almost tripped over me. He caught the railing and frowned.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry. Please don’t go.”

He shook his head. “I can’t stay here, squirt.”

“I’ll take the blame.”

He tugged a lock of my hair. “You can’t take the blame for this. Didn’t I tell you not to touch that stuff? It’s for adults. You’re a kid.”

“I’m not a kid!” I scrambled to my feet.

“I used to tell myself that when I was your age. Look, Iggy, I have to go.”

I shook my head, tears streaming harder. I didn’t care that he saw them. He couldn’t leave.

“Hey, it’s not like I’ll be dead. You got my number. Call me anytime you wanna talk.”

“Where are you gonna go?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’m going to get a place. And when you’re ready to leave here, you can stay with me. Would you like that?”

I wanted to say yes, but I didn’t want to leave my mom, but she wouldn’t leave Stepdad either. She allowed him to be the disciplinarian and rarely stepped in.

“You have a lot of time to think about it, okay?”

Kieran packed up his belongings. We loaded everything into his car way too quickly. How could he leave me in half an hour? What was I supposed to do? I looked forward to him coming home every holiday.

There would be no more holidays without him.

“I’ll see you around, kid.” Kieran got into his car, and I blinked back the tears, lowering my gaze. “Hey, Iggy?”

I snapped up my head. “Yeah?”

“Next time I see you, I’ll have a trivia question you won’t know the answer to.”

I smiled, my lips trembling. “I’ll study hard, then.”

And I did.

ONE

IGGY

Although I clutched three Pleasure Pulse trophies in my hands—for director of the year, best director of a gay video, and best cinematography—I stuck out in the after party like a virgin in a roomful of porn stars. Which technically, I was. Though hopefully, no one would be able to tell I felt like a fish out of water.

Just look like you belong. Smile. Flirt. Mingle.

My face wouldn’t cooperate. My lungs wouldn’t work. My feet wouldn’t move.