Page 20 of Challenge Me

“Stressing me out?” he repeated in a voice so subdued that it was a contrast to his eyes. “Yeah, Amir, maybe I’m stressed out.”

“I don’t think you have a right to be stressed.”

“Let me guess. You’re the only one who’s allowed.”

“Sure.” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the doorframe. “You’re capitalizing on this while I have to deal with the fallout.”

His dark eyes flashed with more of that unrestrained fire. “Such arrogance from a guy who’s scared to be gay.”

I scoffed. “I’m not scared to be gay.”

When he jumped to his feet, I started to take a step to the side, but he grabbed the door handle and slammed it closed. Flattening his palm on the wall beside me, he leaned closer and stuck his lip out in a mock pout.

“Poor little Amir and his spotless reputation. How will the world react if they hear about how you swallowed my cum?” He touched my lower lip with his thumb, digging his nail in. “Greedy, greedy Amir.”

I shoved his hand away. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s—”

“Because it’s gay?” he interrupted. “Oh no. What ever will we do?”

“It’s disrespectful,” I finished through gritted teeth.

“Boohoo. I don’t care.”

“Of course you don’t.” I pushed his chest hard enough for him to get the hint.

He stepped back but didn’t take his eyes off of me. “Don’t play with toys in the dark if you’re afraid of them being seen in the light.” He started to button his flannel, his long fingers moving with precision. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got a lovely woman to talk to. Unless you want to join, you should head out.”

“She’s a snake,” I warned.

“And?”

My teeth ground together as I watched him finish with his shirt. I’d still been trying to give him a bit of grace, but he knew exactly what Clara wanted from him, and he was willing to give it, to take from me in order to give to himself.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Want?” His head cocked again. “Want is the hunger that carved kingdoms into stone and the fire that salted their graves. Men have wanted love; it birthed poems and wars in the same breath. It gives some and takes more, yet it’s the only god we still believe in.”

I blinked, trying to come up with something to say. Was he drunk? He worked in a bar, so it was a possibility.

When I didn’t respond, he breathed a laugh. His tongue traced the tip of his canine, then he shrugged. “I don’t want anything, Amir. You’ve done enough.”

I shifted to block him from leaving. “Me? I’m trying to let this damn story die.”

“Oh, I don’t think it’s dying. It’s kind of going viral on TikTok. The boy love crowd got ahold of it.”

“God damnit.” I hung my head and yanked my hood off. Removing my glasses, I stared down at them. “My manager’s going to be pissed.”

“Who cares? People sleep with other people.”

“You don’t understand. Franklin just got busted for driving drunk. Hughes got a married woman pregnant. Abbott got in a fight with a Yankees pitcher. But this is blowing up more than any of that. They don’t want the heat.”

“Aw, is your job at risk?”

I straightened and made a fist, holding onto my control by a thread. “Tell me what you want, Remi. Money? Publicity? I can get attention on this place without using scandal to do it.”