8 comments/ 9146 views/ 12 favorites Antique Romance Ch. 01 By: thatonekidd Chapter I: LOVELY There's only three things I genuinely love and care about in this world: men, sex, and money. I mean, really, what else is there to love in this cold, messed up world? There are stupid people everywhere killing mindlessly, doing stupid things or just being nothing but a waste of life and space. That's why I just stick to doing just me - love only yourself, trust only yourself, and live only for yourself. So there you have it: me, a twenty two year old stripper for Red Light, undeniably the most prestigious club that caters to gay men here in the east coast. I like it here. A lot. I love it, actually. I guess it's because I'm one of the most popular strippers here, not to toot my own horn or anything. Really, the guys that come here seem to love that 'sweet, cute and innocent boy doing something so dirty and naughty' image - the same look I have going for me. Smooth, milky skin, a slender body and a face so adorable it lets me get away with all the shenanigans I do. For example, the managers here at the Red Light made it clear that the only thing us models (they call us models because it sounds more classy, but really who cares?) are here to do is grind the pole and make the guys jizz their pants. The only physical contact they allow us with the club goers is just a lap dance, grinding and the occasional hand jobs. But sometimes I spot a guy out there who's just so hot, I have to give him a secret blowjob in the bathroom. I get into a lot of trouble for that, but when I give the managers one too, all their anger flies out and I'm getting a nice warm dinner. I'm lucky that they're young and hot. I'd have nightmares if I had to orally service a balding guy three times my age. Like tonight, a nice warm Friday night. I was in the middle of worshipping some sexy businessman complete in a pinstripe suit when Harry, one of my handsome thirty year old managers comes storming in, cursing a storm up at me. "Tobi! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he screams at me, and I swear a vein must've popped in his head, the way it was all bulging and red. He has short brown hair shaved on the sides, where you can see every angry vein in his temples. I got up from the fancy black tiled bathroom floor, wiping the drool away from my mouth. I hate getting interrupted when it comes to sex, but when it's your manager, what can you do? "Just having a little fun," I replied, putting on my best 'shy and cute boy' face. Being half Asian, we're naturally young and adorable looking, so it didn't take much effort. It must've worked because Harry's angry face seemed to calm down a little bit, although he was still pissed. He goes to the businessman I was pleasuring and apologizes, ushering him out of the bathroom. "Hey! I wasn't done with him!" I protested. That guy had one of the most perfect cocks ever. "He didn't even--" "And you!" Harry turned his gaze to me once the businessman had left the bathroom. He grabbed my slender wrist and pushed me up on the wall, pressing his much stronger body against mine, pinning me. "What do you think this place is?" he hissed into my ear as he tightened his grip on my wrists. "Ow," I winced. "Harry, you're grabbing me too tight!" I tried to squirm out of his grasp, but alas, no luck. The guy worked out almost everyday. "This is an establishment with a high name and reputation!" he continued, nibbling on my neck. "If word gets out that our models are freely and willingly offering oral sex in the bathrooms, what'll happen to that reputation we worked so hard to achieve?" Wow. I guess Harry's really pissed. Usually, when I got caught I'd just give him my 'shy and cute boy' face and he'd drop his pants for "reimbursement". I was never pinned against the wall. Being in the middle of my stripper shift, I was wearing nothing but a pair of tight, lacy pink underwear and some pink Chucks with a 'cat ears' headband on, meaning my bare back was pressed up on the cold bathroom wall. Not fun. "Harry, I'm sorry, okay?" I said, trying to avoid having my back touch the wall. "You can let me go now, please?" "The only reason we haven't let you go is because you bring in the most money," Harry said, his voice calming down. The veins in his temples seemed to have disappeared. "You're cute, sexy, and absolutely adorable. Don't do this anymore." He lets go of my wrists and lets me down to the floor, ruffling his hand through my tousled, shoulder length jet black hair. I spend a lot of time on my hair, making sure it's perfectly layered, tossed, and styled to look just like a model's. After all 'your appearance is your life' here at Red Light. I nodded. "Alright, Harry. I promise I won't suck anymore guys off here. Now did you want one too?" I bit one of my fingers and looked up at him with big begging dark brown puppy eyes. It drives all the guys crazy here. He chuckled, looked up to the ceiling before planting a kiss on my lips. "Not now, Tobi. I really want to fuck you actually, but Kyle and I have to go on a business trip soon. We could squeeze in a quickie here though. You down?" He gives me a seductive look with his sky blue eyes. How could I even think about saying no? Before I knew it, the 'out of order' sign was hung up on the locked bathroom door and Harry had me screaming my head off all over the place - in the stalls, on the floor, on the sink, against the wall. I clawed at his muscular back as he plunged deep inside me. That's another reason why I love this place - I get to have sex. All the time. Kyle was the blonde spiky haired hunk that managed this place with Harry. To the public, they were the handsome power duo who ran the most successful gay club the east coast has ever seen. In private, they were a pair of freaky bisexual guys who liked to share a guy or girl together. I was their most played with toy. Not because I bribed them or kissed up, but because they knew I was the easiest and the prettiest guy there. They knew I couldn't resist the urge for sex and get handled by hot guys. I guess that makes me a slut or something. I don't really care. As long as I get to feel good, I'll do whatever. Harry had me gasping with my front against the wall as he unloaded onto my back. I shuddered when I felt the air rush into my hole, still wide open and moist. I almost came myself at the thought of my hot manager coming on my back. He laughed and kissed me numerous times before helping me clean myself. I treasured moments like these - having sex with your boss in the bathroom or some other private place. It's almost taboo. I watched him put his black suit back on as I slipped my underwear on. I could still feel the moistness between my legs. Going back out there and making it seem like I was some untouchable virgin was going to be tough with my 'just fucked' hole. "Oh, don't think you're still going to prance around all high and mighty, Tobi," Harry said as he adjusted his tie. I looked at him. "What do you mean? I never act high and mighty." "Kyle and I decided to cut your gigs down," he said calmly as my jaw dropped in disbelief. Being a stripper is demanding. You have to keep putting yourself out there and rise to the top through sheer hard work and determination. Getting multiple gigs is a dream come true for a determined stripper. Getting gigs cut is nightmare. "Why?!" I cried out. I couldn't believe my ears. "Punishment, kiddo," he said with a sly grin. "You can't have your way anymore. No more letting you slide out of trouble with some sex. A cute face will only go so far with us. You'll be making shows only two nights a week." Two nights a week? I think my heart just broke. "But Harry, how am I supposed to live with making two appearances a week?" I asked as he stepped towards the door. "Oh, I don't know," he answered, patting me on my head. "You make almost a thousand dollars per night anyways, Tobi. I doubt you'll die." He left me in the bathroom, standing alone and shocked before sticking his head back in. "Oh yeah, you can go home now. I'll make the announcement that you got sick and went somewhere." He gave me a wink before leaving me alone again. Remember when I said I loved this place? I think I'm starting to hate it. What about bills? What am I supposed to do in all that free time? I have no boyfriend to mess around with, I don't have 'friends' I trust enough to hang out with, only acquaintances, and I have no family. Well, I do, but they cut all ties with me when I told them I was gay. Typical. They told me I was this and that, and whole bunch of other typical nonsense people shout about homosexuality. And so, just a few months before my high school graduation, they booted me out from the ridiculously large and lavish mansion I lived in. I was a wreck. Being valedictorian and homeless was kind of hard for an eighteen year old student. I was so desperate not to end up like those homeless wanderers, I was willing to do anything - even if it meant spreading my legs for money. And that's exactly what I did during those dark times. I dropped out of school, cut ties with everyone and slept around with hundreds of men to get where I am today - a financially stable, independent twenty two year old, half Japanese, half white kid living in Diamond Heights condos, the most extravagant condo here in the city. My place is full of sleek and fancy furniture, like the thin black coffee table for my nonexistent magazines, the wavy looking sofa chair thing, and my Japanese style futon bed. I like it. But as cool as it is, I don't think sitting here all day five days a week is going to be fun. Since I got my Red Light appearances forcibly cut, I have to be wary of my money. I can't just go out on a whim anymore. My ridiculously expensive rent would be short all the time if I kept up my two nights a week job. And so, after much consideration, I decided to get a ... part time job. As a waiter, at a place called 'Nippon: Chinese cuisine'. The name is probably irony at its best, but who cares? They were the only place willing to hire me on the spot. I picked it because I figured it was pretty close to being a stripper, just food oriented and much more family friendly. My first day there consisted of getting yelled at by my manager and running frantically back and forth from the front to the kitchen. The cooks figured they weren't getting paid enough to make everything themselves, so they cooked the rice halfway, the chicken halfway, and everything else halfway, leaving me to finish the rest. I've never even made a cookies and cream milkshake in my life, so I just filled a cup with vanilla ice cream and threw some Oreos on top, serving it out with the rest of my improvised cooking. Surprisingly, I got tipped quite a lot. The patrons saw how hopeless the rest of my crew was and decided to take pity on me. Not that I was complaining. Somehow, I managed to survive until the end of the day, falling into a chair, exhausted. I never knew being a waiter would be so tiring. But then again, I was part waiter, part chef at the same time. Sonny, my sleazy manager, decided to split my tip with the rest of my lazy coworkers, telling me he'd pay me back if I gave him some special 'services' I excelled in. Turns out he had recognized me right away as that cute little stripper from Red Light and was hoping he could blackmail his way into a night with me - which was why he was so quick to hire me. So I did what other desperate folks would do in my position. I took him into his office, dimmed the lights, sat him down in his chair and straddled him, stroking his chest and crotch. While he grew ecstatic, I looked straight into his eyes and told him to "fuck himself" before hopping off him and marching out the door. With my head held high. No way I was going to service a guy just to get my tips back. Again, I was jobless. Well, aside from Red Light, I was jobless. Back at home, I flopped down onto my bed, sighing as I reached for the newspaper. As I flipped through the pages, Pippy, my winter white Russian dwarf hamster, rolled around in his red hamster ball across the floor. My eyes followed him when I got bored of the newspaper, locking on to him as he bumped into the tables. He was a cute little furball. I bought him a few weeks ago from a little homeless kid going door to door selling the furballs when I realized my place was too quiet. Nowadays the squeaking of the hamster wheel and nutshells cracking fill in the silence. I don't mind. I sighed, staring straight up into the empty glass cola bottles I turned into a ceiling lamp. I had a knack for arts and crafts, it being the one thing I used to entertain myself when I was cooped up in my room back at my parent's place. So naturally, I'd be quite a creative spirit. I closed my eyes, letting my mind wander and wade through the memories of my past. My family was one of the most wealthiest names out there, my father being a successful business tycoon and my mother, a top notch fashion designer. While anyone would have loved to be in my place, I hated it. Being unbelievably rich, they had a bunch of equally wealthy and snobby high class friends they invited over almost everyday. And so, because they had an image and status to maintain and I had to stay out of trouble, I was forced to stay in my room all day, everyday. I mean, yeah, I had all the latest gadgets and games but even that gets boring and tiring day by day. I wanted simple stuff, like regular kids. I wanted to go run outside and scream at the top of my lungs, to go hide behind rocks and fallen trees in the forest, using my imagination. I just wanted a friend to play with, instead of machines and technology. I wasn't even allowed to wander around the house on my own, or even use the bathroom. I had a set time where a maid or butler would come get me and escort me down a hidden and secret hallway away from the eyes of my parent's friends to the kitchen, where I had to quickly eat. Then make the trip back up to my bedroom. A few hours later, I would be escorted to the bathroom. Back up to my room afterwards. It was suffocating in that prison hellhole. I had no freedom, no free will, no nothing. The maids supplied me with various magazines full of colorful clothes, cars, and other stuff for me to flip through. I cut them all up and made an imaginary family of celebrities, complete with a dad, mom, and two kids. I would play with that family all day until I grew a little too old for that. Then I used them as bookmarks for the lengthy novels I read. When I reached my teens, I had discovered I was gay, taking a liking to the boys in my school instead of the girls. I had my first boyfriend when I was fifteen, kept secret from my family. I didn't really like him. To be honest, I didn't even know his name. I just pretended to be madly in love with him so I could get his cock. At school, I ditched classes to have sex with him in his car. Sophomores weren't allowed to park or drive to school, so he would park his red Ford Mustang at the store across the street. After sex, he'd take us for a cruise down by the beach. It was amazing. Amazing, that is, until my parents found out because the school called them. I was forced to tell them everything - about my sexuality, my secret boyfriend and our sexual escapades. They banned me from everything, taking away my computer, phone, and other electronics. I didn't care. I never wanted them anyways. They were doing me a favor, instead. I was to be escorted to and from school by a butler, have a maid watch my every move when I was actually in classes, and was made to sit by myself during lunch. Being valedictorian and probably the smartest kid that snobby, stuck up school has ever seen, I was pretty much hated by everybody anyways. And that was my life, up until about three months prior to my high school graduation. My parents told me they had enough of me and my disgusting ways and had me on my merry way with just one tan satchel packed with a few of my belongings. Even though I had just gotten kicked out and disowned by my family, I wasn't crying or heartbroken. Instead, I just stood there, in front of the skinny iron gates, staring down at the brown cobblestone walkway with a blank face. I anticipated this day. I was prepared. Emotionally prepared. What I wasn't prepared for was the harsh reality that followed. I was free at long last, but I needed a place to stay. Desperate not to end up at the homeless shelter, I went straight for the gay bars, scouting out a nice guy to latch onto. I finally found a young looking guy in a suit, briefcase and a fancy car - a dead giveaway that he was stable. I chatted him up, took him into the bathroom and rode him for all he was worth and more, explaining my situation to him with fake tears. He sympathized badly and immediately took me to his loft, where he plowed me again and again. He told me I could stay with him forever, as long as I offered my ass to him - which I did. The sex was good, the place was nice, and he was really cute too, so I had no complaints. That's when I realized I was good for one thing: sex. I began sneaking out of his place to meet up with multiple other guys, getting myself a reputation as the local slut. I didn't care. I couldn't care. I needed to do something to move upwards in life, and in my position, I had no time to be choosy. Besides, it's fun and easy to be a prostitute when you're a total bottom like me. So I picked the road of sex, drugs, and money to advance in, although I stayed away from the drugs myself. I stopped going to school completely, shed my clean cut schoolboy look for a more urban and chic image - modeling myself after the successful gay porn stars and fashion models. With the money I was making from the street, I had enough to buy any piece of clothing I wanted. A month and a half after getting kicked out of my parent's place, I had my own apartment, thousands of dollars saved in my bank account, and hundreds of guys blowing my phone up for a steamy night. I had to do everything I could to stay relevant, so I hopped from guy to guy as fast as I could, sometimes even pleasuring ten guys in one day. I'm a horny little critter, so I had no problems with that anyways. That's when I decided to start doing gangbangs - more guys in less time, which meant more money for me. My first gangbang consisted of ten guys I've never even met in my life before. But I saw two big bulges in their pants - a thick wallet, and an even thicker cock. That was good enough for me. I easily made more money than I knew what to do with. Life was good. Even though most, if not everyone, would look down on such a life path I chose and gossip about me behind my back, it wasn't so bad. I wasn't like all the other naïve idiots who thought they could mingle around in this field of work for a quick buck, then get back to their lives. I knew exactly what kind of guys to stay away from, I knew exactly how to keep disease free and who to let inside me unprotected, and I developed a sharp tongue and mind to stay feisty. Guys like 'em feisty. And so, after having sex with a total of six hundred and forty eight guys within three years, I am still disease free and tight as ever, thanks to my dedicated Kegel workouts. Being a whore isn't all that bad if you're mentally strong enough to shrug off the bad things people say about you. When people whisper about me to their kids or significant others, I don't really mind. Chances are, they don't know squat about me and what I've been through to end up like this, so I pay no mind. So that's what I do. Whenever I make a trip down to the local Starbucks for relaxing latte in a cozy chair, I ignore the people talking to each other obviously about me. I mean, why else would they constantly glance my way and subtly point to me? The brick wall behind me isn't that interesting. Antique Romance Ch. 01 I remember that's how I first met Kyle and Harry. They were talking quietly to each other and hinting towards me as I sipped my drink, reading the rest of my favorite romance novel. I saw them and I made a mental note about how irresistible they were, but decided not to make a move on them, especially not in Starbucks. So I kept on reading as they kept on talking. Finally, the tall, spiky blonde haired one, Kyle, got up walked over to me, introducing himself. At least, I think he introduced himself. All I really remember was how perfect his tan skin was and his pearly white smile. Soon after, Harry walked over and joined us, introducing himself as well. They had heard about me from some of their more promiscuous friends and offered me a trial job as a model for the Red Light. I'd known about that super duper fancy club for a while, but I stayed away from it. I never really liked the upscale, high class scene as you can tell, traumatized by my pompous parents and their friends. But sexually entertaining a crowd of men on a silver pole sounded pretty good to me, especially for the amount of money they offered me. It was like a safer alternative to my sex filled ways. And that's how I got my job as a stripper for Red Light. I was extremely well liked and popular my first night there, which completely surprised me. I thought I was going to be a dud, but I quickly learned how to have fun with the pole and soon I was grinding and spinning myself on it like I'd been doing it forever. I never really got along with the other strippers, mainly because of jealousy issues. They hated my guts for becoming an overnight sensation but we kept that in private. On stage, we kissed and caressed each other like lovers. The more we turned on the guys who watched us, the more money they stuffed and threw. When Kyle and Harry found out I was half Japanese, they flipped and took a page out of the cutesy Japanese role-play scene. They went straight to the costume shop and bought me a pair of pink panties with a fluffy cat tail attached to it and cat ears, stuffing me into it and painting on some whiskers on my cheeks, then tossed me out on stage. The guys loved it. From then on, I was to make all my appearances dressed in that costume. I didn't mind. I thought it was kinda cute and I had to admit, I loved the attention I got. Harry and Kyle started making moves on me, taking me to the back for a quick "chat" that always ended up with our clothes off and their cocks in my mouth and ass. The tension between me and my fellow strippers grew too, but since we were always doing shows together, we had to keep kissing, hugging and being cute together. I had been working as a stripper for Red Light for almost nine months before my whole 'blowjob in the bathroom' fiasco and getting my appearances cut. Now, instead of partying it up on stage with glitter and lasers this Saturday night, I'm laying in my bed, bored out of mind, watching Pippy squeak around the floor with his cheeks stuffed with seeds. Sighing, I flipped onto my stomach, scrolling through my phone - a white iPhone 5 which I still have no clue how to fully use. Grumbling, I tossed it down into my pillow. I ran my hand over my ass - smooth and round, which was one of the major factors to my success as a stripper. Not counting my sex encounter with Harry in the bathroom the other day, it had been almost a year since I had anal sex. Sometimes, I wish the guys I suck off in the bathroom would take it step further and drill me senseless. I felt something nibbling on my feet. I looked down and found Pippy there, trying to eat my toe. I scooped him up and stared straight into his dark brown eyes as he stared back, gnawing on a sunflower seed. "What should I do now, oh, mighty squeakster?" I asked him sarcastically. He blinked and continued gnawing on that seed. I plopped him down into his cage and flopped back onto my bed, calling it a night. As I reached over for the light switch, my eyes glanced back to the newspaper one last time and saw an ad I missed earlier. It was for a house maid and plant sitter. Interested, I contemplated on giving it a shot. I mean, how hard could it possibly be to watch and take care of plants? And I live alone, so I have no choice but to constantly clean, so that's taken care of. I decided to pay this place a visit first thing tomorrow. After all, I needed another job. Going to sleep with a plan for the day after makes the night go by pretty fast for me. No sooner had I turned out the lights and snuggled into my pillow did my alarm clock ring out. I opened my eyes to the sunlight peering through my blinds. It was going to be a nice sunny day today - but still cold, so I couldn't just waltz out in some shorts and shirt. After freshening up in the bathroom, I glanced at my phone. 9:54. I dumped a whole bunch of seeds into Pippy's food bowl and grabbed the newspaper, heading out in a trusty pair of skinny jeans and a colorful, bright red jacket. Plain, but I added a touch of uniqueness with some nonsensical buttons I bought at the thrift store and a bunch of bracelets. I liked being unique when it came to clothing, but I hated the whole overdone and outlandish styles. High fashion, designer or not; if it's hideous, it's hideous. The apartment the ad said was located not too far off from where I lived, although it was definitely not as fancy as my seven thousand dollars a month condo, darn thing. I walked up twelve flights of stairs because the elevator had a ton of shady looking guys hanging around it. Getting gang raped by a bunch of guys is one of my biggest fantasies, but not today. I had life priorities to deal with today, not sex. I finally reached apartment 23A and knocked on the blue wooden door, although the paint was really peeling off it. I waited about six seconds before it opened slightly, revealing a nice old lady, the kind who would hand out cookies for no reason except pure selflessness and joy, or the kind anyone with a heart would feel guilty stealing from. She smiled at me warmly and saw the newspaper in my hand. "Oh, are you responding to the ad I placed?" I nodded, happy that I could cut to the chase. "Yes, ma'am. I'm kinda in need of any job right now, really." Her friendly smile disappeared as a frown took its place. "Oh dear. I'm terribly sorry, young man. You seem very kind and dependable, but I wish you had responded sooner. I actually had already selected someone." "Oh." That was all I could say. I had just walked three blocks and up twelve flights of stairs for nothing. "I'm terribly sorry for bothering you." "Oh, it's nothing, dear child." She waved her hand. "But I feel awful that you came all this way for rejection. I actually have another job you could possibly be interested in." Another job. That's the words I wanted to hear. Of course I was interested! "Really? What did you have in mind?" She opened her door wider and gestured me to come in. Her apartment was small, but very clean and organized. She had a lot of plants and flowers that made her place look like a fairytale garden instead of a low class apartment like the rest of the complex. "This is Caleb," she said, patting a small young boy on his head. I looked down and found the absolute cutest little toddler I've ever seen. Big sky blue eyes that looked back up at me with curiosity and smooth, round pinch-able cheeks. I'd say he was about three years old and I knew he definitely wasn't related to the lady. Her white hair tied into a bun and lively green eyes were nothing like this Caleb's. "The young man next door to me is his father," she continued. "He's always busy working, so he's entrusted me with his son's care. However, I'm much too old for babysitting a toddler. How are you with children?" Children? I think they're adorable, but I'm a nightmare when it comes to watching them. I hate them, actually. Nasty little monsters who do nothing but cry, whine, and get in your way. There's a reason I was born a guy, not a girl. No kids for me. But I couldn't tell her that. Hell no, not when I'm desperately in need for a job. So I turned to her, put on my best smile and nodded. "I'm quite enthusiastic when it comes to watching over young children. I love caring and watching them grow!" That probably sounded a little too fake and cheesy, but it worked apparently as her eyes lightened up with joy. "Oh heavens! That's such a relief!" she exclaimed, shaking my hands. "It's rare to find someone so enthusiastic about children at your age! Caleb's father should be coming home soon. He really trusts me and my decisions. I think you'd be an excellent caretaker." I smiled and patted little Caleb on his head, ruffling his surprisingly soft brown hair. He must've liked me already, as he clung onto my skinny little leg and wouldn't let go. He looked up at me with his blue eyes, sucking on his pacifier. So cute! "What kind of work does his father do?" I asked her, following her into her kitchen. She motioned for me to have a seat while she brewed some tea. "I'm not really sure, now that I think about it," she replied. "He's always working so many jobs, I can't keep up. But I'm sure he won't mind filling you in if you asked him yourself." She smiled at me. "What is your name? I'm making all these decisions without even knowing your name, silly me!" I chuckled. "Tobi. Tobi Atsuki. But Tobi is fine." I picked Caleb up and plopped him down on my lap. "Very nice to meet you, Tobi," she replied. "I'm Haley. I've lived here for almost fifty years. Lovely place." I nodded. A lovely place indeed, if you liked young teenaged hooligans hanging around the hallways and dealing drugs and other things all the time. Haley poured me a cup of green tea and handed it to me. "I grow my own tea bushes, so I know exactly where these leaves have been." I glanced back into her living room at the numerous green bushes she had growing and noticed that they were all indeed tea bushes. "Wow, that's amazing," I said, genuinely amazed. "Fresh, then?" Haley nodded, sipping her cup of tea. "Of course. Tea is healthy, and so I've taken quite an interest in becoming an herbalist." I opened my mouth to reply but a knock on her door interrupted me. Haley glanced at her watch and hopped to her feet. "Oh, it's almost eleven! I'll bet that's Caleb's father." I turned around and watched her make her way over to the door. I was pretty curious to see who would be the dad of this super cute kid. My mouth dropped open in complete and utter shock when Haley opened the door. Picture the most handsomest, hottest, cutest, sexiest, most perfect guy you've ever seen and then picture someone more better than that. That's who was standing behind the door. Tall, with a face so handsome, he stood, talking to Haley. I couldn't hear him or make out any words. I couldn't. I was too focused on how sexy he was. His face was sharp, smooth although he had a little stubble growing. There was a bit of black smudges on his lightly tanned skin, like he had just come from a coal mine or something. It kinda made him look even more hot. His short sandy blonde hair was a sexy mess, sticking up all over the place. He was wearing a baggy, gray jumpsuit stained with the same black smudges on his face, but I could tell he had a nice body too. He looked like one of those guys who worked out a lot. "Who is that?" he asked Haley in his deep sexy voice, pointing to me. He glared at me with fierce ocean blue eyes. I felt a blush creep up to my face and I turned away from him. "Oh, that's Tobi," she answered, closing the door behind him. "I was just telling him about you and Caleb. I'm afraid to tell you this, Jared, but I don't think I'd be too good of a caretaker anymore. I'm much too old." I saw Jared's face darken a bit as his eyes glanced down to the floor. "You're doing a good job," he muttered. "You don't need to hand Caleb over to anyone else. He's a good kid. He'll behave." Haley's green eyes softened as she reached up and patted Jared's shoulders sympathetically. "I know, I know. But what if something were to happen? I won't be able to help. It's a better idea to just let someone younger like Tobi watch over Caleb. Why don't you two go out and talk to know each other better?" Haley walked over to me and set Caleb down on the table and walked me to his incredibly handsome father. Up close, he was even taller than I imagined. Probably a good foot taller than my five four. "Tobi, this is Jared. Jared, this is Tobi." I kind of did a half bow, half nod, unsure of what to do. This guy looked kinda pissed at me and he intimidated me. I was nervous. He mumbled something in return. I think it was "nice to meet you" or something. I have a feeling this Jared guy really hates my guts. Haley took Caleb from me and ushered us both out, telling us to go for a walk together or something. Jared looked at her with this face of silent protest, obviously not too pleased with the idea. I wouldn't have minded going for a walk with him, had he not look like he wanted to rip my head off. After a few words of insistence, Haley finally got Jared to agree to go for a little 'get to know each other' walk. And soon we were off to the park. In awkward silence. "So, um, Jared? Nice weather," I said, trying desperately to fill the silence, even if it meant going for the painfully overdone topic of weather. It took him a while to answer, and when he did, it was just a short grunt. "Like Haley said, my name's Tobi," I reintroduced myself. "I kinda need a job right now, so she offered me a babysitting a job with Caleb. I--" "I don't need another babysitter, okay?" Jared interrupted fiercely. "We're fine on our own. Haley's just there to keep an eye on him while I'm at work." I looked down at the green grass. This was not going too well. "But you heard her. She said she was too old to do that." "Whatever," Jared scoffed. He took a seat down on a wooden bench. I waited a few seconds, standing there nervously before sitting down next to him. Not too close, though. He might hurt me. "You look extremely busy. I don't mind babysitting your son while you're at work. What do you do anyways? You've got smudges on your face." Jared tried to wipe the smudges off his face, but ended up just making more. Turns out his hands were covered in black soot and grime. "I work double shifts at the train yards, okay? Manual labor a skinny little prick like you wouldn't understand." Is it just me, or all the hot guys big rude jerks? But as bad as I wanted to lash back with some feisty comment of my own, I held my tongue. I felt bad for him when he said "train yards". I know all about the hard work the workers over there do. Lifting thick, heavy iron rods on your own, loading heavy cargo onto trucks and trains, constructing the frame for trains and its cars - it's definitely hard work. "Double shifts mean you work a lot," I said. "I don't mind watching Caleb for you. Really." I stared at him with sincere brown eyes, to let him know I was serious about it, despite whatever I feel about little kids. I wanted to help this guy. He stared at me back with angry eyes, before sighing. "I'm sorry." I cocked my head to the side. "Huh?" "I'm sorry, Tobi," he repeated in a softer voice. "You're just trying to be helpful, and I was being completely rude. I just had a bad day at work, I'm sorry." "I-it's okay," I reassured, surprised by the sudden gentleness in his voice. Jared let out a deep sigh. "Honestly, I'm not too comfortable with the idea of letting Caleb under your care. I don't like it. I don't trust you, not some little teenage kid like you. Especially with my son." I nodded. "I understand, but there's just a tiny mistake you made. I'm not a teenager. I'm twenty two." Jared's mouth dropped open a little bit as his blue eyes looked at me in disbelief. "I'm sorry. You just look really young. But still, I don't like the idea." "It's okay. I don't want to force you into doing something," I said. Jared sighed again. "But I feel like I'm forcing Haley to babysit for me. I had no choice, though. I couldn't leave Caleb alone all day. I don't even have money to pay her." And suddenly it hit me. Money. The very thing I was obsessed with and came here for, I completely forgot about it until now. What was I supposed to do now? I wanted to help this guy, but I couldn't do it for free. On the other hand, he didn't have money like rich folks like me to just pay me every time I watched little Caleb. We both sat in silence for a long while, sitting next to each other on the bench, watching various people jog by or walk their dog. I watched the ducks waddle in the pond while Jared's eyes were glued to the ice cream truck whistling down a nearby street. Then it hit me. I turned to Jared, not wanting to seem too eager. "I have an idea, Jared."