Route 1.
“I had no credit rating or parents to co-sign the lease. Harry is older and went to school for Criminal Justice after flunking out of pre-law at Columbia. His parents paid for the Associate’s Degree hoping the police department would insist on further education. I went to City Tech because they offered me enough money to live. He went because he couldn’t get in anywhere else after flunking out of Columbia with, as Harry would say, an F minus.” Davey played with his seat belt. “The student housing department put us together, and then we found the apartment.”
“Stay still or you’re going to unlatch the seat belt and then I’ll have to spank you, sub or no sub.”
Davey tried to stop wiggling—but now he had a different problem. Jake said spanking and his dick reacted, immediately getting rock hard, which was strange.
“If Harry wants you to hold the apartment for him why doesn’t he pay half the rent?” Jake asked reasonably while turning on the headlights against the growing darkness.
“Because Harry doesn’t live there, I do. If he comes back we’ll split the rent and then he or I will find something else. Seriously, Harry has been gone for three years now. He wants a bolt hole if it becomes necessary. He worries about the rent because of his credit score. His name is on the lease. If I put it in my name, even now that I have great credit, the rent would be higher. I considered putting the lease in my name because Mr. Danvers said he was going to give me a substantial raise when he returned. I’m glad I didn’t. I barely made the rent this past year.”
“Couldn’t you have called Harry for help?” They came to a stoplight. Davey was looking at everything. “Your head is twirling around like a corkscrew.”
“I was never able to go on the school trips the other kids went on unless they were in the city and the school paid for lunch and transportation. If they charged money for the trip, for lunch or anything else, the group home wouldn’t pay, so I really haven’t been out of the five boroughs since before I was eleven.”
Jake shook his head mumbling about “…the inequities of the foster system.”
“To answer your question about asking Harry for help, Harry isn’t good with money and we were roommates, not really friends.”
Jake pulled off Route 1 into the Princeton area. “The Marriott Forrestal is located on a twenty-five acre campus minutes from the University. I’ll take you for a tour of Princeton on Sunday if you’d like. We’re here until Monday afternoon.”
They arrived at the hotel. The circular driveway was surrounded by autumn flowers—mums, asters, cannas and black-eyed Susans. Davey named all of them for Jake.
“How do you know the names of all the flowers?” Jake opened the trunk for the bell hop to take their suitcases.
“I used to visit the botanical gardens and the parks. With my student ID, the charge was minimal— only five dollars. I used to hang out there on Saturdays. I couldn’t afford the clubs or club clothes.” Davey shrugged.
Jake walked into the lobby and went to the concierge desk. “Your usual suite, Mr. Cohen?”
“With one difference, I’ll need a connecting room.”
“No worries, Edith called and said you’d need the adjoining room.”
Jake nodded and said in an aside to Davey, “Edith is a gem.”
They went down the hall and entered a beautiful suite. There was an open living and dining area and two bedrooms on opposite sides of the open space with separate baths. Each of the bedrooms and the living area had large flat screen televisions and a dock for an iPad or iPhone. Since Davey had neither, he didn’t bother looking. There was a quarter bath by the kitchen.
“Look sharp,” Jake said. “I’ve opened your suitcase and laid out the clothing I want you to wear on the bed.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Tonight you will sit on a cushion under the table along with the other subs. I want you to get to know them
C.M. Steele
Lorrie Moore
Alex Flinn
Debra Holland
Paul Doiron
Katharine Ashe
D. Cristiana
Katie Lane
Karen Fuller
Sabian Masters