Kiss and Tell 2 Read Online Free PDF Page A

he made the connection.
    “Well, that day, when I was applying for a job at the coffeehouse, I met a handsome, older man,” I began, and I went on to tell him every detail, no matter how intimate, of what happened between me and Anthony from that point forward.
    By the time I was done recounting my story, both London and Willard were sitting there in front of me with dropped jaws, and they each remained silent.
    “Hmm,” London eventually hummed, right before the silence became unsettling. “So, what? You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend so that you can secretly date your dad’s billionaire boss?”
    Hearing it put that way made it sound absurd, and it wasn’t 100 percent accurate.
    “I don’t know what I want at this point, London,” I said. “All I know right now is that I need time. I want Mom to get off of my back about finding a boyfriend—and about finding a job. Maybe if she thinks you and I are dating, she’ll leave me alone…and maybe if she leaves me alone, I’ll be able to see where things stand with Anthony.
    “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. I spent all night thinking about him last night, after the party, going back and forth about what I should do. This morning, I decided—”
    I stopped myself before I admitted to London that I’d resolved to give up on Anthony and give him his second chance. I didn’t want to feel foolish for choosing a gay man over an older one.
    “This morning I decided to give up on Anthony,” I went on, after taking a pause to reorganize my thoughts. “But now, maybe I don’t have to. Having you as my beard could give me a chance to see if there’s really anything between us.”
    London leaned forward over his knees and contemplated what I’d just said. It looked as if he was having a hard time comprehending at least some part of it.
    “I don’t get it,” London said, scratching his head like an oaf. “I’ll be your beard, no problem. But are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
    “Not at all,” I replied. “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I know I want a chance to try and do something . That night, when I told Anthony that I couldn’t see him again, I only said it because I didn’t think I had any other options. If I started seeing him in any way, I knew my parents would ask what I was up to, and they’d want to know who I was dating.
    “But now with this whole beard arrangement, I finally have more options. If we let our parents believe we’re dating, we can tell them we’re spending time together. But, in reality, you can be off having all the gay lovins’ you want, and I can be off doing something with Anthony, even if it’s just talking this shit through and seeing if it’s worth all the effort.”
    “Do you really think he’s gonna want anything to do with you now that he knows your dad works for him, though?” London asked, asking an obvious question.
    “I don’t know,” I answered. “Maybe, maybe not. But there’s definitely some type of chemistry between us. I could tell from the way we talked to each other in the kitchen last night. It’s still there. We both felt it. It really complicates things now that we know we’re connected. But that chemistry is still there, no less, and with a proper beard in place—with someone there to take the eyes off of me and Anthony—maybe we can explore it and determine, once and for all, whether it’s enough for a one-time thing, something more, or nothing.”
    “Chemistry?” Willard asked. It was the first time he’d spoken up during this chapter of our conversation. “Sounds to me like you’re messing with fire…and you know what they say about messing with fire. There’s a lot of ways you can get burnt here.”
    “I realize that,” I said, “but I’m tired of just sitting back and letting life happen. I’m 22, and I’ve already given in so much and let so many things pass me by. This could be a big mistake, or it could be the best decision