Page 19 of The Boyfriend Experience

CHAPTER SIX - LAWTON

As we get on the 6th Avenue Freeway towards Golden Oaklee is quiet. It was kinda fun back at my place. I saw her looking at me when I took my shirt off. I mean, I did that on purpose. I’ve been working out five days a week since I was seventeen so I’ve got a nice body. And I’m not being conceited either, it’s just fucking nice.

People don’t notice it much though. Probably because I wear suits. Like they know I’m big—a little over six-two and my shoulders are so wide every dress shirt in my closet was custom-made. T-shirt sleeves stretch around my biceps and the chest is always too tight. Which makes it look like I’m showing off, and I’m not. That’s just how things fit me.

This shirt is especially tight. I mean, I’ve had it since I was a teenager and the only reason I didn’t rip the fucker getting it over my head is because it was huge on me back then.

So people can’t help but notice I’m big. But I just carry it well, I guess.

Yeah. She looked. Good and hard.

Which makes me smile. Then glance over at her to see if she’s noticing my smile—but she isn’t.

“What’s on your mind?” I ask.

“Huh?”

“You’re quiet all of a sudden. You’re probably thinking ‘He’s out of my league,’ right?”

“What?” This makes her laugh.

“Well, I’m kind of a catch.”

“And I’m not?” She actually snorts.

“No, I didn’t say that. You’re a total catch. But I get it. I’m probably not the kind of guy you date, right?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, you’re dressing me up like a… like a biker or something. Is that who you normally date? Is there some angry biker waiting for me at this bar in Golden?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I mean, yeah, I like the bad ones, I’ll admit that. But that’s not why we’re going.”

“So why are you doing this? You don’t need to buy a boyfriend. You’ve got thousands of people coming through your brewery every week and chances are most of them are dudes who’d be more than a little bit excited about dating Oaklee Ryan. So what’s really up with this game?”

She sighs but doesn’t look at me. Just stares out the window as we make our way west up into the foothills.

I take the hint to change the subject. I’m a patient guy that way. I’m gonna find out what this is really about soon enough. So I say, “I looked at a place up in the Golden foothills. Was pretty nice too. Too nice, maybe.”

This gets her attention. “How too nice?”

“You know. Fancy shit. The house I picked, the one I’m gonna make an offer on if I get this TV deal, is more… homey, I guess. It’s not a log cabin but it’s got raw edge beams, and the trim is that cool knotty pine. Not too knotty though,” I explain. “Because there’s a difference in quality.”

She huffs a laugh through her nose and turns her body a little so she’s facing me.

“This Golden house had a pool, and tennis courts with lights and shit. And it was in a gated community of sixty-acre ranches. The one I chose is only ten acres of land but it’s all surrounded by forest. You can’t see anyone. And this one is a little smaller. I just like the finishes better.”

“It’s funny,” she says.

“What is?”

“Hearing a guy talk about home finishes.”

“Real estate.” I shrug. “It’s my life.”

“Does that… disappoint you?”

“I dunno. It’s all cool, I guess. I mean, it certainly pays the bills. But I’m gonna be thirty this year and I’m starting to think about doing other things.”