Seven

Seven

Rhys

Hearing Tony’s name coming out of Parker’s mouth makes me feel sick. Of course Tony’s in every room I’m in with clients because he’s always on my mind, but it’s different with Parker. He doesn’t know anything about Tony and the jobs and how all the money goes to him. He doesn’t know that I’m trapped.

I wanted it to stay that way.

But I can also tell that Parker wants to talk about his father. He’s too scared to do it without asking me to be vulnerable with him. Maybe he doesn’t want what I usually give to clients, but I can give him this.

“Tony worked with my father. He used to come around the house all the time. And one day, I realized he was coming around because he was looking for something. I’d just turned fifteen.” My throat tightens, and my breath feels like it’s stuck in my lungs. I hate remembering that time in my life. The time before Tony got ahold of me. Before everything hurt so bad.

Before I became nothing but a toy for people to use.

Parker doesn’t say anything, but his hand is still underneath mine. Steady.

I don’t want to tell him these things. Give him ammunition to use against me later. But I tell myself that Parker’s not like that. I haven’t known him that long but living the way I do, I’ve learned how to read people really well. And Parker’s caught in his own world of pain.

Not only that, but he could’ve hurt me today. He could’ve used me like everyone else does, but he didn’t. He was gentle with me. Kind. He made sure I found just as much pleasure as he did.

“It was me or Jack,” I finally say. “And I couldn’t let it be my little brother. He was only ten.” I pause, trying to decide how much of the truth to tell him. He can’t know Tony still controls me. Parker seems like the type of person who’d try to get me out of it. And that would get Jack hurt.

He waits a beat, then asks, “Have you ever been with someone who wasn’t a customer? Like someone you actually wanted to be with?”

I hesitate, trying to figure out what it is he’s looking for. “I want to be with you.”

He frowns, letting me know that wasn’t the right answer. “No, Rhys, I mean really. Have you ever been with someone who didn’t pay for it?”

My cheeks heat and every muscle in my body tenses as memories of the non-paying ones start rolling in. Memories of blood and bruises and broken bones, even though they’re not supposed to damage the merchandise.

“Rhys?” Parker’s fingers squeeze mine. “It’s okay if you don’t want to answer.”

“No,” I finally say. “I’ve only ever been with customers. I mean, I was with Tony, too, but I didn’t want that either.”

“So you were a virgin when Tony took you?”

Even though it’s the truth, my stomach twists at Parker’s words. I try not to think about that term. About the fact that I hadn’t even had a real kiss before Tony took me to that cabin to fuck me.

“Yes.” The word comes out stiff.

“What happened to him?”

Even though I know I should’ve been, I wasn’t expecting the question, and it takes me a second to think up an answer. “I got too old for him,” I say, which is a reason a couple clients stopped using me after I turned eighteen.

Parker gives a disgusted noise. “He’s an animal, Rhys.”

I don’t disagree, but I also can’t talk about Tony anymore. So I change the subject. “What happened with your dad? Why’d he get arrested?”

“Ripped off a convenience store with a couple of friends. The police caught him first, and he immediately gave up the other two in exchange for a lighter sentence. He was already look at less time since he was the only one of them who didn’t fire his weapon.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Dad was always way more into using his fists. He told me once that he liked to feel someone’s skin splitting under his knuckles.”

It sounds like something Tony would say.

“So, after he was arrested, was that when you moved to UCSF with your brother?”

“No.” He stares down at a white scar on his forearm. “He, uh, he walked in on Dad in one of his rages, and Cam had to pull him off me.”

I’ve seen a lot of violence but thinking about Parker in that position feels worse. He was so young. “Did your dad not try to get you back?”

Parker shrugs. “I’m sure he eventually would have, but he robbed that convenience store just a month later. Someone from child protective services was sent out, discovered I was already living with Cam, and let it go. Cam had to fill out a ton of paperwork proving he could take care of me.” His voice turns a little soft with the memory. “I was so lucky I had him and that he was willing to keep me.”

“It sounds like he loves you a lot.”

Parker smiles, light filling his eyes for the first time since we started talking. “We’re pretty close.”

I start to respond, but the words get caught in my throat. Hearing Parker talk about his brother makes me miss Jack so much that it’s like a physical ache. I should be there for him. Knowing I’m only two hours from my family and not being able to see them nearly kills me. I feel like I took that life for granted. I never could’ve seen myself in this position at twenty years old.

“You know you could go to the police about Tony,” Parker says, interrupting my thoughts. “Even if he’s not hurting you anymore, he can still be prosecuted for several more years.”

“Oh, no. No, I could never do that.” Just hearing those words sends a spike of fear through my chest. If Tony knew I had even had that thought, he would punish me. “I-I know that doesn’t make sense…”

“It does,” he says, reaching out and placing a hand on top of mine. “You don’t owe me an explanation for your answer.”

I swallow back all the words struggling to get out. To admit that I’m still trapped with Tony and most likely always will be. Telling Parker about that won’t change anything. He can’t stop Tony.

No one can.