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."