Stripped by Abby Niles Read Free Book Online Page A

separated from the dining and living room by a half-wall.
    An old wood table sat in front of the half-wall so he assumed it was supposed to be the dining area. The rest was the living room, which was filled with beat-up, mismatched, second-hand furniture that even in its better days had been lower quality. A flat screen television hung on the wall, but it was one of those knock-off brands that sells for cheap.
    Off to the right of the living room were three doors. One led to a sparse bedroom with nothing more than a bed with two end tables and lamps. A picture frame on the end table showed a photo of a man, woman and two kids. The other door led to another bedroom that had two twin beds. One bed was covered with a fairy blanket while the other had Toy Story characters. A mixture of dolls, teacups, dinosaurs and cars littered the floor.
    He stepped back and opened the third door. A bathroom. A very tiny bathroom with barely enough room to turn around in. Jesus. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
    Four people lived in this cramped apartment. Unbelievable. His living room was the size of the entire place. Had he ever stayed in a place this small? The closest he could think of was the villa on a small island off the coast of France.
    He’d make it work. It was only for a week. He could live anywhere for a week.
    Yesterday, Miss Walker had made good on her word. Within an hour she’d been back with a key and an address. She said she knew someone who was going to be out of town for a week and talked to her about him living at her place.
    At first he’d balked at the idea of staying in a stranger’s home, but she’d gotten this satisfied gleam in her eyes that had screamed she’d known he’d try to back out so he’d shut his mouth. He’d stay in a fucking tent before he gave her the satisfaction of thinking she’d bested him.
    So the challenge was: Starting today, he’d stay here for one week. Since rent, utilities, cable and Internet were paid for, he was given fifty dollars for the rest of the week. He was to buy his own food, gas and any extras he might need.
    He wouldn’t lie. He’d recoiled at the fifty dollar bit. One plate of dinner usually topped that or more. Now he was having a hard time coming up with ideas on what he’d eat over the next seven days. He never ate at home. His kitchen was mostly stocked with post-workout supplements. On a fifty-dollar budget, he sure as fuck wasn’t going to be spending any of it on that, and one of the stipulations of the challenge was he couldn’t bring any “extras” with him.
    Including wine. And right now, he could sure use a drink.
    The only thing Miss Walker had said didn’t count as “extras” was medication, including, but not limited to, over-the-counter or doctor prescribed. He wasn’t on any, but he found it odd that she thought to exclude those things from the challenge. It certainly wouldn’t have been something he would’ve thought of.
    He glanced around the small space. Now what?
    Jaxon blew out a breath. Damn, it was quiet. He walked the few steps into the living room, picked up the remote, and turned on the television. Two minutes later, he turned it off. He wasn’t a stay-in and watch TV sort of person. He was a go-out and do shit sort of guy. But the “do shit” life cost money. Lots of it.
    He paced the apartment. As the minutes passed, his tension grew. He’d gone to the gym first thing this morning before he’d gone home, showered, packed a bag and drove over here.
    It was the weekend. He’d be out doing…something. Flying off somewhere. Going to a party. An opening. Anywhere. The world was his playground.
    Not this week.
    He had fifty dollars.
    Groaning, he scrubbed his hands over his face. Goddamn it. He was five minutes into this stupid challenge and he was already being a bitch about it. He was not entitled. He could enjoy the simpler things in life and by God he would prove it.
    She wanted to get all up on her high horse about him