Young At Heart by Kay Ellis Read Free Book Online Page A

him away then so be it, but he wasn’t going to leave until Jesse had listened to what he had to say. Cocking his head to one side, Devon listened hard. There was no sound from within the bedsit. He stepped back with a frown. Stupidly, it hadn’t occurred to him Jesse might not be home. He wasn’t sure what to do next.
    On the second floor, a door opened and a heavyset, bearded man stepped onto the small landing, eyeing him with ill-disguised curiosity. He scratched his large belly and sucked greedily on his cigarette before speaking.
    â€œWho you after, then?”
    â€œJesse Young. He lives upstairs. Do you know where he is?”
    â€œNo idea. Chucked him out a couple of days ago. Little sod owed me rent.”
    â€œThat can’t be right,” Devon argued, descending the stairs. “I just gave him rent money.”
    â€œLooks like he ripped us both off, then,” the landlord replied, looking him up and down with a sneer. “You’re a bit better than his usual type. Wouldn’t have thought a posh bloke like you needed to pay for it.”
    Devon opened his mouth to object, to point out he had never paid Jesse for anything, but what came out was, “What do you mean, his usual type?”
    â€œWhat? You think you’re the only one? There’s been others. I’m not stupid. I know what he does with them. Thin ceiling, you see. I hear the bed creaking and banging against the wall. Seen them pay him, too, when they’re leaving.” He saw the stricken look on Devon’s face and shook his head in pity. “You didn’t know he was on the game, did you?”
    â€œI don’t believe you.”
    â€œBelieve what you like, mate. I know what I heard and saw,” he called after Devon as he ran down the stairs and out into the street. “What about my rent?”
    Wheels spinning, Devon pulled away from the kerb. He was sick to the pit of his stomach. And angry. So angry it was hard to breathe. A few days ago, Antonio had called Jesse a common rent boy. Had he known? Did he assume Devon knew, too? Was that why Antonio felt Jesse was fair game when it came to sex?
    Devon slapped the palm of his hand against the steering wheel and swore vehemently. He refused to believe it. For the past six months, he had spent almost every day with Jesse. If the boy was selling himself, he would have known. Fuck, how was he supposed to know what to think anymore?
    Abruptly, he pulled the car into a side street and killed the engine. Pulling his phone from his jacket pocket, he dialled Antonio’s number, barely giving the man a chance to speak before he asked his question.
    â€œDid you know what he was from the start?”
    Antonio sighed. “Assuming we’re talking about your slutty little boyfriend and his willingness to spread his legs for anyone with a few quid in their pocket, then, yes, I knew. Darling, everyone knew except you.”
    Shaking his head in denial, Devon hung up and dialled a different number. Just as he thought it was going to answerphone, Jesse picked up. Devon heard the hope in the boy’s voice when he spoke.
    â€œDevon?”
    â€œDo you sleep with men for money?”
    The long silence spoke volumes. Devon knew Jesse would be thinking fast, wondering how he found out, trying to find a way out, deciding whether or not to lie. “Dev... it’s not....”
    Devon cut him off and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. A few moments later it beeped, alerting him to a text message. Reluctantly, he picked it up and looked at the screen, not surprised to see Jesse’s name. He opened the message and read,
I was desperate. It was before we met.
The words altered nothing. It didn’t matter if it happened before they were together. Jesse was admitting he had prostituted himself. In a way, he was still doing so by accepting all the handouts Devon offered.
    Devon felt such an idiot, one of the richest men in the country