Chapter 2

Jax also knew she had dated her chosen men for six weeks, had pornographic sex with them approximately around their seventh week as a couple, and convinced the men to take her on a trip, usually to places with exotic casinos and beaches. Sometimes she would smother her chosen men, or prizes, as she liked to call them, with her exuberant charm. Somehow, someway, she convinced those suckers to give her a car, a hefty check, or a stunning emerald necklace or bracelet. No matter what, Margot always got what she wanted and could relate to Miss Carla Tanzy, even if Tanzy was half the woman’s age.

There were other clients just as fucked up as Margot Beet, if not more. None of which Jax had on his client schedule today. Rather, he had other plans in motion, like meeting Auggie, his bestie of besties, after work for a strong drink.

* * * *

Jax’s apartment was seven city blocks from his office. The apartment was in the process of being painted. Benny Tanner, one of his college-aged nephews, was being paid to do the job. Benny was working on Jax’s bedroom, creating some kind of lime green and purple kaleidoscope pattern. Jax’s place was neither large nor small. There were two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and one bath. A patio six floors up overlooked Hobb Street and Lake Erie. He never thought about buying his own house because of the responsibilities he knew went with it. Home repairs were not his thing and never would be. He could get inside the mind of one of his patients, but not the mind of a handyman. Never.

His bestie was thirty-four-year-old August “Auggie” Brandshaw, who lived across the hall from Jax’s place in flat 6-K. They met three years ago when Jax moved into the Hobb Building. The rent was steep for Eastwind, but worth it. The place came with a gym, pool access, and a rooftop restaurant called Smattering Dazzle, which was gay friendly and gave the tenants of the building twenty percent reduced from their bill. The building also came with security, maintenance, and access to Wind Spa and three free, hour-long treatments a year. So the place had its perks, was quiet, and was careful about who resided there, keeping the riffraff out.

Auggie was a beautiful man who should have gone to Hollywood to be an international star. His short black hair was curly, his eyes were a piercing blue, and his complexion was flawless with a peach hue. He had a Greek-sloped nose, broad shoulders, and stood at five-eleven. The guy weighed approximately one hundred and seventy-five pounds, and was muscular since he used the building’s gym almost every day. When someone met Auggie for the first time, he came across as a smartass. Sometimes his joking seemed arrogant, but never did he mean to insult anyone, always playing. He was a cheerful guy, sexy as hell, and not at all boring. Auggie liked his booze, men, and whatever fun he could get himself into. There was rarely a bad day in his life, and he was positive about the world, optimistic. Very few issues ticked the guy off, which was another reason why Jax liked him and the others in their circle of shared friends.

Auggie came and went whenever he pleased concerning Jax’s apartment. If he just happened to run out of butter, he used Jax’s place as a grocery store. There were so many things he could borrow from Jax. Iron, suntan lotion, newspaper, and a variety of other items. Auggie made it a point to interfere in Jax’s life, proving that the man was his best friend. Never did he use Jax, but he had come pretty damn close to it on numerous occasions.

When Auggie wasn’t a part of Jax’s life, he taught high school English at Eastwind High. Following seven years at the school, he was now tenure and head of the English Department, which consisted of three women, Macbeth’s Witches, as he called them, and himself. The job paid well, plus he had summers off, along with winter and spring breaks. He liked his role as an English teacher and department head, and felt that he had made the right career choice in his life. At one time, he thought about being a preacher, but God really wasn’t on his side since he was gay. He backed out of religion with his hands up, surrendering to the almighty Lord. But teaching six classes a day—drama, literature, composition, drama again, elements of the English language, and another composition class—was his thing. He had two study halls, which allowed him to read best-selling fiction on the job and grade his students’ essays when necessary. He was a happy guy regarding his job and his life.