ONE

"Shh. I'll always be here for you." Nolan's lips brushed against the microphone, his sultry murmur echoing back at him like a warm embrace. A second later, a few sensual noises rang into the recording to mimic kisses. "Baby… babe, you know that's not true. You know I'd go crazy without you. I even miss you when you're lying next to me like this, and you think I would survive without you?" Nolan chuckled dryly. "Mhmm. That's right. You know I'm obsessed. It's only fair since you're my entire world." More chuckling. "Yeah, yeah, who cares if it's cheesy if it's true?"

Cue bed creaking under his weight.

"Do I need to show you how much? How about you spread those gorgeous legs, and I'll give you something delicious to eat?" Sheets rustled, and Nolan stared down at his body pillow caged between the mattress and his lean form. The printed pillowcase with a nude hunk of a man stared back at him with a teasing smirk.

He shifted his weight with a hearty groan. "You love the feel of me pressing against you, don't you? Yeah. I was trying to be a good boyfriend tonight. I wasn't planning on doing anything, yet you said so many untrue things about the person I love, and now I have to erase all of that nonsense."

Nolan grunted as he rutted against the pillow. "How many times should I fuck your tight little hole before you start believing my words? Five? Ten? Maybe I should pry you open so it won't close the same anymore. How does that sound?"

A pause. More chuckling. "Babe, I know you can take it. You remember the other night. Leaving my bed wasn't an option.… Uh-uh, it's a matter of perspective. I love watching you squirm so adorably. It's my favorite past time-"

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"Now spread those cheeks for me, sweetheart. How else am I going to eat you like a buffet? Mmm, what a good boy." Nolan's voice dropped to a whisper. "Look at you. So gorgeous. So edible. So fucking-"

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"NOLAN CASPIAN ATWOOD, I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW, I'M GOING TO PISS ALL OVER IT!"

Nolan yanked off his headphones with an irritated sigh. "Oh, for fuck's sake," he muttered under his breath. He scooted off of his bed and pressed pause on his recording. He would have to edit that out later. "Can't a man get two seconds to himself around here?"

"Hell fucking no!"

He rolled his eyes and cracked open his door, a chastising gaze set on his face while he gazed at Teagen Sims: Current Enemy Number One. "I told you I needed the next hour absolutely silent, Tee. By definition, that entails not banging on my door, screaming nonsense, and threatening to vandalize my place with bodily fluids."

"I know," Teagen snapped, a hue of harsh frustration coloring his face red, before he broke down into alligator tears. "But your man stick just threatened bodily harm to me if I didn't stop you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look."

Teagen's phone was suddenly thrusted before him, and a text stared Nolan in the face.

'Thirty seconds to stop the recording, or a human-sized suitcase destined for Kandahar will have your name stamped on it. Tick tock.'

The number was unlisted, but Nolan knew who it was instantly. He scrubbed his face and shifted his weight, leaning against the doorframe with a grimace. He found himself doing that a lot lately. "Just ignore it. He won't do anything to you."

"Are you kidding me?" Teagen hissed. "Did you forget what he did to me three weeks ago when he thought I was your boy toy?"

Nolan winced. "That was a misunderstanding."

"There was no misunderstanding! I told him, point blank, I was not your boyfriend, and it literally went into one ear and out the other! He pulled a gun on me, man. I had a GUN pressed to my temple before I could even introduce myself. Do you remember what his first words were to me?" Teagen's voice dropped an octave. "'Who's this constipated-looking ballsack of a turd? He should have his head caved in for sitting in my spot.'" Teagen's ashen features were apparent. "He's fucking nuts."

Nolan remained silent, because he couldn't argue with the facts. The man who sent that text surely had a few screws loose. Apparently, he was taken with Nolan from the moment they met a month ago, and he had been relentless since.

"Sorry for the trouble, Tee."

"PFFT. Trouble is when your school bully steals your lunch money. Trouble is when you forget to pay your loan shark back, and he comes knocking on your door. Trouble is when you spend your entire rent money on the fucking lottery, and you don't even win a free ticket in return. I can write you an entire essay about what trouble is, but this isn't it. This is batshit crazy juice!"

"I completely agree." Nolan pushed himself off the doorframe, turning to head back into his room. "Now, remember, give me another hour of silence before you start making noise again." Before he could close the door, Teagen jammed his foot into the space between the frame and door, effectively stopping him. Nolan sighed and allowed it to swing fully open.

"What do you want me to do about it? Short of going into Witness Protection, I really can't do much. I'm as powerless as you are."

In the background, the distinct sound of vibrations from Teagen's phone caused his buddy to flinch. He took one look at his phone screen, and when he looked at Nolan again, his baby blues swam with more tears.

"Stop spewing crap and call your man stick to put an end to his reign of terror!" He sobbed, causing more snot to dribble down his mouth.

Nolan caught the phone tossed at him gracefully and glanced at the screen.

Four measly words stared him in the face, holding more ammunition than was fathomable: 'Tick. Tock. Bang. Bang.'

No wonder Teagen was shitting bricks.

Another hefty sigh left his lips. "Fine."

He pressed the call button next to the unlisted number. Two rings later, a deep voice rasped in Nolan's ear.

"The suitcase is no longer an option. A headstone has been purchased in your name. I will send you the bill."

Was he serious? Nolan paused. Who was he kidding? Of course, he was.

"Mr. Mathers?" he uttered. He heard the sound of a hitched breath, and his brows furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"Absolutely. Of course. Incredibly okay," the low, yet rough voice responded fluidly. "How are you, my love?"

Nolan scrubbed his hand through his dark hair. This was what he was trying to avoid. "I've asked you multiple times not to call me that, Mr. Mathers."

A tumult of muffled thuds and groans made Nolan frown. Being an ASMR artist, he'd grown used to deciphering lots of noises and researching those that could lend a sense of realism to his recordings, yet the noises he heard were eerie in nature. Sounds that he steered clear of due to their lack of usefulness in creating his content.

"Mr. Mathers?"

"Rei," the man grunted. "It's Rei, my love. If I did not call you that, I would be a liar."

Nolan was never good with interacting with people like Rei Mathers. He was a stubborn and forceful man, who trampled over anything in his path to scoop up his rewards by the fistfuls. Yet, he seemed to be partial toward characteristics like honesty and loyalty.

What a confusing, odd man.

"Can you please stop threatening my friend? I'm sure you have more important things to do than pick on a weak bystander."

Nolan brushed off the grumpy glare he received from Teagen with a shrug. He wanted his help, so here it was.

"Mhm. Then, how am I to contact you when I want to hear your voice?"

"I'm sure your methods are vast, considering you know exactly when I'm recording."

Silence greeted his response.

"Need I tell you that it's a violation of my privacy for you to spy on me in my own home?"

"Your words are too harsh, Nolan. I'm watching over you like an angel."

"More like the devil. If you watch over me, I'll only get nightmares," Nolan muttered with disdain.

Rei chuckled. "Have I succeeded in entering your dreams? I must be the last person you think about before you sleep. I'm honored."

Nolan tugged at his strands of hair repeatedly, annoyance and frustration mixing into a concoction of profanity-laced thoughts.

"You're clearly a man who sets out to get what he wants," he began. "By society's standards, you are an extremely eligible bachelor, Mr. Mathers. You seem witty, yet eloquent. You happen to be attractive and poised. You clearly are intelligent and ambitious. That's all wonderful. You've got lots of things going for you. Good for you. I just don't understand what I could possibly have that you would want."

"You forgot 'prosperous,' my love. I am filthy rich."

Nolan's temple throbbed and an irk mark appeared near his hairline. In a low, shaken, and barely contained voice, he said as calmly as he could through gritted teeth, "Is that ALL you got from what I just said?"

Some shuffling on the other end. Then: "I'm so happy that my looks suit your tastes. You've even identified all of my good points, Nolan. I feel like a peacock with its beautiful feathers spread."

Are. You. Fucking. Kidding?

Never in his life had Nolan ended a call so fast. His life depended on it. Otherwise, he'd surely find a way to commit murder through a cell phone.

In retrospect, when did all of this madness begin? It felt like forever and a lifetime ago that he had his sanity intact and wasn't hounded by a 27-year-old madman.