Free Just a Bit Twisted by Alessandra Hazard

walked to the desk and picked up his cell phone. “Yes. Name your price.”
    Shawn stared at his wide back. “Price.”
    “Yes, price,” Rutledge said, an edge of irritation creeping into his voice. “What’s so hard to understand?”
    His stomach clenching, Shawn picked up his discarded boxers and slipped them on, ignoring the discomfort in his ass. He wanted a shower—he felt dirty—but he didn’t want to remain naked and vulnerable.
    “Five thousand,” he said. That had to make Rutledge angry, right?
    A pause.
    “Fine.”
    Apparently not.
    Shawn would have laughed, except the knot in his stomach rose, becoming a tight lump in his throat and making him vaguely sick.
    Without a word, he made his way to the bathroom and shut the door very quietly.
    Leaning back against it, Shawn closed his eyes.
    The door was cold against his skin.
     
     
     
    * * *
     
     
     
    A long, hot shower cleared his head.
    By the time Shawn emerged out of the bathroom, he knew what to do, but Rutledge was gone. Shawn was about to call him when he noticed Rutledge’s cell phone on the desk. Sighing, Shawn went to check on the twins, but they were still asleep, so he decided to go find Rutledge. The sooner he got it over with, the better.
    After about fifteen minutes of wandering, Shawn finally admitted he had no clue where he was anymore. This wing of the mansion was completely unfamiliar to him, and he couldn’t find any servants to tell him where Rutledge was.
    The mansion was almost eerily quiet. The place was luxurious, but it felt like a museum, not someone’s home. Shawn wondered what it would have been like to grow up there, and a chill ran up his spine.
    Entering yet another room, Shawn froze upon seeing Joseph Rutledge seated behind a huge desk.
    “Sorry,” Shawn said, taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to—”
    “As a matter of fact, I wanted to speak to you, Mr. Wyatt.”
    “Me?” Shawn looked at him warily but stepped back into the room and closed the door.
    Joseph’s thick gray eyebrows drew together. “Indeed. Take a seat.”
    Shawn sat down in the chair opposite the old man and waited.
    The silence stretched as they eyed each other.
    Once again, Shawn was taken aback by how much Joseph Rutledge and his son resembled each other. It appeared the men in this family aged very well. This was what Rutledge would look like in thirty or forty years. Not that Shawn would see it.
    “Mr. Wyatt,” Joseph Rutledge said at last when Shawn refused to drop his gaze. “For how long have you been in this unnatural relationship with my son?”
    Shawn had to remind himself that Joseph Rutledge was very ill. He shouldn’t be getting into arguments with a dying man. “Less than a month, sir.”
    “That makes it easier.” Joseph Rutledge picked up a pen and wrote something on a piece of paper before sliding it across the desk to Shawn. “I believe this would be a fair compensation for ending your association with my son.”
    Shawn glanced at the paper and then stared at it.
    “Wow, I’m flattered you value me so highly,” he said and stood up. “Thanks but no thanks.”
    “You’re a fool, boy,” said the old man with a disdainful look. “He will throw you away in a few weeks at most. He always does.”
    “How do you know that? You hadn’t seen him in fifteen years.”
    Joseph sneered. “He might not live here anymore, but it changes nothing. I know everything about him. Every toy he had and threw away. Granted, there were a few persistent ones, but everybody has a price.”
    When his meaning registered, Shawn felt sick to his stomach. “You’re sick,” he whispered. “Does he know you paid his lovers off?”
    Joseph raised an eyebrow. “Of course he does. He’s my son. He’s no fool—except for his foolish insistence that he is homosexual.”
    Shaking his head, Shawn stood up and headed to the door. There was no reasoning with this man.
    When he opened the door, Joseph’s voice stopped him,
    “Name your