HIDE

EPISODE 14 - FEELING WRONG.

He parked his car—Wilson’s car, actually, a beautiful Ferrari his boss let him use to get around the city to perform countless tasks for him. Brandon scowled at the car, realizing with a sinking feeling how thoroughly Edward Wilson dominated all aspects of his life by now. His sister was home already, making dinner. She looked at him curiously the moment he walked in. 

“Something wrong? Why are you so early? I don’t think I’ve seen you home before eight in months.”

Brandon opened his mouth, but the lie that was on the tip of his tongue didn’t come out. Why not tell the truth, really? Who could he talk to if not his sister? He honestly felt like he would explode if he didn’t talk to someone about the utter fuckery his life had become. Pun intended.

“I’ve been sucking my boss’s c**k for the past few weeks.”

Britney blinked slowly. “Is that… is that a joke?” she said, at last, her blue eyes wide.

Chuckling, Brandon flopped down in the armchair. “I wish.”

“Wait… I thought you hated him. And aren’t you straight?”

“I do. I am.”

Silence.

Then, Britney exploded. “I’ll f*****g—! We need to—we need to tell the police, or—”

“He didn’t force me, Britney,” Brandon said, without meeting her eyes. He smiled crookedly. “He didn’t need to. It was just some weird game of chicken that got out of hand.” He chuckled again, studying his hands. “I’m honestly not sure how it happened. I know it makes no sense. It’s just… When he’s around, it’s like my brain turns off, and I enter some kind of twilight zone in which sucking my boss’s d**k seems to make total sense.” He huffed in frustration. “God, I don’t know how to put it into words. He’s just—he’s just a lot, you know? Larger than life. His presence just dominates everything, and we all end up bending over backwards to do everything he says.”

“He sounds like a bully.”

Brandon smiled faintly. “I guess? It’s hard to explain. He doesn’t even need to say anything to make people scramble to please him.”

Britney snorted. “Now, that’s a nice superpower to have.” She shook her head. “I still think we should tell the police. Workplace s****l harassment should always be punished. Any s****l harassment should be punished.”

Brandon cringed. “Don’t make me a victim. He’s an enormous asshole, but I know he would have never forced me if I were smart enough to say no. He’s

too arrogant and proud to force anyone.”

“Brandon,” Britney said, her voice unbearably gentle. “Victims of s****l harassment often deny that they were harassed.”

Rubbing a hand over his face, Brandon grimaced. “I know. But trust me, I know what I’m talking about. I know him, okay? He didn’t even actually intend to use me that way. He’s straight. All he wanted was to scare me off into quitting and make me lose the bet. But then we got pulled into this weird game of chicken, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

She sighed. “Are you really all right, then? Really, really all right?”

Brandon shrugged, looking at his shoes. Shoes Wilson had bought him. Scowling, he toed them off. “I’m freaking out,” he admitted.

“You just said you don’t feel sexually harassed.”

“I don’t.”

“Then why are you freaking out? Why now? You said you’ve been sucking his d**k for weeks.”

Brandon felt his face become warm. He couldn’t look his sister in the eye.

“Oh my god,” Britney said.

Please don’t say it.

“You actually like it!”

Brandon glared at her. “I didn’t like it—not at first. It was just a chore. But today I…” He trailed off, glaring at the cloudless sky outside the window.

“You what?”

Brandon ran a hand over his face. f**k, why was this so embarrassing to talk about? “I realized that it kind of turned me on—sucking him off.”

The resulting silence was one of the most awkward in his life.

“Let me get it straight,” Britney said slowly. “Sucking his d**k was totally fine with you until you started liking it.”

Brandon pulled a face. “When you say it that way, it makes me sound dumb.”

“Because you’re a dumbass,” she said, throwing a pillow at his head.

Brandon ducked. “It’s just weird, okay? I’m straight. More importantly, I hate the guy!”

Britney let out a soft snort. “Is he hot?”

Scrunching up his nose, Brandon shrugged. “How would I know? I’m straight.”

His sister rolled her eyes. It was extremely annoying. “I’m straight, too, but I know a hot woman when I see one. Hot is hot.”

“You can Google him,” Brandon grumbled. “Edward Wilson.”

She pulled out her phone. “Damn,” she said after a moment, looking at the screen.

Brandon gave her an annoyed look. “He isn’t that hot.”

“He is. If it makes you feel better, sucking his d**k would turn me on,

too.”

Now that was a mental image, Brandon really didn’t need. Pursing his lips, he said nothing.

“So, what now?” Britney said when the silence lasted. “Are you quitting?”

Giving her a sharp look, “I am no quitter. A week and I will win this bet.”

“Let us see how you survive.”