Chase of a Lifetime Read Free Page B

why she cared.
    The woman laughed. “I’m talking about what
you’re going to do with your life.”
    He didn’t have a clue about what he was
going to do with his life. He’d graduated with a degree in English. He’d been
thinking about moving to New York and getting a job in advertising. A good friend had offered him a job in public
relations in Los Angeles .
But Jim knew his father wanted him to go to law school and he’d been keeping
his plans quiet until he actually decided that’s what he wanted to do. “I’m
still discussing it.” He almost choked on his own words; his heart started
beating fast again and he wasn’t sure why.
    A tall man with gray hair in a dark suit came
up from behind and put his arm around him. He looked down, into Jim’s eyes, and
gazed at him with the kind of adoration that most straight men did with women.
“Jim,” he said. His tone remained soft.
    “Mr. Kroll,” said Jim. He had a feeling he
was being undressed by Mr. Kroll’s eyes.
    “I want to talk to you for a minute,” Mr.
Kroll said. “Come outside with me where it’s more private.” He kept his arm
around Jim’s shoulders and guided him out back near the swimming pool. He
smelled of cheap drugstore aftershave and red wine.
    When they were outside, beside a thick group
of shrubs not far from the pool, Kroll removed his arm from Jim’s shoulders and
took a step back. He gazed at him once again, looked him up and down from
crotch to lips, and said, “I want you to consider one thing.”
    Jim shoved his hands into his pockets and
sent him a blank glance. “What’s that?” He detected a slur; he suspected Mr.
Kroll had been drinking for a while.
    Mr. Kroll moved closer and rested his palm
on the back of Jim’s neck. He smiled and said, “Social media.”
    Jim gulped. Kroll began to massage the back
of his neck in a way that rode the thin line between friendly and sexually
suggestive. “What about it?” The only thing Jim knew about social media was
that a lot of people often became addicted to it to the point where they posted
every mundane aspect of their lives, from what they ate to when they went to
bed at night. The few times he’d checked out social media, he been surprised at
how dull it was and stunned that anyone in social media could make money based
on just advertising alone. He doubted anyone would ever use social media if
they had to pay for it on a monthly basis.
    Mr. Kroll smiled wider. “Social media is the
future, my man. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”
    Jim nodded. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
    Mr. Kroll looked him up and down again and
licked his bottom lip. “You promise, big guy?” he asked.
    “Yes, Mr. Kroll. I promise.”
    Then Kroll leaned forward, gave him a tight
hug, and patted Jim’s rear end three times. Before he left, he winked at him
and said, “Social media. I can make you a star.”
    Though Jim wasn’t into flirting with his
father’s friends, he had to admit the pat on his ass caused a stir between his
legs. He hadn’t been held by a man that way before and it wasn’t the worst
feeling in the world. Of course it would have been a lot nicer if a man his own
age had hugged him and felt him up. In the same respect, he couldn’t help
feeling more attractive after Kroll left him standing there alone. If the idiot
hadn’t used a cheesy line like, “I can make you a star,” Jim might have taken a
chance and flirted back.
    As he turned in the opposite direction, a
group of his mother’s friends near the pool spotted him and rushed over to talk
to him. One tall, thin woman in spiked heels said, “There’s our boy. Come over
here and let’s get a nice big hug. I want you to meet my daughter.”
    Jim knew she had a single daughter. So he
smiled, lifted his arm, and said, “I’ll be right back. I have to go somewhere.”
    The women stopped short and gaped at him.
    Without waiting for them to respond, he
turned and headed back toward the house. When he