The Cheapskate: Bad Boyfriends: Story Orgy Stories, #5

By Hank Edwards

On a rainy night in New York City, Bryce meets up with a group of friends for dinner and is introduced to Colin. Sparks ignite between them and soon the two are dating.

 

But Bryce quickly discovers that what he had at first thought of as responsible frugality on Colin's part is, in actuality, just Colin being a cheapskate. Bryce tries to overlook the reused water bottles, Colin's failure to pick up a check, and his penchant for Dumpster diving, hoping for a shot at true love. But before too long it becomes clear that Colin can't seem to grasp the fact that he only pays for what he has to.

 

Bryce confronts Colin and puts his heart, and their relationship, on the line, hoping that, in the end, they can find a happy medium and continue to see each other. But it's going to take a lot of effort on both of their parts to get his bad boyfriend to change his ways.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hank Edwards
• Release date: May 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223997702

Hank Edwards

Hank Edwards has been writing gay erotic fiction for more than twenty years. He has written over two dozen novels and even more short stories. His writing crosses many sub-genres, including romance, rom-com, contemporary, paranormal, suspense, mystery, and wacky comedy. Find out more at www.hankedwardsbooks.com.

Book preview

1

Arumble of thunder drew Bryce to the window of his bookstore where he watched people hurry along the sidewalk through the strengthening rain. The weather seemed ordered up to mirror his mood, and it was so similar to the night he'd met Colin his spirits sank even lower. Had it been a mistake for him to walk away from Colin outside the restaurant two weeks ago? Maybe. But, Colin hadn't really been fair to Bryce, had he?

Bryce turned and trudged back behind the counter where he resumed looking through his inventory lists. He’d had to do something, he knew that much. And now here he stood, alone inside his bookstore, just like always. To feel better—correction, to stop feeling altogether—Bryce had sealed his dented and battered heart behind a wall of ice. Better to freeze someone out than moan about in misery, right?

But frustration still simmered within Bryce’s mind. Memories fought for attention as he tried to focus on the inventory list, but the book titles soon blurred together and another rumble of thunder made him think back on the night he and Colin had met.

The rain had caught Bryce by surprise—he had a damn weather app on his phone but hadn't bothered to check it before leaving home—so he had been without an umbrella and gotten soaked during his dash from the subway to the restaurant. He had dripped so much on the tile floor of the restaurant's foyer, the hostess had given him a stare that might have turned him to stone if he'd been able to look her in the eye.

His friend Faustino had a penchant for cramped, pricey restaurants with vague names like Brick or White, small eateries tucked away into the nooks and crannies of New York City. That night they all met at a converted townhouse that was called simply Tile. True to its name, Tile's floors were laid with varying ceramic tiles and slick underfoot due to the rain being tracked in. As Bryce followed the hostess down the narrow hall and up a similarly narrow staircase to the second floor, he nearly fell several times, once almost taking down two waitresses carrying heavily loaded trays. Faustino had reserved a table in the front bay window of the second floor. It was an oval farmhouse table covered with a white cotton tablecloth and surrounded by mismatched wooden kitchen chairs, something Bryce had been seeing a lot of in restaurants lately and which he didn't care for. What was wrong with furnishings that matched?

Bryce! Faustino stopped in the middle of whatever elaborate tale he was spinning to the five people seated with him and leaped to his feet. He grabbed Bryce in a tight hug then immediately pushed him away with a shriek of surprise. You are soaked!

Well, it is raining, Bryce said and gave an embarrassed shrug as he looked around at the other diners who watched the exchange with amusement. He leaned in closer and said, Great place you found here.

As Bryce knew would happen, Faustino brightened at the compliment, then asked, Isn't it crush?

Crush was Faustino's most recent way of saying he liked something a lot, as in he had a crush on it. Faustino could crush on men, restaurants, cars, clothes, shoes, or the lucky find of an available taxi late at night.

It is quite crush, Bryce agreed. So, who are we dining with tonight?

Fasutino smiled in a devilish way and linked arms with Bryce, not even caring that Bryce's sleeve was still wet with rain. Oh, you'll see. I've invited an interesting line up to subject you to.

A tiny alarm klaxon sounded in the back of Bryce's brain as Faustino led him to the table. Since they had lived across the hall from each other in college, Faustino had tried to set Bryce up with a host of men to mostly embarrassing results. Bryce forced the memories of those disastrous dates from his mind as they came to a stop at the table and the rest of their party turned to stare at him. At the near end of the table sat a girl with long blond hair dyed in various places with large dark black polka dots. She held an electric cigarette in one hand and a martini glass in the other. She fixed Bryce with a cool look from beneath her bi-colored bangs and pursed her cherry red lips. A wisp of menthol-laced vapor drifted from the end of her e-cigarette, and she let more slip from the corner of her mouth before she spoke.

Whom do we have here? Her voice was deep, and Bryce wondered if she was a man in drag, but he couldn't be sure.

Everyone, this is Bryce, Faustino said, and Bryce nodded. Although there were four more people at the table, three men and one other woman, Bryce couldn't seem to take his eyes off the woman with the polka dots dyed into her hair. Faustino introduced him to the table, but the only name Bryce could retain was the