Marco E-Book

L.A. Witt

• Herausgeber: GallagherWitt Publishing LLC
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Julian

An invite to a lavish destination wedding? Sign me up. Except the half of the couple is BFFs with my ex. My ex, who’s going to be there with his new arm candy. UGH.

Maybe he’ll realize what he gave up once he sees me with a hot new boyfriend of my own.

He just doesn’t need to know I hired that hot new boyfriend.

Marco

Getting paid to spend two weeks in Maui and on a cruise? Twist my arm. Shame the dude who hired me is a train wreck with an ego. If he doesn’t knock it off, I might start charging him extra just to put up with him.

Except maybe he’s not so bad. In fact, if I distract him enough from his ex, he’s actually kind of fun. And hot. But there he goes again, ranting about his ex.

Bet if I clapped a hand over his mouth, he’d shut up.

Bet he’d like that.

Gentlemen of the Emerald City

Marco is Book 4 of Gentlemen of the Emerald City, a sexy series centered around the high class, high-dollar Gentlemen of Seattle’s most exclusive escort service. Each book is full of snark, sass, and sweetness, and like any Emerald City client, you’re guaranteed a happy ending
 

Leseprobe

Marco

Gentlemen of the Emerald City

L.A. Witt

Copyright Information

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Marco: Gentlemen of the Emerald City series, book 4

First edition

Copyright © 2021 L.A. Witt

Cover Art by L.A. Witt

Editor: Leta Blake

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher, and where permitted by law. Reviewers may quote brief passages in a review. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact L.A. Witt at [email protected]

ISBN: 978-1-64230-118-2

Paperback ISBN: 979-8-53565-790-5

Created with Vellum

Contents

About Marco

1. Julian

2. Marco

3. Julian

4. Marco

5. Julian

6. Marco

7. Julian

8. Marco

9. Julian

10. Marco

11. Julian

12. Marco

13. Julian

14. Marco

15. Julian

16. Marco

17. Julian

18. Marco

19. Julian

20. Marco

21. Julian

22. Marco

23. Julian

24. Marco

25. Julian

26. Marco

27. Julian

28. Marco

29. Julian

30. Marco

31. Julian

32. Marco

33. Julian

34. Marco

35. Julian

36. Marco

37. Julian

38. Marco

The Gentlemen of the Emerald City Series

The series continues!

Book 5: Andre

Sneak peek: Andre

Also by L.A. Witt

Also by L.A. Witt

About the Author

About Marco

Julian

An invite to a lavish destination wedding? Sign me up. Except the half of the couple is BFFs with my ex. My ex, who’s going to be there with his new arm candy. UGH.

Maybe he’ll realize what he gave up once he sees me with a hot new boyfriend of my own.

He just doesn’t need to know I hired that hot new boyfriend.

Marco

Getting paid to spend two weeks in Maui and on a cruise? Twist my arm. Shame the dude who hired me is a train wreck with an ego. If he doesn’t knock it off, I might start charging him extra just to put up with him.

Except maybe he’s not so bad. In fact, if I distract him enough from his ex, he’s actually kind of fun. And hot. But there he goes again, ranting about his ex.

Bet if I clapped a hand over his mouth, he’d shut up.

Bet he’d like that.

Gentlemen of the Emerald City

Marco is Book 4 of Gentlemen of the Emerald City, a sexy series centered around the high class, high-dollar Gentlemen of Seattle’s most exclusive escort service. Each book is full of snark, sass, and sweetness, and like any Emerald City client, you’re guaranteed a happy ending.

Chapter 1

Julian

“They actually proposed?” I grabbed Blake’s hands in both of mine on top of the table, nearly knocking the menus and a wineglass onto the café floor. “Oh my God! Congratulations!”

My best friend smiled. “Thanks! I couldn’t believe it. I mean I told you I was going to marry them someday, but then all that time they said they weren’t down with marriage, and now…” He gently freed his left hand and held it up, showing off the platinum band. “They changed their mind!”

“Oh, that’s amazing.” I touched my chest. “I’m so excited for both of you. So have you started planning the wedding? I want details, sister. Details!”

Blake laughed, though there was an uncomfortable undertone. “Yeah, we’ve… We’ve started planning.” He put his hand over mine and lowered his gaze. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Alarm tickled my senses. “Oh. Um. Okay.” Was he about to tell me I wasn’t invited? I mean, if he didn’t want me there, I’d be hurt, but it was his wedding. His decision. Maybe they wanted something small and intimate, or—

Blake cleared his throat, and he kept his hand on mine as he met my gaze again. “I want you to be my best man.”

I had to laugh, mostly with relief because I’d been expecting the worst. “What? Of course! Good God, hon, I thought you were about to tell me you didn’t want me there.”

“Didn’t want—” He snorted. “Please. A wedding wouldn’t be a wedding without you there. And like I’d ever have anyone else as my best man.”

“Aww, you sweetheart.” But there was still something unsettling about this conversation. “So, what’s up, then? You’re not going to make me wear a 1970s throwback tux, are you?” I stuck out my tongue.

Blake laughed, shaking his head. “I mean, I’d pay to see you in one of those, but—”

“I will cut you.”

He chuckled. “No, we’re not going that route. But there are two kinda minor details that…” He hesitated, and his humor vanished. “I just need you to tell me honestly if they’re deal-breakers.”

“Deal-breakers? Honey, unless you’re hiring an Abba cover band, I’m there.”

Another laugh flickered across his lips, but it was halfhearted at best, which raised even more alarm bells. Blake loved nothing more than to bombard me with covers of Abba songs, since he knew I thought each and every one of them was sacrilege (okay, Erasure got away with a couple, but that’s it). The fact that he wasn’t laughing about it now made me really curious—and nervous—about the two details that might be deal-breakers.

Blake took a deep breath. “Okay. So. We decided to have a destination wedding. The in-laws are fucking loaded, and they thought Taylor would never get married, so they want to go all out and give us a huge wedding in Honolulu, and then take the entire wedding party on a cruise.”

“Ooh, a cruise? And Hawaii?” I arched an eyebrow. “Is that the deal-breaker? I mean, are we going to be tossing someone into a volcano or something?”

He shook his head. “No, but as my best man I might need you there a couple of days early to help get things organized. Plus the cruise is like ten days. So I didn’t know if that would be an issue with work.”

I thought about it, then waved a hand. “I’ll make it happen. Just let me know when you need me to be there, and I’ll be there.” I paused. “Hell, I’m long overdue for some vacation. I might even go over ahead of you just to fuck off on the beach for a while.”

That brought his smile back to life…sort of. “Okay. Good. I didn’t want it to be a huge imposition.”

“Oh, no,” I said with playful sarcasm. “Just…drag me away from my job to go to your wedding on a Hawaiian island. Anything but that.”

He chuckled and rolled his eyes, but then sobered again. “It’s… It’s the other thing that I’m worried might be the actual deal-breaker.”

I sobered too, and I took a sip of wine. Something told me I’d need the alcohol—Blake was a worrier by nature, so he freaked out over everything, but his anxiety over this was, well, worrying.

He took a deep swallow from his own glass, draining it completely, then set it on the edge of the table. Facing me, he inhaled slowly. “The issue is that Taylor is also planning to have a best man.”

“Right? And?” I inclined my head. “Why would that—” But then the piece clicked into place, and my spine went rigid. “Tony.”

Cringing, Blake nodded. “Yeah.”

I drained my own wine and gestured for the waiter. Definitely needed more alcohol for this conversation. To my friend, I said, “I mean, I don’t like being around him, but it’s been a couple of months. I’ve moved on.”

He cocked a brow. “Have you?”

I wanted to get defensive, but I paused and really thought about it before I quietly said, “Okay, it still hurts. I won’t lie. But it’s over and I’m putting it behind me. If you’d suggested this the same week Tony and I split up, then yeah, I might have had to bow out so he and I didn’t kill each other. But I’ve had some time, and I can handle him. As long as no one’s expecting us to dance or be buddy-buddy.” I grimaced and added a facetious, “Or room together on the cruise.”

That… didn’t make Blake laugh. Instead he flicked his eyes away again.

My spine straightened. “Blake. Please tell me you’re not making us room together. I can spring for my own room if—”

“No, no, it’s not that.” He shook his head. “Taylor’s family is going to pay for people’s accommodations, flights, the works—you don’t have to worry about any of that.”

Okay, that was a relief, since I wasn’t sure I could sell enough organs on the black market to pay for a trip to Honolulu or a ten-day cruise, never mind both. But something was still up, and I didn’t like the way my friend wouldn’t look at me. “What’s going on?”

He moistened his lips. “It’s, um… I just figured you deserved to know that Tony will be rooming with someone else.”

It took a second for the wires to connect.

I sat back, hand still firmly on the stem on my wineglass. “He’s got a new boyfriend.”

Blake nodded slowly. “Yeah. They’ve been seeing—anyway, it doesn’t matter. We haven’t even met him yet, but apparently things are getting serious enough that he’s already told Taylor he plans to bring the new guy. So I just thought you should know.”

“Right. Thanks.” And I did appreciate the heads up. I was over my stupid ex, but knowing beforehand that he’d have a new man on his arm meant I didn’t have to find out the hard way that he’d moved on. Especially after less than three months while I was still trying to find my bearings. But I was over him. Completely. Fuck that guy. I cleared my throat, then said breezily despite feeling anything but, “Well, I guess that means I’d better find a plus one. I, um… I mean, if the invitation is for a plus—”

“Oh, of course!” Blake waved his hand. “Just get me a name at least a week or so in advance so we can put him on the reservations.”

I nodded, bringing my wine to my lips. “Sure. I can do that. How soon are we talking about?”

“June. Is that enough time?” He paused. “The engagement party will be around then too. We wanted to give some people who live out of town time to plan, so we’re just holding off until—anyway. May for the party. June for the wedding.

May and June? Okay, that gave me… about six months. I could lock someone down by then. Or at least find someone I liked enough to take a vacation together. Right?

I took a deep swallow of wine, and as I put the glass down, I met my friend’s eyes. “Six months? No problem.”

Hey, love, can I get the name of your plus one? My mother-in-law needs everything for the reservations by the end of the week.

I groaned and let my phone tumble onto the bed as I rubbed my eyes. Six months had seemed like plenty of time to find someone willing to go to fucking Hawaii and on a cruise with me. Now the wedding was six weeks away, the engagement party was next Saturday, and I still didn’t have someone who thought an all expenses paid vacation was enough motivation to stick around.

Good God. Was the prospect of dating me really that off-putting? That was a depressing thought.

To make matters worse, the ex I was completely over had apparently gotten engaged to his new man. Engaged! So while that asshole would be parading around with a shiny new fiancé on his arm, I couldn’t even find someone willing to share a cabin with me and sit together at the reception.

What did I have to do? Hire someone?

Actually…

My gaze slid toward my phone. I mean, my ego didn’t like the idea one little bit. Needing to pay someone to pretend he was with me just so my ex-douchefriend didn’t get to sneer that he was right and I’d never find someone better than him? Yuck.

The alternative, however, was letting him sneer, and I wasn’t interested in giving him that satisfaction. So the question was, how much was this going to set me back? And where would I even look?

I chewed the inside of my cheek as I stared at my dormant phone. There was already an app on there that I browsed from time to time when loneliness and horniness ganged up on me. The escorts weren’t cheap—yes, I’d looked, even if I’d never actually booked anyone—but I’d heard they were worth every penny. Hadn’t I caught a glimpse of something on the app about longer bookings? Where a guy could be hired for a few days or even a few months for whatever reason?

Considering how much one nighters cost (reason number one I’d only ever browsed), I didn’t imagine this would be cheap. Was it really worth it just to show up my ex?

I exhaled, letting my head fall back against the headboard. Tony wasn’t the only reason I wanted to have someone with me at this wedding. He was the center of it, because he was a smug fuck who’d passive aggressively remind me at every available opportunity that I was alone and he wasn’t.

But there would also be a lot of mutual friends there. And a lot of my friends. People who’d been there for the six long years I’d spent under that fucker’s thumb. I needed them to know I was okay, and I didn’t know any better way to show them than by moving on with another man. They didn’t have to know he was a paid stand-in. All they needed to see was Julian Graf, head held high with a hot new man on his elbow, because nothing said “I’m over this guy” like “I’m getting under that one.”

I picked up my phone and stared at the dark screen. Was I really going to do this?

Yeah. Yeah, I was.

I was going to shell out a metric fuckload of money just to show up my ex. That might seem like the stupidest, most reckless, and least rational thing I could possibly do in this scenario, but damn it, I was doing it. Because I would be there for my best friend’s wedding, and I didn’t think I was strong enough to be there alone.

I swallowed hard as embarrassment and nerves and shame and a bajillion other unwelcome emotions tightened my throat. Yes, this was going to cost a pretty penny, but it would be worth it to tell our entire social circle that I was okay.

And maybe when I got home, I could figure out how to actually be okay.

Chapter 2

Marco

A few of the other Gentlemen—not to mention Anita, the site’s owner—had very strong opinions about extended bookings. Some of the guys loved them because they meant steady money for a while, and they frequently meant seriously classy vacations. First class, five-star hotels—the works.

Others loathed them with the kind of hatred I reserved for root canals and the IRS. Cole, my ex-turned-friend, had worked for Emerald City for a while before meeting his boyfriend, and he’d despised extended bookings. Especially the kind that involved accompanying a client on a vacation.

“Ugh, it’s so gross,” he’d grumbled after returning from a cruise with a client. “Like it feels like an actual vacation, and it’s great, and then he just turns to you and tells you to drop trou, and too bad for you if you’re feeling a little seasick or your ears are still jacked up from that morning’s scuba excursion. Fuck that noise.”

On the other hand, Richie had been all over it. “All expenses paid vacation with someone who wants sex? I’m in!”

So yeah, mixed reviews.

Oddly enough, given that I’d been with Emerald City longer than most, this was my first extended booking. For whatever reason, my clientele had always been in the market for something much more short term.

Until today, that is.

According to his profile, his name was Julian. He didn’t have any comments from other Gentlemen, and his profile was fairly new. He’d booked me for this evening to meet at a swanky restaurant down by the water, with a note that he wanted to discuss details for a longer arrangement. Something about a few local events followed by a cruise.

So far, so good.

There weren’t a lot of pictures on his profile. Barely more than proof of life, really—a couple of fully-dressed neck-down shots. From what I could see, he was on the lean side. A tight T-shirt and jeans in one. A dark suit in another. He clearly liked his clothing tailored and snug, and he certainly had the body for it.

I didn’t like that I couldn’t see his face. That wasn’t unusual—a lot of guys were paranoid about having face pictures on an app like this—but especially for someone wanting to discuss a lengthy arrangement, I would’ve liked to see his face. Not because I needed to make sure he was attractive. That wasn’t important to me. If a man booked me, he booked me, and his appearance didn’t matter.

But you could tell a lot about someone by their face. Even in photos. Though it wasn’t foolproof, there were certain things that came through in pictures. Certain predatory expressions that said, “Marco, you do not want to be alone with this man.” Or eyes that said, “Yeah, you saw me on America’s Most—look, Marco, you really do not want to be alone with this man.”

I know, I know. But I wasn’t exactly new to renting out my body, and I’d had a few too many experiences where I should’ve trusted my judgment and not accepted a client. Once bitten, and all that.

There was also that small thing about getting a good look at him and making sure I hadn’t dated him, fucked him, worked for him, or otherwise crossed paths with him outside of Emerald City. That had happened before, and it was awkward as all hell. Twice bitten, and all that.

Anyway, Julian’s profile didn’t have many helpful photos. The booking for tonight included dining at a restaurant, so… all right. We’d meet in public, then. Fine. That was enough to let me feel him out and see if I got a serial killer vibe off him.

I confirmed his booking for this evening. Then I checked the restaurant’s website, and I wasn’t at all surprised to find out they had a strict dress code. No jacket, no tie, no service.

That wasn’t a problem for me. This job had afforded me a nice selection of clothing appropriate for all manner of evening events, from jacket required to black-tie formal.

I suspected I wasn’t the only escort he was considering for his events and upcoming trip. For all intents and purposes, tonight was a job interview, and given that business had been slow lately, I had a vested interest in being the man this Julian decided to hire. The pay from a two-week extended booking would go a long way toward making up for the fact that, over the last year, my bookings had been steadily drying up. Another Gentleman and I had realized I was heading into the dreaded dead zone—where I was older than the twenty-somethings, but younger than the silver foxes, and I just wasn’t in demand like I’d been a few short years ago. Or maybe it was just me. Cole insisted I looked good with the gray that was starting to creep in. I thought my clients were happy. But the bookings were just…

Sigh.

So while I quietly scrutinized him for Ted Bundy tells, I’d do my best to impress him enough to hire me for this gig.

All right. Time to earn two weeks in paradise.

Driving and parking in downtown Seattle was a nightmare. Full stop. In the interest of not being a flustered, irritated mess when I met my potential client, I took an Uber. Good thing, too—the traffic was exceptionally terrible. On top of the tip I put into the app, I gave her a twenty for putting up with the bullshit gridlock.

Then I straightened my jacket and walked into the restaurant.

At the podium, a young woman smiled at me. “Good evening, sir. Are you dining alone or joining someone?”

I returned the smile. “Hi. I’m actually meeting—”

“Marco?” A smooth voice stopped me mid-sentence, and I turned to see another man watching me with one eyebrow up.

“Julian?”

He smiled and extended his hand. “You’re right on time.”

I returned the smile and shook his hand, and I’d give him this much—Julian was definitely not hard on the eyes. He was white, somewhat slim in the shoulders, and about the same height as me, so probably six-one, six-two. He had on a gray three-piece suit that was definitely not off the rack, and though I wasn’t usually into guys with long hair, the sun-kissed shoulder length look suited him.

Nothing about him gave off those “star of the next America’s Most Wanted” vibes, so that was a good start.

“Well.” He glanced at a hellaciously expensive watch—a Jaeger-LeCoultre, I thought—and smiled genially. “Our reservation isn’t for a few minutes, but I think the hostess said our table is ready. Shall we have a seat and get something to drink?”

“Of course.”

The hostess showed us to a table for two with a panoramic view of Puget Sound from Alki to Elliot Bay. This was probably one of those places people came for dates. With the way the two of us were dressed, people probably thought we were here on a date, which was fine. I’d flown under the radar of Seattle’s finest for a long time, and I liked the idea of continuing that trend. Not that there was anything illegal about being an escort until our clothes started coming off, but a man couldn’t be too careful.

After we’d placed our orders and had some ice water, I met Julian’s gaze across the table for two. “So, I understand you’re looking for something… extended?”

“I am.” Julian rested his forearms against the table and clasped his long fingers together. “The short version is that I’ve been asked to be the best man at a friend’s wedding, and what I need is a date for all the pre-wedding festivities here in town, the cruise, and the wedding itself.”

I nodded slowly. “All right. I can do that.”

“Perfect. And I assume we can do better than…” He gestured at me, his nose wrinkling a little.

I glanced down at myself, then back at him. “Brioni isn’t sufficient?”

He looked me up and down, then shook his head. “Something a little classier. Is that going to cost me extra? Because I’m fine to pay. I just need to make sure my date looks sharp.”

Ahh, so he was one of those guys—seriously hot and attractive, right up until he opened his damn mouth.

Only years of practice kept my expression neutral, and I put on a smile as I said, “We can work it into the price.” Truth was, I probably had what he wanted hanging in my closet, and with the amount of money he was going to pay me for this arrangement, I could have bought the suit and just eaten the cost.

But if he was going to be a dick about it…

“Now.” Julian shifted in his chair and folded his forearms on the table’s edge. “The somewhat longer version is that I have no desire to go strolling into this wedding or its other events without a boyfriend. An attractive, successful boyfriend.”

Oh, this was going to be a shitshow, wasn’t it?

His ex. It had to be his ex. That, or his parents. Nobody ever coughed up this much money and was this nitpicky over a date to a wedding unless there was someone they wanted to impress. Usually someone who was going out of their way to be unimpressed. A disappointed mother. A homophobic father. An ex who was…

Well, that could go a number of ways—a nasty ex who’d made the client feel like he couldn’t do better. A client who wanted to make an ex jealous. It could really run the gamut, and there was no telling where Julian landed. Not until I’d felt him out a little more. What I had learned from people like him (this would not be my first time attending a wedding as an escort) was that these conversations could be emotional landmines, and my best bet was to let him show his cards in his own time.

Still keeping my expression neutral, I said, “All right. If you can get me a list of the events and their dress codes, I’ll make sure I have something appropriate for each.”

That warmed his smile a little. Okay, so he liked the straightforward businesslike approach. Good to know. That mostly likely meant this was a serious emotional minefield, and he was trying to grab whatever control of the situation he could get.

“So.” Julian watched me. “I’m not really familiar with your line of work. How much experience do you have with what I’m looking for? As opposed to…?” He waved his hand.

There weren’t words to describe how much restraint it took not to say, “As opposed to fucking people?” If this were a meetup to discuss a one-off engagement like a party or something, I probably would have said it because fuck him. But this was a two-week-plus booking, and I couldn’t afford to turn that away. Not even if the prospect of being on a ship with this guy already had me thinking I’d be less miserable on a Titanic reenactment.

So I kept my professional mask in place. “They don’t call us escorts for nothing.” I kept my voice quiet enough to be discreet. “I’ve been to weddings, company parties—even a funeral.”

Julian blinked. “Someone hired an escort to come to a funeral? Are you serious?”

Nodding, I picked up my water glass. “There was some family messiness, and… Well, the short version is that he was having a hard enough time grieving, and he just didn’t want to be alone.”

Julian’s lips parted. “Oh. Wow. That’s…” He touched his chest. “Oh my God. That’s so sad.” The way he said it, he didn’t sound like he thought it was pathetic on the part of my grieving client. More like he grasped how sad the situation was that someone needed a paid companion so they could get through a funeral. Surprising, given his attitude so far, but definitely a point in his favor.

I took a drink. “That’s the only funeral I’ve been to, but like I said, weddings, parties…” I shrugged as I put down my glass. “Sometimes I just stand there and look pretty. Sometimes I’m just a guy’s date for an evening, either because he’s lonely and wants to go out with someone or because he’s going to an event and doesn’t want to go alone. That’s… I mean, I guess that’s the common thread—I provide company to men who don’t want to be alone. The details just depend on the situation and on what he wants.”

Julian nodded. “And how do you navigate when people ask questions about you? What you do for a living—things like that?”

“We work that out ahead of time. It’s not uncommon for me to say my job is something that either nobody will know enough about to tell if I’m bullshitting the details, or they won’t care.”

“Such as?”

“Depends. A lot of times the client will know what his peers or family will ask questions about, and we’ll pick a job for me that warrants ‘oh, that’s interesting’ and no follow-up. At an event with artists and musicians, I’m not going to run into too many people who are deeply fascinated by the finer points of accounting or engineering.”

“So, you just pick something that won’t get a lot of questions.” He didn’t sound thrilled by that.

“If the situation calls for it.”

“And if it doesn’t?” He tilted his head. “If people do want to know what you do?”

“Then the client and I have an established dossier ahead of time. I’ve even had fake business cards made with a number that goes to a dummy voicemail or even to someone who’s agreed to be my”—I made air quotes—“colleague or boss.”

“Oh, so you do come prepared, then.”

“As prepared as the client wants me to be, yes.”

He studied me, and his eyes narrowed a little. “Has anyone ever, um, caught on? Figured out you were an escort?”

I thought for a moment about the best way to answer that. “I’ve had the odd person start grilling me because they thought I was making something up. No one’s ever suspected I was an escort, though.”

“Because they thought you were making something up?” Julian absently swirled his water like wine. “How so?”

“Something I said didn’t jive with something they saw on the internet. They know someone in the same business who said something slightly different, so clearly I was bull—I was lying.” I shrugged. “We’ve all run into the know-it-all types and the people who think anyone who contradicts their worldview must be a liar. In this line of work, I definitely run into them.”

“And how do you handle it?”

I thought about that, too, because much like in the scenarios we were discussing, I had the distinct feeling every word I said was being scrutinized way more than it needed to be. “I usually follow the client’s lead. Most of the time, they’ll catch on, step in, and redirect the conversation. If they don’t, or if they’re not right there, then I’ll keep my story going until they either give up or call me out.”

Julian inclined his head. “What happens if they call you out?”

“It’s… I mean, like everything, it depends on the situation. I’ve told one person, ‘I’m sorry you don’t believe me, but it’s the truth,’ and they rolled their eyes and walked away. In one case, I pulled the person aside and admitted I didn’t actually work in that field yet, but I was looking for a job and just didn’t want to embarrass my date by letting people think he was seeing a bum.”

“What did they say to that?”

“They actually respected it. Which… I kind of figured they would. I wouldn’t have told them that if I didn’t think it would work.”

“What made you think it would?”

“You get really good at reading people in this line of work.”

“I see.” He held my gaze. “And no one has ever caught on to what you really do?” He managed not to wrinkle his nose as he said it, but I had a feeling it was a struggle. Just like it was a struggle for me not to roll my eyes.

“No,” I said evenly. “No one has ever suspected a thing.”

“Good. Because people are definitely going to ask what you do, and I really don’t want them knowing your real job.” He folded his hands on the edge of the table. “So I suppose we should get our story straight?”

You look down your nose at me again and I’ll tell people I turn tricks.

But I kept that placid expression firmly in place. “I have a handful of pre-designed profiles.”

His eyebrows rose. “Do you?”

“Oh, yeah. I always get asked what I do, so I have to be prepared.”

“I see.” He shifted a little, resting his forearm on the table and absently playing with his fork. A nervous thing, I suspected, which made me wonder if his arrogant bullshit was a defense mechanism. It was still annoying, but maybe it was just a prickly exoskeleton over the top of a very soft, sensitive interior. That especially made sense after he’d lifted the veil slightly to express sympathy about the client I’d accompanied to a funeral. He tilted his head. “What, um, profiles do you have?”

“I’ve pulled off artist, actor—”

His lips quirked as if I were reading from a list of worst possible options.

I cleared my throat and tried a different direction. “I really do have an engineering degree, so that’s an obvious pick.”

There was that nose wrinkle again. Figures—he was an elitist fuck who wanted someone a bit more prestigious than a lowly engineer.

Somehow keeping my annoyance out of my voice, I said, “Alternatively, I can sound like I know what I’m talking about with medicine, cryptocurrency, stocks… There isn’t a lot of time to prepare, but I can make any of those things work enough to sound convincing off the cuff.”

His lips quirked. “Hmm. Medicine is always a winner. Stocks and crypto too, but my ex is a hedge fund manager.” Julian grimaced. “He can also smell bullshit from a mile away.”

Ah, there it is—an ex.

I wonder if he’s as charming as you are.

I carefully tamped all that down, though. Whether I liked his attitude or not, I suspected he was deploying an entire arsenal of defense mechanisms right now. If I had to guess, he had a whole lot of feelings about attending all these events with his ex, and if his ex could, as Julian had said, smell bullshit from a mile away, then this was someone whose opinion Julian deeply valued.

More and more, my money was on this ex being someone who’d made Julian feel like he couldn’t and wouldn’t do better. It was also still possible Julian just wanted a man he could smugly parade in front of the ex to make him jealous. Or both.

And I get to be right in the middle. Ugh. Do I really need this money?

I sipped my drink before I quietly asked, “Do you think medicine will convince him, then?”

“Oh, definitely.” Julian paused. “Though make sure you do know your stuff. Tony is one of those types who believes Big Pharma deliberately keeps us all sick in order to sell us medicine, so…”

I was holding on to my professionalism by my fingertips, and I very nearly rolled my eyes. “Ah, so he counters peer-reviewed research with whatever quackery he’s found online?”

“Bingo. So if you’re prepared for that, then…” He nodded sharply. “A medical career could fly. But if you’d rather not set yourself up to debate the role of vaccines in causing autism with someone who’s had a few whiskey sours…”

I couldn’t hold back the eyeroll this time, but I figured I could get away with it since it was directed at Julian’s ex. “Jesus. He’s one of those?”

“Especially when he’s drunk, yes. And I assure you, he will be.”

I thought about it, then chuckled. “Would it be too antagonistic to show up as a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company?”

Julian laughed aloud, and I was not expecting the zing of wow, you’re pretty when he let loose that unrestrained amusement. He really was putting up defenses, wasn’t he? Locking his emotions about this ex behind a snotty exterior?

What did this guy do to you?

Julian quickly collected himself, though he was still grinning. “I kind of want to dare you to do that just so I can see his head explode, but…” His grin faded, and he sighed as he stared into his drink. Shoulders sinking, he met my gaze again. “I don’t want to turn my best friend’s wedding into battle royale. I just don’t want to be there alone when my ex shows up with his new fiancé.”

Ahh, called it.

“So, just a job that will convince people I’m not blowing smoke,” I said.

A little more subdued now, Julian nodded. “Yeah. Steer clear of anything financial, and maybe don’t push the pharmaceutical buttons.”

“What about something generic?” I asked. “A general manager of—”

“No, no. Something with some…” He pursed his lips and gestured like he was struggling to find the word. “Prestige.”

Another eyeroll almost got away from me, but I was damn good at restraining myself.

I still couldn’t decide if Julian was trying to use me as a shield from his ex’s sneers, or if he was trying to make the ex jealous. I wondered if he knew.

“Well.” I smiled genially and, I hoped, believably. “There’s a little time to nail down a profile.”

“That’s true, but we shouldn’t let the grass grow.” He shifted in his seat, folding his hands on the edge of the table. “I suppose I should tell you a bit more about the festivities, then…”

“So, that’s the situation.” Julian slid his hands into his pockets as we stepped out in front of the restaurant. “Do we have a deal?”

Ideally, this was something I’d want to sleep on. He was asking me to commit to two weeks and some change of being front and center in a volatile situation between a couple of contentious exes. That wasn’t for the faint of heart.

On the other hand, I could deal with it, and it was better me than some of the other guys at Emerald City. None of them were wilting violets by any means, but I didn’t think any of them needed to be subjected to the shit that would come their way if they took this job. I didn’t either, but I did need the money.

So, I nodded. “Yeah. I’m in. Just message me with the dates and dress codes.”

Julian smiled, looking more relieved than he’d probably intended to let on. Extending his hand, he said, “We’ll be in touch.”

I smiled back and shook on it.

And then… he was gone. He headed away from the waterfront, probably toward one of the parking garages that had valet service, and I walked south until I was sure he couldn’t see me anymore. Then I summoned an Uber.

While I waited for the car, I gazed out at Puget Sound. The lights of the city glittered on the water, and there was a ferry making its way between some cargo ships that were probably waiting their turn to enter the Port of Seattle. The night was as quiet and peaceful as they ever were in this town.

Not that the view did much to relax me as I ran through everything I’d discussed with Julian and everything I’d just signed up for.

I swore this situation felt like two men who used to show dogs together, and now that they were going to be facing off in the ring for the first time, they were each determined to find the perfect pooch to utterly destroy the other. Part of me wanted to grab them each by the scruffs, shove them into a room, and tell them to sort their shit out. The other part of me wanted to help Julian get absolutely hammered until all his feelings came pouring out and he finally realized that if someone made him this miserable, maybe that guy’s opinion wasn’t worth a damn.

But I wasn’t being paid to be Julian’s life coach, and I wasn’t in this to counsel the couple or to show him the light. I was here to be the dog that won Best in Show and made the client’s ex feel like shit.

And no, I absolutely did not like that.

The bottom line, however, was that until I started piquing the interest of the crowd who liked silver foxes or something, I couldn’t afford to turn down Julian’s offer of an extended booking. My landlord didn’t care how I felt about inserting myself as cannon fodder between a couple of dueling exes. She just wanted the rent paid, and “my first client in almost a month really pissed me off” wasn’t an excuse to not pay her.

So… fine. Fine. I didn’t have to like the job, why he’d hired me, or what I’d be doing. I just had to do it, take the money, and move on with my life. It was only two weeks, plus a smattering of events between now and when we’d be leaving for Hawaii.

I could do this.

And I couldn’t lie—as much as Julian irritated me, I honestly did feel sorry for him. How much did a man have to fuck up someone’s head for him to feel like he needed to go to these lengths and pay that much money just to throw it in the guy’s face that he’d moved on?

Well, it was none of my business. I was there to do a job and play a role. I didn’t know exactly why I’d been pulled into this or what Julian hoped to accomplish, and I didn’t need to know.

One thing I was pretty damn sure of though:

This was going to be the longest ten-day cruise ever.

Chapter 3

Julian

Marco… was definitely not what I had in mind for this.

Sitting alone in my barely-moved-in apartment, I thumbed through the photos on his Emerald City profile.

He was attractive, I’d give him that. His gray-blue eyes were striking, and the touch of silver around the edges of his short, brown hair was sexy. He’d had a single glass of wine with dinner, and had indicated he wasn’t a heavy drinker, which I liked, and I didn’t care if it was personal preference or company policy; I really didn’t want my “date” getting fucked up at the wedding or on the cruise.

So there was nothing wrong with him, per se. He just wasn’t the spectacular specimen I’d envisioned when I’d gotten the ridiculous idea of hiring an escort to be my temporary “boyfriend.” I’d imagined someone right off a romance novel cover or a men’s fitness magazine. Marco was certainly good-looking, but in a “nice guy next door” or “cute coworker” kind of way.

His poker face was generally good, except for the part where I could tell when he was using it. Or maybe that was just me being paranoid. He had to think this whole thing was ridiculous, and I had no doubt he thought I was a pretentious idiot who was too pathetic to move on from his ex. In that respect, I couldn’t really argue, but every time I tried to talk myself out of this whole scheme, I’d imagine walking into Blake and Taylor’s wedding alone and seeing Tony with his new fiancé. It took all of two seconds of that mental horror show to renew my commitment to playing this game.

I still hated myself for it, though, and maybe that was why I saw a poker face in Marco. I was convinced he harbored judgmental thoughts and feelings about this because I was projecting my own distaste onto him. I was seeing a conscious poker face where there really was no reaction at all.

Or I was seeing exactly what I thought I saw.

Whatever the case, was Marco really the man for this job? He was the best I’d met so far, but that bar was depressingly low.

Ideally, I would have found an escort who probably moonlighted as an underwear model with a perfect tan and a gleaming smile. A man who looked so good, he didn’t need airbrushing (I know, I know, he doesn’t exist, but I was desperate here). A skilled conversationalist who could effortlessly navigate Tony’s attempts to prove he was the smartest man in the room (or, more to the point, to prove that any man who thought I was worth dating was the stupidest man in the room).

Marco was smart, and he was hot, but he wasn’t what I needed for this.

Question was… how many options did I have left?

Leaning back against my couch and propping my feet on an unopened box, I thumbed through profiles on Emerald City, but there weren’t a lot of possibilities. There were tons of Gentlemen available, but once I put in that I needed an extended booking over some specific dates, the selection dried up real fast. Especially since I didn’t want someone who was too young. Changing the criteria to over thirty had reduced the field to… not very many.

Before tonight, I’d met two other escorts, and they’d quickly been crossed off the list. Both were cute and charming, but neither had struck me as being able to convincingly portray themselves as men who worked in suitably impressive jobs. Not under this kind of pressure.

Marco, however, could pull it off. Probably.

I lowered my phone and rubbed my eyes with my other hand. Okay. I was just going to have to face it—Marco was my best option. Really my only option. And there wasn’t anything wrong with him. Had I found him on Tinder or something, I’d have happily swiped right.

I wasn’t looking for perfection when I dated. For this scenario, though, I didn’t want someone who impressed me—I wanted someone who impressed him. Someone who exuded the kind of perfection that would impress the man who’d tossed me out. The man who’d decided I wasn’t good enough for him. How was I going to make him realize how badly he’d fucked up if I didn’t walk into these events with someone Tony couldn’t even try to compete with?

With a growing lump in my throat, I sighed.

I wanted to show Tony that not only was he wrong about me being not good enough, but that I was worthy of someone even he couldn’t touch.

And maybe that was the problem. Maybe no one met that standard, and I was fooling myself if I thought I’d be able to afford them if they did. Tony had money, style, brains, and class I never would. No man I could date or hire would make him feel inferior, and I didn’t even want him to feel like he was. I just wanted him to look at me and realize that I wasn’t inferior.

“Jesus,” I muttered aloud. “I am so fucking pathetic.”

I was. I so was. What I needed to do was just move the fuck on from Tony, go to the wedding festivities alone, and see how many men—wedding guests and cruise passengers alike—I could fuck before I came home.

Right. Because I would absolutely be able to get my flirt on while my ex was—in reality or in my imagination—sneering at my back while he strolled around with an undoubtedly rich, smart, and sexy fiancé on his arm.

I groaned. Ugh. Yeah. I was doing this. Pathetic or not, I was doing it.

Which meant…

I stared at my phone as my stomach twisted into knots. At the end of the day, Marco was my best shot. He was intelligent, attractive, and available. He was polite to waitstaff, which was a plus—Tony could learn a thing or two from him in that department.

As stand-in boyfriends went, Marco wasn’t what I’d envisioned, but he was my best bet, so I’d book him.

At least until I came to my senses and called this off entirely.

Blake looked up from buttoning a dress shirt in front of the tuxedo shop’s full-length mirror. “So when are we finally going to meet your new man?”

A nervous prickle ran up my spine, but I hid it by casually folding my arms and shifting my weight as I pretended to look Blake’s outfit up and down. “You’ll meet him tomorrow—I’m bringing him to the engagement party.”

“Ooh!” Blake straightened. “Really? Hey, Taylor—you hear that?”

Taylor turned around, still buttoning their own shirt, and looked at us through a fringe of dark hair. “Hmm?”

Blake nodded toward me. “Jules is finally bringing his man out in the daylight.”

“Oh, yeah?” Taylor grinned. “I was starting to think he didn’t exist.”

I laughed despite my uneasiness. “Yes, he exists. Jesus fuck.”

“He’s a pretty new development, isn’t he?” Taylor cocked a brow. “Are you sure about bringing him on a cruise?”

“Are you kidding?” I gave them a saucy wink. “What better way to enjoy the honeymoon period with a new man?”

Taylor seemed to consider my comment, then shrugged. “I can respect that.” Facing the mirror again, they asked over their shoulder, “Where’d you meet this guy anyway?”

“Tinder.”

That got understanding nods from them both. Tinder was, after all where most of our attached friends’ origin stories began.

“I can’t wait to meet him.” Blake grinned as he fussed with his cuffs. “You said he’s…” He met my eyes in the reflection. “A doctor, isn’t he?”

Keeping my smile firmly in place, I nodded. “He is. Guess I’m moving up in the world.”

Blake and Taylor both laughed.

Right then, one of the women working at the tux shop came in with the jacket and trousers that had been tailored for me, and I focused on changing into those to see how they fit.

Admittedly, I was having doubts about our story that Marco was an MD who’d just finished his residency and moved here to start working in a family practice. When we’d been hashing it out, it had sounded great—he had apparently studied pre-med before shifting gears and going into engineering, and he still kept up on the latest and greatest in medical literature just out of sheer curiosity. So chances were he’d be able to pull off convincing medical conversations, and hopefully he could keep his cool when Tony had a few drinks and decided to challenge The Medical Establishment ™.

Regardless of how the engagement party went, I was still on the fence about bringing Marco with me to Hawaii and on the cruise. Did I really have the energy to put on such an elaborate act for over two weeks? That sounded exhausting. I’d committed to bringing him tomorrow night, but there was nothing that said we couldn’t “break up” between now and our flight. Or he could suddenly be hit with a terrible flu and have to bow out at the last second.

Maybe. I’d see how tomorrow went. This would be a dress rehearsal of sorts. After that…

Well, we’d fucking see.

In the next room, the tailor shop’s front door opened. There were some muffled voices, and then, “They’re in the second fitting suite. Right there on your left.”

“Thank you.” The two words made my blood turn cold.

Taylor and Blake exchanged looks, then turned to me.

Taylor cleared their throat. “Is this, uh, going to be—”

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “It’s… I’m good.”

Before either of them could press any further, the door to the fitting suite—which had been ajar—swung open.

And in walked Tony.

Oh, fuck me. Was it too much to ask for his good looks to have taken a dive in the months since we’d split? Apparently so.

He’d clearly been tanning, because that man’s skin had never been so golden. Oh, and highlights now? Really? I’d floated the idea of getting them, and he’d rolled his eyes at—whoa, whoa, back up. When did his eyes turn green? Jesus H. Christ on a Pogo stick, dude. Highlights, tanning, and colored contacts?

He probably wants to look good for the wedding.

Then my heart dropped.

He wants to look good for his wedding.

Beside me, Blake cleared his throat and was probably about to say something to break the ice, but Tony spoke first.

“Julian.” He grinned a dickish grin and raked his eyes up and down my body. “You’re looking well.”

So was he, and I fucking hated that. “You too. How are you doing?” I smiled despite my tightening throat. “I heard you got engaged. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” He watched me with a patronizing look. “Will you be at the party tomorrow?”

I swallowed past that annoying tightness. “Yeah. Of course. Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Oh. Good. Great!” His smile turned almost manic. “You can meet my fiancé.”

For fuck’s sake. He’d been wishy-washy as hell about any kind of commitment with me—like seriously, he hadn’t even liked sharing his Netflix password with me—but now he had a fiancé he was thrilled for me to meet. Fabulous.

“Sure. Great. Looking forward to it.” I gritted my teeth. “And you can meet my boyfriend.”

The faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth gave me way more satisfaction than it should have, but it also kind of made me feel like crap. Probably because his fiancé was real, as opposed to the “boyfriend” I’d be bringing to the festivities. I mean, Marco was a real person, but we didn’t have a real relationship. I didn’t even know if Marco was his real name.

You’re engaged while I have to pay a literal stranger to be at our friends’ wedding with me. Fuck.

Tony was about to say something, but Taylor quickly broke in. “Let’s go let the staff know you’re here, and they can get everything for you to try on.”