Billy
"I'm nervous." Rand paced back and forth, glancing at himself in the mirror each time he walked past it.
"Why? It's just Bex." I studied Rand as he paced. It took a great deal of effort not to wish the guy wasn't straight. Not that I haven't wished it before, but right now, decked out in an exquisite tuxedo tailored to fit him perfectly, I just wanted to tear the thing off of him, price be damned, and have the kind of sex I couldn't tell anyone about, even if I wanted to.
Bex was so lucky.
"What?" Rand stopped pacing and glanced at me with curiosity.
"Huh?
"You just sighed."
I shook my head. Surely not. One look at Rand's expression confirmed the truth. "I did?"
"Are you nervous, too?" He quirked an eyebrow.
"Ummmm, yeah, I guess so." I mentally wiped slop sweat from my brow. "I mean, no. Not really. It's not even a real date. I mean, not really. Just a guy."
"An expensive guy,” Rand noted. "A guy who if you hurt him, Bex will staple your scrotum to your desk."
I cringed at that lovely image. "Fine, but..."
"What are you going to do if you fall in love with him? You have that problem, you know. I mean, that could get pretty expensive."
"For what I paid, he should fall in love with me." I pointed out rather stuffily.
"Ha, you should be so lucky. If it works out though, you have the potential of being Bex's brother-in-law.”
I rolled my eyes. "First of all, it's just a date. Not even a real date, it's a business date."
Rand nodded. My track record with "just a date" guys wasn't exactly stellar. I did have a tendency to fall for them.
"You remember Sam?"
"Really? Really, you're gonna bring up Sam?" Sam Crenshaw was just a date; a business date, for the annual Christmas soiree my father insisted I attend. Sam was my first post-college professional peer who also happened to be gay. There really was no spark. I assumed that made him the perfect choice. Unfortunately, by the end of the evening, I was besotted; his wit and charm, not to mention good looks, proved far more appealing than I suspected. Granted, there was alcohol, lots of alcohol at play, and as Rand pointed out I did have a tendency to fall rather easily, even without a 90-proof lubricant.
While I was besotted, Sam Crenshaw saw me as a means to an end. It took Rand's keen observation and eventual intervention to keep Sam from being my plus one for the St Patrick's Day green party. At the time, I was furious; angry that Rand would interfere in my life. Who the hell did he think he was? He hired Sam away and before Sam knew what was happening, he fell victim to one of Rand's dot-com fiascos. I have a notion Rand knew it was going to go bust and all but threw Sam off the cliff.
I shook the memories away. "Well, if your date goes well, you have the potential to be Bex's husband. Foreverrrrrrr." Rand blanched. I couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you so..." I gestured wildly at his discomfort. "I mean; you've known Bex almost as long as I have. The two of you have flirted from day one. I'm surprised it's taken you this long to ask her out in the first place."
"She's a complicated woman."
I shook my head, "Bex is so not complicated. You're more complicated. And I can read you like a book."
"A book? Oh really? I've seen what kind of books you read. It says something that you hide them."
I balked at that. "I don't hide them."
Rand gave me that "oh really" look.
"I don't. They've just have their own section in the library. Not easily accessible to impressionable minds."
"Ohhhhh." He nodded slowly. "Impressionable minds. I see."
"Like you, for instance. I'm afraid one look and you'll turn to the dark side." I couldn't help venturing back to my previous thoughts. "You've already seen me naked. They just might be the straw that breaks you."
"First of all, I've had my one look. It was enough." Rand's mirrored reflection smiled at me. "But, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" He straightened his bow tie though in my mind's eye he was slowly pulling it off.
I felt myself starting to nod. Thank God, Rand's phone rang. "Cars are here."
I raced for the door.
"Saved by the bell,” Rand called out after me.
* * *
Connor
"Your reputation precedes you." Billy Hyde smirked as he spoke.
I nodded; not really knowing what to say to that. "Yeah. I'm that guy."
"Huh? No." He shook his head, a smile on his face. "No. I mean, Bex talks about you a lot. Truthfully I was surprised she'd even consider setting us up."
I nodded. "Well, she almost didn't. She was all gung-ho at first. I think it was a little passive-aggressive motivation. You know how she gets. And then she had reservations so I gave her a list of alternatives. You could have gotten 2nd best or worse."
His laugh was charming, the smile reaching his eyes, putting his dimples to work. "Oh, so, you're the best?"
"Isn't that my reputation." I watched him watch me, his blue-green eyes intense. "You want to know what your reputation is?"
"God, no." Billy balked, looking out the tinted window, his reflection in the dark glass, smiling. Color bloomed in his cheeks.
It was my turn to laugh.
"I can just imagine what Bex has told you." He glanced back over his shoulder at the car following us. Bex and Rand had elected to take a separate limo, despite the fact that we were both going to the same gala. Rand had said it reminded him too much of his high school prom, which led to a comical anecdote about some girl named Trixie and her desire to lose it on prom night. Rand was willing to oblige, only not in a shared limo to the prom.
"Don't worry. Bex guarded your reputation. Even from me." I watched him mixing us drinks; Scotch and sodas. "Though, I have it on good authority; you aren't a saint."
He offered me a drink and held his up for a toast. "To saints...."
"And sinners,” I added.
Our glasses met then he drank, watching me over the rim of his glass. "Definitely."
"For the record, there's a chance, we'll be crossing paths with some of my previous dates at this little shindig."
The top one percent is a small group. Subtract the number of them who wouldn't be hiring an escort and the number decreases dramatically. But, philanthropists love arm candy, especially if they looked like Connor. I nodded. "Bex said as much."
"And you're all right with that?" I stirred my drink with my finger pushing the cubes of ice around
"Well if we're putting all our cards on the table; my attendance wasn't exactly voluntary." He paused, looked at his empty glass then quickly fixed us two more. "My father required that I attend and have a date." He held up a finger to enumerate, then another. "And I wanted to piss him off."
"This is starting to sound like high school prom."
"Did you lose it on prom night?" He meant it to be funny, I'm sure.
"No. No." I recalled Bran for a moment and our prom night. We were two wallflowers swaying to the music until he worked up the nerve to take my hand and pull me out on the dance floor. The other dancers parted slowly and Bran wrapped his arms around my waist it was the longest two and a half minutes of my life. He punctuated the dance with a breathtaking kiss that brought catcalls and applause. I was certain I glowed a brilliant shade of crimson under all that crepe paper. He had looked over my shoulder, then, and stared directly at his father, the principal.
Bran's father had laid down the law. He would under no uncertain terms bring a boy to prom.
"Can I ask you a favor?"
Billy nodded.
"If you're going to kiss me tonight, please don't let it be in front of your father."
"I'll see what I can do." His hand slipped around the back of my neck and he pulled me in for a kiss. The kiss was tentative at first, his other hand trailing from my neck to my collar. I responded with an urgency I wasn't expecting which I ended rather abruptly. I pulled back.
"Sorry. I thought..." Billy threw a quick glance out the window before turning back to me.
"No. No." I shook my head for emphasis, fingers to my lips. When you're paying for anything, kissing wasn't usually the objective. And I was happy to oblige. There was an intimacy to kissing that I tried to avoid with my dates. "It was good. I just don't usually..."
Billy smiled. "So I'm Richard Gere and you're Julia?"
"I don't think Vivian made as much as I do."
"Damn glass ceilings everywhere." Billy lamented.
The partition between the driver and us slid down. "Gentleman, we've arrived."
The driver rolled the privacy window back up and moments later opened my door. Billy looked like he wanted to tell me something but instead climbed out of the limo. I drained the remaining scotch from my glass, the ice clinking in the bottom, then started to climb out after him. Before I could, Billy leaned back inside. "Just so you know, I'm gonna want to do that again before the night is over." His smile was contagious as he stood to the side, allowing me room to get out.
I gave him a sidelong glance, shaking my head. His charm was undeniable. "That, I think, is doable."
* * *
* * *
Billy
After a couple of hours, we'd found ourselves at the edge of the makeshift dance floor constructed under a starless sky. Strings of white lights lit every branch of every tree within view and the paths on the company campus linking the three buildings glowed with small lamps thrust into the soft earth. The sky was a bit overcast so the lights made for great terrestrial stars which gilded the shadows. A string quartet’s melody drifted on the night air, mingling with the muted chatter of the attendees.
"I'm not going to dance with you." Connor sat abruptly, looking up at me with gorgeous dimples.
"Do you always get what you want?" Connor was caught unaware. I watched him as he pondered my question as if it were some great task to recall his life.
"Well, there was this one time." He paused again, more likely for effect than anything else. "I wanted a pony. It was no ordinary pony; it was..." Connor glanced to the side. "Princess Twilight Sparkle."
"Oh shut up." I nudged him with a shoulder, keeping the contact for an extra heartbeat.
He laughed, a loud roll of mirth that drew curious eyes and provoked automatic smiles.
"You're an ass." I charged.
"Guilty. It's part of my charm. And you don't seem to be hurting for anything." I acquiesced with a nod.
"For the record, no one said you were charming." I found it incredibly easy to talk to him. He was charming, charismatic, confident, and genuine; all qualities necessary for his line of work. It was no wonder he was the best.
He looked at me, the question in his eyes. Oh Really? Then his expression sobered. "Very seldom do I get what I want."
"I find that difficult to believe. I think people bend to your will. The whole universe does. Even if they don't intend to; it's an unconscious thing or natural, much like gravity." I think I said too much. I get a bit loquacious when I drink.
Connor had a wicked grin. "You gonna bend to my will, Billy?"
I wanted to say no but felt a catch in my throat that would certainly expose the lie. Plus, I think he'd see the truth in my eyes. His quiet laughter said as much. His confidence would be off-putting were he not so charismatic. I couldn't deny under the string of stars that I felt the pull of his gravity.
"Do you do this a lot?"
I shook my head only to realize ZI didn't know what he meant. I looked at him. "Do what?"
"Pay..." A waiter walked past with a tray of champagne. Connor lifted two glasses, offering me one as he continued. "...exorbitant amounts of money for companionship?" He drank and I drank cognizant of the fact that he watched me. I assumed he knew the answer. I assumed Bex had told him, but he waited patiently for my answer. Perhaps what he said was true, my reputation was still intact.
I shook my head, averted my gaze, and stared at the lights in the trees. "I don't really date. I like to have fun, I guess, but date...” I shook my head again. “Maybe the word has too many ingrained notions. Tonight, I had every intention of having a Netflix night with a box of Cheez-Its and gummi bears and a couple of seasons of Justified."
Another roll of laughter from Connor followed by a shy smile. "Cheez-Its and gummi bears?"
"The sour ones,” I added, enthusiastically. "And Justified. Timothy Olyphant is pretty dreamy."
"What are you twelve?"
"I'll have you know; gummi bears are a great source of protein. it says it right there on the package. And Timothy.... well... " I gulped the last of my champagne.
Connor grabbed the fluted glass before I could fling it over my shoulder. I felt an actual pout form.
"I think we've had enough." He studied me for a moment. "How long do we have to stay?"
I looked at my wrist, at the watch I wasn't wearing, then blinked several times, processing his words. Did I blow it? "Huh?"
He looked down at the glass in his hand, then set it next to the glasses we'd already emptied. "I think we need to get you home."
Connor
I shook my head, baffled. Somethings as innocuous as Cheez-Its brought such an influx of memories. He reminds me of Bran, Bex had said.
And it was true. The way he spoke, his mannerisms, and of all things, Cheez-Its brought Bran front and center in my mind. I wanted more champagne, or better yet more scotch. Billy had a drunken smirk, one that was more familiar than I'd liked to admit. I didn't know if I wanted to go down this road again.
Bran had been the true impetus for more than a few of my life choices. The breakup had been painful. Nasty spiteful words, barbed declarations that I would amount to nothing. While we had truly loved each other, life proved far more challenging to overcome in making it work. College, something I knew wasn't for me, drew Bran away and a long-distance relationship was not something Bran felt he could endure. He wanted a clean break, so much so that; one day Bran was here, and the next he was gone.
"Are you okay?" Billy eyed me curiously. I grinned, uncomfortable. "Memory lane, one of the bumpier roads."
Billy nodded. "I want pancakes. Let's go to IHOP and trade horror stories."
"IHOP?" I must have grimaced. "You don't look like an IHOP..."
"What, you don't eat pancakes?" His lopsided grin bloomed abruptly. "Excuse me, Le Waffle House?"
"Such a douche. I'm having flashbacks to my prom again. Dressed in tuxedos, crammed into yellow booths. Don't we have dinner reservations at...?"
"Nope. Sorry. Change of plans. Not gonna happen. It's pancakes." Billy took my hand and pulled me after him. "Come on."
I let him tug me along with a begrudging smile. "I told you, I don't always get what I want."