Like a Lover (10 page)

He could
find someone else to go with him.

He ran
through a mental list of female friends and acquaintances, but most of them
were busy people with partners or families. No way would any of them be able to
give up a whole weekend at such short notice to accompany him to a wedding.

Inevitably
his thoughts turned to one person he’d actually like to spend a weekend with.

Josh
.

He
remembered his mother’s email and the conversation he’d had with her a few
weeks back, and his hackles rose. How dare she expect him to play straight for her
wedding just to keep Charles happy?

Rupert
should never have invited Georgina in the first place. Fake conference or not,
she was doing him a favour by cancelling. Rupert would rather take a man as his
plus-one and have the satisfaction of being true to himself, even if he had to
pay Josh to do it.

He’d ask
him tonight. Josh seemed determined to keep things strictly business between
them, so Rupert would play that game. Josh was an escort, after all, and Rupert
didn’t care how much it would cost to book him for the whole weekend. If Josh
would do it, Rupert would pay him any amount of money. He’d make Josh an offer
he couldn’t afford to refuse.

CHAPTER TEN

Rupert was
deliberately ten minutes late for their appointment that evening. He didn’t
want to seem too desperate—even though he was. Josh was lodged under his
skin like a splinter, worming his way closer to Rupert’s heart with every
meeting.

Josh had
texted him the room number, and when Rupert knocked on the door, Josh called,
“It’s open.”

Rupert entered
to find Josh sitting on the edge of the bed. He was barefoot, but still wearing
jeans and a T-shirt. His smile didn’t reach his eyes and he didn’t stand to
greet Rupert like he normally did.

“Hi, how
are you?” Josh asked.

“Not bad.”

Rupert
locked the door and went to stand between Josh’s knees. He wanted to pull Josh
up and kiss him, to coax a reaction out of him that was more than sexual. But
Josh’s expression was shuttered, and Rupert had no idea what was going on
behind those cool green eyes.

Josh looked
up at him, licked his lips, and swallowed. “What do you want tonight?”

“I want to
fuck you.” Rupert’s voice came out more roughly than he’d intended.

“Okay.”
Josh stood, still meeting Rupert’s gaze. “Have you got the money?”

Rupert felt
the words like a punch in the gut. A stark reminder of exactly what this was
and how stupid he’d been to imagine it could ever be more.

He pulled
his wallet out of his back pocket and counted out the notes. Then he handed
them to Josh, who shoved them into his pocket.

“Thanks.”
Josh lifted his T-shirt over his head then and tossed it aside. The birds
tattooed on his chest were stark against his pale skin in the dim light of the
room. He made no move to kiss Rupert, and Rupert didn’t reach for him either.

“Get the
rest of your clothes off.” Rupert unbuckled and unzipped, just pushing his
trousers and underwear down enough to get his cock out. He wasn’t hard yet, so
he stroked himself roughly a few times until he began to stiffen.

“Want some
help with that? I can suck you?” Josh offered.

Rupert
shook his head, cheeks heating with a flush that was more anger than
embarrassment. “No. Get on the bed…. Not like that, on your hands and knees.”
He didn’t want to see Josh’s face tonight, and he was afraid his own expression
might betray him. He wanted too much—so much more than Josh was prepared
to give him.

Josh knelt,
legs spread. He was hard even though Rupert hadn’t touched him yet. If nothing
else, he obviously wanted Rupert physically. Rupert picked up the lube and a
condom from the bedside table and moved in behind Josh. His hole was tight and
dry. He hadn’t prepped himself for tonight at least, but that was the only sign
he was treating Rupert differently to any other client.

“Get
yourself ready.” Rupert tossed the lube down on the bed, and then watched as
Josh slicked his fingers and worked two into his arse. The sight of that got
Rupert all the way hard, and he stroked his cock slowly while Josh opened
himself up.

“I’m good to
go,” Josh said.

“Don’t
stop. You look hot like that.” Rupert tore open the wrapper and rolled the
condom down his length mostly by feel. His gaze was still fixed on Josh’s
fingers, where he was sliding them in and out of his tight pink hole.

“Okay.”
Rupert moved in close, gripping his cock at the base as Josh pulled his fingers
out.

Rupert
thrust inside with one hard push of his hips. Josh gasped, a small shocked
sound, and Rupert stilled then. “All right?”

“Yeah.
Fine. You surprised me, that’s all.”

Rupert put
one hand on Josh’s hip and the other on his shoulder to hold him steady, and
then he started to fuck him in earnest. There was nothing slow or tender about
this tonight. It was a means to an end as he fucked out his anger and
frustration, chasing his climax as if it were the only thing he wanted from
Josh.

That’s all this is. That’s what we’re here for
.

He focused
on his own needs, trying not to think about Josh as anything other than a
willing body. He could tell Josh was getting off on it, though. Rupert knew the
sounds Josh made, knew when he hit his prostate just right, and it was obvious
Josh was getting close from the muttered curses and the flush that painted the
back of his neck.

“
Fuck
,” Josh gasped after a particularly
brutal thrust. “You’re gonna make me come.”

Rupert
didn’t reply, but he snapped his hips harder, faster, feeling his own orgasm
building. Josh dropped down onto one elbow, reaching between his legs with his
other hand. He came almost immediately, squeezing Rupert’s cock tight as he
pulsed around him with a muffled curse. Rupert fucked him right through it, so
close now he didn’t want to stop. Josh moaned, and Rupert knew he was probably
oversensitive, but Rupert was right there, a few more thrusts would do it. He
had both hands on Josh’s hips now, holding him steady as he ploughed into him.
Josh tensed his muscles again, squeezing Rupert and forcing him over the edge.
Rupert drove in one last time, stilling as his cock pulsed and he emptied
himself into the condom with a loud groan.

The room
was silent save for their harsh breathing, and they were both still for a
moment.

Rupert’s
anger was all gone now, replaced by emptiness. He released his death grip on
Josh’s hips and winced at the red marks he’d left, sharp crescents where his
nails had bitten into the skin. He smoothed his hand over Josh’s back and up to
his shoulder.

“Thanks.”
Rupert squeezed, feeling the bones beneath the skin and muscle.

His cock
was softening now, but before he pulled out, he wanted to cover Josh’s body
with his own, to press apologetic kisses to his inked skin, to whisper
pointless words of affection. Instead he withdrew carefully and went to the
bathroom to wash his hands, unable to face Josh yet.

When he
returned, Josh was lying on the bed, curled on his side, facing Rupert. He’d
put his underwear back on, but the rest of his clothes still lay on the floor
in a crumpled heap. Rupert had rearranged his clothing now and was still fully
dressed. He hadn’t even taken his shoes off. He stretched out on his back
beside Josh, not touching him, just staring at the ceiling.

“Want to do
anything else?” Josh asked. “You’ve still got some time left.”

“No.”
Rupert hadn’t meant to snap, but the word came out sharp and ugly. He sighed,
forcing himself to lighten his tone before he spoke again. “Are you busy next
weekend?”

“I’d need
to check. Why?”

“I have a
proposition for you.”

“Go on,”
Josh said cautiously.

“I need a
date for my mother’s wedding. I was hoping I could book you for the weekend.
There’s a dinner on the Friday night and the wedding on Saturday. Two nights in
a hotel—which I’ve paid for already. So if you can do it, I need to know
how much you’d want for the whole weekend.”

There was a
long pause before Josh said, “It would be a lot.”

“I know.
But I don’t care. The person I was going to take can’t make it anymore, and my
mother will kick up a fuss if I mess up the numbers at this late stage. Anyway,
I’d rather not go to it alone. Moral support is always good when dealing with
my mother and her fiancé.” He tried to pass it off as a joke, but maybe
something in his tone gave him away, because when Josh replied, his voice was
softer than before.

“I’ll do
it.”

“I thought
you needed to check you were free?”

“I can
reschedule.”

“How much,
then?”

Josh was
silent for a moment. Rupert turned his head to see his face, and Josh was
frowning, deep in thought.

“I’ll do
the whole weekend for two-and-a-half thousand,” he finally said.

Rupert
didn’t care how much it would cost. He’d have paid twice that if Josh had
asked. He’d be with Rupert for nearly forty-eight hours, after all.

“Okay.”
Rupert registered the surprise on Josh’s face and realised Josh had been
expecting him to balk at the price. “Cash, as usual?”

“Not for
that much. I’ll give you my bank details. Do you think your dad would approve
of how you’re spending your inheritance?” Josh’s tone was light, but with a
hint of something sharper that cut Rupert along with the words.

Rupert
started at the ceiling again. Being with Josh made him happy—well, it had
done until now—and his dad has always wanted him to be happy. “I don’t
think he’d care,” he said gruffly. “Anyway, it’s irrelevant. The money’s mine
to do what I like with.”

And I like you
. The words were on the tip of Rupert’s tongue
but went unspoken.

“So what are
the arrangements for next weekend?” Josh asked.

They
discussed practical stuff like travel and timings for a while. Rupert was
driving, so he would give Josh a lift. They’d leave Friday lunchtime and travel
back on Sunday morning. The wedding was taking place in a large country hotel
near London, so it was nearly a four-hour drive.

“And how
are we going to play it?” Josh said.

“What do
you mean?” Rupert frowned.

“As far as
the other guests are concerned, what are we to each other?” Josh sounded
impatient. “I assume you don’t want them to know I’m an escort. So am I there
as your friend, your boyfriend, your significant other? How affectionate do you
want me to be in public?”

“Oh. Um…
boyfriend, I suppose.” Rupert’s cheeks heated. The words felt like an admission.
“I think that’s what people would assume anyway if we’re there together.”

“And you’re
out? Is your mother going to be okay with you bringing me? Not that it’s my
business, but I want to know what to expect.”

“Yes. She
knows I’m gay.” It was a lie by omission. But Rupert didn’t want to risk Josh
changing his mind. He’d deal with his mother when he had to. He didn’t think
she’d ruin her own wedding by making a scene about Rupert bringing Josh instead
of the “nice girl” she’d suggested.

“Okay. I
think our hour must be up,” Josh said. “I’d better get going.” He got up and
started pulling on his clothes.

Rupert
watched him, hating this new distance between them. It was as if Josh was
slipping away from him, despite his agreement to go away with Rupert next
weekend. Maybe Rupert needed to accept he could never get what he wanted from
Josh. But he was still clinging to a thread of hope that there was a way
through this to something better. Perhaps once the wedding weekend was over,
he’d find a time to broach the subject with Josh and be honest about his
feelings. Unless Rupert asked Josh for more, he’d never know if it was within
his grasp.

He stayed
on the bed until Josh was dressed and ready to go.

“I’ll see
you Friday,” Josh said.

“I’ll be in
touch about timing and lifts. If you want me to pick you up from your place,
you’ll need to give me the address.” He wondered whether Josh would. Maybe he’d
insist on meeting somewhere neutral in his bid to keep Rupert at arm’s length.

But Josh
nodded. “Sure. I’ll text it to you.”

That Josh
would trust him with his address gave Rupert hope. He stood and walked over to
Josh, putting his hands on his shoulders and leaning in to claim a
kiss—the first kiss of the night. Josh made no move to hold him, but he
kissed Rupert back. When Rupert pulled away, Josh’s gaze was soft in a way that
made Rupert’s heart twist.

“Bye,
then,” Josh said.

Rupert let
his hands drop. “Bye.”

When the
door closed behind Josh, Rupert stared at it for a long time, wondering what
the hell he was doing.