Love For Hire (9 page)

“He is,” Matt answered.

The tiny spark of love blossoming inside Jayden’s chest grew a little bit more, spreading outward like a tree spreading its roots.

“You sure you want to go out tonight?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation when Matt answered. “Everything should be over soon anyway. Better to get a move on things. Don’t you agree?”

“True,” Scott agreed even though he didn’t actually sound convinced. “If it were only you and me, I would be totally on board with this—”

“Everything will be fine,” Matt quickly interrupted him, obviously not in the mood to hear a contrary opinion. “Oh, and Scott?” Matt’s voice sounded different, and while Jayden wondered why, he continued, “I don’t want you to leave the house. It isn’t safe for you to even be here. Use your head for once.”

“I can take of myself,” Scott bit out, annoyed.

“I know you can.” Now Matt sounded condescending, and Jayden wondered why Scott wasn’t slugging his friend yet for his unbelievable attitude. “Please?”

“Fine.” Clearly Scott was agreeing to this against his better judgment, but the
please
uttered by Matt had apparently changed his mind.

 “Just stay put. Twenty-four more hours won’t kill you.”

When Jayden finally figured out why the volume of Matt’s voice had been changing, he dashed down the corridor at breakneck speed just in time to take a corner before Matt entered the hallway. There was no time for him to stop, so he continued down the hall until he descended the stairs. Once he was in the foyer, he braced himself, taking a few deep breaths before forcing himself to pace the floor as if he had already been waiting for a few minutes.

When Matt walked down the steps, Jayden stopped, enjoying watching him move. The dark fabric of his dress pants was hanging loosely on Matt’s trim frame, but combined with the dark-green shirt and a jacket easily flung over his right shoulder, he was the picture of rich, handsome, and breathtakingly beautiful. He didn’t miss a beat as he took one step after the other, moving gracefully and as fluidly as Jayden imagined a dancer would move. There simply was something about him that spoke to him, awakening a primal need inside him. Maybe he should make like a cat and rub his scent all over him, marking him. His nose twitched as he barely contained his laughter.

Matt gave him a funny look as he finally stopped before him. “You’re ready,” he observed for no good reason at all. He removed his jacket from his shoulder, searching for something in the front pocket, and with a little
aha
, he held out a box toward Jayden.

“What’s this?” Jayden asked, carefully balancing the object on his palm.

“This is for you,” Matt explained. “I want you to wear this tonight.”

Jayden flipped the box open, his breath taken away momentarily. A silver ring was contained within. He gingerly removed it, mindful of the expensive object. Matt’s eyes were on him as he pushed the ring onto his finger.

“A promise ring,” Matt explained. “Well, of sorts, anyway. Don’t lose it.”

“Of course,” Jayden quickly replied, swallowing hard. His eyes kept straining toward the ring, how prefect it seemed on his finger, and for a moment, he allowed himself to indulge in a fantasy where the ring was real and so was the meaning behind it.

Then he lifted his shoulders, rotating his head before stating, “I’m ready. We can go.”

This time it wasn’t a limo waiting for them outside but a sports car. The really impressive kind with sleek red doors, only two seats, and an engine that practically purred the moment Matt turned the key.

By the time they finally arrived at the Golden Stage, the theater Matt had picked out for them, Jayden was vibrating with unfulfilled need. He didn’t know what it was, but feeling all that barely contained horsepower between his legs had him hardening, yearning for release.

Judging from how stiffly Matt extracted himself from the car, Jayden wasn’t alone in his plight. He watched his lover hand the keys over to an attendant before stepping around, holding out his hand toward him. Jayden took it, squeezing slightly.

Many people were mingling outside because it was a relatively warm night, and if the light smog from the city hadn’t obscured the view, the stars would have been twinkling merrily down on them and their little adventure.

Matt, though, wasn’t inclined to linger, because he guided Jayden up the front steps, showing off their tickets before proceeding inside.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Matt asked, pointing toward a bar near the end of the impressive hall.

“No, thank you,” Jayden declined the offer.

“Shall we find out seats, then?”

Jayden’s answer was a simple nod. Once again Matt took the lead, but this time Jayden was walking behind him, pushing past many other people also on the search for their assigned places.

“What are we watching, anyway?” he asked as Matt pushed open the door to a box, ushering him inside.

Of course Matt Archer wouldn’t have common theater tickets that would force him to sit with the ordinary folks. He had a private box, which, judging from the available seats, could contain at least a party of five.

“Impressive,” Jayden commented, and he took the offered seat when Matt pointed toward it.

“Thanks,” Matt said. “My family always keeps a box every season. I don’t use it all that often myself, but it does come in handy.”

“I see,” Jayden answered. Frankly, he didn’t quite see. Why waste all this money on a private box when it was hardly used? Clearly the ways of filthy rich people were beyond his understanding.

“To answer your question,” Matt continued, “it’s a musical. Not quite sure what kind….” His voice trailed off as he searched for some sort of guide. When his search proved to be fruitless, he shrugged. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Jayden hummed in agreement.

he spent the next hour or so alternating between laughing like mad and stopping himself from crying. He couldn’t recall the last time he had had such good fun. The dancers on the stage were all incredibly talented, and the music… well, the music was to die for.

When the first act ended, Matt rose, pushing at Jayden to do the same.

“I’m glad you liked it so far—”

“What’s not to like!” Jayden gushed, launching into a quick recap of what they had seen so far while Matt graced him with a fond smile, listening to every word he said.

“Do you need to use the restroom?”

“What?”

“The restroom,” Matt repeated.

Jayden frowned, glancing up quickly, and when he noted the leer on Matt’s face, understanding finally dawned.

“Oh,” he said, stretching his back, pushing closer to Matt, giving him what he hoped was an enchanting smile. “I could use a break, yes.”

Without any further comment, Matt led the way into a bathroom away from the crowd. Once they were through the door, Jayden quickly found himself pushed into a toilet stall with Matt locking the door behind him.

Toilet stalls were barely big enough to contain one person, but with two crammed into one of them, space was an issue. Thankfully they didn’t want to be apart anyway, so Jayden balanced himself on the toilet seat, spreading his legs so Matt could step between them. Then he hauled him into a passionate kiss, teeth clashing.

He moaned, his hands coming to rest on Matt’s hips, guiding the man even closer. Matt answered by grinding against him, his erection rubbing teasingly against Jayden’s own. Jayden opened his lips, inviting him in.

In the meantime, Matt pushed his fingers underneath Jayden’s shirt, pushing the fabric out of the way until he found bare skin. Then he let his fingers roam freely, sending jolts of pleasure up and down Jayden’s spine.

All Jayden could do was cling, hanging on for dear life as Matt devoured his mouth, laying claim to his soul.

He didn’t like being idle, though, so the first chance he got, he playfully nibbled at Matt’s lower lip, eliciting the most impressive sounds from the blond man.

Eventually they had to pull apart when oxygen became an issue. Matt, though, hovered close, his breath warming Jayden’s nose.

“I love tasting you,” Matt’s voice was soft, almost a whimper. “You taste like strawberries and sunshine.”

“How can anyone taste like sunshine?” Jayden inquired, eyebrows rising.

“You do,” Matt insisted, proceeding to tilt Jayden’s head to the side so he could nibble at his throat.

“Ohhhh,” Jayden moaned, eyes fluttering shut as his hips surged forward as if they had a mind of their own. If Matt kept this up, he wasn’t going to last long.

A gong sounded out of nowhere, startling him.

“Matt?” he whispered. “What was that?”

“Hmm…” was all the answer he got.

His organ strained against its confines, but it wasn’t imprisoned for long, because Matt’s nimble fingers had made quick work of the button and the zipper, pulling Jayden free. He took the cock in his hand, holding it for a moment while Jayden’s head fell forward, coming to rest on Matt’s shoulder.

His body was vibrating with need, and if Matt didn’t move his hand soon… if he didn’t… well, he couldn’t be held responsible for what drastic measure he would take!

Matt seemed to sense the danger he was in, because he started moving his hand, massaging the hard shaft until Jayden’s bones were almost turned into gel. His knees threatened to give out, and the only reason he didn’t sink to the ground was because the place was so small and the toilet seat would stop his descent.

Loud voices broke through Jayden’s lust-filled mind, and he almost forgot how to breathe when Matt’s other hand covered his mouth.

“Shh,” Matt whispered, but instead of panic, he found the other man smiling at him, clearing enjoying the danger of potentially being discovered.

When Jayden slowly nodded, the hand was removed, and with a wicked gleam, the fingers were back on his cock, slowly stroking him.

Jayden’s whimpers joined in with Matt’s groans, and despite his best efforts, he simply couldn’t stay silent.

There was some rustling of fabric, and oh heavens!

Moments later, Matt’s cock rubbed against Jayden’s, and the man had now taken them both into his hands, working hard to bring them both to completion.

Another loud gong sounded, but this time Jayden barely heard the sound. His mind was awash with need, blocking out everything else while his blood rushed through his veins like it was trying to break a speed record.

“I’m gonna…,” Jayden mumbled, eyes squeezing shut as his orgasm hit him with full force.

His body shuddered as liquid erupted all over Matt’s hands, but the man didn’t lose focus. He kept on stroking until Jayden was completely finished.

He sank forward into Matt’s body, barley noticing how the hard body underneath him shuddered with his own release.

“That was… that was…,” Jayden stuttered, looking for words but coming up empty.

“I know,” Matt quickly agreed, slowly extracting himself from Jayden the octopus.

They cleaned themselves as much as they could, using toilet paper as a makeshift towel. When they were done, all tucked in, Matt reached behind him, unlocking the door, stumbling backward on his way out.

Jayden followed, freezing like he had been caught in a spell when he saw someone washing hands at the sink.

The stranger sent them a knowing smirk before drying his hands on his clothes, walking out.

“I like that about you.” Matt’s soft voice brought Jayden back to reality.

“What do you like?” he asked, voice holding a little bit of need and curiosity.

“You can still blush.” And to prove his point, a thumb softly stroked his cheek, causing Jayden’s face to heat up even further.

Matt had the audacity to laugh at him before turning around, quickly washing his hands.

Jayden followed, but he wasn’t given the time to dry his hands before Matt practically shoved him out of the restroom.

“The gongs were the signals for everyone to return to their seat,” he explained when they encountered a nearly empty hallway.

Jayden sped up, not wanting to miss anything, and he could hear Matt’s amused laughter following his retreating form.

Chapter Six

Unlike
most people, when the show was over, Jayden and Matt went to one of the side entrances, where a valet was waiting for them. Matt nodded to the man, giving him the information he needed, and then all they had to do was wait at the side for their car to be brought around.

Apparently, if you had enough money, the theater offered a valet service, and frankly, considering how expensive the cars Matt owned were, Jayden figured it was probably a good thing theirs had been parked somewhere with tons of security to keep it from getting
liberated
.

This was a reputable part of town, but there was always the chance of the car being stolen anywhere, because thieves, of course, tended to go where the loot was. Then again, it wasn’t as if Matt would mourn the loss of his car. He had more than enough to go around.

The screeching tires were the first sign of trouble, and Jayden had just lifted his head to find out what was going on when a dark van pulled up in front of them.

Suddenly, men wearing masks leaped out of the van, and Jayden simply stood there for a moment, wondering if he had been caught up in some sort of spy movie, before reality reasserted itself and he started kicking and screaming.

It didn’t do him any good since moments later, he was shoved into the back of the van, and when the door closed after him, he knew all was lost.

He didn’t stop fighting, though, because it wasn’t in his nature. He kicked and was rewarded with a few grunts of pain before he was pushed headfirst onto the floor, his hands held behind his back.

Then his head was yanked backward, and Jayden screamed because of the pain coming from his protesting neck. He strained his lungs to get some much-needed air, and unfortunately, this was the moment when a foul-smelling cloth was put over his mouth and nose.