The Billionaire and the Escort

by Evelyn Mahony

  James didn’t look deterred by Josh’s panic. If anything, he looked pleased. Josh’s gaze flickered between the watch and James’ gentle expression. “Josh, it’s a gift. I saw it and immediately knew it was perfect for you. And it’ll go great with your suit. Let me take care of you for the way you take care of me,” James urged.

  Josh had trouble forming words. “I… But this, James. I c-could n-never afford this,” he stuttered. His face was probably red as a tomato. No one had ever gifted him something so beautiful, so exquisite. And while the suit James had given him in Jamaica had been incredible, an IWC watch was something a man like himself only looked at through store windows. He knew this watch would cover at least a year of mortgage payments on his mother’s house. It was white gold and leather perfection.

  “That’s why I’m giving it to you. I can. And I want to give you nice things, Josh. Please let me?” James reached up and cradled Josh’s face gently, and Josh had to work to keep his facade from falling. It was becoming harder and harder every day. Josh was an actor. He was good at doing his job and remaining disconnected. James was ruining that with every look and touch…and gift.

  It was confusing…and thrilling beyond anything Josh had ever experienced.

  “James, I’m still…”

  “Just say thank you.” He was utterly gentle as he stroked Josh’s cheek. Josh caved.

  “Thank you,” he emphasized, pressing a kiss to James’ lips without thinking. James kissed him back quickly.

  “Let me put it on,” James murmured as they finally pulled away. He took the box and after gently extracted the watch, he slipped it around Josh’s left wrist. It fit perfectly, latching with ease. The leather was soft, but James’ fingers were what made Josh warm.

  “I love it,” Josh marveled. James just smiled widely.

  “I’m so glad. Let’s go show you off, shall we?” He extended his arm and Josh could not help but take it as they prepared to leave. Moments later, Josh had his overcoat on and they were headed to the awaiting car. While cocktail parties were something Josh was used to, he had no idea what to expect at this one. Celebrities, models and the like were awaiting James’ arrival—and he was on James’ arm. Staring at the watch that shone up at him in the moonlight, Josh realized how surreal this all felt. He pinched his thigh as they drove.

  Ouch.

  By the time they arrived, the party was bustling. James held Josh’s hand as they slipped in, down a grand staircase and into a ballroom. Cocktail tables lined each side of a dance floor where a live band was playing jazz. Three full-service bars were set up, and Josh was enamored with the beauty of the room and, once again, how James put on a party. He was sure James had event planners for these types of things, but James put a lot of hard work into everything and cared about every detail. Everything about this party said James—or rather, James Barnwell.

  Stephanie was waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase, looking stunning in a conservative black and white dress that landed just at her knees. They stopped to greet her, Josh taking a moment to embrace his new friend. “You look gorgeous.” She blushed.

  “So do you two! Hot couple alert!” She threw her hands up at them as she stepped away from the hug, her eyes flickering to Josh’s wrist with a mischievous grin. “I see someone liked their present.” She elbowed her boss playfully, who simply smiled at Josh as if he were the only person in the room. Josh flushed.

  “He’s so sweet and modest, but he accepted it,” James replied, and Josh just chuckled a little, rocking on his heels.

  “Thank you again,” he murmured as James slipped his hand back into Josh’s. Their eyes locked, and for a moment Josh forgot Stephanie was standing there, until she cleared her throat.

  “Ooookay,” she drew out with a breath, physically turning them both toward the waiting crowd of about fifty people. “Stop making eyes at each other and go schmooze. I’ll make sure a waiter brings you drinks. Bourbon for you, James. For you, Josh?”

  “Gin martini, straight up, please, with a twist.”

  She gave him a look of approval and dashed away to find a waiter. Josh gripped James’ hand as they happened upon their first guest, a fashion designer and his wife. It carried on like that for most of the evening, until James disappeared for a cigar with a long-time interior design partner, leaving Josh on his own.

  They’d been there a couple of hours and Josh had to admit he was feeling the effects of his second martini. He was now sipping on an Americano, wondering about what they’d be having for dinner to soak up this alcohol, when a handsome, dark-haired man approached him as he overlooked the small lights of the town of Puglia.

  “Good evening,” the man greeted with a thick accent that Josh detected to be possibly Spanish—definitely not Italian, based on the accents he’d heard the past couple of days.

  “Hey,” Josh greeted back, standing up from where he was leaning on the balcony and feeling a little awkward. He flashed the man a smile and finally caught a good look at him as he stepped closer, stopping a few feet from Josh. He was taller, maybe by a few inches, lean with gorgeous dark hair. He was tan, in a cream-colored jacket with a black sweater and khaki slacks. Perfect sideburns, a touch of scruff and Josh determined that this man had to be a model. If he wasn’t, he should have been.

  “Standing over here all alone?” the man began, glancing back at the party. “Not much for socializing—or taking a break?”

  Josh chuckled a little, knowing he must look as out of place as he felt. “A little bit of both,” he admitted.

  “Ah. Understandable.” The man smiled, and Josh found himself taken aback by how handsome he was. Josh was fully smitten with James, but he wasn’t immune to a good-looking man. “Alejandro Garcia,” the man said and extended his hand.

  “Josh Roberts.” Josh shook his hand, noting the man’s grip was firm, his skin soft.

  “A guest of someone?” Alejandro sipped his drink and just smiled easily, with nothing rushed about him. He had a sense of confidence and sophistication. Josh speculated he had ten years on him.

  “Yes, I am. Are you?”

  “No.” Alejandro chuckled a little. “I was invited. I model for several of the designers present. If you were my guest, I wouldn’t let you be standing up here all alone. Someone would surely think you were a prize for attending this evening.”

  The man looked Josh up and down and his cheeks went hot. Oh. He was being hit on. Well…that’s unexpected.

  “A prize, huh?” Josh countered through his blush. Josh was an accomplished escort. He was self-assured, confident. But something about being in Alejandro’s sites was unnerving.

  “Oh yes,” he replied easily, and Josh was actually beginning to enjoy the accent. Definitely Spanish, if the name was any indication. “A very handsome one.” He bit his lip as he stepped closer, albeit still keeping a foot between them. “What do you do, Josh Roberts?”

  Josh took a long sip of his drink and wondered, not uncomfortably but just curiously, where James was. “I’m a consultant…and an artist.” At least the last part made him feel like he wasn’t lying as much. He was a consultant, sure, for sexual fantasies. He never planned on going into that much detail, especially when he was actually on a job.

  “An artist? Drawing? Painting?”

  Josh never talked about himself, and it seemed that this man had more than enough questions. He shifted from one foot to the next as he answered.

  “Both. Mostly drawing. I prefer to sit with my charcoal and sketch. But I paint when I have time. But that’s not nearly as interesting as your being a model. How long have you been in the industry?”

  Josh sipped his drink as he tried to read Alejandro. It was a difficult task. Not only did the man want to stare at Josh like he was actually hungry, but he deflected the question.

  “Ten years. But I would much rather talk about you, Josh. I’m intrigued as to how such a young, handsome American ended up here, in Puglia, while whoever he came with is off with someone
else.”

  Josh laughed, self-deprecating, shaking his head. “He’s got a lot of business to attend to. And I’m a big boy. I can handle being alone.”

  Alejandro only seemed more interested as Josh stood up for himself and his date. “Oh, really? Well, now you have got me listening. Would you like to get another drink?”

  Josh laughed again, not quite sure what was happening but feeling flattered nonetheless. “I shouldn’t. He’ll be back and—”

  “Please. I promise that as soon as he reappears, I’ll give you back without a fuss. It would be rude of me to let you stand up here all alone with such a lovely party going on.”

  Josh wasn’t sure he agreed, but they were now on the same playing field and Alejandro was clearly attracted. He wasn’t sure if it was his healthy buzz or his piqued interest that made him agree, but soon they were headed down to the bar. Josh kept looking for James, but he didn’t see him anywhere. It wasn’t like him to leave without Josh, but he also knew this night was important for him somehow. Josh never minded letting James work. And besides, they weren’t technically together. Not that Josh chose to put much weight on that reasoning, because while he was very much being paid to be there, he would have gone by choice, no questions asked, if the opportunity had presented itself to be on James’ arm in Italy.

  Alejandro ordered them both another drink and they settled there, leaning against the bar as they talked. Alejandro was far more interested in Josh and his life than talking about himself. That put Josh on the edge a little, because one of things Josh hardly did was talk about himself, especially while he was working—and especially when he didn’t have a very specific cover story.

  Alejandro was very handsome, charming and all the things Josh would look for in a client. But Josh wasn’t looking for a client or a partner. He was very pleased with the one he currently had, no matter the arrangement they were currently under.

  Josh enjoyed the attention despite it all, blushing and answering Alejandro’s questions as best he felt he could. James often came up, as he was there with him and for him, and they were boyfriends in this environment. Josh found it so easy to talk affectionately about the man, and Alejandro seemed to enjoy the way Josh lit up when he spoke about James.

  The alcohol was helping Josh relax. It was rare that he let himself have so much. He wasn’t drunk, but he was certainly enjoying the evening, despite James’ absence. He caught Stephanie’s eyes over Alejandro’s shoulder and made a small wave with his left hand, calling Alejandro’s attention to the very expensive watch on his wrist.

  “Well, look at that. Not sure what kind of consulting you’re doing, but I know that watch and I know it’s not a cheap one.” Alejandro reached out and grasped Josh’s wrist gently, revealing the IWC Portofino James had gifted him earlier. He flushed once more and gazed at the watch.

  “It was a gift. From my boyfri—”

  The words died on his tongue as suddenly James was at his side, sliding an arm protectively but gently around his waist, his focus on Alejandro. “Hello, handsome,” James said to Josh, turning to give him a sweet but pointed smile and a gentle kiss. Josh melted as Alejandro released his wrist. “Alejandro, nice to see you.”

  “Ah.” Realization dawned on Alejandro’s face and a smile crossed his lips. “Now I see who you’re a guest of. You didn’t tell me it was James Barnwell himself.”

  The implication made Josh immediately feel bad. He hadn’t meant to hide such information, but James was swift to respond. “I do believe it’s called privacy.” He was cold toward the Spanish man and Josh tried to school his features and simply watch the exchange. “He doesn’t have to tell you anything, as long as he told you he was seeing someone.”

  “Oh, he certainly did. But he was alone and looked like he needed the company, so I stepped in during your absence.”

  Josh bounced back and forth between the two, his face hot and his tongue a little too thick in his mouth to say anything. It was when James tightened his arm and he put his drink down that Josh suddenly realized what was happening. James was jealous.

  “I had business to attend to and, luckily, Josh is very good at entertaining himself during that time. Aren’t you, baby boy?”

  Josh preened under the term of endearment, torn between feeling awful about the exchanges with Alejandro and being turned on by the sudden possessiveness James was showing. “Yes, sir,” he replied, finally finding his voice.

  Alejandro grinned and nodded. “I apologize, James. I was simply enjoying some time with him. No harm done.”

  James’ smile didn’t reach his eyes as he simply pulled at Josh’s waist. “Have a good night, Alejandro. Come on, baby. Let’s go back. We’ll order in.”

  Josh left his drink and murmured a soft, “Nice to meet you,” to Alejandro as James pulled him away. They bade good night to people they passed as they walked back up the staircase to their awaiting car. James was unusually quiet until they were seated inside the sedan, the panel sliding up between them and the driver. It was a couple of minutes before James spoke, Josh’s nerves a little frayed the whole time they sat in silence.

  “Did you have a nice time talking to Alejandro?” James kept his fingers threaded in Josh’s but his gaze out of the window as he spoke.

  Unsure of how to interpret the air between them, Josh licked his lips and replied, “It was fine. He was nice.”

  James scoffed at that as Josh felt his throat tighten. He was a little too buzzed to be trying to navigate his way through what had just happened, and he was also a little too confused about his emotions to be sure of James’. That last drink had been a mistake, he realized too late. But that was just always the case, wasn’t it?

  “He’s nice all right. He seemed to be just about to charm your pants right off before I walked up.”

  Josh whipped his head toward James, because that was definitely not the case. The five-minute ride was quickly coming to an end, the car pulling to a stop in front of their villa. Before he could respond and defend himself, James was releasing his hand, climbing out and heading for the staircase to the front door. Josh scrambled to follow, and for the first time in their short arrangement, he was terrified he’d ruined everything.

  Entering the home, James went straight for the stairs to their shared room. Josh shut the door and locked it, slipping his overcoat off and laying it gently over the back of the chair. How can I fix this? Sure, he’d flirted with the guy, but he wouldn’t have ever done anything. Not to mention James wasn’t actually his boyfriend, so what did he have to be jealous over?

  Finding some comfort in his rational thought, Josh began up the stairs. He could just suggest James send him back to the States—or he could sleep in the guest room. They didn’t have to pretend to be together all the time. In fact, that was more their natural progression than anything.

  Feeling suddenly tired and still awful, Josh turned the corner into their room. “Jamie, listen. I—”

  He was cut off as James practically pounced on him, slamming his back into the wall by the door. Josh’s eyes went wide as his hands came up in a gesture of innocence, his chest suddenly bursting with anxiety. Their eyes locked, and for a tense moment, Josh wasn’t really sure what was about to happen. James had an air of aggression about him that Josh had not yet experienced. His steely eyes were ablaze, his face tense and firm.

  “Sweetheart,” he began, further confusing Josh, “I’m so sorry you got confused back there.” James drifted one of the hands he had on Josh’s lapels to cup his cheek, rubbing his thumb over Josh’s bottom lip. He shivered in response, willing his body to not react to the heat his touch. “I left you, and of course you could be seen as fresh meat to someone like Alejandro, who’s notorious for one-night stands. He could have scooped you up and made an utter mess of you. I’ve seen the aftermath, with men and women. You’re better than that, baby. And I know I make you feel better than he could.”

  His words were far more dominant than Josh had ever experienced, and it did
something to him. His tongue snaked out of its own accord, teasing at James’ thumb. The man chuckled darkly.

  “Aww, there he is, my sweet, hungry boy,” he cooed. “You realize how jealous you made your daddy tonight, right? I wanted to make you fuck me over the bar in front of every guest there when I saw you with Alejandro, to ensure there was no question who brought you, who you belong to.” James pressed himself to Josh, and Josh swallowed his moan and willed his body not to react—but it was too late. His cock was quickly hardening, and James could undoubtedly feel it. James’ expression told him so as he started to grin. “Mmm-m, did you like making me jealous, baby? Do you like knowing that you made me want to claim you?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Josh whispered, his throat suddenly dry as the dynamic between them shifted and James took on the dominant role. Suddenly Josh’s cock was ready to go and needed friction or attention immediately. Something about the change, not having control, was making Josh needier than usual.

  “Well, baby boy, let Daddy show you who you belong to.”

  Josh wasn’t sure what that meant for a split second, then James was dropping to his knees. Josh’s brain skidded to a stop and malfunctioned as he realized what James was about to do. He’d never done that before to anyone, let alone Josh, and—

  Josh’s brain sputtered as James leaned in and nuzzled his hard-on through his slacks. Josh jerked and groaned, suddenly unable to control his behavior. The groan was strangled and low, but there was no question James heard it and acted on it, bringing his hands up to rub him firmly through his pants. When he looked up, Josh noticed the first bits of insecurity showing, the James Josh was used to. Oh no, no, Daddy, he spoke silently in his brain to James, you can do this.

  “Gonna suck me, Daddy?” Josh found his voice, gravelly and thick as he spoke, steadying himself with his hands on the wall. “Gonna taste my cock for the first time and make me forget his name?” He would do whatever it took to boost James’ esteem. And he’d beg if he needed to, to get those beautiful lips wrapped around him. He felt weak with want for the first time in far longer than he could remember.