Her English Gent: A BWWM Romance (International Alphas Book 9)

by Brandy Blake

  “I might sign you up for a dating service and not tell you, so if random guys start emailing you, give them a chance, and don’t kill me later if you find out it was me behind your dating profile.” He looked half serious. She started then and stared at him wondering if he might really be serious.

  “Don’t you dare. I wouldn’t forgive you, Aaron.” She leveled her gaze at him.

  He sighed and surrendered. “Okay, I won’t, but give it some thought, okay? Don’t wind up alone for too long?”

  She waved him off and changed the subject again. “What’s your new book about, anyway? You didn’t say.”

  Aaron looked as if he knew he had better let the subject go, and so he did, launching into a brief-turned-long description of his book and what he was doing with it. They enjoyed their dinner together for a few long hours, and then she hugged him and thanked him for the visit, and went home, thinking of several things, but his words of advice on her finding a lover stayed with her, somewhere at the back of her mind.

  The next morning when she went into her office, she worked on various tasks including looking at offers from startup companies, and reviewing reports on current companies and their statuses. She sipped her hot tea and she glanced out at the blue and gray water in the bay. Now and then she found her thoughts drifting subtly back to the words Aaron had spoken to her, and the idea of having a lover; someone younger than her who wasn’t interested in getting married or starting a family, perhaps someone who was more inclined toward spending time enjoying a partner on a physical level, and the idea, like a sprouting seed, took hold.

  At lunch, she tried to distract herself with reasons why it would never work and why it was the worst idea he had ever had. She tried to ignore the couples who seemed to appear everywhere, and who she had not noticed before. It was almost as if every ad that she saw in person or online had something to do with coupling, and by the time the late afternoon rolled around, she found herself chewing on her lower lip, wondering if perhaps Aaron had a point.

  She ignored it one more day, or at least she did her best to ignore it, but by the time Willow was in her office making coffee the following morning, she was unable to continue to keep her mind on anything else.

  “Willow…” she began, looking from the caramel colored hot liquid in her coffee cup, up toward her assistant’s face.

  Willow was wearing her hair up as usual, but a strand of it had come free, and she reached her hand up and tucked it behind her ear as she smiled at Raina. “Yes?”

  “Can I ask you a personal question, please?” Raina cleared her throat, wondering how to broach the subject easily and comfortably. There wasn’t actually an easy way around it.

  “Sure! What can I help you with?” Willow asked, instinctively moving toward a seat before Raina’s desk.

  Raina bit her lower lip a moment and decided to just come out with it. “A friend of mine mentioned some concern over my lack of a love life. It was suggested that I perhaps take on an… an affair. A lover… maybe someone younger than myself. Someone who isn’t interested in creating a family or having children. It seems like a kind of a big change for me…”

  “Yes, that would be a really big change for you,” Willow replied, watching her closely. “Do you have someone in mind?” she wondered, her hazel eyes steady on her boss.

  Giving her head a shake, Raina pursed her lips gently. “Not really, no. I mentioned that… that I didn’t know anyone, and it was suggested that maybe I could do a friends with benefits sort of thing… if there was someone, a guy… who would be alright with keeping things light. I just haven’t ever done anything like that before, and I’m not sure how it would be. What do you think? Do you know anyone who’s done anything like that? Has it worked out?”

  Willow’s expression was thoughtful. “Well, to begin with, I think it might be really nice for you. You haven’t even dated anyone in a long time. It might be nice to get out and feel a connection like that again. As for experience with it, I do know some people who have done it and for some of them it worked out, and for others, it didn’t.

  “I have done it myself a couple of times in the past; at least the friends with benefits thing, and for me, I had to be really strict about how it went. There had to be a clear understanding about the expectations before anything happened.”

  Raina blinked at the slightly younger woman before her in surprise. “You did? I didn’t know that about you.”

  “Well, obviously it’s not something I go around and advertise, but I don’t mind talking with you about it. Especially if it can be of some help to you.” Willow gave her a genuine smile.

  Raina leaned closer over her desk toward Willow. “How did it work out?” she wondered, searching the other woman’s eyes.

  “Well, I guess it worked out alright. We’re still friends. I wanted to be sure of that. He made the offer initially, and said if I was ever interested I should let him know, and I thanked him and left it at that. It was a while before I decided to take him up on it. When I did, I called him and we talked about it. I said that I didn’t want anything beyond the one-night stand. I told him not to call me the next day or for a while afterward.

  I wanted to make sure that it stayed platonic on both sides. I didn’t want either of us to get hurt. Do you have a friend in mind for this?” she asked, holding in any further surprise, if she had any, and speaking as if they might have been talking about dry cleaners or garages where the oil in their cars was changed.

  Raina sighed. “I don’t really know anyone who I could be like that with, but it sounds like it might be just what I’m thinking of.”

  Willow rubbed her forefinger over her chin thoughtfully. “Well, you could always try it with someone who isn’t quite a friend yet… so you’d be making it clear that they weren’t a boyfriend, just a… a lover.” She was quiet for a minute as she considered it.

  “You know, I did hear of an escort service the other day. One of my other friends was talking about it. I can look into it and see if it’s a reputable place, and then if you like the look or sound of it, you could check it out and see if it feels like it might be a good place to start. It seems like it could be; I think most of the escorts would be younger men, just like the type that you have in mind for this. I’ll look into it and give you an update when I find things out. Okay?” She offered Raina a bright and encouraging smile.

  “That sounds good, thank you.” Raina nodded as Willow stood up and went to the door of her office. She turned just before she walked out and looked over her shoulder at Raina with a wink and a smile.

  “I think this is a good idea, and I know it’s out of your normal bounds. I’m proud of you for giving it a try.” With that, Willow went back out to the front of the office where her desk was, and she closed Raina’s office door behind her.

  Raina couldn’t help the slow grin and the giggle that bubbled up inside of her. She hadn’t felt as if she was doing something naughty since college, and though it was completely out of character for her, she had to admit that she liked the idea of it.

  All that night and the few days following her conversation with Willow, she let her mind go where it would as she wondered about how it could be; who she might meet and what it would be like to have someone in her life that way. It would be strange and fun to have someone who was a lover and a friend, and nothing more. No commitment. No trouble, no emotion, no heartache, nothing but fun and laughs, and hot nights in between. The more she thought about it, the better it sounded to her.

  Chapter2

  The following afternoon, Willow came back into Raina’s office and walked over to the edge of her desk. Raina looked up and Willow reached out to her and handed her a business card.

  “This is from my friend. It’s the escort company I was telling you about. We’ll see if it works out like you hope that it will. Let me know if there’s anything else that I can do for you, and good luck.” She gave a nod, and then turned and walked from the room, leaving Raina alone to sit and
gaze at the card in her hand, wondering how it would go.

  She bit at her lower lip as her heart began to beat a little faster. It was one thing, she thought, to fantasize about what it might be like to have a stranger as a lover, but it was another thing altogether to be holding the reality of that fantasy in her fingertips, knowing that she was only as far away from it becoming a reality as the next step of contacting the company.

  Raina thought about it for a little while and then tucked the card into her purse and turned her attention fully back to her work. Her mind did not allow her to continue to focus on the work before her, however, and she found herself glancing at her purse every once in a while, which was on a table near her desk.

  She tried to ignore it, but it felt almost as if the bag with the escort service card in it called out quietly to her, drawing her attention every time she tried harder to ignore it and turn away. Finally, Willow came in and said goodnight to her, leaving her alone in their office as evening silently stole away the day.

  With a sigh, Raina finally turned from the work at her desk and reached for her purse, pulling out the card and giving it her undivided attention. The card looked as if it was a reputable place, rather than some racy back-alley unmentionable trade. She saw that there was a website, and she set the card down on the desk in front of her and pulled the website up on her browser to see what it looked like.

  The website showed her the same dignified sort of look that the business card had, and she was at least a little encouraged by that. There was an area for members, and an area for non-members. She decided to read a little about the company before finding out anything about the escorts they offered.

  Fifteen minutes later, she had read enough to be satisfied that the place was on the up and up, and that it would only be her shyness and her uncertainty that she would be relinquishing by using the site. She clicked through to the gallery of available escorts and was surprised to see so many good looking young men who were working as escorts. She couldn’t believe that every one of them was single.

  A few of them caught her eye as she scrolled through their images and the summaries of their profiles. She was about halfway in through all of them, when she stopped suddenly as one of them caught her eye and made her gasp softly.

  He was quite handsome, almost in a too-perfect sort of way. He had collar length black hair that was combed to one side of his head from a part, letting one thick lock hang gracefully down over his forehead and carefully sculpted black eyebrows that were leveled over dark brown eyes. His nose was straight and his lips were narrow, but not thin. He had light skin and wore no facial hair. His jaw was perfectly squared and his cheeks were high; it was as if he had been chiseled from marble by a renaissance master.

  She found herself staring at him, unable to look away, and she discovered that she was unwilling to look further. His eyes almost seemed to peer into her from the image, and she slowly drew in a deep breath and moved her mouse to click on his name.

  Michael Ryan. He was practically Prince Charming in a stylish gray suit and tie. His bio stated that he was working as an actor and that he wanted to focus on his career rather than on relationships, and he found the escort service he worked for to be perfect for that kind of a lifestyle. He enjoyed many different things from sports to reading and entertainment media. His list of interests was long, but it centered mostly around acting and being in costume and in character. He had an athletic build, and he seemed to be active in different groups in his community.

  The more she read about him, the more interesting he became to her, and the more she wondered if he could be the one that she might be able to have her unusual relationship with. When she had read his full bio twice, she took another deep breath and decided to take the plunge and make him the first effort at her new lifestyle.

  Raina filled out the information requested by the site. She filled out a bio about herself and added a photograph, and then she sent it in and was informed that her proposition to meet him would be answered within one day.

  She left her office and tried to stay nonchalant, but though she was doing mundane tasks, chores, and routine evening activities, she felt as though she was on pins and needles the entire time. When she finally went to bed, she tried to rest her mind at ease, but every thought strayed to him.

  All that she could see was his face in her mind and in her dreams when she finally fell asleep. She listened for his voice, and wondered at the touch of his hand as he reached out to her in her slumber. When she awoke the next morning, she was not rested; she had tossed and turned all night thinking of him, and his face was the first thing on her mind when she opened her eyes.

  Raina felt annoyed with herself for letting some man she had never even met have so much of her attention and thought, and she consciously pushed him as far from her as she could. She listened more intently to the morning news and concentrated intensely on the morning traffic. She made light conversation with Willow and escaped to her office where she tried to read one of the files on her desk.

  She had read the pages in front of her four times and not retained a single word of them when Willow came in and closed the door behind her. She walked to the desk and sat before Raina, looking at her expectantly.

  “Well? Did you contact the company yet?” Willow asked hopefully; her eyes steady on Raina.

  Raina sighed and closed the file before her. It was no use; she could not distract herself enough to keep Michael from her mind.

  “Yes. I did. I went to their website last night and checked it all out.”

  She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to share with her assistant right away. Somehow she felt a little vulnerable in discussing all of it, even though it was Willow who had sent her in the direction of the company to begin with.

  “Well? What happened?” Willow asked, looking excited and leaning forward slightly as she placed her hands on the desk between them.

  Raina hesitated a moment and then turned to her computer and pulled the website up. She went to her profile and there was the single inquiry she had made. She clicked on his name and the thumbnail of his photograph.

  Michael Ryan’s profile opened before their eyes, and Willow whistled long and low. “My god… he’s beautiful!”

  “Yeah, he is. I sent in a request to meet him. Let’s hope he accepts it, and that his personality is as beautiful as the outside of him.”

  Raina found herself staring at his photo, and she made herself look away, back to Willow, who was still staring at him.

  “Do all of the guys on this site look like him?” Willow asked with a note of interest.

  Raina laughed. “There are some good looking ones here, but he’s definitely the only one I saw who looks that incredible. It’s almost enough to make me not want to try with him…” she raised one eyebrow and looked at Willow.

  Willow finally tore her eyes from the computer monitor and looked back at Raina. “But…” she teased with a grin.

  “But,” Raina answered in reply, “I really want to see if he’d work out. He’s something, isn’t he?”

  “Yes he is,” Willow answered with a laugh. “Well, how long does it take to hear back from them?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess they contact him to let him know that I’ve inquired, and we go from there,” Raina said, closing the window for the website.

  She didn’t want to spend any more time looking at him than she had, because it was already all that she could do to keep him out of her mind, and having his photograph that readily accessible wasn’t going to help at all.

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll hear from him, and I hope he’s as nice on the inside as he is on the outside.” Willow grinned, and stood up to leave. “Let me know how it goes. I’d be interested to see what happens; especially with that guy!”

  Raina nodded and chuckled as she turned back to the file she’d read several times. She was interested, too, but she wasn’t sure how much stock to put into it until something happened. She wasn’t the most pa
tient woman in the world, though, and she hoped that she wouldn’t have to wait too long to hear from him; one way or the other.

  As it happened, she didn’t have to wait too long at all. She was sitting at her desk on a phone call to one of the startup companies that she had recently funded when she saw a notification pop up on her computer that she had received a personal email from the escort website.