Chapter 2

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SKYLAR

SKYLAR EVANS couldn't stop staring at Ward.

Holy effing bloody hell . He'd only seen him once, and that was across a crowded room. Even at a distance, Skylar had been drawn to the man, desperately envious of Charlie, wishing he could have been sitting in Ward's lap instead.

But up close? Fuck . Ward was a god. Pure and simple. It took everything Skylar had to remember he was on a job. That he had to play a part.

Because the man he'd been daydreaming about for months was actually right there in front of him.

“ Jeebus ,” he swore under his breath. “You know that saying, 'I wanna climb you like a tree ? ' I never fully understood it until now. Because holy shit .” He gave Ward another slow, thorough once-over and saw the man blush. Fuck . There was something incredibly endearing about seeing this big, strong man looking so shy and flattered. Almost innocent.

Then again, this was apparently Ward's first date with a boy. The scheduling coordinator had said as much. Ward had specifically requested a trans boy for tonight, but when the coordinator had asked Ward if he wanted Skylar to appear as a male or a female, the man had apparently hemmed and hawed for several moments before ultimately deciding on the latter. Skylar had been in the business long enough to know that meant Ward was curious but deeply closeted. It would be Skylar's job to put the man at ease and give him whatever he wanted. Ward was a client. End of story.

But with every passing second, it became harder to remember that.

Damn it . Skylar squirmed in his seat, both from the effort of restraint and because he was dying to get out of that dress. Not only because he wanted Ward all over him—because he totally did—but because he'd never wanted so badly to let everything go and just be himself. He was good at his job, for fuck's sake! Nothing stopped him from putting on the act and playing the part, no matter how much he hated it.

But a mere look from Ward, and Skylar felt all his carefully crafted walls slipping. Something about the man made him desperate to be free.

“You're paid to say things like that,” Ward mumbled. “You probably tell all your clients that they're hot.”

“True,” Skylar conceded. “But in this case?” He shook his head. “Criminy. If I'm dreaming right now, please—for the love of what little is still good and holy in this world—don't wake me up.”

Ward blushed again and tugged on his collar. He looked down at himself and blinked, like he suddenly remembered where he was. The man's expression turned serious, and Skylar felt it like a punch to the gut. “Uh.” Ward cleared his throat. “So how does this work, exactly?”

Skylar fought to regain his focus, to say nothing of some professional composure. “However you'd like,” he answered, then waved at himself. “Is this alright for the wedding? I also brought a suit, in case you changed your mind about how you wanted me to look.” He smirked. “Maybe we can be fashionably late.”

Ward's hungry gaze raked over Skylar again, and the blush came roaring back to his cheeks. “It's–” he began with a nod, then paused, cocking his head to one side. A furrow appeared between his eyebrows as he studied Skylar's face. “Are you comfortable like that? Or would you prefer the suit?”

Skylar's abs clenched. “It doesn't matter what I want,” he made himself reply, knowing that was the right answer while he was on the job. “I'm here for you–” He broke off and swore quietly , then blurted out, “No, I'm not comfortable like this. I'm a boy, goddamnit , but–” Skylar broke off again. “Shit. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that.” He waved a hand and shook his head. “This isn't about me. It's about what you need. And if you need to be seen with a woman on your arm tonight, that's what I'm here for.” He shifted an inch closer, making their knees touch. “But maybe later, we can explore all those secret, hidden feelings you've got bottled up inside, yeah?” When he saw Ward's eyes darken with interest, Skylar went on. “You wanna get your hands on a boy, Daddy? You wanna see a boy kneel at your feet and take your big cock?”

“ Geez ,” Ward swore. It sounded like he was trying to say Jesus , but aborted halfway through, like the word got cut off from a simple lack of air. Sure enough, Ward panted as he sat there, looking flushed and aroused, unable to speak.

Holy glittering fucks . This man was way too much fun. Skylar couldn't help grinning despite his personal discomfort, eager to get the wedding over with so he could get Ward alone in his room and see just how far things might go.

But he didn't want to overwhelm the big guy too quickly, either. Skylar dialed the flirtation down a notch, even shifting back in his seat to give Ward more room to breathe. “Tell me about this wedding,” he prompted.

Ward blinked again, then shook his head and pushed his hair back out of his eyes. It wasn't quite long enough to stay tucked behind his ears, so a few dark brown strands drifted right back across his temples. Skylar itched to reach out and comb his fingers through it all. Hhng. Maybe later .

“Uh,” Ward finally began, “my best friend from college. He's the one getting married. He moved up here after we graduated. Got a job doing some kind of corporate computer stuff that I can't even begin to understand. I've never met his fiancée. We haven't really been in touch in a while. My friend and I, I mean. You know. Life getting in the way.”

Skylar laughed. “I know the feeling.” It was the same with himself and Adam. The two of them had been thick as thieves back when Adam had stayed with him all those years ago, but they'd only recently had a chance to see one another in person again.

“Shit,” Ward quietly swore. “What am I supposed to say when people ask how we met?” he asked, gesturing at the space between them.

Skylar almost winced, except this was a question that came up a lot. “Well, let's start with this. What do you do? Where do you work?”

Ward smiled shyly. “I'm an assistant winemaker.”

Skylar's eyes widened. “Really?” He gave Ward another once-over. The man seemed to be built like a tank beneath that suit, so Skylar had been expecting a job that was more obviously physical and less intellectual. “Damn. You must be really smart. Not that you don't look smart,” he rushed to add. “I didn't mean it like that–”

Ward chuckled, but it had a self-deprecating quality to it. “I get that a lot.”

“Ah.” Skylar nodded. “Ex-girlfriend,” he guessed.

“More like ex-girl friends ,” Ward replied, emphasizing the plural. “I have a degree in oenology, but…” Ward trailed off with a shrug.

And still so shy and modest. Damn. Skylar squeezed his legs together. Most of his clients were cocky, aggressive assholes who overplayed their status. Ward was a breath of fresh air compared to all of them. Dominant without being intimidating or overwhelming. “I barely finished high school,” Skylar blurted out in response. “Shit. Sorry. Not supposed to say things like that, either.” He cleared his throat and charged on before Ward could comment. “Okay. So. You work at a vineyard, right?” When Ward nodded, Skylar gave him a smile. “That's easy.” He leaned closer. “I was hanging out with some friends, and we decided to go wine tasting. As we were heading into the tasting room, this big, handsome guy comes walking up, a case of wine balanced on his shoulder.” He'd seen dock workers and restaurant staff carry crates like that, one beefy arm curled up to keep the load steady, so it seemed like the right description.

Ward's eyebrows went up, and he gave a single, slow nod.

Skylar grinned. “He held the door open for me,” he went on, “and I totally tripped over my own feet, walking past him. But he just smiled and steadied me and followed me inside. I joined my friends at the counter and watched him disappear into another room. He came back without the case of wine, but before he could leave, the guys behind the counter called him over, introduced him as one of the winemakers, and roped him into describing the wines as they poured.” Skylar batted his eyelashes. “This guy took a bottle and poured a tasting for me. Grenache, he said. I barely heard the description he gave of the flavors—I was way too caught up in the way he was looking at me—but it was delicious . I'm only a little ashamed to say I forgot all about my friends and wound up flirting with this guy for half an hour before he finally excused himself, saying he had to get back to work.” Skylar leaned closer. “But he slipped me his number very discreetly before he left, murmuring that he'd like to take me out for coffee sometime, if I was interested.”

Ward's nostrils flared as he sat there, staring back into Skylar's eyes. “Geez, you're good at this.”

Skylar grinned.

But Ward's smile began to fade. “What if someone there knows you? They'll know it's all a lie.”

Skylar conceded that with a nod. “It's possible. Although, in a city this big, it's actually pretty infrequent that I run into one client while out on a date with another. But since I make up stories for them, too, they usually know to keep their mouths shut.”

Ward's frown deepened. “Usually?”

Skylar winced. “I have—well, had— two clients who are business rivals. They hate one another. They both tried to book me on the same night, and our scheduling coordinator obviously booked the first one who called. But when my boss found out, he stepped in and canceled the first booking and allowed the second guy to book me instead. He had a bigger net worth and more connections, you see. Better for word-of-mouth. Turns out, though, it was all for the same event, so when one guy saw me on the arm of the other…” Skylar trailed off, not sure he should even be talking about other clients, but something in Ward's expression made him blurt out the rest. “It almost came to blows between the two of them that night, and the next time the first guy booked me, he got really rough.” After a tiny pause, Skylar added in a mumble, “In bed.”

Ward sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Sky–”

“I'm okay,” Skylar rushed to add, then paused as a smile took over his face. “Actually, because of that, the boss gave me some extra paid days off, which was how I was able to be down in your area for that party.” He leaned close again. “So it wasn't a total loss,” he added in a murmur, giving Ward a significant look.

The concern vanished from Ward's face, giving way to heated arousal again. He cursed quietly under his breath. “How do you do this to me? I mean, I know it's all an act, but… Damn .”

Skylar inwardly winced. It was supposed to be an act. It should have been. But he kept forgetting himself around this man, somehow. Holy bajeezus . He wanted this to be real. For the first time in his life, he wished this could be a real date, not just a paid gig where he had to put on a fake smile and pretend to enjoy the man's company.

Because with every passing minute, he found himself actually enjoying Ward's company more and more.

And that was dangerous. Feeling anything for a client—besides being way against the rules—could only spell disaster.

But this was Ward . The man who'd filled so many of Skylar's fantasies over the past several months. So far, the reality of the man was only making things harder. It was one thing to dream about a handsome guy, but to find out he also had a gentle, comfortable nature and a mature, respectful personality? Granted, Skylar had only been in Ward's presence for a matter of minutes, but he'd gotten good at sizing people up at a glance, thanks to his years on the job.

He was pretty sure Ward was everything he'd ever wanted in a man. And, of course, he couldn't have him.

Damn it . Skylar took a deep breath, trying to regain his focus. He was on a job. Not at all allowed to be himself. Hell, he was playing a girl for the night! He had to remember that.

Ward cleared his throat and pushed his hair out of his eyes again. “Uh. Is there anything else I need to know or do or–”

Skylar shook his head. “Nope. I'm here entirely for you. So you tell me how you want this evening to go. How you want me to behave. I can be anyone you want me to be. Seductive and flirty. Cold and aloof. Friendly and chipper. Ditsy and dumb. Your choice.”

Ward's frown returned as he studied Skylar's face again. “I'd rather you just be yourself.” He paused. “But–”

But he's not ready to be seen with a man , Skylar knew. “Okay, there is one thing you can do,” he began, bracing himself, knowing it was going to hurt like hell.

“What's that?”

Skylar paused and took a deep breath. “Just for the wedding, call me Sarah .”

Ward tilted his head to one side. “Why Sarah?”

Skylar held back a wince, hating the sound of that name on Ward's lips. “Because that's the name my parents gave me. The name I use when I'm dressed like this.” He waved a hand at himself. “It helps me remember I'm playing a role.”

Ward cringed. “And you're okay with that?”

Fuck no , Skylar thought, but he forced on a smile. “It's just for a few hours,” he replied, talking to himself just as much as to Ward. “But later,” Skylar went on, leaning close again, “we can come back here. Go up to your room. And I'll make you cry out my real name as I make you come like you've never come before.” Skylar smiled seductively, not even having to force it. “How does that sound?”

Ward's eyes were dark, and his nostrils flared again. “Fuck,” he gasped. He tugged on his collar, pushing his tie askew.

Skylar reached out and loosened the tie a tiny bit, then straightened it. He patted the knot before running his hand across Ward's chest. And what an impressive chest it was! Even through layers of clothing, Skylar felt the hard swell of muscles. Sheesh . He was dying to know how the rest of him felt. How the rest of him looked beneath that suit.

“I probably look ridiculous,” Ward muttered, glancing down at himself while Skylar made one last adjustment to the tie, unable to resist.

“Are you kidding? My man looks hella sexy like this.”

Ward blushed. “Your man?”

“Just practicing,” Skylar said, giving Ward a flirtatious smile. But— damn— if he didn't wish the statement were true!

A group of people strode past noisily, making Ward give a start and sit back. The man cleared his throat and checked the time. “We should probably get going.” Ward shot to his feet, then offered a hand to help Skylar up.

“My gentleman,” Skylar murmured, earning himself another blush.

Ward coughed. “Are you warm enough in that?”

Burning up , Skylar thought, and not just from the flirtatious banter. Testosterone was one hell of a drug. He was lucky the room was cool enough that he wasn't sweating like a pig. Still, it was winter outside, so he'd brought a coat, but he'd checked it at the front desk before coming to find Ward. Skylar told the man as much, then turned around to lead the way.

Behind him, Ward sucked in a breath.

Skylar grinned to himself. As much as he hated being in a dress and heels, this particular combination really highlighted his ass. He used it to his advantage, putting an extra sway in his hips as he headed for the front desk, looking back to see a dark, hungry gaze on Ward's face.

Oh hell . Tonight was going to be way too much fun.