CHAPTER 12

jamie

A nother week had flown by without a word from Mateo. I had no idea why I kept suddenly expecting him to reach out to me. Like, maybe he'd have a literal overnight personality transplant.

It was over a week since I'd last seen him, since I'd last had him spread out underneath me in my bed. It was not the last time I'd thought of him though. Oh no, those images of him were keeping me well and truly occupied at night, usually with my hand wrapped around my frequently hard dick.

But I was also tired of chasing and was it wrong that I had hoped that he would maybe, just maybe, be the one to reach out to me? I guess a guy could dream.

I wondered if I would cave, whether I'd give in and just text the guy like I knew I wanted to. But I could be obtuse too when I wanted to be and so maybe I would just wait until Mateo finally contacted me. Likely I'd be old and grey by then but still, dammit, I had some dignity.

It was Saturday morning, a fresh one with the late autumn breeze in the air and I had just returned to my apartment after a run along the esplanade. I was just contemplating whether I preferred the idea of a coffee at the café downstairs or a swim in the beach, knowing the water would be getting cold at this time of year when I heard my phone ping.

Hope rose in my chest, the way it had done the last few weeks every time my phone had chirped only to be disappointed. Likely it would just be Bill again, inviting me out so I didn't keep wallowing in my disappointment.

But as it turned out, I was not about to be disappointed because right there in front of me, on my very own phone screen, was a message waiting for me from Mateo himself.

Message

(Today) at 9:28am

MATEO:

Are you busy today?

I loved how he didn't bother with pleasantries, no how you doings or any kind of excuse for not contacting me since the day we had met weeks ago when I'd left him my number.

ME:

What do you have in mind?

MATEO:

My car has died and I have a

shoot up in Sydney today.

Well, well, well. Mateo needed something from me. I didn't know whether to be excited he'd reached out or offended. I wanted to be offended but I actually was more intrigued than anything. But I also wasn't going to just let him get off lightly.

ME:

So you thought, oh I'll contact the guy

I've been ghosting and see if he can

lend me a hand?

MATEO:

Just say no if you want.

ME:

I haven't said no. I'm still thinking.

MATEO:

I can make it worth your while...

Ah, damn. He'd found my weakness, the one thing he knew I was going to find it impossible to say no to. But did I want to come across as cheap, like he could just buy me that way? A ride for a ride?

How I wanted to say no but I also knew I was not going to. I had my morals and my dignity but I also knew what a night with Mateo was worth so those morals could just go take a flying leap. And they could take my dignity with them. Instead, I picked up my phone and dialled his number. He answered on the first ring.

"Do you think I'm that easily bought, Mateo?" I asked.

"Who said I'm buying you?" he returned, just as easily. "Maybe I thought it would be worth my while too."

I let out an exaggerated groan, toying with him the way he always toyed with me. "You've really got my number," I admitted.

"I don't think it will be that much of a hardship for you. I've seen the visuals for the shoot today and I think you'll enjoy being on set."

"Why, will you be naked?"

"You'll just have to come pick me up and find out for yourself."

And that right there was an offer I was not even close to being man enough to refuse. Just the very idea of a naked Mateo on a photoshoot had me drooling and yes, agreeing to drive him the nearly seven hour round trip to the big city.

"I tell you what, Mateo," I said instead, trying to keep it cool and settle my racing pulse. "I'll drive you up to Sydney today, watch you do your little photoshoot, hopefully in the nude unless you're just a tease. And then you'll agree to come out on a date with me to a nice restaurant of my choosing."

"You want a date with me?" he asked, almost like the idea was repellent to him.

"That's my final offer," I said while also knowing how quickly I would fold if he didn't agree.

But he just sighed and then I heard the words " Okay ," and I think I felt my heart chime a happy note in my chest.

"There, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" I grinned.

"Just come and get me, Jamie. I'm going to be pushing for time so can you come right away?"

"Yes, Mateo, I'm on my way," I said in a tone which made it sound like he was putting me out. But I was a little too eager for today, a little too happy that he had reached out to me even if it was only to ask me for something.

I threw on a pair of blue jeans and a black polo top and then headed for the basement where I kept my car. I was on the road in no time, the twenty minute drive between Sorrento and Esperance enough to put me in a happy mood as I drove towards the boy who I was done fighting to dislodge from my head. He wasn't going anywhere.

So. This was interesting. I was currently hovering around on the set of Mateo's photoshoot, feeling a little out of place. We'd arrived not long ago, a little over twenty minutes late but we'd made it at least. The shoot was in a heavily industrial part of Sydney down near the docks that I had no working knowledge of. I hadn't quite believed Alexa when she told us we had made it to our destination, just a shabby old warehouse with rusted shipping containers scattered around. But there was a stream of important looking people bustling around the site and Mateo seemed confident we were in the right place.

Turned out Mateo had been right about another thing because he was currently being laid out on one of those old fashioned, gilded chaise lounges which looked completely out of place in the dusty old warehouse. But I had eyes only for Mateo's immaculate body which was on full display with just a tiny flesh coloured pouch covering his manhood. He looked, well, he looked really rather nice.

I'd already had a full preview of his outfit having been ushered backstage with him the minute we arrived – ‘backstage' being a section of the warehouse partitioned off with boards. I'd had to just stand there and bite my fist as Mateo had casually stripped down to nothing before robing up for hair and makeup. A stylist had brushed him down with some kind of powder that made his skin glisten in a way which was just completely unfair. As if the guy didn't have enough of his own natural advantages over the rest of the populous. Now he looked like some kind of golden sex nymph and I was having a hard time concentrating.

The shoot was for some watch company, likely a famous one given the high quality of everything going on around me, not to mention the trestle table covered in food and the coffee cart that I had already visited. The team running the show were busy hovering around Mateo, trying out different watches with various face colours until they found the one they wanted in racing car green that looked sensational against Mateo's gold-dusted, olive skin tone.

And then the other model came out from her side of the partitions and I felt another thump of surprise. I wasn't sure why I hadn't expected it but the female model was utterly gorgeous, dark skin glowing with that same glittery stuff Mateo was wearing while her long, dark hair was plaited in braids down her back with highlights the same colour as Mateo's blonde tips. They looked amazing together.

She was also completely naked other than her own flesh coloured undies things and I wasn't quite sure where to look. No one else seemed at all bothered by the nudity, least of all Mateo and the model herself and within ten minutes I was just as desensitised to the nudity as everyone else in the room.

I'd never given a moment's thought to the time and effort that went into a photoshoot like this but I could see there was an artistry to it that was actually kind of beautiful. The female model was positioned to straddle Mateo's hips and I guessed that would be one situation where being gay was an added advantage. Mateo's watch bearing arm was then strategically positioned to hide her breasts from the camera while still looking sexy as all hell.

Mateo caught my eye and I imagined I must have been half agape because he sent me the most sinful smirk before focusing back on the instructions. They spent so much time tweaking the two of them that the sexy aspect of it had long since fled the building but I could still fully appreciate the man candy on display before me.

"A friend of Mateo's?" I heard as I felt a guy sidle up beside me. He looked like he belonged here in this environment, way more than I did, a sort of suaveness and sophistication to him that I could never match.

"Yeah. He's a friend," I nodded. I never knew who knew what about Mateo but I wasn't about to out him on his film set.

"Ah," the guy nodded sagely which that put that idea to rest. "A friend or a friend ?"

"You'll have to ask Mateo about that," I returned with half a smile.

"Oh I will but he's a cagey bugger," the guy grinned, smiling at Mateo in a proprietary way. "I'm Glen Akers by the way, Mateo's agent and owner of Elite Model Management."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jamie." We shook hands and then stood side by side as the film crew seemed to finally be happy with the exact placement of Mateo's hand and the way the girl was leaning seductively across his chest.

"Look at him. So damn pretty," Glen sighed. "I have clients coming out of my wazoo desperate to work with Mateo but he's still adamant about keeping modelling as a side hustle. He could be huge, you know. Huge."

"Is that so?" I asked, my interested piqued by Glen's words. Because I knew why Mateo kept modelling as a side hustle but I wondered if Glen did. "Don't give up on him. You never know."

"Do you know something I don't?" Glen asked, suddenly more interested in me and my role with his star client.

"Not really. But I know he loves modelling so you shouldn't give up on him."

"Hmm. You may be right. I never do know when to give up anyway but it's hard with him living so far away."

"It's not that far," I laughed.

"Maybe not to you coasties but it is to a city slicker like me," Glen laughed. "Anyway I must go schmooze for a bit. Lovely to meet you, Jamie. Enjoy the set. Eat the food. Drink the coffee. There will be wine soon so make sure you drink that too."

I did what Glen suggested, eating the pastries while Mateo lay on the chaise lounge for what felt like positively hours. They called for a break midway through and I took a raspberry Danish over to him, knowing we hadn't had time to eat this morning.

"You look amazing," I said, noting the way he flushed at my praise. "Gruelling work."

"Yes it's very hard lying about all day," he grinned. He took my offer of the pastry and wolfed it down, a smile on his face as we stood together.

"I must say, I do like that outfit on you," I said, using the opportunity to peruse his all but naked figure.

He chuffed a laugh. "Stop that. I have nowhere to hide up here and I don't need you putting ideas in my head. Either of them."

I laughed. "At least that's less of a problem for you with a shoot like today."

"Some of the female models prefer working with gay models on sets like this. Takes a little of the tension out of it."

"I bet. You ever get to do shoots like that with other guys?"

"Yep. Can't say I mind those shoots either," he grinned and I felt something twinge in my heart. I had never seen Mateo like this before, so content and almost, dare I say it, at peace with himself. Maybe Glen was right. Maybe modelling was where Mateo needed to centre his life. Because I liked him here like this.

The set director called time and Mateo grimaced at me and then turned back to the set where he was ushered behind the backstage partition. The set had been completely transformed in the meantime, now looking like a balcony with a green screen in the background. Mateo returned in a pair of ripped blue jeans with the buttons left open and honestly, that look was just as hot on him as him in those tiny invisible undies.

The girl was back too, also in unbuttoned jeans but still completely topless and they spent the rest of the afternoon setting the two of them up with Mateo leaning against a window frame and the girl leaning between his legs. The watch arm was back in use as a modesty device as Mateo hid her breasts behind his arm, clasping onto her shoulder. Honestly, the look was insanely hot, hotter even than the chaise lounge and I found myself equally captivated.

I hadn't even noticed that the sun had gone down by the time the shoot was called a wrap. Mateo dressed back into the clothes he had come in and came to find me where I was drinking a glass of sparkling wine beside Glen Akers.

"Mateo," Glen smiled, leaning across to kiss both his cheeks. "You were magnificent as usual."

"Thank you," Mateo replied, pink in his cheeks.

"I have loads of job offers for you we need to talk about. That plus I've booked you to walk three lines at the Sydney Fashion Week next month and I need to talk you through those too," Glen continued.

"Sounds good," Mateo agreed, eyes half on me which I liked a lot. I handed him my half empty glass and he downed the rest, sharing a smile with me over the top.

"Any chance you'll be around tomorrow still?" Glen pressed. "I have to get to this event tonight but I really do need to talk to you."

"Ah, I hadn't planned on still being here," Mateo replied, hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why don't you both stay in my penthouse tonight," Glen offered, reaching into his pocket for his keys. "Then we can have a coffee and a talk tomorrow morning."

"If you're sure," Mateo said. "Is that okay with you, Jamie?"

"Fine with me," I replied, trying not to let it show exactly how fine that idea was with me. I'd had to sit by and watch Mateo swan around mostly naked for half the day and I was feeling a little pent up myself. Nothing a night in a penthouse couldn't fix at any rate.