Love For Hire Read online

  The gesture, something you would do with an errant child, had him reeling with anger, but instead of biting the offending digit, his tongue darted out, licking it. Jayden froze midlick and the world seemed to stop.

  He ducked, expecting to be hit over the head when Blondie took his finger back, but nothing happened. He peeked up through lowered lashes. Apparently his crazy actions hadn’t been noted at all!

  While his own heart was hammering inside his chest, Blondie seemed to be totally unmoved, as if nothing untoward had happened at all.

  Jayden sniffed, feeling slightly insulted. He might not be much to look at, but surely having one’s finger licked deserved some kind of reaction.

  His eyes widened a fraction as he realized how crazy he sounded. One moment he was lusting after the guy, then he was in the throes of nearly mind-numbing anger, and then he was offended when he wasn’t noticed at all.

  Make up your mind, Jayden!

  “Now, focus, please.” Blondie was back to being demanding. “What’s your name?” he asked.

  “Jayden,” Jayden stuttered, voice strangely weak. “Jayden Collins.”

  “Well, Jayden,” the still nameless man drawled, “It’s a pleasure.”

  Pleasure?

  Pleasure? Jayden was practically shrieking the word inside his head, because while this had certainly been interesting and eventful, he wouldn’t call it a pleasure!

  “I’m Matt Archer, and you’re going to be my boyfriend for the next few weeks.”

  Jayden’s mouth fell open. He slowly started inching backward, looking for a way to escape. Maybe Matt was nuts?

  “Come again?” he asked instead, stopping all his movements when he realized he probably wouldn’t get very far if he ran screaming and butt naked out of the room. Caution, yes—he needed to proceed with caution.

  Matt, Blondie’s name was Matt, and what a relief it was to finally have a name to go with the gorgeous face. The last name did ring a bell as well, sounding oddly familiar, but before Jayden could follow his thoughts, Matt interrupted him by answering his question.

  “For the next few weeks I’ll need you to pretend to be my boyfriend,” Matt said in the same tone of voice someone would use to comment on the weather. Oh what a lovely day we have today. Don’t you think so? Same flat intonation, same expression on his face. Surely the man couldn’t have just asked him to play his partner for the new few weeks. Things like that only happened in the movies or to other people and most certainly not to him.

  The silence grew as Jayden simply stared at Matt as if he had grown two heads or sprouted horns.

  “I’ll sweeten the deal,” Matt continued. “I don’t expect you to stay without just because you owe me….” His voice trailed off for a moment before he got to the point. “My uncle told me how much you were charging him, so I’ll pay you the same amount on a hourly basis for as long as your services will be required.”

  Jayden’s mouth dropped open as the world shook before falling back into place. He gulped; had he heard right?

  “Do I need to repeat myself?”

  “Uhm,” Jayden hedged, offering up a weak, “no?”

  “Do you accept the offer, then?”

  When Jayden remained speechless, Matt’s tone turned even frostier, and he demanded, “I’ll need a clear yes or no from you.”

  “Of course.” Jayden cleared his throat, throwing caution to the wind. Who needed to play it safe anyway when faced with this much money? And weeks… the man was talking about weeks! The money he would make would make all of Jayden’s dreams come true and finally enable him to leave the city behind and start anew. Hell yes, he was doing this! “The answer is yes, I’ll do it.”

  A somewhat more relaxed look settled over Matt once Jayden had given him his answer. “All right then.” Matt slowly got up. “You better spend the rest of the day resting. I’ll get someone to send you up your meals. Tomorrow I want you to be ready at eight sharp. I’ll take you shopping.”

  Shopping—that reminded Jayden of one fundamental fact. Where were his clothes? “Uhm… Matt?” he asked carefully. “Where are my clothes?”

  “I burnt them,” was his answer. “They were completely destroyed.”

  Jayden’s gaze flickered to his naked chest, and he worried his lower lip before he looked up again, catching Matt’s hungry gaze on him.

  “Right….” Matt drew out the world, scratching his chin, clearly recognizing the problem they were facing. “I’ll get you some of my old clothes. We’re not the same size, but they’ll do in a pinch.”

  “Sure,” Jayden agreed easily, not seeing any other solution since the blasted man had destroyed his clothes. Probably getting rid of the evidence, he thought suspiciously.

  “All right,” Matt said almost hastily, making a beeline for the door. Apparently now that they had settled their little arrangement, he couldn’t wait to leave.

  Just before his hand reached for the doorknob, Matt turned again, his blue gaze settling on Jayden. For a short moment the two stared at each other, caught in each other’s stare, before Matt forcefully broke the connection, hurrying out of the room.

  All the tension ebbed out of Jayden’s body; he was finally alone. His mind swirled over what had just happened, and the aborted thought from before rose back to the surface.

  Archer, Matt Archer.

  Jayden repeated the name over and over in his head.

  Why was the bloody name so familiar?

  Then it came to him like a new dawn on a clear morning. The name was so familiar because the Archers were what people liked to call old money. Jayden wasn’t one to follow the gossip rags—he had more important things to do with his life and his money—but he couldn’t help but notice the headlines here and there, and Matt Archer was a much-visited topic.

  Supposedly Matt was a spoiled rich kid, always out having fun showing off his latest sports car and throwing money in the wind as if it grew on trees. The public image, though, didn’t quite match up with the man Jayden had met. Public Matt seemed to be carefree, without any thought in head, while Actual Matt had hidden layers. Despite his angelic appearance, what with the baby-blue eyes, blond hair, and nearly perfect body, there was a hint of violence shimmering underneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to break free. Honestly, Jayden didn’t want to be in the vicinity when Volcano Matt finally erupted.

  Well, in any case, Jayden concluded, Mr. Rich, Handsome, and Slightly Unhinged was going to pay him well for next to nothing, because pretending to be Matt’s boyfriend wasn’t going to be any hardship. Hell, if he wanted to take things literally and ask for Jayden to service him, then for once, he would actually fall gladly on his knees. Still, a little bit of caution was a good idea.

  Having settled the issue in his mind, Jayden closed his eyes. Getting some rest would probably do wonders for him.

  Chapter Three

  When Jayden woke up again, it was early afternoon, and just as Matt had promised, someone had brought some sweats and a T-shirt for him to wear. There were also some jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and after a closer inspection, he found his own boots under the chair.

  His boots might not be good or up to Matt’s standards, but they were comfortable, and Jayden was glad they hadn’t been thrown out as well. It was hard breaking in new shoes, especially comfortable ones.

  There was a tray with food sitting on the nearby table, and that was the only reason why he slowly rose, rolling to his side and sitting up. He put a hand on the stitches on his side, but there wasn’t much pain. He could feel them pulling every time he moved or breathed too deeply, and yes, there was some discomfort there, but the pain wasn’t enough to warrant any special consideration.

  His toes landed on the plush carpet, and he experimentally wiggled them a little bit. Carpets in his experience were usually dirty and best not to be stepped on with bare feet, but this one looked clean enough, so he was willing to risk life and limb. He hadn’t known a carpet could be this cozy, and after smili
ng at it for a few seconds, he slowly got up.

  He pulled on the sweats and ignored the T-shirt.

  The tray held a few sandwiches, bottled water, and some tea that had gone cold. He wasn’t too fond of tea anyway, so he wasn’t too bothered by it. He curled up in the easy chair, taking quick bites, and after a few minutes, the first sandwich was gone.

  He was halfway done with the second one when he saw the phone on the nightstand.

  He chewed his lower lip with worry, and then he looked left and right, almost expecting someone to dart out of thin air and tell him he wasn’t allowed to make a phone call.

  He rubbed his forehead, brushing some dark strands of hair out of his face. Well, if Matt didn’t want him to use the phone, then he should have disconnected it. With that in mind, he got up and quickly dialed Danny’s number.

  Jayden didn’t own a phone himself because it was a luxury he couldn’t afford, and frankly, there wasn’t anyone who would call him or whom he should stay in contact with anyway. He didn’t have anyone. Well, Danny, maybe.

  Danny, though, owned a phone, and Jayden had made sure he memorized his number for emergencies. Having found a job that paid well wasn’t an emergency per se, but Danny would be worried if Jayden didn’t show up.

  “Yes?” Danny’s gruff answer made Jayden smile.

  “It’s me,” he said, and after a moment of rolling his eyes at himself, he added, “Jayden.”

  “Jay!” Danny’s voice changed; he sounded happy now, with a hint of worry mixed in. “I got worried, man, when you didn’t come home this morning.”

  “Danny….”

  And before he could continue, Danny started, “Word on the street is someone got offed last night in a motel. There was a shitload of blood, and the cops are everywhere.”

  “I know,” Jayden said quietly, flashing back to the two men cornering him, attacking him, and for a moment, pain flared up in his side, reminding him vividly of the events. If Matt hadn’t shown up like some sort of dark angel, the rumors about someone dying would definitely be true.

  He did have the traits of an angel, Jayden mused, blond and pale. The only thing missing was a halo, but if Jayden spun this further, Matt could be a fallen angel, and then obviously he wouldn’t have a halo any more. He snorted at his own folly.

  “Are you hurt?” Danny’s voice took on an edge, and Jayden quickly started talking, filling his friend in on what had happened.

  After he was done, there was a moment of silence before Danny spoke again. “You sure you want to do this?” he said slowly, and Jayden nodded before he could stop himself.

  Since Danny couldn’t see him, he added for his friend’s benefit, “You know I need the money, Danny. And he is offering a lot of it.”

  “I know,” his friend said quietly. Danny was aware of Jayden’s plans, and he had been nothing but supportive of him. Jayden had never understood why someone like Danny wouldn’t want to get out of this life, but every time he had brought it up, his friend had simply said it was too late for him. Jayden had no idea what he meant by that, but he had gotten the hint and not pressed any further.

  “It’s just,” Danny continued, “if an offer sounds this good—”

  “I know,” Jayden cut him off. “I’m not stupid, but I owe him my life. I can’t walk away from this.”

  “Be careful, then.” Danny went into mother hen mode, making the switch from friend to protector with practiced ease. “And if anything funny happens, and I mean anything,” he said, putting extra emphasis on the word, “you call me and I’ll come get you out.”

  “Yes, Danny,” Jayden said simply—there wasn’t anything else left for him to say. His heart warmed, though, at the thought that there was at least one person out there who was worried about him, even if, by most definitions, Danny was street scum and not worth a penny.

  The line disconnected abruptly. Danny wasn’t one for pleasantries, and while some might have considered hanging up to be simply rude, Jayden only smiled. He was used to Danny and his sometimes crass manners. Underneath his gruff comments and his I don’t give a shit attitude, there was a heart of gold, and Danny’s worry about him was all the proof he needed. If others couldn’t see the goodness underneath Danny’s abrasive behavior, well, that was their loss and not Jayden’s problem.

  The rest of the day was spent lying in the chair or in bed, watching TV and napping.

  He only took a quick shower, mindful of the stitches, and he was glad for the en suite bathroom, because he wasn’t ready to meet anyone else who lived in this house just yet. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and then he would be ready to face reality once more.

  But this day was his alone, to hide and pretend he had no worries, and frankly, it wasn’t hard, considering how pleasant the room was. Some might have called his ability to live inside his head avoiding reality, but to him, it was a sanctuary. Staring out into the lush garden provided him with ample sport for his mind, giving him the chance to catalog lots of varying colors, shapes, and sizes for future use. He was an artist; drawing was in his blood, and even when he didn’t bring life to the canvas, he was still at it in his head. Most of his pictures would never see the light of day because making art actually required money—canvas, ink, etc. weren’t cheap—but lost in his mind, he could do whatever he wanted. Eventually he moved from the chair back to the bed, snuggling into the exquisite cover before falling asleep. Who cared if he took his orders to rest up quite seriously?

  Morning dawned way too quickly, but despite his aversion to being up at that ungodly hour, he was ready to go as ordered at eight sharp. Somewhere in the house a grandfather clock chimed, and a few seconds later, there was a knock on his door.

  “Come in.”

  “Great.” Matt didn’t waste any time with pleasantries, but the pleased look on his face did wonders for Jayden’s grumpy morning mood. “Let’s get going, then.” He ushered his new fake boyfriend out of the room, down a dark hallway, and down an impressive flight of stairs. Jayden barely had the time to look around before Matt more or less shoved him out the main door. For a moment the sunlight was blinding. He raised a hand as shield, blinking rapidly. When he was able to see clearly again, Matt was already standing next to the huge black limousine, holding open a door.

  The soft rays of the sun made Matt’s hair gleam golden, taking Jayden’s breath away. He forced his mouth shut, checked if he was drooling, and only then did he walk down the remaining few steps.

  “Thank you,” he said to Matt when he got into the car. His mother might have died young, but she had still raised him right. And despite Matt’s boorish tendencies, Jayden was convinced he appreciated his efforts at manners.

  With a soft rumble, the car started, and Jayden comfortably leaned back into his leather seat. No one said a word during the drive, but the silence wasn’t awkward at all. Normally only people who had known each other for years managed to sit quietly together without any tension at all, but for some reason, Matt and Jayden were able to do it.

  “We’re here.”

  Matt’s words startled Jayden out of his thoughts. He quickly scrambled after his fake boyfriend, not wanting to be left behind.

  Whenever he needed clothes, Jayden either got them secondhand or in one of the cheap shops close to his and Danny’s place. He had been in this neighborhood before, but all the shops here had always been out of his league.

  Jayden had only taken one step onto the sidewalk when Matt surprised him by taking his hand, holding it tight. He sent a reassuring smile toward Jayden, which he somewhat shakily returned. He normally wouldn’t say he had self-esteem issues, but in this place, he had to resist the urge to find a hole and hide. He didn’t belong here and he never would.

  Once Matt had chosen a store, he flagged down a shop assistant, and moments later they were ushered away from the well-dressed crowd into a private area.

  “Wait here,” Matt ordered the moment he had pushed Jayden into a plush chair, gesturing for the assistant to follo
w. And since she was a smart woman, she followed the money.

  A good while later, Matt returned with several men and women, each of whom was carrying a mountain of clothes.

  “I want you to try them all on.”

  “All of them?” Jayden gasped, staring at the clothes as if he couldn’t fathom managing such a task.

  “All of them,” Matt confirmed. “Go on,” he insisted, making a shooing gesture with his hands.

  Jayden’s answer was to blink once, twice, before grabbing the first few pieces and heading toward the dressing room.

  A good few hours passed before Jayden had modeled everything to Matt’s satisfaction. He drew the line, though, at one thing.

  “No,” he said stubbornly, repeating what he had just said.