As I was putting my plate in the dishwasher after I’d eaten, my phone buzzed. I picked it up off the kitchen island, wondering who was texting me, and then I remembered I’d messaged Smitty like half an hour ago.
He’d replied, Find what? You mean the guys I hire?
I wrote back, Yeah.
LOL Finally saw the light? Here’s the app.
Below that was a link to the app store, and when I opened it, I gulped.
Gentlemen of the Emerald City: The right men for your fantasies.
That sounded, um, optimistic, but I downloaded the app anyway. I thumbed through all their policies, and I was more than a little reassured by the emphasis on discretion and safety.
Our Gentlemen provide professional and discreet services.
GotEC hires only the very best. Each Gentleman is selected through a rigorous process and must meet our exceptional standards. He is screened for his health and yours, and he undergoes a thorough background check for your safety. Once hired, he is strictly bound by our policy of non-disclosure, leaving you free to enjoy everything your heart desires with total confidence.
Similarly, GotEC protects its Gentlemen. Incidents of assault, extortion, threats, harassment, or other such behavior will be referred to the authorities without exception.
That was surprising. As liberal as Seattle was, prostitution was still illegal. Though the website didn’t actually come out and say the Gentlemen were paid for sex, so maybe that was the loophole. The descriptions of services offered didn’t actually include sex. I supposed this was like any escort service—the escort’s companionship and possible role-playing were the service. If sex happened, it happened, but that wasn’t technically what they were being paid for. It was probably something like how paying someone to have sex was illegal, but paying someone to have sex in front of a camera was making a perfectly legal porno.
Well, whatever. They must’ve had all their ducks in a row if they were still operating and openly stated they’d report problem clients to the authorities.
And Smitty had been happy with them. Nothing that I knew of had ever leaked to the press about him hooking up with an escort, and that was definitely something they’d have been all over. So maybe this whole thing was worth a try.
As confident as I’d ever be that this wasn’t a terrible idea, I moved from the company policies to the Gentlemen themselves. They had profiles that were similar to Tinder profiles—some photos and details about their personalities. Their preferences in bed were tucked discreetly into words and phrases that could be interpreted as completely non-sexual.
If what you crave is an evening without pressure, this Gentleman’s take-charge attitude will ensure you don’t need to worry about making decisions.
This Gentleman’s versatility means your time together is all about whatever you want.
He’ll be sure that no matter what, you come out on top.
Some of it was corny as hell, but it was easy to read between the lines. I supposed it was part of keeping the company and the app legal.
Icons noted where the various men landed in terms of price—no specific numbers were given, but they each had between one and four gold dollar signs. I wasn’t too worried about the price. The League paid me quite well to chase pucks around, and I’d barely had time to spend much of it since the season started.
I wandered through profiles, checking out photos and trying to get a feel for what various men offered and preferred. The photos weren’t just bathroom selfies, either. Clearly Gentlemen of the Emerald City spared no expense when it came to showcasing its men. That, or they expected their men to spare no expense. Either way, the result was some seriously high quality photos of some exceptionally attractive men.
Reading between the lines, some guys were definitely on the kinkier side. That wasn’t really my thing, though I wasn’t against things like blindfolds and handcuffs if I knew someone well enough, but probably not with a stranger I was hiring. A couple of the guys were sporting those really thick beards that were all the rage these days. Again, not my thing—I didn’t mind facial hair, but too much got in the way.
Oh, this guy is promising, I thought as I perused the profile of a green-eyed redhead with ink, freckles, and a wicked smile.
Hmm, I mused as I looked at another. I’ve never been with someone with a Prince Albert.
Why do I feel like I’ve seen this guy before? I squinted at the photos. Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing him again, so…
I added them to my favorites and kept looking. I was kind of amazed at just how many men were on their payroll. Was there really this much demand for high-end male escorts in Seattle? Or, well, the I-5 corridor, I guess, since despite the name implying it was only Seattle (aka, the Emerald City), the available locations actually started as far north as Bellingham, which was just below the Canadian border, and they stretched to quite a ways south of Portland, Oregon. Either way—a lot of dudes for hire.
I opened another profile, and the instant his photo appeared, my lips parted.
Oh my God.
The company’s other Gentlemen were all gorgeous, each in their own unique ways, but this guy? Whoa. He was white with a moderate tan and smooth abs. A short, dark beard emphasized a sharp jaw and full lips. His near-black hair was long on top and playfully tousled, and he had warm brown eyes I could have stared at all night. And that sly, knowing smile? Oh Jesus.
Below the photo was his name: Luca.
And he had five gold dollar signs.
I could see why. There was no telling what he was like in person, never mind in the bedroom, but I was already onboard with ponying up whatever it took to find out.
I continued through his profile. A lot of the other Gentlemen were tall, and several edged toward bodybuilder physiques. Not shredded, but definitely built. Luca was about five-foot-seven, and he was on the leaner side. I’d known a guy in college who’d wanted to be an escort—a gigolo, actually—but he’d lamented that being on the north side of six foot was pretty much a non-negotiable requirement. Apparently that wasn’t the case for Luca, who so far seemed to be the highest-dollar Gentleman on the site. I didn’t care about height anyway, and with Luca, it barely registered beyond busting my college buddy’s myth.
And to hell with just putting him in my favorites. I did add him, but I didn’t stop there, and my heart pounded as I tapped the Connect with this Gentleman button.
The next screen was a calendar showing when Luca was available. Tonight was out, but he had tomorrow evening open, so I grabbed that date. After entering a credit card and some basic information for the background check, I waited. Moments later, a message came through confirming that, assuming my background check came back clean, I would see Luca tomorrow evening.
I put my phone aside and reclined on the couch. It was a little disappointing, having to wait until tomorrow. Okay, so I probably wouldn’t have been able to see him tonight anyway, since a background check would take some time. But still.
On the other hand, something about knowing he was with someone else tonight was…
What could I say? It was kind of hot.
Or maybe that was just because I was imagining him naked, and there was a good chance he was naked right now. Maybe with someone’s hands on him. Someone’s mouth on him. I wasn’t usually a voyeur, but the thought of being able to see him now? Watching him with whatever lucky bastard had snagged him tonight? Yum. It was also a hell of a lot better than thinking about the fact that I’d be spending tonight alone.