Chapter One
Landon stood outside a dilapidated motel off I-55 on the outskirts of Chicago. He held a rusted metal key, its edges dulled from years of use. The cracked red plastic of the key ring had the numbers 103 etched into its surface. A couple flecks of gold trapped in the sharp corners of the 1 and 3 were the only telltale sign the indented numbers used to bear a cheap inlay. His gaze drifted from the key in his hand to the chipped robin’s-egg blue door bearing the same number.
On the other side of that worn, weathered piece of wood, a man waited for him. A man Landon had never met before, and a man he would never meet again.
Which was exactly how he wanted it… right?
Landon huffed out a breath and rolled his neck until it cracked, twice. “All right, asshole, you’re the one who asked for this. Don’t puss out now.”
Nodding at his lackluster attempt at self-encouragement, he took the few steps necessary to reach the door and jammed the key into the lock without allowing his body time to catch up to his mental reluctance.
When the door popped open, he swallowed to soothe a dry throat and walked into the dimly lit room. A single lamp positioned on the peeling laminate wood of the nightstand between two double beds threw an eerie copper glow into the space. Its flickering bulb did little to calm his raging nerves. He licked his lips and looked around the room, a mixture of relief and regret sinking heavily into his gut.
He was alone.
Landon eased the door shut and stood inside, still gripping that damn key as if it held all the answers. What had he expected to find when he walked in here? A welcoming committee?
He nearly jumped out of his own skin when a clunking bang broke the silence in tandem with the sound of water. Landon’s attention shifted to a door on the opposite side of the room as he ran a shaking hand through his long bangs, shoving them out of his face in the process. “Get a grip, Jenks. He’s just using the john.”
That phrase rattled through Landon’s brain a moment before a bubble of hysterical laughter slipped past his lips. Using the john. Talk about an apropos innuendo. Wasn’t a john the term used for guys in Landon’s current position? And wasn’t he hoping to be just that… Used?
The bathroom door clicked open, and Landon retreated a step as his mystery guest filled the frame, propping a shoulder against the warped wood. Black boxer briefs hugged his narrow hips and accentuated the cut of hard thighs. His chiseled, tanned chest was bare, his pec muscles flexing as he crossed his arms and committed further to his casual lean.
As Landon’s hesitant gaze moved up, he bit back the slew of profanity threatening to tumble from his lips. If possible, the face attached to that Adonis body was even more beautiful. The jaw was strong and angular, dusted with a five-o’clock shadow a shade darker than his sandy-brown hair, and a smile befitting an A-list model stretched a set of lush, full lips.
But it was those eyes that drew a low-grade whimper up Landon’s throat. Their color wasn’t distinguishable in the dim lighting, but they sparkled with humor and a hint of something else. Something darker, somehow tragic, yet hidden well behind a mask of cocky confidence.
Jesus fuck. What had he gotten himself into?
“Enjoying the view?”
Those words dripped into the silence like honeyed whiskey—smooth, deep, and sinful as hell.
“I…” Landon clenched his jaw. What was he supposed to say to that? Yes? “Ah…”
A chuckle rumbled up the Adonis’s ripped chest, its warmth filling the stale air and sparking electricity over Landon’s skin. “Am I making you nervous?”
“Ah, you could say that.” Landon dropped his chin with a groan. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize.” A hint of empathy softened the man’s voice. “This your first time?”
Landon squeezed his eyes shut as heat crept up his throat, burning his cheeks. “That obvious, huh?”
That chuckle rolled through the room again, but this time it was closer. Landon peeked open an eye and drew back in surprise when his stare locked on to a pair of gorgeous hazel irises, perfectly on level with his own. The younger man—easily a decade if not more below Landon’s own thirty-five years—ran a lazy hand through his styled-back locks before closing the distance between them even further.
“This your first time ever, first time with a guy, or first time with someone like me?”
Oh god, oh fuck. The flush kept climbing until the very tips of Landon’s ears were aflame. “No, I mean, this isn’t my actual first time. I-I’ve done it… I mean, this… before. I mean, shit, not this, but you know… with a guy. Jesus. I’m sorry. I should leave.”
The Adonis’s radiant smile returned, nearly blinding Landon with its bright white brilliance. “You’re adorable, you know that?”
Adorable. Great. Just what every guy wanted to be called when he stood in front of a nearly naked Greek god. A nearly naked Greek god he’d paid to have sex with him.
Shit.
Landon puffed out his cheeks on a heavy exhale. “I don’t know what I’m doing here. This was a mistake. I should really go. I’m so sorry for wasting your time. I…” He scrunched up his face on a low groan. “Jesus, I’m sorry. I’m such an ass.”
The man took a step back, offering a weak smirk. “I didn’t mean to weird you out. I should be the one apologizing. I’m used to clients wanting that brash behavior. Didn’t read the room right, I guess.”
“It isn’t your fault.” Landon scraped his teeth over his lower lip and let out a shaky sigh. “This was a stupid idea. I-I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Quirking a brow, the guy folded those cut arms over his muscled chest, sending a ridiculous punch of lust straight into Landon’s groin. “I assume you were thinking you’d get laid. That’s what most of my clients are looking for. Nothing wrong with that.”
“No, it wasn’t…” Landon groaned and pressed a fist between his eyes. “I thought I could be something… someone… I’m not. For one night. But I can’t. This isn’t me. I don’t do crazy shit like this.”
When Landon glanced up, his heart squeezed. The man stood rigid, staring at the floor, his tongue running over that full bottom lip in a slow, repetitious rhythm. He looked about as lost as Landon felt, and wasn’t that un-fucking-expected?
Then again, how else would he react to those harsh words? Landon had all but denounced his profession as something, what, beneath him? Idiot.
“I didn’t mean to say there’s anything wrong with doing this, because there isn’t. It just isn’t something I’ve ever done or thought I’d do. I’m… boring. Unadventurous. Not really the one-night stand kinda guy, you know? Not that I’m saying this would be a one-night stand. I mean, I know that’s not what it means to you. Not that one-night stands mean anything. I… Oh my god.” He covered his face with both hands. “I’m having some sort of malfunction. Feel free to go and leave me alone to drown in my humiliation.”
That spine-tingling laugh filled the room again. “Why don’t we take this slow? We have all night, after all.”
Landon let his hands fall as his shoulders slumped with relief. Sure, he’d been the one to initiate this whole thing, but he was terrible at sex, even when he was in an established relationship. How in the hell was he supposed to do it with a man he’d never met? A professional, even?