Chapter 1 #3
That sounded nice actually. Really, that was perfect for Jensen.
He preferred to know what was expected of him, and the fewer surprises he had to endure, the better.
But he had already used up his allowance of bravery for the year, and even the thought of telling such an attractive man his preferences, or God forbid his fantasies, was enough to paralyze him.
Lips brushed against the pebbled skin of Jensen’s neck. Lightly. Teasingly. “I’m usually more, but you’re very cute, so I’ll only be one-fifty. That’s not à la carte though, there are a few things that are extra.”
“Extra?” Jensen asked. He had other questions. Honestly, he didn’t understand a word Daniel had just said, but it was too hard to think with the heat of his chest against Jensen’s back and lips kissing up his neck.
Daniel chuckled softly. “Damn, handsome, what are you into?”
“What?” Jensen turned in Daniel’s arms that slid down to his waist. He shook his head, trying to break loose some thoughts and get back into the conversation. “You’re one hundred and fifty?”
Harsh emotion flashed on Daniel’s pretty face before another sultry smile took its place. “And I’m well worth it, trust me. If I was in New York or some other big city, I’d be billing out at a much higher rate.”
“I’m sorry, what are you billing for?”
Jensen wasn’t hiring. He didn’t have the ability to make employment decisions for the firm he worked for.
The last time he’d talked to the talent acquisition team was when he was hired years ago.
Or … Fuck, was this some sort of weird time-share thing?
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d accidentally agreed to sit in one of their presentations, but it was much more formal than this.
Maybe it was the same company, and they heard about Jensen running from the conference room with vague excuses, and now they were trying a tactic with fewer escape routes.
He was going to have to fake a heart attack to get out of this; he just knew it.
“My services?” Daniel’s smile was still in place but significantly less bright.
“And what were your services?” Jensen asked, eyeing the bathroom door. He could hide in there until Daniel got sick of waiting and left. It wouldn’t be the first time one of his dates ended that way.
Daniel ripped his hands off Jensen’s waist as he took a quick step back.
A barely constrained snarl replaced the enticing smile he’d sported.
“Are you a cop? Does your superior know you’re here?
We have an understanding with the city, and I doubt they’d be happy you were here trying to stir up shit. ”
“No, I’m not a cop,” Jensen choked out. The idea was laughable.
He could maybe do one push-up and wouldn’t know how to handle alleged criminals.
Or the public in general. Scratching the back of his head, he walked further into the room and sat heavily on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to stir up shit.
I just have no idea what you’re talking about. ”
Daniel eyed him suspiciously for a few moments before his shoulders dropped. “You booked a room at the Lillian.”
“I’m aware.”
“And you were at the bar alone.”
Jensen suddenly felt like he was failing a test he should have known the answers to. “Yes?”
Daniel blew out a breath. “Why did you decide to stay at this hotel?”
He looked around the room, suddenly almost unbearably uncomfortable. “It’s a perfect time capsule of the early nineteen hundreds art nouveau movement. It’s one of the only buildings on this side of the country that hasn’t been remodeled. All the original fixtures are still in use.”
“Wait.” Daniel put up a hand to stop him. “You’re staying here because of the building’s history?”
“Oh yes. Well, more specifically, because of its design.” He got up from the bed and went to his shoulder bag, rifling around before finding the book he was looking for.
“I don’t really care if anyone died in the rooms or what celebrities vacationed here.
I care about the building itself. Art nouveau.
It’s my area of expertise. I published a book about it a couple years ago. It did not sell well.”
Daniel stared at the glossy cover for a long quiet moment before covering his face with his hands.
Jensen wasn’t sure what to do, so he let his hands drop to his sides and shifted his weight uncomfortably.
He probably shouldn’t have told Daniel about his lack of book sales.
It wasn’t like he’d done the research and written the book to sell millions of copies, but it was a bit depressing that it hadn’t made its way onto a single university’s supplementary reading list. Jensen did not need to divulge that to an almost stranger though.
Defeated, he replaced the book in his bag.
When he turned back, Daniel was staring at him like he was a curiosity at a state fair. And just like that, nausea coated the back of his throat, and his hand twitched to find his container of antacids.
“It was Jensen, right?”
He nodded.
“Well, Jensen, I hope you didn’t use your company’s credit card to book your reservation, because the Lillian is a brothel and I’m an employee here.”
Oh, he was definitely going to throw up.