Chapter 2
Willdidn’t like Dubai. The city was one of the most soulless, pretentious places he’d ever been to—and he’d seen his share of pretentious places in the twenty-eight years of his life.
Unfortunately—or fortunately—Dubai was a very lucrative place for someone in his field of work. There was no shortage of rich clients, so this city was a great place for a man who wanted to create a good financial cushion before he could start up hisown private security firm in the US. Having accomplished the first part of that, Will had been really looking forward to finally leaving this city—but Scott had other ideas. So here he was. Applying for a job he didn’t want in a city he disliked.
Willstudied the man seated behind the desk.
Sheikh Zain ibn Mustafa Al Rahim was said to be the richest man in this country. A real estate tycoon and the second son of the emir of Dubai, he had the reputation of a ruthless man with unparalleled business acumen. Will was good at reading people, but he couldn’t get a read on this man at all. So far, in the past half an hour since the beginning of the interview, the sheikh had asked him dozens of random questions that ranged from Will’s opinion on Islam to his opinion on the president of the US.
But he was starting to suspect the questions weren’t random at all.
“What is your opinion on homosexuality?”
Willkept his face neutral. A poker face was a skill every semi-decent bodyguard possessed, andWillhad perfected it over the past decade, regardless of the situation. He’d once walked in on his client being spanked by a woman twice his age while calling him a naughty boy. Compared to that, some tricky questions were nothing.
“I don’t really have one,”Willsaid, shrugging. His mind raced, considering and discarding potential answers. It was difficult to predict what kind of answer this man wanted. Scott hadn’t told him about Sheikh Zain’s opinions on homosexuality in general and his young brother’s in particular. If Sheikh Zain was as homophobic as the majority of people in this country, he would want a bodyguard who shared his views.
Should he pretend to be homophobic to land this job?
The idea had some merit, but it didn’t sit well with him. Will had never claimed to be a paragon of virtue and morality, but he drew the line at pretending to be a bigot.
“Everyonehas an opinion,” the sheikh said, narrowing his eyes. “Tell me yours.”
“Frankly, I think your country’s anti-LGBT laws are too harsh,”Willsaid. “I think it’s ridiculous that people get arrested for touching people of their own sex. Who cares?”
The sheikh’s dark eyes gave nothing away. It was impossible to tell what he thought of his answer. “I see,” he said. “But you’re straight, right? You have no homosexual inclinations at all?”
Willeyed him curiously. He continued to be surprised by this man’s excellent English. He spoke English like someone who spoke it very often. “A hundred percent straight,” he answered truthfully. He’d never been attracted to men—and not for lack of offers. He was good-looking, and like most bodyguards, he was tall and fit.
The other man’s gaze became piercing. “And you’ve never been tempted?”
“No. I don’t get the appeal. I like women.”
The sheikh stared at him for a long moment before finally saying, “You’re hired, then. But you’ll have to sign an NDA before you’re told the specifics of the job.”
Willnodded, unsurprised. It was par for the course.
Over the next ten minutes, he carefully read the NDA thesheikh had handed him. It was a standard NDA, without any problematic clauses, so hesigned it and handed it back to the other man.
Dark eyes glanced at the document before fixing on him again. “You will be the bodyguard of my brother, Gadiel. He’s nineteen years old, and he has a propensity for doing things he shouldn’t. Your job is to stop him.”
Willjust nodded, having expected that.“Sounds pretty straightforward.”
“It isn’t,” the sheikh said. “Gadiel has... issues. He tends to act out for attention.” His expression was somber, almost grim. “The kid was basically raised by nannies and servants. He never had enough attention as a child. Our father has always been... distant, and Gadiel’s British mother divorced our father and left the country when Gadiel was a kid.”
The more he learned, the less enthused he was about this job. Gadiel sounded like a nightmare of a charge even without being his cousin’s walking death sentence. Not only was Will supposed to babysit a spoiled kid, he’d have to babysit an attention-seeking spoiled kid with abandonment issues. InWill’s experience, it was never a good combination.
“And that’s not all,” the sheikh said, watching him carefully with his sharp eyes. “Gadiel is... not heterosexual.”
Will returned the look steadily. “As I said, I don’t have a problem with that.”
“You wouldn’t be here if I thought you did,” the man said. “Your background has been thoroughly vetted. You have a gay cousin you seem to get along with. Though it doesn’t necessarily mean anything.” Before Will could respond, the man continued. “In any case, Gadiel’s sexual orientation is very relevant for your job. The kid has no sense of self-preservation. He isn’t discreet about his sexuality. Some might say he’s downright suicidal.” His lips pursed. “And they may not be wrong. Sometimes I almost think he wants to get caught. And hecan’tget caught. He’s engaged to the daughter of the president of the UAE. If he’s caught, even I won’t be able to save him.”
So this man simply wanted to protect his brother. That was a relief. He didn’t want to work for a bigot.
“I’ll double the wage you asked for,” the sheikh said.
Will barely kept his expression neutral. He’d already asked for a higher salary than he was willing to work for. If he got paid twice as much, his financial cushion would be more than just good. He wouldn’t have to worry about bills for a long time.
“Triple,” he stated, looking the other man in the eye. “Babysitting high-profile, self-destructive, attention-seeking boys is a full-time job. I’ll have to watch him 24/7.”
“Fine,” the sheikh said, not even blinking at his outrageous demand.
Will nearly laughed. It must be nice to be that rich.
***
Gadielibn Mustafa Al Rahim lived in a penthouse of the skyscraper that belonged to his older brother. Will had been given his own set of keys, which he used to access the private elevator that took him to the penthouse.
He entered the huge apartment and looked around. It was dead silent.
His brows knitting together, Will walked toward the master bedroom. He’d carefully studied the plan of the apartment—of the entire building—so he knew where it was.
“Hello?” he said, pushing the door open.
The large, luxurious bedroom was quiet. It was tastefully decorated in light green colors, but the air smelled stale, as if it hadn’t been aired in a while.
He almost thought it was empty before he noticed a body-shaped lump under the white silk sheets.
Will cleared his throat. “Mr. Rahim?”
The lump moved before a smooth pale leg emerged from under the sheets.
“Mr. Rahim?” Will said again, feeling a surge of annoyance. He’d expected the guy to be awake at this hour. His brother had been supposed to warn him of his new bodyguard’s arrival.
A dark head poked out from under the sheets. The only eye Will could see opened blearily. It was a startling, vivid blue, framed with ridiculously long dark eyelashes.
The blue eye blinked at him before the rest of the guy’s face emerged too.
Will grimaced.
It was no wonder Scott was so besotted. The kid looked even better than he did in the pictures. He had exquisite bone structure, but there was also a softness to the boy’s features, a sleepy sensuality that the pictures didn’t convey. He was gorgeous in a way that was inviting, warm, and real. His lush, wide mouth was the only thing that ruined the perfection of his face, though some men would probably disagree that it ruined anything.
Will sighed inwardly. Just great. This job would be even more difficult than he’d expected. A guy with a face—and a mouth—like that could attract any man who wasn’t a zero on the Kinsey scale.He’d have to watch over him like a hawk.
“Well, hello there,” the kid said in a soft, low voice, drawing out the syllables. His eyes raked over Will’s body curiously. His pupils were blown and his eyes had a slightly dazed, not-quite-present expression. He was drunk or high. Or possibly both.He licked his plump lips. “What do we have here?”
Will crossed his arms over his chest and pinned him with a flat, unimpressed look. Was that supposed to be someone in love? Or was Scott just delusional about the guy’s feelings for him?
Will frowned. He’d had his misgivings about not telling Gadiel that he was Scott’s cousin—something Scott had insisted on, since he didn’t want to be seen as a creep, or worse, desperate—but now he was starting to reconsider it. If he could find evidence that Gadiel actually didn’t return Scott’s feelings, that would be a nice solution to his problem.Scott would be heartbroken for a week and then move on to the next “The One.”
“I’m Will Summers, your new bodyguard. Your brother hired me for your protection.”
The kid blinked owlishly, clearly struggling to understand what he’d said. “No,” he said, pouting. “Bodyguards suck. You suck. Though you’re very hot. You look like you have a big cock. I love big cocks.”
It was Will’s turn to blink.
Just how drunk was he?
“Though it’s been ages since I saw a cock other than mine...” Gadiel mumbled, crawling shakily toward him and nearly falling off the bed. He looked at Will’s crotch eagerly, like a kid in front of a candy store. “Pull it out. Let me see.”
A laugh bubbled up in Will’s throat.
This couldn’t be fucking happening. His client—who was coincidentally his cousin’s crush—shouldn’t be telling him to pull his cock out while he was drunk out of his mind.
“Mr. Rahim—”
“I’m Gadiel,” the kid slurred, finally reaching him and pawing clumsily at his crotch. “Nice.”
Will gave him a stern look.
It didn’t seem to deter the guy. Hepressed his face against Will’s crotch and nuzzled it like a kitten. A very drunk, horny kitten.
Will gritted his teeth, telling his body not to react. He might be straight, but he wasn’t dead, and someone touching his cock normally did have an effect on him. Gadiel moaned, somehow finding the head of his cock and mouthing it through his pants.
Will’s cock twitched.
“Stop,” Will said, burying his hand in Gadiel’s hair and yanking him off of him.
The guy fucking whined, as if Will had taken away a tasty treat.
“I’ll pretend this never happened,” Will said, glaring him down. Gadiel blinked at him, looking lost and confused. “I’ll let it go because you’re too drunk to know better. But this had better never happen again. I’m here to be your bodyguard, not to give you a cock to suck on. I’m a professional. And I don’t want you.”
The guy’s bottom lip wobbled, his eyes becoming suspiciously shiny. He hugged his knees and rocked like a child. “Of course you don’t,” he said, barely audibly, silent tears falling down his cheeks. “No one wants me.”
Will stared at him.
What in the everloving fuck. He’d never seen a person go from seductive shamelessness to abject misery so fast. There was something wrong with this kid. No matter how beautiful he was—and he was stunningly beautiful even when he was crying—there seemed to be something broken about him. Or maybe it was the alcohol—or whatever the kid was on.
Cursing under his breath, Will turned around and stalked out of the room. It was obvious that Gadiel was in no state to understand anything he said. But it might not be safe for him to be alone when he was like this.
Will pulled out his phone and called Zain.
The man didn’t sound very surprised when Will told him what had happened.
“Does this happen often?” Will said. “Does he get drunk and act like—like that?” Like a slut. Like a depressed wreck.
The silence on the other end of the line was pretty telling.
“Not often, thankfully,” the sheikh said at last. “But he’s prone to depression and gets drunk when he feels down.” He sighed. “It was his birthday the other day.”
Will frowned, wondering what it had to do with the kid being such a mess.
“It probably didn’t help that I told him that his new bodyguard would control who he talks to,” Zain said. “He wasn’t happy. He might not even remember meeting you when he sobers up, so you’ll have to introduce yourself again. He usually doesn’t remember much when he’s like that.”
Will exhaled. It was probably for the best.If Gadiel and Scott really became something serious, it would be less awkward if the kid didn’t remember his failed attempt to seduce his boyfriend’s cousin.
Christ, what a messy situation.
He had a bad feeling about this.