3. Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Julien
J ulien didn’t know what had gone through his mind when he agreed to the deal with Tyler. He looked at his cracked phone screen with a text from Lou Rossi reminding him to pay up by the day after Christmas or else.
The ‘or else’ was a threat that loomed in the distance but had gotten closer and closer for years. Now the deadline was up, and Julien was too deep in shit with the Rossi family to even think it was an empty threat.
Lou Rossi had him by the balls for years. Julien made the mistake of borrowing twenty grand from Lou ten years ago, and he paid for it every day of his life. He did his best to make timely payments and even agreed to move stolen car parts for the family through the auto body shop where he worked. But now, the final payment was due, and Julien didn’t have the money .
Julien could not figure out how to come up with the money until he heard Cameron Malloy talking to his friend about hiring someone for a fake holiday date.
He hadn’t thought he would get eight thousand. However, he didn’t need eight. If he could get the five thousand he owed Rossi, Julien would at least be safe from jail, losing his finger, or whatever terrible thing Rossi planned for him if he didn’t pay.
He tried not to think about that as he went to Tyler’s apartment. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket as he steeled himself from the cold Pennsylvania air.
Tyler lived in a nice area, where Julien’s grease-stained jeans made him feel like he stuck out, even though no one paid attention.
The streets gave way to nicely decorated structures covered with garlands and wreaths. The jingle of bells caught Julien’s attention as charity workers stood outside near the shops. The workers asked for small donations to help feed and shelter those in need. Julien’s apartment had a guy like that outside. He was named Steve and asked for change to buy forties after a long piss on the stoop. Steve was a good guy.
Tyler lived in a big, historic building redone with lavish apartments. They probably cost more than Julien wanted to think about. At least he wasn’t taking Ty for all he was worth if he could afford this.
The lobby was furnished with hardwood and glossy tile. Signs pointed out recreation centers, game rooms, and other shared spaces. He rechecked his phone to verify the room and headed in what he hoped was the right direction.
A doorman sitting at the front desk gave him a suspicious glance, but Julien kept walking as if he knew exactly where to go. He nodded to the doorman and walked up the stairs without looking back to see if the guy was still watching. Jules probably should have stopped and explained what he was doing there but couldn’t be bothered.
When he got to the right door, he knocked. With any luck, Julien would have half of the money to give to Rossi today. It would take some heat off him. All he had to do was pretend to be someone’s boyfriend. It was way less shady than some other options Julien had considered. He had done too many illegal things because of Rossi. He wanted to start putting that behind him as soon as possible.
Tyler opened the door, wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses he hadn’t worn last night and an oversized sweater in a cream color. His dark brown hair was slightly messy. He didn’t have shoes on, just polka-dot socks in a ridiculous purple, which didn’t go with the rest of his outfit.
He genuinely looked surprised to see Julien, which fed into some of the doubts. “You came.” Tyler sounded equally as astonished as he looked. His bright blue eyes blinked owlishly behind the lenses.
“You wear glasses?” Julien asked. He resisted the urge to push them up on the bridge of Tyler’s slender nose that they had slid down.
Jules stepped into the apartment. It had a dark gray wooden floor and walls with exposed brick and big windows, which brought light into the space, even this late in the afternoon.
“Uh, yeah?” Tyler pushed his glasses up, and Julien watched the motion, distracted momentarily. “I had my contacts in last night.” Tyler stepped down the hall, and when Julien made to follow him, Tyler spun around quickly. “Oh, right, no shoes inside. You can leave them right there.” Tyler gestured to a rack with a few pairs of sneakers, dressy-looking shoes, and those stupid boat shoes that guys wore without socks. “Sorry,” he tacked on as if he had inconvenienced Julien.
Julien frowned but toed off his boots and placed them on the rack. Was he some neat freak? Not that Julien was messy, but as a mechanic, all the clothes he owned had a layer of filth and grease. He pulled his jacket off. The heat was cranked way higher than Julien would ever dare for fear of the bill. After the long trek, he worried he'd sweat through his shirt.
Tyler held his hand out for the jacket and stowed it away in a hallway closet. Then, proceeded to lead Julien into the living space.
There was an island counter with two bar stools in the middle of the room, separating the kitchen from the rest of the space. A small plant sat beside a shallow bowl filled with oranges on the island.
The living room housed a modest sofa and a huge, dark brown coffee table with a stack of large books, a remote control, and a laptop. The couch was plush-looking and gray, and there were too many black and white striped pillows to be practical. Beneath it was a patterned rug that brought a splash of teal into the room. Julien had no idea how much rugs cost because he only owned a muddy welcome mat.
The television even looked expensive and new. It was mounted to a wall, and below it, the shelves held the cable box, several more colorful books, and a candle in a sleek black container. He wondered what Tyler liked to read. Julien didn’t read much, but he imagined someone like Tyler had some heavy books on his shelves, something about philosophy or history. He couldn’t make out the titles.
“I guess we should get started on a scenario about how we met. I figure it can be simple. Maybe Cameron introduced us at one of his gigs, and then we don’t have to lie too much,” Tyler said, drawing Julien’s attention from the room.
Julien raised his eyebrows. “Can I have my money first?”. He wouldn’t dance until someone paid him. No matter how cute that someone looked in purple socks and glasses .
“Right.” Tyler scrambled to the kitchen. He opened a cabinet and pulled a cash envelope from the bank before bringing it over. He offered it to Julien. “One half. All yours.”
Julien took it and pulled the money out to count it. He didn’t like to think Tyler would hustle him, but it made him feel better, to be sure. He didn’t want to get scammed.
He tucked the envelope with all the cash into his pocket. “Right. Cameron introduced us. Then what? I showed you the time of your life, and you fell desperately in love with me.”
Tyler’s cheeks went pink, and satisfaction curled in Julien’s stomach. “I mean, I thought maybe you took me out on a date, and we had a nice time, and we kept seeing each other. I think it’s best to play it off as new because we’ll definitely have some slip-ups on things we don’t know about each other.”
Julien shrugged. “Fine by me.” He followed Tyler over to the couch and sat. The cushions nearly ate him. They were fluffy and soft. The best part of it was he couldn’t feel a single spring poking his ass.
“Cam said you work at an auto body shop?” Tyler shifted to face him from the other side of the sofa.
“Yeah, I’m a mechanic,” Julien replied. “What about you?”
Tyler grimaced. “I’m an accountant, well I work for an accounting firm, but I’m still finishing my Master’s. Do you think we could say you work for a car dealership?” he suggested quickly.
Julien squinted. “What? Being a mechanic isn’t good enough?” he asked. A bad taste formed in his mouth. The guy was rich and a snob. What a fucking cliché. Julien was good at his job. He had worked hard to be independent. Maybe he wasn’t an accountant, but he did alright, outstanding debt aside.
“Oh, I mean, I think it’s fine.” Tyler held his hands up. “But my parents are so weird about that shit.” He laughed but seemed uncomfortable as he picked up the laptop from the coffee table. “Did you go to college? Just curious.”
This would be a nightmare. As a rule, Julien didn’t have boyfriends, close friends, or anything. His life was too complicated. He couldn’t imagine actually occupying the same space with someone for any amount of time past a quick fuck. Already, the feeling of not being good enough infiltrated his mind. “Couldn’t afford it,” he said, unable to mask the bitterness in his tone.
Tyler nodded and started to type rapidly. His slender fingers flew over the keyboard. “Right, okay. Maybe we say your father owns the car dealership, and you did some business school but ended up taking over from him because the stress was starting to take its toll on his health?”
“Are you writing notes?” Julien leaned over to see the laptop screen.
There were a bazillion tabs open on the browser. Ty had a spreadsheet up to input information into it.
“Yeeees,” Tyler drawled. He pushed his glasses up again as he leaned away. Julien caught a whiff of what smelled like citrus and something else he couldn’t put his finger on, maybe pine? “Only so we can keep the story straight. How old are you?” he asked.
“Twenty-eight. It would be easier if we kept things closer to the truth. I’m not an actor. I don’t look like some car dealership owner.” Julien gestured to his outfit, which consisted of a T-shirt, stained jeans, and worn-out socks .
Tyler looked at him for a long moment, sucking his pink bottom lip into his mouth and biting it. “No. Not dressed that way.” His brow wrinkled, then he shook his head. “I promise it’ll be fine. You know about cars, right? Just talk about them. I can order you a few things to wear. We’ll have to cover up your tattoos with long sleeves anyway. My mom hates tattoos.”
Julien ran a hand through his hair and leaned back on the couch. He had a full sleeve and a half, plus a piece on his thigh, back, and chest, and hadn’t gotten them to cover them up. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” he said, but the money burned a hole through his pocket and seared his skin.
He could handle this. He had to. Tyler seemed as though he had a lot planned for what should have been an easy job, but at least he was cute. Julien had to play along for money and his freedom. He didn’t know if another opportunity would fall into his lap like this.
Tyler put his laptop down and spun on the couch to face him again. “I promise I will make this as painless as possible. My family isn’t the worst, and I’ll pay for everything. Your plane tickets, the clothes. Everything. I can’t spend another Christmas as the loser who doesn’t have anyone to share it with,” he said so fucking earnestly. Julien almost felt bad for him.
“You have your whole family to share it with,” he pointed out, and Tyler's shoulders slumped.
“Everyone in my family has a partner. My sister just got engaged over Thanksgiving. It was mortifying. Everyone’s going to be all lovey-dovey, and I’ll be stuck at the kids’ table… again .“ He shook his head. “I know it sounds stupid, but I just want to have someone to talk to all night besides literal children.”
Julien got the sense this wasn’t really about his family. Tyler did this because he wanted a boyfriend to share the holidays with. Julien cringed inwardly, not because he didn’t understand the sentiment, but because he couldn’t imagine what would have driven Tyler to hire him instead of finding a real relationship. “It does sound stupid.” He tried not to let the sag in Tyler’s posture affect him. “But fine. Tell me what to do. I don’t care as long as I get my money on Christmas.” Then he would be out of there.
Tyler smiled, and Julien saw the relief paint across his angular features. “Right, good. So, aside from the job and the clothes, just be yourself. Like you said, it’ll be easier to stick as close to the truth as possible.” He picked up the laptop again. “You’re good to leave on the fourteenth?”
Julien had texted Tyler to ask him what days he was needed earlier. It had taken a lot of convincing, but he had never taken a day off in all the years he worked at the shop. His boss finally agreed to give him the time off. Unpaid. But he would be getting all the money he needed from Tyler, so he let that slide. “Yeah. That works.”
Tyler nodded and set about buying a plane ticket to Hartford as if it didn’t cost a thing. Julien wasn’t sold on planes, but the dollar signs in his mind ensured he didn’t protest.
Tyler then went online and got all of Julien’s size info to buy him some nice jeans with no grease, a few pairs of khakis, several button-downs with long sleeves, and whatever other shirts he deemed worthy. “They should get here in time,” Tyler told him as he paid extra for express shipping.
Julien had no say in what Tyler bought, but at least he had asked his favorite colors. Julien didn’t know how any of the clothes would look on him, but at the end of the day, he’d show up to Christmas naked if it got him paid.
“Is there anything I should know about you or your family that a boyfriend would know?” Julien asked him once their digital shopping trip was finally over.
He had shifted closer to Tyler and leaned one elbow into the couch cushion, lounging beside the smaller man to see what he was doing on the laptop. It gave him a nice view of Tyler’s thigh, and he was close enough to smell that citrusy scent on him.
Tyler shrugged. “I’m doing my MBA at Carnegie Mellon and did my undergrad there, too. Umm, Cameron and I were roommates all four years of college. That’s how I know him. I think that’s it?”
Julien raised his eyebrows again and tapped the other man’s thigh. “Seriously, that’s all you would tell your boyfriend?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Tyler was exasperated and threw his hands up. “These things normally come out naturally. I don’t know what you should know.”
Julien shrugged and pushed himself into a seated position. “It’ll be fine, I guess. We’re saying it’s new anyway.” He didn’t know what someone should know about a significant other. He had a few flings in the past, but nothing serious, nothing more than a few dates.
Tyler nodded. “Good. Thanks for this. I know it’s a lot, but I really appreciate it.”
He appreciated it for five thousand dollars worth, apparently. “Just text me if you think of anything else.”
“Sounds good. I’ll let you know when those clothes come in, and you can come over to try them on and make sure they fit.”
Julien stood. He patted his pocket again to check that the envelope hadn’t fallen out and put on his jacket and boots. “See ya.”
“Wait, before you go.” Tyler had sprung up from the couch and disappeared into the bedroom. “I have the ticket confirmation and a basic itinerary. Plus, I printed out the notes we took, so you won’t forget them.”
When Tyler emerged from the bedroom, he held out a small stack of papers and handed them to Jules. The pages were still warm from the printer. The top page had the flight information. When Jules flipped the page over, a detailed schedule of events and locations was provided.
Is he for real?
“You could have just texted me all of this,” Julien pointed out.
Tyler narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. I’ve seen the way you treat your phone. I’m not taking any risks.”
Even if Julien had wanted to protest, his cracked phone was proof enough that he couldn’t have nice things. Julien folded the crisp papers and shoved them into the pocket next to the cash envelope.
Once he’d pulled his boots on, Julien patted Ty’s arm and stepped back out of the apartment. This would be okay. Or it would blow up in his face. He would do whatever he could to uphold his end of the bargain and get himself out of the mess he had gotten into ten years ago.