Isaac #2
“I’m not being an ass,” Clay said with just enough indignation that I believed him.
“He’s not,” I agreed, ignoring the way Clay shot me a surprised look because I was backing him up. “Most people think all an escort does is sleep with people for money. And I won’t pretend that doesn’t play a part in what I did, because it did, but if that was all I did, I’d just be a prostitute.”
“So, what’s the difference?” Clay asked, and I could see the moment he shifted from being genuine to being, well, him. “I mean, I hope you were still good at the sex part. It would be kind of disappointing if you weren’t when that’s part of what you were getting paid for, right?”
“With charm like yours, I’m shocked you don’t have people crawling over each other to sleep with you,” I said dryly, noting a flash of shame cross his face before he went back to eating.
“Regarding your actual question, I’ll just say that if people want to get laid, they go to the bar or they get a hooker.
What people paid me for was a lot more than sex; it was companionship, company, the idea that they could have someone all to themselves who fulfills all their needs. ..and some they aren’t even aware of.”
“People like their fantasies,” Clay said thoughtfully. “So, you’d what, try to figure out what someone wanted and then give that to them?”
I nodded. “That’s where trying to figure people out around me comes into play.
It certainly helps if someone tells me what they want, but even then, it’s important to read between the lines and pick up on the little things.
People are notoriously bad at knowing what they really want, so I learned over time how to figure out the full picture. ”
Cade squinted at me. “So, you’ve been tryin’ to figure out what we would need?”
I laughed. “Not really. I’ve always been decent at reading people, but when I started in the escort business, I realized early on I was going to get better clients, return clients at that, if I gave them the perfect illusion, or as close as I could get.
I started by just paying attention to people, getting to know them in different ways, and learning what they wanted.
It was a game for me, and eventually I got so good at it I was able to do it for work. ”
“Huh,” Cade grunted. “But you could still figure out what some of us want?”
I thought about it before shrugging. “It’s still a guessing game, an educated guessing game, but guessing all the same. I can’t promise anything.”
Cade grinned. “That’s alright, I just wanna know what you’d think about us is all.”
Clay eyed him. “Thinking of hiring him there, big guy? Didn’t think you were going to switch on me like that.”
Cade rolled his eyes. “I’m curious, like...my head, not my dick.”
“Shame,” Clay said with a smirk, popping a stray piece of pork into his mouth. “I bet you could rock someone’s world.”
“He probably would,” I said, laughing when Cade and Clay gave me an almost identical look of pure shock.
“Cade is obviously a sweetheart, and he pays attention to people a lot more than they think. For him...playful and lighthearted; someone who can hold their own in conversation but still makes him feel like he’s helping or protecting.
He wants an equal, but he also wants to feel like he’s playing an important part in someone’s life.
And although private things are always harder to gauge, I suspect he’s slow to warm up, but otherwise he’s a passionate but attentive lover.
He would benefit from someone who’s not afraid to guide him in the beginning, but is willing to let him take control once he’s warmed up, and he’d definitely love someone who’d express in the most direct way that what he’s doing is working. ..or not.”
“Holy shit,” Clay said, staring at me with wide eyes. “That—”
Cade slapped the table with a meaty hand and gave a guffaw that made me jump. “Well, I’ll be damned! Ain’t that somethin’!”
“They’re sharing the same brain cell on this one,” Luka said with a chuckle. “So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess you were spot on.”
“Got the accuracy of a sniper,” Cade said with a snicker. “Damn, you happen to know any ladies that could fit that bill? You could be a matchmaker.”
“Even I have to admit it sounded almost perfect for him,” Luka said with a little smile.
Clay pointed at Luka. “Do him next!”
“Really?” Luka asked with a scowl. “He’s not a fortune teller.”
“Fortune tellers are scam artists; so far, he’s a lot better than some weirdo waving crystals around incense and fucking with a deck of cards with pretty pictures on them,” Clay said excitedly. “C’mon.”
“Fine,” I said with a laugh, tickled by his enthusiasm and caught up in it because it was making him forget his playboy mentality for a moment. “Luka....hmmm.”
“Okay, how were you so quick with Cade, but you’re having to think for me?” Luka asked with a weary sigh. “You know me better than either of them.”
“I have to put all the pieces together in my head,” I said, tapping the table and nodding.
“For companionship? You need someone who operates strictly at the same level as you; there can’t be any power plays or imbalances whatsoever.
You need to feel completely equal; you wouldn’t want to feel like you had more power.
You’d like someone who isn’t judgmental or harsh; you need someone who can at least bite their tongue, if not have compassion to the same degree you do.
You also enjoy someone who’d test you, push you, and focus you.
Sexually? More or less the same, but you’re definitely a bottom, and you probably love a forceful but not rough top. ”
“Wow,” Clay said with a laugh as Luka stared at me. “Straight up called him out.”
“Oh, right, top,” I added, pointing toward Cade, and then moved my finger toward Clay. “Versatile, but top leaning.”
“That one kinda feels like cheatin’,” Cade said with a chuckle. “With how he acts.”
“There are plenty of bossy or aggressive bottoms, let me tell you,” I chuckled.
“So, how did he do?” Clay asked Luka, who glared at him.
“I didn’t need to get called out like that, but yeah, he did good,” Luka said with a sigh.
“And get that look off your face, Clay. I’m not going to talk about whether it's accurate for someone I’m dating because I know better than to confirm I’m dating someone.
After all, you’re all a bunch of gossips. ”
“Definitely datin’ someone,” Cade said, making Luka sigh and Clay laugh.
“Alright, me now,” Clay said, wiggling in his seat.
I stared at him for a moment before grimacing. “You’re not going to like what I have to say.”
“Oh, it can’t be any worse than the shrinks around here say,” Clay said, but if he thought I missed the uncertainty that flashed over his face, then he was crazy.
“You like it when people give you a hard time, and don’t make that a cheap joke,” I said, and he closed his mouth. “Sexually, you crave someone willing to sleep with you and who looks good.”
“Wow!” Clay said with a shake of his head. “Bitch.”
I smiled. “I’m kidding. You will sleep with someone just because they’re good-looking and willing, but really, you want a partner as enthusiastic as you are.
I suspect that you’re vanilla deep down.
Still, you’re more than comfortable with someone’s kinks or interests so long as they don’t get into territory that grosses you out or makes you uncomfortable.
I also suspect that despite your obvious search for multiple sex partners, you prefer to return to people you’ve gotten along with in the past and have already slept with rather than constantly going after someone new.
And I don’t know if it’s because you’re kinder than you let on, or for the sake of your ego, but either way, you’d definitely get off on pleasuring your partner, more than you worry about your own pleasure. ”
“Huh, I dunno if that’s right, but it does kinda sound like ’em,” Cade said thoughtfully, looking at Clay, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression. “What do ya think, Clay?”
Clay stared at me for a few more seconds before his expression cleared and the cocky smirk he wore so well slipped back into place. “Definitely could charge people for that, far more accurate than any psychic...and more honest too.”
“And it wasn’t nearly as bad as he made it out to be,” Luka said with a laugh. “I thought he was going to be brutal. Not sure how I feel about you liking it when people give you a hard time, though, since Cade and me give you shit all the time.”
“That’s different,” I said, and noticed the way Clay peered at me.
“What makes you say that?” Clay asked in a light voice I didn’t trust for a moment. Something was going on in that head of his, and I hadn’t figured out what it was yet.
“Cade gives you shit because he’s your friend and that’s how he shows you affection, just like you intentionally say things you know will make him roll his eyes,” I said, grinning when Cade chuckled in agreement.
“Which is kind of cute because you both clearly care about each other a great deal, but you choose to be a shit rather than show it, and Cade would rather give you hell than show it outwardly.”
“Damn,” Luka choked into his glass of juice. “Going for the throat?”
“And Luka,” I said, ignoring him to finish my explanation.
“Luka shoots you down in a way you know means he wouldn’t come near your naked body unless he had to save your life.
You think it’s funny to get a rise out of him, but let’s be honest, with how fussy he can be about your sexual innuendos, that’s like shooting fish in a barrel with a shotgun. ”
“My throat now?” Luka asked in outrage.