Epilogue
. . .
Nikky Smith walked past the entrance to the towering office building housing Rent-A-Boyfriend’s flagship office at least half a dozen times before finally making the decision to go inside.
Two steps toward the spreading glass doors and he turned around and walked back to the sunshine of the street on the other side of the road.
“Why is this so hard?” he whispered to himself, pulling up the collar of his jacket.
It was the same ratty canvas jacket he’d had for years, since long before he’d stumbled into international superstardom, thanks to Cooked and a well-timed album release.
He’d bought it in a thrift store back in the day when he’d had to take on extra shifts at the restaurant where he waited tables in order to make rent.
Maybe it was just superstition, but he’d developed a belief that people couldn’t recognize him as long as he was wearing the jacket.
The sunglasses and hair product that slicked down his trademark curls helped with that, too.
Superstardom wasn’t what he’d thought it would be. Everyone dreamed of making it big, of having all the money and attention. People dreamed of fame and legions of fans. God only knew that his good friend, Drew, had soaked it all up.
Well, until the frantic attention had smacked headfirst into his personal life.
It’d been two months since Drew and Lee had posted their video coming out.
Drew coming out as bi and the two of them coming out with the entire story about how their relationship had been fake at first, thanks to Rent-A-Boyfriend, then how it had turned very real.
The world had screamed. Social media had gotten so bad that even Nikky closed his accounts down.
People kept asking for his opinion, and when he’d told them Drew was for real and he and Lee were perfect together, he’d been accused of everything from lying to having an affair with Drew during the filming of Cooked, which wasn’t a new rumor, actually, to being straight himself.
Anyone who bothered to scratch the surface of the past ten years of his life would know he was definitely gay. He had the ex-boyfriends, old pictures of him being lewd that had made the social media rounds when Cooked blew up, and lyrics from the songs he’d released since then as proof.
Drew and Lee had come out of the whole shitstorm on top, though.
Filming for Drew’s new show had wrapped, and even though he’d lost the big movie deal with Simon Underhill, about a million other offers had come sailing in.
Last time Nikky spoke to Drew, the man’s filming and endorsement schedule was full enough to keep him busy for years.
Once the smoke of the scandal cleared, Drew had come out more famous than ever, and the world loved Lee, too.
They were currently in L.A., as far as Nikky knew.
Lee had accompanied Drew back to the States while he fulfilled a few previous commitments.
Nikky had run into them there about a month ago.
They’d hung out and had a great time. Lee really was cool, and Nikky had the feeling the two of them were endgame.
It helped that Lee’s life and schedule were flexible enough that he could accompany Drew on shoots.
Drew was also interested in more projects that would help him spend as much time as possible in London, too.
All of it had happened because of Rent-A-Boyfriend. Drew had made that clear, and Nikky had taken notes.
He’d been investigating Rent-A-Boyfriend for ages.
Not just to gauge whether they could help with the plan he’d been forming.
Despite being something of a talent agency designed to pair people up for events and things where they needed a companion or fake boyfriend, the company was gaining a reputation as a matchmaking agency.
Unofficially.
If there was one thing Nikky had always longed for but had never, ever had, not even as a child, it was love.
“You can do this,” Nikky whispered to himself, restless and annoyed with himself for dragging his feet. It was long past time he got over his insecurities and acted on the idea that had been buzzing in the back of his brain for the last few months.
Traffic cleared, opening his way across the street. He took that as a sign and propelled himself forward again. He could do this. It wasn’t a deception, like Drew’s original idea had been. It was a genuine means of taking a big step in his career, and if he was lucky, his life.
He made it through the huge glass doors and into the lobby of the office building.
The inside contained a food court on one side, lifts straight ahead, and Rent-A-Boyfriend’s office on the other side.
It seemed like fate that the only person in the office was a young, attractive guy sitting behind the reception desk.
Nikky felt marginally better once he was inside that office, standing in front of the desk.
“Welcome to Rent-A-Boyfriend,” the young man said, treating him to a winning smile. “I’m Michael, and—holy fuck, you’re Nikky Smith.”
Heat infused Nikky’s cheeks. “Hi. Yes, I am,” he said. His old friend, anxiety started to tighten like a Gordian knot in his gut.
He would have turned and run if Michael hadn’t said, “How can I help you, Mr. Smith?” his smile as big as the moon.
“Well,” Nikky started, then had to clear his throat, which was closing up on him. “I need a boyfriend. A fake boyfriend,” he clarified quickly. “Someone older than me and preferably in the music industry.”
“I see,” Michael said, taking him seriously.
“I need someone who can completely compromise me in public and end my career.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed Drew and Lee’s story!
It was so much fun writing a character who is a romance novelist!
It’s definitely something I know a lot about, and I was able to slip a few things from my own experience into Lee’s character.
And I love writing about actors! I think we can all think of a couple of young actors who have had experiences similar to Drew’s who are out there right now.
They’re definitely where I got my inspiration.
But what about Nikky? Is he serious when he says he wants to undermine the career he’s worked so hard for?
Fame certainly isn’t what he thought it would be.
Can older musician and one-hit wonder from yesteryear, Harry, give him exactly what he’s looking for in terms of a career wrecking ball, or will Harry have a chance to rekindle his own musical ambitions while renewing and supporting Nikky’s?
Find out next in Not Your Golden Boy, book three in the Rent-A-Boyfriend series!