“What are you passionate about?”
“I’ve been really into the locking mechanisms of old Chinese puzzle boxes recently,” Jensen said, then immediately cringed. Every part of his body shut tight—hell, he could almost feel his balls recede into his body as he closed his eyes. That was not the correct answer, and he knew it with every fiber of his being. When a hot man asked about interests and passions, they were not asking about internet deep dives. Jensen should have said something sexy, not that he knew what classified as sexy. But he should not have responded with fuckingpuzzle boxes.
“I might have something you can unlock.”
The suggestion was whispered into his ear, Daniel now fully pressed against Jensen’s side. Much too loudly, air sucked into his lungs. With all the bravery inside his body, he opened his eyes and came face-to-face with Daniel. Icy blue eyes staredback at him, clearer than the sky outside. They were so close. So fucking close, and Jensen had to say something. Do something. It would only make it weirder if he didn’t respond.
“Oh no. I just …” He trailed off because he could not finish that sentence. God, he was hopeless. He knew Daniel was flirting with him. He wasn’t stupid. He knew the man was trying to start something up with him, but he was so out of Jensen’s league. He cleared his throat and tried again. “My name’s Jensen. I don’t think I told you that. Gosh, is it hot in here?” He tugged at his collar again.
“I was just about to say the same thing.” Daniel slid back on the seat, robbing Jensen of his presence, and stood. “How about we go back to your room?”
“I, uh, I’m …”
Daniel extended his hand with a bright smile and a tilt of his head that had hair falling onto his forehead. “Come on, Jensen, I want to hear about all the things you can unlock with those fingers.”
A sound escaped Jensen’s open mouth as his gaze traveled from the outstretched hand to the hair glittering in the warm overhead chandeliers.
Stained glass at sunrise.
This man was stained glass at sunrise inside this darkened bar in the middle of the polluted city.
Golden-blond locks. Soft blue eyes that shone so brightly from within. Pale skin glittering with highlights and a brushstroke of pink blush, not dissimilar to the opalescent white glass used by Jensen’s favorite artists. Lips tinted with a shade that couldn’t have been achieved in art until the more modern era. A nose and jawline and lines that were so perfect they must have been painstakingly soldered together after hours of measuring and cutting and sanding. So delicate-looking but with underlying masculine strength that could weather stormsand shield admirers from the outside world. And Daniel invitedJensento admire him.
There wasn’t a world where Jensen didn’t take his hand and stand from the table, nearly forgetting his notebook. He couldn’t even muster up embarrassment at his sweaty palms as their fingers locked together. Somehow, he’d entered a world where men that looked like Daniel wanted his company, and if the rules of reality didn’t apply, he wasn’t going to let something as banal as insecurity ruin this for him. He was sure he would ruin this eventually, but that was a bridge he’d cross when he got to it.
“What room are you in?” Daniel asked as they stepped out of the bar onto the herringbone flooring of the lobby.
“Two-oh-three,” he mumbled as he kept all his focus on putting one foot in front of the other so he didn’t trip and break his head open on the old wood floor.
Daniel didn’t need any further guidance from Jensen as he directed them past the garden mosaic that had made Jensen want to book the hotel in the first place and up the curved staircase that had solidified his decision. Together they ate up the wallpapered hallway on the second floor until they arrived at his door. Only then did Daniel let go of his hand and move to lean against the wall. It took Jensen more than a few beats of his frantic heart to realize that he needed to unlock his door if they wanted to go in. And he very much wanted to go into his room with Daniel.
After fumbling through his pockets, he pulled out the copper key and slotted it into the keyhole. He turned it one too many times and grimaced before managing to get the door open.
Daniel followed him into the room, catching his eye as he moved away from the door. The look he gave Jensen barely contained a sultry promise.
Giving himself a moment to breathe, Jensen turned his back on the beautiful man in his room to close the door tight andturn the lock. Daniel, however, didn’t give him any privacy. As soon as the lock engaged, arms wrapped around Jensen’s chest, smoothing over the fabric of his sweater and pulling him back into Daniel’s embrace.
“What are you hoping for, handsome? I like to get expectations out of the way before we begin,” Daniel said, his breath hot against Jensen’s ear.
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.
