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He grabbed Alex and pulled him into his side as he sat back on the sofa. It felt good to hold someone close, it had been too long, his last encounters had been more about getting off than getting comfy.
“Dorian,” Alex warned as he tried to move away.
But Dorian wouldn’t let him. “Lighten up, Alex. If people see us like this they can envisage us watching TV curled up at home, it’ll give a much better impression than me shoving my tongue down your throat.”
“Your tongue is not going near me.”
Dorian couldn’t resist, he stuck out his tongue and waggled it at Alex who bit his lip and swallowed. Perhaps he wasn’t so impervious to his charms after all. “I’ve been told I have a very talented tongue.”
“Have you now?” Alex said, in almost a squeak.
He leant closer, knowing he shouldn’t tease but he couldn’t resist. “How do you think I get all those roles? It was my amazing oral talent. I’ve never fluffed a line.”
Alex shoved him away. “You’re a sod.”
“But you love me anyway.”
He was sure Alex was going to say something derogatory but the hostess appeared with their drink, a goldfish bowl monstrosity with two straws.
“There you go, gentleman.” She set it down in front of them. “I know I shouldn’t say anything, but you two make the cutest couple.”
Dorian slung his arm around Alex’s shoulders. “I’m a very lucky man.”
* * *
Dorian’s London crash pad was bigger than most of the places Alex had lived in even though Dorian had referred to it as bijou. Alex had slept in a massive bed that had been so comfortable he hadn’t felt as well-rested in years. Even the shower in the ensuite was amazing, and with the sort of expensive toiletries his old boss would have given as Christmas presents to the spouses of his exec team.
He entered the kitchen, which was probably not used very often, but he’d had it stocked with some groceries by the concierge service that came with the place after they’d finalised the details of the date. Following a bit of hunt through the cupboards, he found what he needed for a breakfast of toast and coffee. With no sign of Dorian emerging, Alex decided to take advantage of the sunny morning and sit on the balcony—if he could call it a balcony—it was more like a courtyard garden with views over Westminster.
This was not his life, he was just borrowing it for a while, and although he thought it would be easy enough to get used to, he was only pretending to be Dorian’s boyfriend and shouldn’t risk getting too attached to the lifestyle, or the man himself.
He scrolled through his phone wondering if anything about their date had hit the internet yet. Sure enough, there were headlines on the gossip sites, a blurry picture or two of them in the bar, and one of them walking to the car. He did look good in the photos and they made an attractive couple. With no one having identified him, Alex was being cast as Dorian’s new mystery man and, depending on the site, Dorian was either a lucky dog to have ensnared a younger man, or the potential victim of a gold digger. People were awful. At least this wouldn’t last for long and he’d be able to get back to his ordinary life keeping sleep-deprived earls from missing their appointments.
His phone vibrated showing his mum calling. It wasn’t even ten a.m. yet and she wasn’t the type to call before lunch.
“Mum?” he answered. “Is there anything wrong? Is everything moving along with the house?”
“Alex, why didn’t you tell me you had a new boyfriend?”
He’d hoped his parents wouldn’t find out, and if they did it would be much later. His mum didn’t read gossip websites covering the dating habits of movie stars, or trashy magazines, and they didn’t watch much telly. He doubted she’d even know who Dorian was.
His first thought was to deny it but she’d only get annoyed that he’d lied to her. He wouldn’t tell her the whole truth though. “It’s still early days—we’ve only had two dates, I didn’t want to jinx it.”
“I’m glad you’re dating again. It’s been a while and I was beginning to worry. Maybe this one you’ll let me meet.”
No chancewas his immediate thought, but he managed not to verbalise it.
She had also tried to set him up with several guys, most of them artists, and the one he’d agreed to see had been an egotistical knob. However, the biggest question was how she had found out. “I’ve not told anyone yet so how did you know?”
“Mary just called me, said her daughter Judith was around first thing dropping off the grandkids for the day and she’d seen your picture on a website she followed and on various Instagram posts… apparently you’re dating a movie star.”
“Er… well…”
“I looked him up on the internet and there you were. Dorian Marsten and he’s only just come out as gay. You should have told me!”
“Sorry, Mum.” He hadn’t thought his mother’s network would have reacted so fast. “As I said it’s really new, and I’m the first guy he’s dated since coming out.
“How did you get to meet him? You don’t find movie stars in the local supermarket.”
