Page 66 of Playboy For Hire

I brushed a kiss across his lips, then wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close, cuddling him to my chest. I buried my face against his neck, grateful he couldn’t see me right then, couldn’t see how much he’d undone me.

Casual, I reminded myself.You’re keeping it casual.

I just had to remember that.

12

QUINN

“And then I get there, and the guy is like a full seven years younger than I am. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he was hot, but I was looking for adaddy, you know? Not a twenty-five-year-old twink.” Jae-won gave me a disgusted look, then took another sip of his margarita. “Did he think I wasn’t going to notice the suspicious smoothness of his skin? The sprightliness of his joints? The utter lack of world-weariness in his eyes?”

I laughed. “I don’t know, you have pretty world-weary eyes sometimes and you’re only thirty.”

Jae-won and I had met in law school and reconnected when we both ended up working in DC. Jae was a corporate litigator though, and his life was way more stressful than mine. He routinely cancelled on hangouts, so I was kind of amazed he’d kept this one.

We were sitting in slingback lawn chairs on a fake beach at Tiki Tom’s on the southwest waterfront. A group of drunk college kids were attempting to play volleyball with a beach ball next to us, and a pack of women were doing tequila shots at the bar.It wasn’t really my scene, but the frozen margaritas were good, even if they were overpriced.

Jae-won made a face. “That’s because trying to make partner puts you on an accelerated daddy track. By the time I’m thirty-five, I’m going to look like Ian McKellan.”

“Then you’ll have twenty-somethings trying to fuckyou.”

“I know. And all the forty-five-year-olds aren’t going to be interested. It’s tragic.” He shook his head. “Anyway, enough about my love life. Tell me about yours.”

“Nothing new going on there,” I said, but my response was a hair too quick, and Jae gave me a level look.”

“Nuh-uh. I know you’re lying. Out with it.”

“I’m not lying. You saidlovelife. And I’m not in a relationship or anything…”

“Which suggests that you’re having hot, no-strings-attached sex instead?” Jae said, giving me a hopeful grin.

I rolled my eyes. “Not quite. Honestly, I don’t even know what to call it, and the whole thing is so embarrassing.”

“I got catfished by a twenty-five-year-old,” Jae said. “It doesn’t get worse than that.”

I winced. Ryder was even younger. And that wasn’t the worst part.

“It does if you have to pay for someone else to be your date.”

Jae-won’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god, you used an escort?”

“Not an escort,” I said, remembering how Ryder had bristled at the term. “Just a fake boyfriend.”

“Oh,justthat?” Jae laughed. “Come on, tell me everything.”

So I did. I told him about my grandparents’ anniversary and Ryder crashing my date and the night the two of us first hooked up.

“Wait, I thought you said he wasn’t an escort,” Jae broke in.

“He’s not. I didn’t pay him for that. It just…happened.”

“I thought you said he was straight.”

“I thought he was. But apparently not.”

Jae’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure hookups don’t just ‘happen’ with any of his other clients? What if he’s grooming you to make you pay for sex later? Or steal your identity? Or maybe he’s a secret cop?”

“Okay, calm down. None of those things are true. Ryder’s a genuinely good guy. Only…” I trailed off.

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