Like a Lover Read Online Free PDF Page A

They’d started
their relationship as escort and client. It was better to keep things simple.
    “No, sorry.
But I don’t date. It’s easier that way.”
    Rupert didn’t
seem surprised by Josh’s answer. “Well, if you change your mind, I’m free most
nights this week. Otherwise I’ll see you Saturday.”
    “Okay. I’ll
text you. I have to go.”
    “Don’t want
to keep him waiting, huh?”
    And the
jealous edge to Rupert’s tone was exactly why Josh knew he’d made the right
decision. He could handle possessive clients, but the last thing he needed was
a possessive boyfriend. That would make his life way too complicated.
    “Yep. Bye,
Rupert.”
    “Bye. Oh,
and Josh?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Be
careful.”
    “I always
am.”
    Josh ended
the call, not sure whether to feel irritated or touched by Rupert’s concern.
     
     
    With a
sigh, Rupert put his phone down on the black leather arm of his sofa and ran a
hand through his hair.
    He hadn’t
expected Josh to agree to go on a date with him, but he could tell Josh had at
least considered it. Rupert took that as a good sign. But mainly he was glad he
was going to see Josh again, even if he had to pay for it. He’d been thinking
about Josh all day. Perhaps another fuck would get Josh out of his system?
    He
considered going out for a drink, maybe even going out to a club and trying to
pull, or getting online for another attempt at hooking up after his failure the
night before—although it had worked out in his favour in the end, of
course. It might be a good thing to remind himself that he could get sex
without paying for it, but Rupert hated trying to pick up strangers. A natural
introvert, the whole going out and charming people thing didn’t come naturally
to him. Also, the imprint of Josh still lingered in his memory. Rupert didn’t
think it would be easy to find someone who could erase that. He wasn’t sure
what it was about Josh that was so alluring. Was it a previously undiscovered
kink for literally buying someone’s body for a few hours, or was it more about
Josh himself?
    Sighing,
Rupert reached for his laptop where it lay on the coffee table.
    He groaned
when he saw another email from his mother with “Wedding” in the subject line.
The woman was relentless. She’d talked his ear off about her wedding plans last
night, surely there couldn’t be much else to say?
    He started
to read, and his blood pressure rose as he stared in disbelief at the words. He
went back and reread. She couldn’t seriously be suggesting….
    She was.
    “For fuck’s
sake!”
    He
considered his options. It wasn’t as though he had a significant male other he
wanted to bring. He’d been single for over a year now and wasn’t going to take
some random bloke to his mother’s wedding. But was he really prepared to let
his mother shove him back in the closet just to keep the peace with his
homophobic soon-to-be stepfather?
    Rupert had
come out to his closest friends and family when he was sixteen. His mother had
been outwardly accepting at the time, but mostly because of his dad’s
influence. Old sorrow tugged at Rupert’s chest as he remembered how his dad had
hugged him after Rupert got the words out. He’d told him he was proud of him
and that he loved him. Then a few short months later, he was gone, taken from
them in a waterskiing accident while on holiday in Cyprus.
    Rupert had
never explicitly told his mother’s new partner, Charles, that he was gay. He
assumed his mother must have told him, but it wasn’t something that had ever
come up in conversation on the few occasions he’d met Charles.
    It’s only one day. Maybe it’s worth it for a
quiet life .
    He picked
up his phone again, pulled up Georgina’s number, and hit Call.
    She
answered after a few rings. “Hi, Rupert.”
    Her
clipped, public school voice always sounded so much more precise on the phone
than in person.
    “Hi, how’s
things?”
    “Same old,
same old. Too much work and not enough hours