BEAUTIFUL
LIAR
Lexie Davis
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Noah
Reese sipped at his drink while he waited for the man who had rented him for
the night. After the third drink, he realized Mr. Rich and Wonderful was a
no-show. Huffing a breath, he glanced around the room. It wasn’t his normal
scene to attend an art gala and mingle with some of the wealthiest people in
New York City, but part of his job as an escort demanded his participation.
The
charity art gala proved to be a boring event. He’d resigned himself with the
idea of a dull night with mediocre sex, though, even that didn’t seem to be in
the books for him anymore. He stood from his table and decided to leave before
he became too drunk and they kicked him out for not being wealthy enough to
attend. Hell, that or have him arrested. He’d been in both situations before and
neither had been pleasant.
Soft
music played in the background while several people looked at some of the
ugliest artwork he’d ever seen. Even though he hated catering to the rich, they
paid the best money for a night’s effort and work. He’d actually developed a
client list that requested him by name from his agency to go to these boring
social functions. It was something he’d come to live with considering his
occupation, but being stood up really sucked.
A
waste of time and a waste of effort.
He
made his way through the room and paused to study a grotesquely erotic piece of art.
Not only were the man’s balls bound with rope, but he was hung up by them in a
weird version of erotic pain. Noah cringed thinking about it.
“The
artist is insanely talented if not a bit kinky as well.”
Noah
tilted his head to the side, staring at the piece. “I don’t know. Bondage is
one thing, but hanging a man up by his balls is another.”
The
other man laughed. “You don’t like it rough?”
Noah
finally glanced over to his side. The man who stood next to him appeared like
he belonged at one of the fancy parties. Larger than life, everything about him
was proper and in place. The dark hair and even darker eyes went well with his
dark grey, almost black, suit and lavender shirt. He matched the attire with a
paisley-printed tie with stripes of plum and lavender swirled into it. Noah
tried to pull his attention back to the painting, but he lifted his gaze to the
man before him. Some kind of magnetism kept him from looking away from the depths
of those dark green eyes.
“I’m
pretty certain I wouldn’t let anyone hang me from the ceiling by my balls. It
doesn’t really matter how good the sex is.”
Mr.
Sexy smiled. “I’m Tanner Lachlan. What’s your name?”
“Noah.”
Being polite, Noah stuck out his hand. “I was someone’s plus one here, but they
stood me up. I figured it was time for me to leave before they kicked me out
for not being able to afford the damn thousand dollar lobster they were serving
earlier. I’m all for giving to charity, but I don’t have that kind of money.”
Tanner
glanced at the Rolex that wrapped around his wrist. “I don’t have a plus one.
I’m fairly certain that if you’re inclined to stay, nobody here would mind. If
they do, you can simply say you’re with me.”
Noah’s
stomach took the opportunity to growl like a jungle cat. “I appreciate it, but
these things are boring and I don’t have the thousand dollars to spend on the
lobster.”
Tanner
smiled and perfect, white teeth shined back at Noah. “I’ll pay for the food.
And if you need entertainment, I’d be happy to keep you company as well. I’m
done schmoozing this crowd for the night.”
Tanner
led them back to the table and sat down to order a wine that cost more money
than he’d ever seen in person. Noah licked his lips.
“So,
who stood you up?” Tanner asked.
Noah
glanced around. He wasn’t accustomed to giving out clients’ names, but people
normally didn’t ask. They usually ignored him if they didn’t try to hit on
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