“It sets a dangerous precedent, Ryder.”
“How?”
“There’ll be an expectation that you’ll do this for other cute young red-headed guys.”
“How did you... You looked him up, didn’t you?”
“I take my job seriously, Ryder. Do you know he follows all your social media accounts and likes all your content?”
That gave Ryder a warm feeling all over. Felix was following him online and liking what he was putting out there.
“Look, Ryder, it’s clear by the look on your face that you want to fuck him. Can’t you just do that without wasting your talent on something like this?”
“I love the concept of what he’s doing.”
“It’s a brilliant concept, but do it for someone with a name, so it’s mutually beneficial. The only person benefitting from this deal would be him. You know he’s just passed ten thousand followers?”
“And?”
“The threshold for monetization.”
“So?”
“He’s clearly using you to boost his own mediocre platform.”
Ryder was getting frustrated. Fiona’s arguments were all valid, but he wanted to do this for Felix. There was something about him that made Ryder want to help him. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something about the sexy young man that appealed to him, and not just the thought of fucking him.
“I’m doing it. End of discussion.”
“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. “While you’re here, we need to talk about something else.”
“Okay. Should I be worried?”
“Worried? No. Concerned? Yes. Our research shows the whole ‘fuckboy’ persona is becoming stale. Fans want to see you in a relationship. Out on dates. Posting mushy shit with heart emojis and all that.”
“I don’t want a relationship.”
“I know, but perhaps you could just date someone for a month then break up. Then have another one. We can play the whole ‘unlucky in love’ angle with it. It’ll give us more sponsorship opportunities, outside fitness.”
“Fitness is what I do.”
“And fucking, of course. Now we need some romance. I have some people in mind who would be up for a ‘fake romance’ for a while, but could also satisfy your needs while it’s going on. I know you can’t keep it in your trousers, so this way, at least you’ll be getting some.”
“Can I think about it?”
“Of course. It’s for January anyway. The whole ‘new me, new love’ thing. I also think dating a guy would have more appeal. Your gay fans will love it, and women love nothing better than thinking about two hot guys fucking.”
Ryder wasn’t sure what to say to that. He just hoped Fiona was generalizing. He didn’t want to think about his sisters having that fantasy. They wrapped things up, and Ryder left. He needed to get ready to meet with Felix. They’d agreed to do the shoot at Ryder’s apartment because he had more space and light to work with and Felix wanted to capture his subjects in their own environment. Ryder kept playing over what Fiona had said to him. A relationship? Even a fake one filled him with dread. His parents had been very happy together, so it’s not like Ryder didn’t have an example of how it could be perfect, but it just didn’t appeal to him. The pain of the past was still present. Hopefully Fiona would have forgotten about the whole idea by January.
Ryder was feeling nervous, which was a new one for him. He never felt nervous about anything. He also didn’t clean. Mrs. Hargreaves did that for him, and she did a wonderful job, but Ryder had spent the last hour making sure his apartmentlooked immaculate. Why, he wasn’t sure. This was a photo shoot and interview, not a date, but there was something about Felix that got under his skin.
His heart rate sped up when the buzzer sounded. He confirmed it was Felix and gave him instructions to get to his apartment, then he paced around until there was a knock on the door. Within three seconds he’d opened it, a surprised-looking Felix on the other side.
“Hello, cutie. Come in. Can I get you a drink?”
“Er . . . hello. I’ll just have water, thanks,”
Once Felix was inside, Ryder closed the door and walked towards his open-plan living space. He had a hallway, which the bedrooms were off, and then it opened up into the living area. It was a tremendous appeal when he’d bought the place, as he didn’t like the front door opening right into his living space. He could sense Felix following him, so kept walking towards the refrigerator and took out two bottles of water. Ryder could do with something stronger, but it was a bit early, and he wanted Felix to be comfortable.
