“That’s actually really sweet,” Luka said, and Cade beamed. “In a weird, ball-busting way, but sweet all the same.”
It was easy to see why Cade and Clay got along so well; they balanced each other and played off of each other seamlessly. Clay might complain that the other man was giving him shit, but I’d bet that under his complaint, there was a genuine connection and an understanding that Cade was ribbing him. I hadn’t figured out what Clay brought to the table, but it was obviouslysomething, and I’d bet it was significant. As happy-go-lucky and warm as Cade was, I sensed there was a lot under the surface, maybe more than he knew. He was certainly loyal, though, and it wasn’t oftenI met people who were blindly loyal, so whatever it was Cade had done or said in the past was clearly enough to warrant loyalty.
“What?” Clay asked, sensing I was looking at them. “Changing your mind about me?”
“Changing my mind would require me to have something new to consider. So far, all you’ve done is be horny and act cocky,” I said with a smirk.
Cade snickered. “It’s okay, Clay. He’s just tryin’ to figure us out.”
“What’s there to figure out? He already seems to think he’s figured me out,” Clay scoffed.
I smiled. Yeah, there was definitely a lot more going on in that head than people thought. “It’s an old habit of mine; try to figure out what makes people tick.”
Clay tilted his head, a rice cake covered in sauce hanging from his fork. “Why? Weren’t you just...you know, sleeping with people?”
“Clay,” Luka said, jabbing his fork at him. “C’mon, there’s being horny, and there’s being an ass.”
“I’m not being an ass,” Clay said with just enough indignation that I believed him.
“He’s not,” I agreed, ignoring the way Clay shot me a surprised look because I was backing him up. “Most people think all an escort does is sleep with people for money. And I won’t pretend that doesn’t play a part in what I did, because it did, but if that was all I did, I’d just be a prostitute.”
“So, what’s the difference?” Clay asked, and I could see the moment he shifted from being genuine to being, well, him. “I mean, I hope you were still good at the sex part. It would be kind of disappointing if you weren’t when that’s part of what you were getting paid for, right?”
“With charm like yours, I’m shocked you don’t have people crawling over each other to sleep with you,” I said dryly, noting a flash of shame cross his face before he went back to eating. “Regarding youractualquestion, I’ll just say that if people want to get laid, they go to the bar or they get a hooker. What people paid me for was a lot more than sex; it was companionship, company, the idea that they could have someone all to themselves who fulfills all their needs...and some they aren’t even aware of.”
“People like their fantasies,” Clay said thoughtfully. “So, you’d what, try to figure out what someone wanted and then give that to them?”
I nodded. “That’s where trying to figure people out around me comes into play. It certainly helps if someone tells me what they want, but even then, it’s important to read between the lines and pick up on the little things. People are notoriously bad atknowing what they really want, so I learned over time how to figure out the full picture.”
Cade squinted at me. “So, you’ve been tryin’ to figure out what we would need?”
I laughed. “Not really. I’ve always been decent at reading people, but when I started in the escort business, I realized early on I was going to get better clients,returnclients at that, if I gave them the perfect illusion, or as close as I could get. I started by just paying attention to people, getting to know them in different ways, and learning what they wanted. It was a game for me, and eventually I got so good at it I was able to do it for work.”
“Huh,” Cade grunted. “But you could still figure out what some of us want?”
I thought about it before shrugging. “It’s still a guessing game, an educated guessing game, but guessing all the same. I can’t promise anything.”
Cade grinned. “That’s alright, I just wanna know what you’d think about us is all.”
Clay eyed him. “Thinking of hiring him there, big guy? Didn’t think you were going to switch on me like that.”
Cade rolled his eyes. “I’m curious, like...my head, not my dick.”
“Shame,” Clay said with a smirk, popping a stray piece of pork into his mouth. “I bet you could rock someone’s world.”
“He probably would,” I said, laughing when Cade and Clay gave me an almost identical look of pure shock. “Cade is obviously a sweetheart, and he pays attention to people a lot more than they think. For him...playful and lighthearted; someone who can hold their own in conversation but still makes him feel like he’s helping or protecting. He wants an equal, but he also wants to feel like he’s playing an important part in someone’s life. And although private things are always harder to gauge, I suspect he’s slow to warm up, but otherwise he’s apassionate but attentive lover. He would benefit from someone who’s not afraid to guide him in the beginning, but is willing to let him take control once he’s warmed up, and he’d definitely love someone who’d express in the most direct way that what he’s doing is working...or not.”
“Holy shit,” Clay said, staring at me with wide eyes. “That?—”
Cade slapped the table with a meaty hand and gave a guffaw that made me jump. “Well, I’ll be damned! Ain’t that somethin’!”
“They’re sharing the same brain cell on this one,” Luka said with a chuckle. “So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess you were spot on.”
“Got the accuracy of a sniper,” Cade said with a snicker. “Damn, you happen to know any ladies that could fit that bill? You could be a matchmaker.”
“Even I have to admit it sounded almost perfect for him,” Luka said with a little smile.
Clay pointed at Luka. “Do him next!”
