Zack grabbed her hoodie and hauled her back. “Fuck, Alexa, that is the opposite of helpful!”

“He’s hustling, though.” She looked Zack over. “Lean down.”

“Why?”

Alexa stood on tiptoe and ruffled her fingers through his hair.

“Alexa! Stop it!” Zack started to pat it back down, but she slapped his hand away.

“Leave it. Your hair looks best messy. It has that just-fucked sexy vibe.”

Zack was about to argue, but John came around the corner and stopped short. Zack shut his mouth and stared at him. John stared back, looking strangely surprised. He’d looked good from a distance, but up close was even better. His shirt was clinging to him, his cheeks were flushed, and in the light of the setting sun, his eyes seemed to glow.

“Hi,” Zack said without thinking.

“Hi,” John responded. He slid his hands into his pockets. “Nice to see you again.”

“You too,” Zack said. He stared at the ground, his face burning.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alexa look back and forth. Zack made no move to introduce her. “I’m Alexa, by the way. I work with Zack.”

“Zack?” John asked. “Who’s Zack?”

Zack facepalmed. “Oh fuck, I forgot.”

Understanding spread across John’s face like creeping mist. “Your name isn’t really Wesley.” He shook his head. “Of course it isn’t. That was stupid of me.”

“Sorry,” Zack mumbled. “I forgot to tell you. Well, I didn’t forget. We’re not supposed to give out our real names. Mine’s Zack, though.”

“I gathered that,” John said. His tone was neutral, like they were discussing the weather. “Nice to meet you, Zack. Or, rather, nice to meet you again.”

“You too,” Zack said. He fidgeted for a moment and then blurted out, “What are you doing here?”

John arched a brow. “I came to see you.”

“I gathered that,” Zack parroted in a teasing tone. “Why? You could have called me or asked me to meet you somewhere else. I know you couldn’t have known, but having a client show up where you live or work is basically the biggest nightmare of most sex workers.”

“He’s right,” Alexa added. “You’re breaking the most important rules we have just by being here. Even telling you Zack’s first name was a big risk.”

John’s cool demeanor slipped away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I just— I wanted to see you.”

“How did you even find this place?” Zack asked. “Our address isn’t listed.”

John looked sheepish. “It is if you email HR and say that you want to come in for an interview.”

“You did what?”

“I thought you’d be surprised.”