Damon swallowed. “Yeah, well,” he mumbled, seemingly taken off guard for a moment. “I suppose getting drunk isn’t the most harebrained thing I’ve seen you do. Plus, that tequila did knock you out pretty good, so at least I didn’t have to worry about you running out on me again.”

Was Damon… cracking jokes?

Micah furrowed his brow, not sure whether the man was reprimanding him or teasing him. “What can I say? I don’t handle rejection well. And you tend to do that a lot – reject me. It’s sort of embarrassing considering my profession. I mean, I couldn’t even get you to accept a free sample last night.”

…

Seriously, what was wrong with him?

Damon had done him a solid thus far – acting like a gentleman, and studiously not bringing up the fact that Micah had attempted to drunkenly suck his cock in the backseat of his Rolls-Royce. So, of course, like a total ass, Micah had to remind the both of them himself.

It was like his brain was in a competition with his mouth and constantly losing. “Um-”

“You’re right. That’s because I want to pay you.”

Micah’s self-depreciating thoughts came to a screeching halt. “… for sex?”

“What?” Damon scowled. “No.”

He didn’t need to sound so disturbed by the idea.

“Well, I’m sorry for being a little confused,” Micah said, not sorry at all. “I’ve made it pretty clear what I do for a living.”

Oh, the irony.

“I’m well aware of your work and the various… undertakings it requires of you.” Damon’s scowl was back. “It’s partly why I wanted to give you the opportunity to work for me instead.”

Micah scrunched his nose. “Like as a secretary or something?”

Damon shook his head. “Not quite. I have enough secretaries. What I need is someone accessible to me when I require a companion for social events.”

Micah blinked. “So, like a prostitute, but without the sex?” he sought clarification.

“If that’s how you choose to look at it,” Damon allowed. “I prefer the term escort, or prearranged date.”

Micah desperately wanted to ask why the man didn’t want sex to be a part of the deal. Micah had made it more than clear he was interested, and apparently he was good enough to date – or, at least, fake-date. But the way Damon had backpedaled on him at The Mark – not to mention how quickly he had pried Micah off his dick last night – was still fresh in his mind. He didn’t think he could handle another swift rejection at the moment. Besides, there were plenty of other questions to be had, like…

“Why?” Micah asked incredulously.

Damon frowned. “What do you mean?”

“No offense, but you could have anyone you wanted – male, female, young, old, short-term lover, trophy wife. Literally no one would reject you. I mean, not only are you ridiculously handsome – look around, you’re loaded.”

Micah didn’t mean the words as a compliment or an insult – he was just stating facts, and Damon seemed to recognize that. “You’re right. Someone with as much money as me attracts a lot of… admirers,” he decided on after a moment. “But at least this way, I know you’re in it for the paycheck, so there’s no mind games or second-guessing your motives.” Damon shrugged. “Of course, there are other reasons I’m reluctant to pursue a relationship, but I won’t get into that with you.”