The Professional

The man sitting across from me was a few years older than I was… after doubling my age. When Colin told me the man was a bit older, I didn’t expect a man around the same age as my parents. I don’t even know how he found him. Something online, I think. It had been a week since I agreed to do this and Colin had wasted no time getting things started.

I was mostly hands-off on this. Colin showed me pictures and I made snap judgments based on a few seconds' look. Probably needed to be more involved, but at the same time my feelings on the situation was still difficult to lock down.

In the man’s defense, he was good-looking. There was a regal, professional look to him. Blond hair, sharp features, and cool blue eyes. From his clothes, he had money and his appearance was meticulously styled and groomed.

He had a nice smile too.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said, gesturing to the menu. “Please, order whatever you would like. It’s on me.”

We ordered and filled the time with small talk. Surprisingly enough, Colin did most of the talking on our end. Daniel was a bit vague about his job, but he was a VP somewhere and made extremely good money. Colin and I told him a little about us and our college path. He seemed a bit interested when I mentioned computer engineering and asked me some rather detailed questions. I figured either his department or the company he worked for had some sort of tech connection since he seemed to have some knowledge beyond what a layman would.

After dinner, the awkward mood was gone as I’d forgotten the reason we were meeting him. Daniel was charming, had a dry sense of humor, and was experienced in keeping the conversation going.

“Now that we understand each other a little more,” Daniel said, the mood shifting subtly after the waiter cleared away the plates. “Shall we discuss business?”

My shoulders tensed as I glanced over at Colin. Right. This was an interview of sorts—for both of us. If things went as expected, Daniel and I would—

Daniel was poised across the table from us. Authority oozed from him as he took charge of the conversation and kept our attention on him. The man was used to being in charge.

“Beyond Colin telling me, I can tell you are both new to this. Normally, I don’t go so young—I find even late twenties pushing it. You are both twenty-one, correct?”

“Erin is. I’m twenty-two.”

“Why the change?” I asked before he could continue.

His attention on me, he gave me a small smile. “Of the couples I’ve been exchanging messages with, you were far away the most attractive. Enough to at least meet the two of you. Plus, I have a preference for redheads. A trait your boyfriend says is natural.”

Cheeks burning, I shot a glance at Colin. He was grinning, giving me a wink.

What the hell did they talk about? It was clear that from now on, I was going to have to play an active role in this.

From now on. Christ. Not even started and I was already thinking this was going to be a thing.

Straightening in my chair, I gave Daniel a smile. Being nervous was fine, but we were all adults here. I needed to stop acting like a timid teenager.

“I am.”

His eyebrow rose slightly. I think he noticed the shift and my silent resolve to take charge of my side of the… negotiations? Discussion?

“Very well,” he said, making sure to give both myself and Colin equal attention. “I find it easiest if I list my conditions, as they are usually the ones that cause issues. If at any point you are not comfortable with something, let me know. If things do not work out between us or you feel I am not a good match, then we shall part ways with a delicious meal and enjoyable conversation.”

Colin and I both nodded and he continued.

“I start with the most basic of conditions. Erin, do you find me attractive?”

The question took me by surprise. I knew my face was red, and having the attention of both Colin and Daniel made it so much worse. “I-I do,” I managed to sputter out. I didn’t look over at Colin. Guilt weighed on me, but the truth was, the guy had charm. He might have been older, but that only added to his regal appearance. Colin had him beat in terms of raw looks, but Daniel weaponized style, charm, and grooming to be a solid eight.

“Excellent. As I mentioned before, you are quite beautiful, so there are no issues there.” His eyes hovered over me. “And you don’t mind being with an older man?”

Having a few moments to calm myself, I managed to keep myself in control. I met him in the eye, refusing to be seen as anything less than equal. “No.”

“Then we have at least met the basic requirements. Let us press on.” Folding his hands on the table, he looked at both of us as he spoke. “I am looking for a six-month commitment. At the end of those six months, if both parties agree to it, we can extend it for another three. I will be honest here, I rarely extend things out past the initial six months. Nothing against you or your boyfriend, but experience has taught me that it is best to move on.”

“Why the time limit?”

“Numerous reasons,” he said. “Mostly, I wish to avoid attachments and seek out someone new. I also know six months is a large commitment considering my presence is more intrusive than most others playing my role. In our brief time together, it is clear you two care much for one another, and I do not want to sour that by overstaying my welcome.”

That sounded reasonable. It was strange that my comfort levels were increasing the more we spoke. This man was going to be my lover—Bull. That was the term Colin had used. Not sure I enjoyed the connotation there, but it was better than lover. Lover to me had more emotional intimacy attached, and I had no interest in that with Daniel. He seemed like a nice enough person, but the only thing I wanted from this was sex. Hearing him say that without prompting set me more at ease.

Daniel continued. “Now, the reason why I need a six-month commitment is because I have social and business obligations. Many require a plus-one. Erin, if you and Colin agree, you will be my plus-one. Don’t worry about extra costs or outfits. I will provide them. Just know that while I will do my best to give you notice, sometimes things come up unexpectedly.” He gave an easy smile. “Now, I see you are both nervous at that. Fear not. I understand that sometimes, things don’t work out and this is all consensual. My intention is not to **** anything. It is why I bring this up now. If either of you is uncomfortable with this or feels like it would be difficult to accommodate, saying so now would be best.”

I looked to Colin. Taking my hand, he gave it a loving squeeze. “Whatever you want.”

This was a lot more involved than I thought it would be. Were we getting in over our heads here? The way Colin had described it when we went over things, the whole ‘relationship’ would be centered around sex. Basically a booty call on tap. Daniel was talking about things that sounded an awful lot like dates.

I wasn’t looking for another boyfriend. I already had an amazing one.

“Another thing to consider is these functions often have powerful and important people at them. While I understand your hesitation, it could be a networking opportunity for those who take advantage of them.” He was really working his charming smile. “Not to mention I’m not half bad company.”

“I’m just there as eye candy, right?”

He gave a good-natured chuckle. “If that’s what you wish to see yourself as, yes.” He leaned forward slightly, focusing on me. “I will repeat that I have no interest in romantic or emotional attachments. Of course, I will be good company and I hope you will be too, but our relationship will be nothing beyond physical and some good-natured conversation.”

My attention went to Colin, then back to Daniel.

I took a breath.

“So long as it’s not all the time and you understand that Colin comes first, I see nothing wrong with that.”

He nodded and continued. “Very well. For the workings of the relationship, I have a few rules. When you are at my house, you come alone. This could be after a social event, or if you are desiring company. While you are at my home, I am at your disposal such as my time allows. If you invite me to your home, the same rules apply in reverse. You will cater to my needs however often I wish during my visit. Colin may observe this, of course, but not join.”

“Is there a time limit on how long visits are?” Colin asked.

“No, but if you are concerned about me imposing myself on you, I assure you my time is fairly limited.” His eyes lingered on me. “No matter how much I might wish otherwise.”

Hell. Was I getting aroused talking about this? I shifted in place as Colin and Daniel clarified things. My attention was focused inward. This whole thing was getting more real with each passing second. The only thing keeping me grounded was Colin. I wouldn’t say he was excited about it, but he had a drive to make this happen. Never expected my boyfriend would be discussing sharing me with another man so seriously. He was committed to making this happen.

Everything was moving so fast. We went from discussing this as a possibility to actively making it a thing in a few weeks. Were we moving too fast? A part of me was worried we were, but I couldn’t deny the anticipation and excitement this was bringing me. It almost concerned me how effective Daniel’s charm was. Colin was my lovable goof, but there was a seductive draw to this man that should not exist. If he was anywhere close to my age, I would have called the entire thing off.

“I’m curious,” I said as I joined the conversation once more. “Why are you doing this?”

Another easy smile. “What specifically?”

“Attaching yourself to a couple. A man of your position and means should have no issue finding casual relationships—even multiple ones.”

“Ah,” he said with a nod. “You are right. Casual relationships are simple to come by.” Letting out a long sigh, he gave a small shake of his head. “Sadly, I have found casual relationships problematic for various reasons. In short, they never work out and often leave a mess.” He paused to take a drink of water. “This arrangement provides more safeguards than casual relationships. For one, you are already in what I see as a healthy, established relationship. While attachments are certainly possible, experience shows it is far less likely.

“Secondly, I am careful about my sexual health, as are the two of you since we are having this conversation. I fully expect you to continue your relationship as normal—encourage it even. However, I ask that you only have Colin and myself as sexual partners for the duration of the arrangement.”

“That won’t be a problem.” It was already surreal that I would have a partner other than Colin.

“And while we are on that topic, there is one last thing I require. It is often the hardest for couples to accept, so do not feel pressured to accept it if you are uncomfortable in any way.” He looked from Colin to me. There was an intensity there that made me want to shrink back into my seat. I resisted the urge, but it made my heart race. “A personal preference of mine is to not use condoms. Depending on the mood, I may pull out, but more often than not…”

Oh my god. Was he serious? He was.

Sex was one thing, but unprotected sex?

I looked at Colin. Our eyes met and I halfway expected him to put a stop to the whole thing right then.

He looked back to Daniel. “That’s fine.”

What?

I don’t know if Daniel saw my anger or if experience told him we would need a moment. He excused himself to the restroom, leaving me alone with my boyfriend.

“What the fuck, Colin?” Seething, it was hard to keep my voice down.

He winced. “I overstepped.”

“Fucking right you did.”

Taking a few breaths, I calmed myself before looking at him.

“Sorry. I’ve been messaging Daniel for a few days and now that things are so close to actually happening… I’m a bit excited.”

I gave him a sideways look as I grabbed my water. “I’m not sure who wants this more, you or me.”

“Probably me,” he admitted.

“Eh,” I said, looking over the rim of my glass as I took a sip. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that…”

He bounced around his chair like a kid on Christmas morning. “So you in?”

“I never said that.”

“But—”

I held up my hand. “We need to be smart about this. Daniel seems like a nice guy, but we are agreeing to six months here. I don’t want us to agree only to find in a month that this is too much and wasting his time.” I held his gaze. “This seems a bit too advanced for us right out the gate. We don’t even know rules or boundaries! Or if this is something we really want.” I brought my thumb to my mouth but caught myself before I could start chewing on it. Bad habit when I was nervous or stressed. “Maybe we should start small. Find some random guy. Use condoms.”

“We aren’t doing this so you can go around fucking random guys,” Colin said with more **** than I expected. It took me by surprise. “I’m willing to tolerate some amount of trial and error, but the purpose of this is to find a reliable man who can take care of your excess sexual desires. As far as I’m concerned, the only qualifications are you find him attractive, he treats you with respect, sexually satisfies you, let’s me watch, and has no other partners. I filtered out a lot of guys to find Daniel. Yes, it’s a bit more complex than anticipated, but we can’t let our quest for perfect ruin something that could be good.”

I took a moment to process. “You said you filtered out a lot of guys?”

He shrugged. “Your picture generated a lot of interest.”

“How much interest?” I asked, grinning.

“Focus, Erin,” he said with a gentle tap on the nose. “I can puff up your ego later.”

I was going to hold him to that.

“I want to know your concerns,” he said.

“Beyond the social obligations I’d be agreeing to?” He nodded. “No condoms is concerning.” I leveled my gaze at him, studying him. I wanted to see his reaction. “Are you okay with that?”

“Are you?”

I sighed. He was usually weak to blunt statements or questions like that. Suppose it showed how serious he was about this. “I don’t know. That’s…” I hugged my arms over my chest. “Something for you.”

His hand brushing against my cheek brought my attention back to him. Pulling me closer, our lips met in a tender kiss.

My breath fluttered as we separated. A simple kiss and suddenly all the worries I had didn’t seem so bad.

“Erin, I don’t want to sound callous, but things like that don’t matter all that much to me. I only want you to be happy.”

“I am.”

He kissed my forehead, pulling away. “This is only something you can decide. Know that whatever you decide, I’ll always love you.”

We talked for a few minutes. I had a suspicion that Daniel was observing from a distance because shortly after we made a decision he returned to the table.

Feeling a firm resolution in me, I stared across the table at Daniel. “We find your terms acceptable.”

“Excellent,” he said with a smile. “Now that we have reached a tentative agreement, shall we move to the next venue?”

“Huh?” I asked as Daniel rose. “Tentative?”

He reached out to help me up. I took his offered hand without thinking. Suddenly standing close, I felt the pressure of his presence.

“We still need to test the most important thing of all,” he said, suave smile making my heart race. Or maybe that was because he was so close to me. Definitely in my personal space, but I resisted my impulse to step back. His smile widened at my confusion. “To see if we are physically compatible.”

I blinked.

Oh?

Oh.

Oh.