Jared Read online

  Jared

  Boyfriend For Hire, Book 4

  RJ Scott

  Meredith Russell

  Jared, Boyfriend for Hire, Book 4

  Copyright © 2021 by RJ Scott

  Copyright © 2021 by Meredith Russell

  Cover design by Meredith Russell

  Edited by Sue Laybourn

  ISBN: 9781785642463

  This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer-to-peer program, for free or for a fee. Such action is illegal and in violation of Copyright Law.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

  RJ ~ Always for my family.

  Meredith ~ For my family and friends for their continued love and support. And thank you to RJ for allowing me to create another beautiful story with her.

  Contents

  Jared

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Boyfriend For Hire book 5 - Felix

  Also from RJ & Meredith

  Meet RJ Scott

  Meet Meredith Russell

  Chapter One

  Gideon tapped the paperwork on his desk with a very expensive-looking pen. “I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, but do you think maybe you should have considered the consequences before you acted?”

  Jared’s chest tightened because sitting in Gideon’s office at Bryant & Waites reminded him of sitting in the principal’s office. He felt as if a ton of trouble was heading his way, and it didn’t help that Gideon was stony-faced.

  “I didn’t know it was going to happen,” Jared defended himself.

  “But you had to know it might happen.”

  Jared didn’t have a comeback for that at all.

  Gideon sighed heavily. “Exactly who do you think will be covering the repair bill?” he asked with absolute calm.

  Jared had seen the amount the hotel was asking for, it was the wrong side of two thousand dollars, and even though he’d known that question was coming, he winced. He hadn’t expected the ex-husband of his booked date would cause that much damage to a hotel room, but Gideon was right—maybe he should have thought about it more. He’d been aware of the volatile back story between the ex and the man who’d hired Jared, hence the need to approach Bryant & Waites in the first place, but Jared had never imagined in his wildest dreams he’d be in the middle of a marital feud. Let alone see so much chaos done by one man in a hotel room.

  “He looked so sad.”

  Gideon raised a single eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”

  Shit. “The ex-husband—Bill, his name is Bill—well, he looked sad. He came to the door and when he explained how much he loved Yan, that’s the name of the guy who hired me.”

  “I know who Yan is, Jared.”

  “Well, I thought Bill was going to cry.”

  “So, let’s get this clear. You get hired to be Yan’s date who explicitly said his ex was an asshole. Said ex then cries and you, in your infinite wisdom, let him into the suite that we paid for. The same suite for which we’re now on the hook to cover damages?”

  “It’s just… I couldn’t leave a crying man out in the corridor. That wouldn’t be right, and I thought about the company policy of caring.” Jared hoped that would vindicate him, but a nerve twitched next to Gideon’s right eye.

  “Company policy is to look after the client.”

  “I could see in Bill’s expression that he was missing Yan, and Yan said some things that made me think that he actually loved his ex, and that—”

  “And then what happened?” Gideon interrupted.

  “Well, then I went down to find Yan, who was waiting for me at dinner—”

  “And you left Yan’s ex-husband in the suite. On his own.”

  “I thought it was for the best. I’m sorry and I hope we’re insured?” Jared hoped that was true because he couldn’t cover the cost. God, the thought that he might have to find money for a broken television, not to mention the bedclothes shredded on the floor, made him come out in hives. He was only just covering rent and costs for his course, and he had the typical issues of any twenty-eight-year-old late to education where it was a struggle to make ends meet. He’d fucked up a few too many times and he could feel it in his bones that he was on the edge of not being put forward for jobs, or maybe being fired outright.

  “That’s not the point Jared, it’s just one thing after another, not to mention the other issues marked in your file,” Gideon continued.

  “Which issues?” Jared couldn’t recall anything in the last couple of months. There again he hadn’t seen Gideon since Christmas because Rowan had dealt with the last booking. He didn’t have to be studying psychology to see that Gideon was tense and wondering how to word what he wanted to say. Stress caused Gideon to hunch his shoulders, and Jared felt guilty for what he’d managed to do, but surely Gideon would weigh the problems against the repeat business that Jared had brought in over the past three years. He was good at his job, and he had to remember that and persuade Gideon not to fire him.

  He didn’t want to leave.

  “New Year and the emergency exit call you made to Rowan to get away from a foursome for a start.”

  Oh, that issue. “It wasn’t exactly a foursome. We all had our clothes on, and one of the men was all upset about his dog, and he cried, and… it was just a big misunderstanding.”

  “Jared,” he opened a file on his desk. “One missing advent swan, a narrowly avoided foursome, a destroyed room, and that’s in less than three months. If it wasn’t for the positive feedback and the fact that all three of those bookings gave you glowing reviews, despite the issues—”

  “Am I fired? I’m sorry, I didn’t know that the swan belonged to the hotel, otherwise when the girl from the table next to me started sobbing I wouldn’t have gotten involved and opened the gate to let it out.”

  “No, you’re not fired, but Jared, you have to stop trying to make everything better for everyone and open us up to situations that cost money or reputation. So, this next booking…”

  “Is my last chance?” Jared finished and remained hopeful that Gideon wasn’t going to get rid of him.

  “End of May we’ve just booked a graduation event for one of our new clients, she’s a CEO and won’t take any drama, tell me I’m not going to get a report that any shit has hit any one of the fans in any room you are in.”

  Jared held up a hand. “I solemnly swear.”

  Gideon muttered something under his breath and then pressed the intercom. “Rowan, can you bring in the ZenTech Industries file?” There was static, and Gideon frowned at the machine as if it had personally hurt him. “Rowan?”

  Just as Gideon stood to find his errant PA, Rowan’s voice came through loud and clear. “I’d love to come in, babe…sir, but we have a slight issue.”

  “What kind of issue?”

  Despite the ominous mention of an issue, Jared watched Gideon smile at the sound of Rowan’s voice, and how it softened his stern expression—that made it seem less probable that Gideon was going to kill Jared with
his stare. It hadn’t taken long for the grapevine to supply the juicy details that Gideon had realized his feelings for Rowan and had spent an interesting Christmas break in Maine. Fifteen months later and they had the same loved-up glow even now, although they attempted to keep things professional around clients, the guys who worked for Gideon could see the change. He was softer, happier, and his hard edges had been smoothed away.

  I want that. I want a man who will rub on my hard edges. Jared bit his lip to stop laughing out loud at the thought, and instead assumed the pose of someone who was absolutely a complete professional.

  “I think you might want to come out here,” Rowan offered, and Gideon left the room. Unable to do much else, Jared went to the window, looking down at the people hurrying past on Stuyvesant Street, clearly on a mission to go somewhere, along with the tourist types taking photos of the brownstones. The offices of Bryant & Waites were discreet, with a simple brass plaque explaining who they were, but nothing about what they did. The New York day was March-chilled, with blue skies and everyone still bundled up in coats, but spring was promised along with looming exam deadlines.

  After this year he had one more semester, and then he was done with the first part of his education, his degree in psychology assured—as long as he didn’t fuck that up as much as he kept messing up his bookings with Bryant & Waites. At least he was good at psychology and it had taken him years to save up to start his degree, a succession of shitty jobs building his pot of money as he lived in his parents’ basement. Now he was nearing the end of stage one in his career, and ready to move onto his work placements.

  “Okay where were we?” Gideon came back into the room, took a seat, and ruffled files, which was Jared’s cue to sit down again.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Rowan is dealing with it.”

  “You agreed you weren’t going to fire me,” Jared reminded him, hoping to get Gideon to crack a smile, but all he did was frown. Not going well.

  “No firing. Not today anyway. So, the CEO of ZenTech Industry is a woman called Elisa…”

  The rest of the short meeting blurred into details and dates, and by the time Jared left he had a new booking firmly fixed after his exams, which meant he had time to study and get his head straight. No more messing up bookings, no more swans, or ex-husbands, or unforeseen foursomes. When he got out to reception Rowan was standing at the front door staring at something beyond.

  “I didn’t get fired,” Jared announced with pride, but Rowan just huffed and didn’t move from the door. “What’s up?”

  “There’s a kid on our steps,” Rowan muttered, “and he said his dad was coming but that was ten minutes ago and no sign of the dad.” He shrugged into his coat. “I’m going to get him in and call the cops—a kid that age shouldn’t be on his own. Poor boy is all upset about his dad, and something about his mom. He came in trying to hire a boyfriend.”

  “For real?”

  “This is ridiculous, Gideon said to watch him and wait for the dad, but it’s not sitting right with me. I’ve tried to bring the kid inside, but the last time I asked he refused to move. I’m going to sit there with him.”

  “You want me to talk to him?” Jared didn’t know where that came from, but he could see Rowan was upset and worried, and Jared had slipped easily into his super-helpful mode without even realizing.

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m on it.”

  “Good luck, shout if you need me.”

  Jared zipped his coat and headed out.

  Three steps down and he drew level with the kid. “Hey,” he murmured so as not to scare him.

  The boy glanced up at him, around ten or so, dark hair sticking out from a beanie, wearing a thick green coat, jeans, and Nikes. He hugged a dark notebook and was on the verge of tears.

  My kryptonite.

  The boy gave him a tremulous smile. “Hi.”

  “What ya doin’, buddy?”

  “Sitting.”

  Jared considered what to do next, and none of the options included walking off and leaving the kid. At least the March snows had melted away, and the boy wouldn’t be freezing, but still, he was alone.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Luka.”

  “Hey, Luka, I’m Jared.” He offered a fist to bump, and Luka didn’t leave him hanging, his notebook slipping. He caught it and then stared back up at Jared.

  “Do you work in there?” he asked.

  Jared caught the glint of interest in dark eyes. “Yes. Do you work around here too?”

  “I’m only eleven,” he scoffed.

  “How about school then?”

  “It finished at three.”

  “And you thought sitting on a step in the cold was a good idea to pass the time.”

  “I’m not cold.” He shivered a little and exposed the lie for what it was.

  “Where are your folks?” Jared wondered if Rowan was right and they should take Luka into the office, or just go straight to calling the cops, because there was no way he or Rowan were leaving him sitting here.

  “Dad’s at work but I had to come here and see you.”

  “Me?” Jared couldn’t recall having met the kid, but there was no doubting Luka’s conviction.

  “Not just you, all of you. My dad works a lot, running the bar, and he’s always looking after me, or working, and since my mom died…” He cleared his throat, the words difficult to say. Compassion flooded Jared and he edged a little closer to Luka, offering non-verbal support where he could. “I want him to have a friend, and I want him to go on a date, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or boy, because my Auntie Lee says he’s bri-sextual.”

  Bri-sextual? Jared folded his arms and leaned against the stair railing.

  “So, I came here to get one for him, but they said that my dad would need to go in, and they wanted me to stay so they could call the cops. But I don’t need to be arrested. Plus, that man, he gave me a card, said Dad could call the number on it if he wanted, but I can’t tell Dad he needs to go in to get a friend, ’cause he’d kill me, not for real, but he’d be angry, and now I don’t know what to do.”

  “Do you have your dad’s number?”

  “No,” Luka said, but wouldn’t meet his eyes.

  Jared read Luka’s lie—this kid was transparent. “Is there someone waiting at home for you? What’s your address?”

  “I forget. Look, can I read you something?” Luka asked with a tinge of hope in his voice.

  “Once you give me your address, then sure.”

  “How about I read this and then give you my address.”

  Jared couldn’t help his snort of laughter or admiring that Luka was a fierce negotiator. “Go on then.”

  Luka took off his gloves and fiddled with a lock, and then opened it to pages filled with scribbles and doodles. Clearly it was a life journal of some sort and could well hold Luka’s hopes and dreams.

  “Dear Mr. or Mrs. Bryant & Waites,” Luka began to read, and then pointed up at the plaque on the building. “I don’t know their real names, so I wrote that.”

  “Good call,” Jared praised him.

  Luka beamed. “Dear Mr. or Mrs. Bryant & Waites, my Auntie Lee said that you let people borrow boyfriends, and I want one for my dad. It’s his birthday next month and I think it would be a nice present because he’s very lonely and works awfully hard, and he’s always worried about me and I don’t know why because I am the best son. I would be kind to a borrowed boyfriend. I wouldn’t make a lot of noise, and I would stay over at Auntie Lee’s so Dad and his new friend could watch a movie or eat steak.” He glanced up at Jared. “Dad loves steak.”

  “Me too.”

  “Right, so, eat a steak… okay… thank you very much, love me. I didn’t write me, I wrote Luka.”

  “Of course you did.”

  “But when I went in there and showed them this they started saying they were calling the police, and one of them was all sappy and patting my head, and I don’
t want that, I want a boyfriend for Dad, and I want him to smile again.”

  “How about we take you home and talk about this later.”

  Luka ignored Jared and instead turned to the back of the journal and pulled out a small plastic bag full of coins and notes. “I have thirty-three dollars and fifty-nine cents to buy a friend for Dad. Is that what you do?”

  “What’s your address, Luka?”

  “Is it enough money?” He was persistent for sure.

  “Address first.”

  Luka shrank into his coat, his enthusiasm visibly leaving him, and he shut the journal. Then gave the street name and number. “I go stay with Auntie Lee when Dad’s working. She’s our neighbor.” He stood and with his journal gripped hard, he took the final steps down. “Thank you anyway,” he finished.

  Jared was left with a decision to make. An easy one.

  He sent a thumbs up to Rowan, then indicated he was going with Luka, and then followed him. Walking Luka wouldn’t take him far out of his way, and as soon as he saw Luka safely back then he’d head home. He fell into step with Luka. What should he talk about? He thought about the few things Luka had mentioned. His mom was dead? That’s what he’d said, right? And his dad ran a bar? They walked for a while and before Jared got around to breaking the silence, to talk some more, someone shouted Luka’s name.

  “I’m dead,” Luka groaned. “That’s my dad.”

  Chapter Two

  “You’re in early today?” Nate noted, and slid the filled shot glass across the counter to the man sitting opposite him.

  “Closed a big contract this afternoon so thought I’d celebrate.” The man grinned, twisted the glass between his finger and thumb. “So, what time do you get off?” He looked at Nate through his blond bangs.