Memoirs of a Male Escort

Authors Note: I'm back!! Okay, so here is the chapter after that terrible cliffhanger I left you all with. Many thanks as always to my favorite beta Alexandra. Also, if you have not already seen, I posted the first chapter of my newest story titled Rivaling Affections, please check it out and let me know what you think of it.

Chapter 9 Repeat Client

The best client is a repeat client. It’s not terribly hard to imagine someone wishing to see you again after such an experience as the ones I give them, but most people are shy, or prefer to change escorts simply for a different flavor.

So it’s unlikely that more than a small percentage will even ask to see you again, and even more rare that they become regulars. I only have two regulars, and I’m the best escort in the company, so that should tell you something right there.

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The pavement was slick and hard under his trainers as Draco went for his morning run. He preferred the little park by the Thames, but as it had been raining all night, the new the block around his building would be less… moist.

The moisture reeked havoc on his hair.

Not that it really mattered, as he would take a long hot shower the moment he set foot inside his flat, but still, he hated the sticky way his hair plastered to his face when it was humid out. In theory, it wasn’t much different than when his hair was soaked with sweat from a glorious sex romp, only exercise was not sex, and sex was not exercise. He didn’t care what anyone said. Sex was fun, exercise was work. Though, if Draco wanted to be truthful with himself, he’d realize that sex was work as well, at least for him.

But he hadn’t thought of it that way in years.

It was still all about the challenge and the conquest. He never backed down from a client, even when they refused their beds. He would be persistent until their date came to an end and he went on to a new challenge. Most of the time the rejections faded away in his mind like a popped soap bubble, never to be thought of again. Why should he care really? It wasn’t as if Draco had sought these people out. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The last few weeks had been sheer torture for him, though.

First Harry rejected him—and not for the first time. He felt Harry’s turning him away the same as he felt his rejection of Draco’s offered hand on the train that morning, their first day of school. It seemed to be a running theme between them, and it rankled Draco to no end.

What was worse was that Draco couldn’t forget it. He couldn’t stop thinking of things he could have done differently, things he could have said that might have made a difference. He thought there might have been something behind the flowers sent to him, but then there was no contact afterward, no date scheduled either through Madame X or himself directly, not that she would have allowed that.

Though, for Harry she might have made an exception. There was something about him that made her break her own rules, and it intrigued Draco. For a moment he had even entertained letting Harry whisk him away from this life like some bright and shiny knight on his brilliant white steed.

Though that would have required Harry wanting him, and that was obviously not the case, no matter how wistful Draco’s thoughts could be.

The fact of it was, he had seen his old rival and gotten too close. Not that Harry helped matters by being so delicious and powerful and impossible to get, but still, the blame was with Draco. He knew better. He knew not to let himself get attached; it was escort 101.

Draco finished his jog, happy that it rarely took more than that to keep himself in shape. He thanked his mother on a daily basis that he inherited her metabolism. He rode the lift up to the twentieth floor and nodded to Vladimir who was on guard duty that morning.

Vladimir held up his hand to stop Draco, but he shook his head. “Can it wait? I need a shower Vlad. I feel sticky,” he complained. Vladimir only shrugged and chuckled to himself. Draco didn’t know what was so amusing but didn’t feel like stopping to guess.

He was shedding his clothes the moment he opened the door, tossing them on the floor as he went. He’d pick them up later after he was clean. He padded nude to the fridge and opened the door, peering at its contents. It was mostly filled with juice, water and alcohol as he rarely ate at home. He grabbed a bottle of water and took a long drink, then held the bottle over his head and let it trickle down slowly, cooling his sweat slicked body.

A small cough brought his attention across the bar and into the living room. The floor plan of the loft was very open and exposed, and standing naked in the kitchen, so was Draco. He moved to place himself in front of the lower counter and glared across the room at his intruder.

Harry was leaning on the edge of Draco’s desk against the far wall of windows, his body in profile with the beautiful sunrise behind him. The pinks and oranges of it played a kaleidoscope of colors on his sun kissed face. He was wearing a simple but well cut pair of dark gray trousers and a green button-less shirt. The green brought out his eyes, which Draco would not have missed regardless of Harry’s shirt color. He only wished he could see them sparkling with lust as they did for a moment right before they kissed.

And what a kiss it was.

“Are you usually so unconcerned for your safety?” Harry asked with a grin.

Draco attempted to banish the blushing pink from his cheeks and hoped it could be explained away with exertion from the jog he was just on. “I have a guard if you didn’t notice,” he said casually, suddenly realizing what Vladimir thought was so amusing in the hall. Draco made a note to never again brush off any of the goons.

“I did. I also noticed that he didn’t even bother to make me prove who I was,” Harry added, looking slightly disgruntled.

“I’ll speak to Madame X about it,” Draco replied. “How did you even find me? Madame X doesn’t give out my address to clients.”

“I came to her as Minister, not a client,” Harry replied.

“Already using your title to get your way, I see,” Draco said tersely. It hadn’t seemed like Harry had wanted the mantle, but maybe it was just an act after all. Our humble hero Harry Potter.

Harry winced at Draco’s words. “This was important, not some personal errand,” he said.

“So what is it you want exactly?” Draco said, almost forgetting his state of undress and walking over to where Harry was standing.

“I want you to come stay with me for awhile,” he replied casually.

Draco knew his gray eyes were wide, but couldn’t seem to stop them from betraying his emotions. Hope ran through him like a summer breeze, hope that Harry wanted him and would keep him. He swallowed thickly and tried to control his voice as he spoke. “I’m sure I don’t understand. Are you hiring me for an extended vacation?”

It happened occasionally, when a client would require his services over an extended period of time, a long weekend for instance, or an out of town business trip. Those times were usually dreadfully dull, as he would find himself stuck in a hotel room or vacation home for hours with no company.

“If that’s what it takes to get you to my home, it can be arranged,” Harry said with a frown. “I had hoped…” Harry let his voice trail off and he looked behind him out the floor to ceiling windows, not meeting Draco’s eyes.

“Hoped what?” Draco asked, full of curiosity.

Harry kept staring out the window for several moments but eventually turned to face Draco again. This time his eyes were hard and he wore a blank mask of indifference, which made Draco wonder what thoughts he was trying to keep from him. “Nothing. Just pack a bag. I’ll work out the details with Madame X,” Harry said evenly.

Draco crossed his arms over his chest and felt like stomping his foot. He felt like petulant child, but Harry was hiding something from him and he didn’t like it. “Do I even get to know how long I’ll be away from my own home?” he asked, putting all of his annoyance into the question.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Pack for a week. If it ends up being longer, I’ll send someone for more of your things.”

A thrill ran down Draco’s spine at the idea of spending a week alone with Harry, but he shoved it quickly away. Harry was behaving oddly, and even if he weren’t, he had made it clear to Draco how he felt about his profession and the fact that he wouldn’t be sleeping with him. Draco couldn’t let himself live in the delusion that Harry had somehow changed his mind.

“And what should I be packing for? Will we be at your house?” he asked and Harry only nodded.

“Should I pack lightly? Or can I expect to be fully dressed most of the time?” he added with a scowl, trying to relay his displeasure at Harry’s previous rejection.

Harry sighed and closed his eyes. “My original statement holds true, Malfoy. I have no intentions of sleeping with you. I don’t pay for sex,” he added, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Draco had a thought and decided to run with it. He walked out from behind the cabinets concealing most of his form and stepped out into the living room. He still kept several meters out of Harry’s reach, but let Harry see him, really see him. “What if I gave you a round on the house?” he asked, testing his theory. Maybe it really was the idea of paying for it that threw him.

Harry’s tongue flicked out and ran lightly over his bottom lips before he bit down on it and shook his head. “I just can’t do it, Malfoy,” he said, turning around so as not to be able to see Draco standing naked in front of him any longer.

“Do I repulse you?” Draco asked, wishing his voice hadn’t sounded so broken.

“No,” Harry replied a little too quickly. “You’re very… your lovely, Malfoy. You know that.”

Draco nodded, though Harry still wasn’t looking at him, so he wouldn’t have seen. Draco did know that he was attractive, but being with Harry made him doubt what he had always seen in the mirror. Harry seemed like one of those ‘what matters is on the inside’ types of guys. Maybe what Harry saw when he looked at Draco was something different altogether? A Death Eater.

“I’m not sure that my ego will survive a week with you, Potter,” he said suddenly.

Harry turned back to face him then, his eyes reflecting concern and apology for a brief second before going cold and hard again. “It’s really not you, Malfoy. It’s me.”

“Right. Do you really think I haven’t heard that one before?” Draco scoffed.

Harry shrugged. “It doesn’t make it any less true just because someone else has said it,” he replied simply.

Draco huffed and walked away. Apparently he wasn’t getting any more information out of Harry, and he still desperately wanted a shower. He walked into the room, covered with iridescent green glass tiles and stepped under the spray of the four showerheads aiming on various places on his body.

He thought about hurrying since he had Potter in the living room waiting on him, but he doubted that he would get this good a shower in any of Harry’s bathrooms. The man didn’t seem to revel in luxury the way Draco liked to. It was nearly half an hour later when Draco emerged and wiped a circle in the foggy mirror with his fist. He stared at himself for a long time.

Could he do this? Could he leave with Harry and keep his emotions in tact? He would have to, he resolved.

With a pale blue towel around his waist he went into his bedroom, which overlooked the living area, and peered at Harry. He was restlessly pacing back and forth in front of Draco’s television and glancing occasionally at the door.

Something was up.

Draco went to his closet and threw together a bag of essentials and grabbed his phone. He dialed the number that was most familiar to his fingertips and waited for Madame X to answer.

“Yes, Draco,” she said at once.

“I just wanted to confirm that you wished for me to leave with Potter,” he said simply, keeping his voice down so as not to echo the sound around the concrete loft.

“Yes. Go with him, do exactly as he asks,” she replied.

“Don’t I always?” he said with a huff.

“Draco, this is important,” she said firmly with a touch of concern.

“What in Merlin’s name is going on?” he asked suddenly. He didn’t know Harry’s moods well enough to know what was happening, but he could tell it was something. Madame X, however, he knew as well as he knew himself, and she was worried about something.

“Draco, go to Harry,” she said simply before hanging up.

Draco threw the phone on the bed and stared at it for a long moment before grabbing it and putting it in the bag with the rest of his things. He threw the rucksack over his shoulder and walked down the concrete stairs that would lead him to Harry.

Go to Harry, she had said.

“I’m ready,” he said at last, ignoring the glare Harry gave him.

“Took you long enough,” he huffed. “Bloody prima donna,” he muttered under his breath while walking toward the door. Draco followed with a snicker at Harry’s annoyance, which quickly turned into a scowl as he spied Vladimir in the hall.

“Hope he didn’t see anything,” the hulking man said as they went to the elevator. Draco shot him a rude gesture, which only made Vladimir laugh, and followed Harry into the lift.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Draco asked as soon as the door shut.

“Is there a safe apparition point close by?” Harry asked instead of answering Draco.

“We could apparate from here if you wanted,” Draco said with a shrug.

Harry nodded. He held out his hand with a soft smile and Draco took it. “Ready?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “I don’t have a choice do I?” he said before thinking.

Harry dropped his hand instantly, as if burned. “You always have a choice,” he hissed.

Draco took a deep breath and studied Harry’s eyes as he let it out. They were like liquid green flames, threatening to leap out and burn Draco’s skin. “I didn’t mean it that way exactly. I just meant that it’s my job.”

Harry sighed and shook his head. “That’s your choice, too,” he said before grabbing Draco’s arm and apparating them both to Grimmauld Place.

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Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed while I was away, I tried to respond to everyone yesterday. As always, I love reviews and in honor of my recent trip I will be accepting reviews in the form of written word, Philly cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and NY style pizza slices. :)