Page 11 of Daddy Down Under

“If I remember correctly, yes. Oliver, my personal assistant, who, by the way, is majorly peeved I didn’t ask him to accompany me, arranged it. But he knows what I want and has excellent taste, so I’m sure I won’t have any complaints.”

“Why didn’t you bring him with you?”

Oh Jesus, of course he would ask. I’d been a fool to bring it up. Not that I had anything to hide in that aspect. “He is the twinkiest twink that ever twinked with the most glorious bubble butt you’ve ever witnessed. He’s exceptionally good at his job, so I don’t want to fire him, but it’s a hard rule of mine never to sleep with my employees. But four weeks in proximity with Oliver would make a monk want to give up chastity, so no, he’s not coming.”

Ocean’s face broke open in a wide smile that lit up his eyes. “And he’s gay, I assume?”

“Oh yeah. Very gay. One hundred percent on the Kinsey scale. And single. Not that he’s interested in me, mind you. He made it crystal clear in the job interview that he would flat out refuse any sexual advances, which was a major reason for me to hire him.”

“So you’ll be here all by yourself for four weeks…”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to find some company, should I prefer it. Melbourne has quite the gay population, or so Oliver assured me. I checked my email while in LA, and he’d helpfully supplied me with a list of gay clubs and whatnot, as always anticipating my every whim.”

“I see your reputation as the rich bachelor playboy is warranted.”

I shrugged. “If the shoe fits…”

My reputation didn’t bother me, nor did all the stories in the tabloids. I’d been linked to pretty much every gay and bi celebrity on the planet, half of them not even single, but I didn’t care. I loved sex. I always had, and I was sick and tired of the heteronormative Puritan attitude toward anyone who dared to step outside the defined lines of normal. Yes, I had a lot of sex, but it was all consensual, I always made sure my partners were of age, and I didn’t fuck married men. So fucking sue me for enjoying life. Whatever.

“Who’s going to take care of you while you’re here?”

The unexpected question stopped me in my mental tracks. “Excuse me?”

“You need someone to take care of you.”

“I’m a grown-ass man, thank you very much, and I have been for a long time. Oliver arranges all practical things for me, so what else could I possibly need?”

“He’ll be in New York, I assume, with a sixteen-hour time difference, but that’s not what I meant. I’m talking about getting your groceries, doing your dry cleaning and laundry, arranging dinner for you, and whatnot. Ensuring you sleep and eat properly.”

He was delusional. No one had ever done that for me. Not since Victor. Oliver took care of a lot, but even he had lines he wouldn’t cross. But I had also never gone on a four-week solo trip abroad, so maybe I was in over my head. Oliver had certainly dropped some not-so-subtle clues that he had an opinion on my ability to manage on my own. But when Ocean described what he thought I needed, a deep longing had echoed inside me. Not that he needed to know that.

I cleared my throat. “Why? Are you applying for the job?”

He didn’t miss a beat. “I am, actually.”

My mouth dropped open. “What? What do you mean?”

“Okay, hear me out. Have you ever even been to Melbourne?”

I shook my head. What did that have to do with anything?

“I’ve been here three seasons in a row, so I know my way around. But my contract doesn’t start for another four weeks, and I have time on my hands. You need someone to take care of you, and I’m volunteering for the job. All I ask for in return is room and board.”

My head was spinning. “Room and board?”

“You put me up with you and cover all my meals so I don’t have living expenses.”

I had no idea what had come over Ocean, but this was insane on so many levels that I didn’t know where to start. “Even if I agreed to this harebrained scheme, why wouldn’t I pay you a normal salary? You said it yourself: you know what I’m worth.”

He leaned in, and my stomach fluttered at the intensity of his gaze. “Because paying me would make me an employee, and you don’t sleep with employees.”

“You seem awfully certain we’ll end up in bed together.”

He once again rolled his eyes at me. “Let’s not play dumb here. If we spend four weeks together, even if it’s only for a few hours a day, we will end up fucking each other’s brains out.”

Jesus fuck, why was that so hot? He said it so factually, not even remotely seductive, yet my cock hardened again.

With a slow move, Ocean put his hand on my cock again, and I sucked in a sharp breath. Arousal pulsed through me. I wanted him, and denying that was dumb indeed. In fact, I wanted him more than I had anything or anyone else in a long time. Even the thought of him breaking through that ennui, making me feel something again, was reason enough to agree to his crazy proposal.

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