Gentlemen of the Emerald City

Hockey season is over, and that means one thing - returning home to my empty condo. With nothing to distract me from this loneliness, it’s going to be a miserable summer. Then I hire Luca for one night. At least, it was supposed to be one night.

This pro hockey thing is amazing! I’m playing in the big leagues. I have money for a change. And suddenly all the men who wouldn’t give me the time of day are falling all over themselves to hook up with me. The only problem is that I’ve never been with anyone. That’s just what I need - some random hookup leaking it to the press that I’m a virgin who’s lousy in bed. Maybe what I need is a little help from a professional.

I don’t do love. I don’t do relationships. What I do is tour with my band and enjoy the life we worked so hard to earn. When I’m home, my favorite escort is always happy to join me in bed. Except he’s not an escort anymore. He has, however, hand-picked someone to replace him. I’m dubious because I hate change, but I’ll give this new guy a chance. And, I will not fall in love with him.

Julian. An invite to a lavish destination wedding? Sign me up. Except half of the couple is BFFs with my ex. My ex, who’s going to be there with his new arm candy. Maybe he’ll realize what he gave up once he sees me with a hot new boyfriend of my own. He doesn’t need to know I hired him. Marco. Getting paid to spend two weeks in Maui and on a cruise? Twist my arm. Shame the dude who hired me is a train wreck. If I distract him enough from his ex, he’s actually kind of fun. And hot. Bet if I clapped a hand over his mouth, he’d shut up. Bet he’d like that.

There’s nothing quite like a night with one of the Gentlemen of the Emerald City. No strings. No complications. I’ve been burned by love, and I’m not going there again. Unlike my teammates who fell for their Gentlemen, I know how to keep emotions from coming into play.

I’ve done a lot of soul-searching this season. I’ve been in denial about myself and a jerk to everyone else. I don’t even know where to start to fix it all. I don’t know what to feel about anything. How am I supposed to handle falling in love?