His quiet laughter at himself broke into a shocked gasp when Gideon wrapped one hand around his cock. He was still soft, but that changed quickly when he felt the cool, easy slide of Gideon's palm, which meant it was slicked with lube. The smooth and tight grip coaxed him to flushed full mast in no time.

"Good boy." Gideon moved his hand away to stroke all over his body, leaving trails of lube everywhere. His other hand stroked down Cole's side in a soothing motion. He found himself caught between relaxing from the large, gentle motions and tensing because of the sharp, hot arousal bobbing between his legs.

"Fuck," he whimpered, twisting his head just a little to deal with the sensations. The bills shifted between his forehead and the wall, and he stilled, heart hammering. Gideon chuckled. His hands disappeared. In the moment of reprieve, Cole tried to center himself, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Feeling his fingers flex against the wall.

Then, there was a cold finger rubbing tighter circles and dipping inside his rim. His eyes slipped shut as the lube warmed, as it dripped down only to be collected from his skin and pushed inside. Gideon worked until his finger was fully sheathed, knuckles pressed flush against Cole's skin. Cole rocked up onto his toes a little. Gideon's hand followed the motion, then slid out. When it returned, he pressed in with two fingers.

Cole opened easily because he was a professional at this. But Gideon was in no rush to start the race, let alone cross the finish line. He had a whole hour. He kept playing with Cole long after his entrance was softened and ready to go. It was maddening, really, the whole process drawn out on purpose to make Cole as sensitive and frustrated as possible, to see how long he would last before letting those bills drop and not make it easy on him in the meantime.

Cole was just as determined. He jammed his forehead against the bills, eyes shut and lips brushing the wall as he arched his back. Gideon had one fist curling languidly over Cole's cock; the way slicked by so much lube that it dribbled onto the floor. His fingers fucked Cole so hard and fast that he could feel the ripples of it in the muscle of his bottom. He lifted onto his toes again, thighs sliding together, each breath accompanied by an eager moan.

Then Gideon took his hands away, and Cole nearly slumped to the ground. But he remembered the five hundred dollars at the last moment and groaned, digging his fingernails into the wall instead.

"Good boy." There was genuine amusement in Gideon's voice as he kicked Cole's legs apart again.

The sound of a zipper was no stranger to Cole. He smacked his lips together and swallowed. "Condom?"

"Don't worry, baby."

And because he was such a gentleman, Gideon reached around Cole to show him the condom before he tore it open. Or maybe he wanted to show Cole the giant XL label on the wrapper as a warning. Cole rolled his eyes, then closed them and relaxed as he listened to the sound of Gideon rolling it on and slicking himself up.

When he pushed in, Cole sighed, and his eyes fluttered open just briefly. He could see Gideon's sneakers on either side of his bare feet. A little puddle of lube and pre-cum shone on the floor, fed by an unbroken drool from the end of Cole's flushed cock - obscene. He squeezed his eyes shut lest he come at the mere sight. It had been a long time since he was this aroused.

And it only got worse. Gideon was a true gentleman, waiting for Cole to get used to his considerable girth before setting a steady, satisfying pace. He wrapped two big hands around Cole's hips and held them in place, perhaps to help him keep his forehead firm against the wall. Cole was grateful because, otherwise, he would be fucking himself back onto that cock, five hundred be damned. But like this, his locket barely swung back and forth in time with Gideon's movements.

Because Gideon was very skilled. He should have been the one getting paid. He had ulterior motives for holding Cole still - so he could aim for his prostate with devastating precision. Cole, who had been fucked by so many different people so many times, could honestly say that he had never been fucked like this before. Gideon varied the angle, focusing wholly and successfully on Cole's pleasure, probably just to get him to squirm away from the wall and lose the money, but it felt too good to care about a silly little thing like that.

Then Gideon made everything worse and better at the same time by leaning forward to drape himself across Cole's back, still managing to thrust at just the right angle. Except now he could also run one hand up Cole's chest to pinch a nipple and wrap the other around his cock. Cole's lips had been parted around his desperate pants for a while now, so there was nothing to muffle the literal cry he let out as a palm passed over his straining erection.

"That's it," Gideon rumbled beside his ear. "God, you have the best fucking body."

His hand roamed all over Cole's torso, from his pecs to his belly.

"And your voice," Gideon groaned against Cole's shoulder. "I'm fucking close. But you are going to come first, baby."

Cole did not know about that, but he was in Gideon's hands, and the man sounded one hundred percent sure, so he guessed it must be true. It was not hard to believe when each pass of Gideon's fist over the head of his cock sent shocks of sensation up his spine. Each flash of white-hot pleasure got closer and closer until they melded together into a tailspin that Cole was lost to. Then Gideon said, "Go ahead, baby." And Cole came with a sob against the wall.

Gideon fucked him through it. He came only a couple of heartbeats later, hips slowing as he pressed deep and huffed against Cole's skin. His fingers slid to Cole's hips and dug into the skin there.

Cole gradually remembered that he had fingers and toes. He flexed his fingers against the wall and came back down off his tippy toes. Then he opened his eyes and saw the hundred-dollar bills lying at his feet.

"Oh," he gasped, still trying to catch his breath. Disappointment laced through him, not from missing out on the tip but because he failed the challenge. It was disconcerting to stare at them and realize he did not remember the moment they slipped away. Losing his head like that while with a client never happened. Even when he came, it was never mind-melting like that. He was in total shock, just blinking down at the money.

"Whoops." Gideon straightened him up and took a step back. "Looks like you don't get the tip."

Cole looked at him now that he could. In the vee of his open fly, his cock lay large, still softening and wrapped in the condom, perhaps another gesture to show Cole that it had remained on the whole time. But looking at it felt like looking at something forbidden, sending his heart hammering against his ribcage in an uneven staccato, so he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Don't be disappointed, baby." Gideon reached out. "I'll let you keep this one. How about that?"

He plucked a bill from Cole's forehead. It had stuck to his skin either because of the veneer of sweat all over his body or just sheer luck. Cole took it from Gideon's hand and stared at it. Maybe he would not tell Logan about the tip. He kind of wanted to keep it just between Gideon and himself. Which was silly and delusional, but oh well. He had earned it.

Gideon wandered away to strip off the condom and throw it in the bathroom trash. The water in the sink started running. Cole remained standing there, staring at the hundred in his palm. Wondering what the hell was happening to him.

"Nikki, come here," Gideon called from the bathroom. "Let me wash you off."

His voice was direct and sharp. He did not even sound out of breath. From the tone of his voice, anyone might have thought he was just a businessman talking to his secretary. Cole followed it like a fish on a hook.

In the bathroom, Gideon was wiping the shiny mess from himself. He wet the washcloth again and gestured for Cole to come over. He followed every touch he had made during sex, cleaning Cole from his collarbone down to the insides of his thighs.

"Talk to me," he said as he tossed the washcloth into the sink. "You are being very quiet. Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Your bodyguard will kill me if I hurt you."

Cole stared at him through the mirror, where he caught a glimpse of himself. His face was completely open, eyes wide and a little fuzzy, with no hint of the sultriness or faked innocence he usually wore while he was on the clock. It was just pure, raw post-orgasmic bliss mixed with a little bit of confusion. He swallowed and rearranged his features to shutter his expression, smiling at Gideon's joke about Elijah, although it was not really a joke.

"Fine, thanks for asking."

Gideon narrowed his eyes.

"And thanks for the tip." Cole folded the hundred in half, then in half again. He had no pockets because he was still naked. He left the bathroom to check the time and see if he could get dressed again. They had ten minutes left, which was not enough to do much more, so he started picking up his clothes.

"You...uh," he shimmied into his lacey shorts, foregoing the g-string in favor of stuffing them and the hundred into the pocket of his sweatpants. "Already negotiated with price with Logan, right?"

"Yes," Gideon finished zipping up his fly as he came out of the bathroom to seek out his coat. He pawed through the folds to find an envelope, then held it out to Cole. "There you go. You can count it if you like."

Cole should, but the envelope felt thick, and this guy had been willing to tip him five hundred, then actually did give him one hundred. He did not seem like the type to jip on the actual fee. Plus, he did not know how much Logan actually charged. All he knew was it was far above the normal rates for anal, enough that Cole was not supposed to haggle about the services or any extra charges. Anything the guy wanted.

Gideon was quiet as he gathered the four hundred dollars off the floor. He considered the puddle of lube and whatnot with a tilted head, then went into the bathroom to fetch a towel and wipe it up. Cole watched this with about as much amazement as he might feel watching a fish walk on land.

The silence felt awkward after the big build-up. Cole was not usually so awkward, having mastered both the introduction and the exit from these sessions through lots of experience. And, while Gideon had been smooth and confident this whole time, it felt like something had shifted over the course of the hour for them both. Cole could not quite put his finger on it, but it made him feel awkward.

Then, they were both dressed and ready to go. Without another word, Gideon swung the door open for Cole, and they stepped out into the hallway. Elijah unfurled from his post against the opposite wall and put a hand on Cole's shoulder.

"Everything okay?"

"Just fine." Cole flipped back the waistline of his sweatpants to show Elijah the corner of the envelope stuffed into his shorts. Elijah squeezed his shoulder and then looked expectantly at Gideon. Gideon's chauffeur had driven them here, which meant they had to sit through an awkward car ride back. It felt wrong to put on a fake show of flirting between here and the club after his reactions to Gideon had been so honest during the sex. He sighed as they followed Gideon to the elevator. This was why he should stick to the rule of always faking everything.

His concerns were unfounded, though, because as they walked into the lobby, Gideon's phone rang. He grimaced at the caller ID and declined the call, but as they pushed out onto the street, it rang again.

"I apologize," he said to them, "I have to take this call. My driver will take you back to the club in the meantime."

He gestured towards the sleek black Explorer waiting for them.

Elijah made an unimpressed face. "We can wait."

"No, I insist. This is not going to be a quick phone call." Gideon waved them off and walked a few feet away. Elijah and Cole exchanged a glance, then a shrug, and made their way toward the Explorer.