Gentlemen of the emerald.., p.1
Gentlemen of the Emerald City, Volume 1, page 1
Gentlemen of the Emerald City
Volume 1
L.A. Witt
Copyright Information
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Gentlemen of the Emerald City, Vol. 1
Copyright © 2021 L.A. Witt
Includes:
Luca, Cole, Bryce, each published 2021
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Cover Art by L.A. Witt
Editor: Leta Blake
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher, and where permitted by law. Reviewers may quote brief passages in a review. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact L.A. Witt at gallagherwitt@gmail.com
* * *
ISBN: 978-1-64230-123-6
Created with Vellum
Contents
Luca
About Luca
1. Ethan
2. Luca
3. Ethan
4. Luca
5. Ethan
6. Luca
7. Ethan
8. Luca
9. Ethan
10. Luca
11. Ethan
12. Luca
13. Ethan
14. Luca
15. Ethan
16. Luca
17. Ethan
18. Luca
19. Ethan
20. Luca
21. Ethan
22. Luca
23. Ethan
24. Luca
25. Ethan
26. Luca
27. Ethan
28. Luca
29. Ethan
30. Luca
31. Ethan
32. Luca
33. Ethan
34. Luca
Cole
About Cole
1. Parker
2. Cole
3. Parker
4. Cole
5. Parker
6. Cole
7. Parker
8. Cole
9. Parker
10. Cole
11. Parker
12. Cole
13. Parker
14. Cole
15. Parker
16. Cole
17. Parker
18. Cole
19. Parker
20. Cole
21. Parker
22. Cole
23. Parker
24. Cole
25. Parker
26. Cole
27. Parker
28. Cole
29. Parker
30. Cole
31. Parker
32. Cole
Epilogue
Bryce
About Bryce
1. Alec
2. Bryce
3. Alec
4. Bryce
5. Alec
6. Bryce
7. Alec
8. Bryce
9. Alec
10. Bryce
11. Alec
12. Bryce
13. Alec
14. Bryce
15. Alec
16. Bryce
17. Alec
18. Bryce
19. Alec
20. Bryce
21. Alec
22. Bryce
23. Alec
24. Bryce
25. Alec
26. Bryce
27. Alec
28. Bryce
29. Alec
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
The Gentlemen of the Emerald City Series
Also by L.A. Witt
Also by L.A. Witt
About the Author
Luca
About Luca
Ethan
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.
* * *
Luca
Ethan isn’t like my other clients (not that I have many these days). He’s nice. He’s genuine. He doesn’t treat me like I’m here to earn my pay.
When he asks me to make this a regular thing for the summer, my wallet doesn’t leave me much choice.
But I’m pretty sure my heart isn’t supposed to get involved.
* * *
Gentlemen of the Emerald City
Luca is Book 1 of Gentlemen of the Emerald City, a sexy series centered around the high class, high-dollar Gentlemen of Seattle’s most exclusive escort service. Each book is full of snark, sass, and sweetness, and like any Emerald City client, you’re guaranteed a happy ending.
Chapter 1
Ethan
The mood on the Seattle Breakers’ charter jet was about as bright as the rain-blackened Chicago sky outside. Thanks to the weather, our takeoff was delayed just like everyone else’s, and God knew when we were actually getting out of here.
A few of my teammates were talking quietly amongst themselves or on FaceTime with their families. In the seat in front of me, Grayson, our second line right winger, was obviously trying to sound upbeat as he talked to his kids. They were excited that he’d be home and not going back out on the road for a while. I had no idea how he did it—keeping that smile in place and sounding almost as enthusiastic as they were about an upcoming trip to Disneyland. Maybe he was that enthusiastic, and maybe that soothed the sting of our heartbreaking loss in the playoffs. A lot of the guys were family men, and for them, the end of a season meant the beginning of three months or so with their wives and kids.
Even with the prospect of families and vacations, though, the vibe on the plane was pretty damn miserable. Kind of came with the territory of a season ending like that.
I pressed my head back against the seat and stared out at the shitty weather and the congested tarmac. A plane took off. Another took its position on the runway The others steadily moved forward. Eventually, it would be our turn.
Closing my eyes, I sighed. As much as I wanted to be off this plane, I wasn’t exactly in a hurry to get home. The chaos of the hockey season was what I lived for. The constant traveling. The intensity of the game. The pressure to win. I loved it all.
It always ended eventually, though. Sometimes we went out on a high—we’d won the Cup two seasons ago, and it didn’t get any better than that. Sometimes we didn’t make it into the playoffs at all. And sometimes we almost had it before things ended abruptly. Last night, we’d been so close to hanging on to our spot in the semifinals, I could taste it. Then their rookie defenseman got one of those one-in-a-million goals that people would be talking about until long after he retired. I’d never really thought about what it was like to be on the other team when someone scored a legendary shot like that. Turned out it really, really sucked.
And on that demoralizing note, our season was over, and now I had to figure out what to do with myself. After four college and nine pro seasons, you’d think I would have it down, but I never got used to this part. The lull. The quiet. The solitude. I lived and breathed hockey, and when there was no hockey except for casual practices and scrimmages throughout the summer, I was restless.
No, not restless. I mean, I did get twitchy and bored, missing the constant stress and adrenaline, but the off season for me was like winter for my sister—depressing and draining. For her, it was the cold and the lack of sunlight. For me, it was the lack of people and chaos. The lack of hockey and being constantly on the go. When everything stopped, there was nothing left but my quiet, empty condo and my cold, empty bed.
I suppressed a frustrated groan and glared out the plane’s window. That was it, wasn’t it? The sudden stillness at the end of the season meant I couldn’t ignore everything that was missing in my life. While my teammates went home to partners and kids, I went home to… no one.
Maybe it was time to do something about that.
I dropped my duffel bag beside my suitcase in the condo’s entryway. Unpacking and laundry could wait until tomorrow. On the other hand, it would keep me busy tonight, and maybe that would distract me from how twitchy I was in this empty place.
But whatever. It could wait.
Instead of being a responsible adult, I grabbed a quick shower, then flopped onto the couch with my phone to hunt down… something. Anything. A distraction? Something to do? Whatever.
Tinder offered up plenty of temptation, but I was hesitant. I was one of three out players on the Breakers. Warner was married with kids. Me and Smitty, though, we were both single, and we kept our dating and hookup habits out of the public eye as much as possible. That didn’t stop the public from trying to dig up details, though. The handful of times I’d hooked up with someone on an app, I’d worried the entire time that he’d run to a tabloid or write a salacious blog post. It was also possible someone might see us—that had happened before. Worrying about all that kind of took the fun out of casual sex, you know? And dating was just a massive headache because, as I’d learned from experience, once someone caught wind of a boyfriend, they’d be falling all over themselves to
So hookups were a gamble. Dating was a nightmare.
That left…
A conversation from a few months back worked its way into my brain.
“Wait, you’re serious?” I’d stared incredulously at Smitty. “You pay for it?”
“Why not?” He’d shrugged. “Skip all the hookup games, and the guys are way more discreet than anyone on Tinder.”
“Huh. Discreet? Really?”
“Oh yeah. They’re completely professional about everything.” He’d paused, then smirked. “Well, not everything, but you know what I mean.”
I’d been dubious of the idea back then. A prostitute? Sorry, an escort? That just… That wasn’t my style. Then again, some paid company was better than no company, and as the silence of my condo rang in my ears tonight, Smitty’s argument sounded more and more persuasive.
To hell with it. What did I have to lose? I could look. Didn’t mean I had to buy. Rent. Book? Jesus, I didn’t know how all of this worked. I didn’t even know where to start.
Since I couldn’t come up with any other ideas, I texted Smitty: So hey that thing we talked about a while back? How do you find them?
He didn’t respond.
Damn. Okay. Not that I’d expected him to be waiting on the other end for me to send him a message. I had just hoped he’d reply quickly so I wouldn’t have to keep trying to find something to do tonight.
While I waited for him to respond, I went into the kitchen to make something to eat. I wasn’t particularly hungry—just bored. And of course since I hadn’t been home much in the last few weeks, I didn’t have anything fresh. Eh. It was the second day of the off season. A slightly freezer-burned Hot Pocket wouldn’t kill me.
As I was putting my plate in the dishwasher after I’d eaten, my phone buzzed. I picked it up off the kitchen island, wondering who was texting me, and then I remembered I’d messaged Smitty like half an hour ago.
He’d replied, Find what? You mean the guys I hire?
I wrote back, Yeah.
LOL Finally saw the light? Here’s the app.
Below that was a link to the app store, and when I opened it, I gulped.
Gentlemen of the Emerald City: The right men for your fantasies.
That sounded, um, optimistic, but I downloaded the app anyway. I thumbed through all their policies, and I was more than a little reassured by the emphasis on discretion and safety.
Our Gentlemen provide professional and discreet services.
GotEC hires only the very best. Each Gentleman is selected through a rigorous process and must meet our exceptional standards. He is screened for his health and yours, and he undergoes a thorough background check for your safety. Once hired, he is strictly bound by our policy of non-disclosure, leaving you free to enjoy everything your heart desires with total confidence.
Similarly, GotEC protects its Gentlemen. Incidents of assault, extortion, threats, harassment, or other such behavior will be referred to the authorities without exception.
That was surprising. As liberal as Seattle was, prostitution was still illegal. Though the website didn’t actually come out and say the Gentlemen were paid for sex, so maybe that was the loophole. The descriptions of services offered didn’t actually include sex. I supposed this was like any escort service—the escort’s companionship and possible role-playing were the service. If sex happened, it happened, but that wasn’t technically what they were being paid for. It was probably something like how paying someone to have sex was illegal, but paying someone to have sex in front of a camera was making a perfectly legal porno.
Well, whatever. They must’ve had all their ducks in a row if they were still operating and openly stated they’d report problem clients to the authorities.
And Smitty had been happy with them. Nothing that I knew of had ever leaked to the press about him hooking up with an escort, and that was definitely something they’d have been all over. So maybe this whole thing was worth a try.
As confident as I’d ever be that this wasn’t a terrible idea, I moved from the company policies to the Gentlemen themselves. They had profiles that were similar to Tinder profiles—some photos and details about their personalities. Their preferences in bed were tucked discreetly into words and phrases that could be interpreted as completely non-sexual.
If what you crave is an evening without pressure, this Gentleman’s take-charge attitude will ensure you don’t need to worry about making decisions.
This Gentleman’s versatility means your time together is all about whatever you want.
He’ll be sure that no matter what, you come out on top.
Some of it was corny as hell, but it was easy to read between the lines. I supposed it was part of keeping the company and the app legal.
Icons noted where the various men landed in terms of price—no specific numbers were given, but they each had between one and four gold dollar signs. I wasn’t too worried about the price. The League paid me quite well to chase pucks around, and I’d barely had time to spend much of it since the season started.
I wandered through profiles, checking out photos and trying to get a feel for what various men offered and preferred. The photos weren’t just bathroom selfies, either. Clearly Gentlemen of the Emerald City spared no expense when it came to showcasing its men. That, or they expected their men to spare no expense. Either way, the result was some seriously high quality photos of some exceptionally attractive men.
Reading between the lines, some guys were definitely on the kinkier side. That wasn’t really my thing, though I wasn’t against things like blindfolds and handcuffs if I knew someone well enough, but probably not with a stranger I was hiring. A couple of the guys were sporting those really thick beards that were all the rage these days. Again, not my thing—I didn’t mind facial hair, but too much got in the way.
Oh, this guy is promising, I thought as I perused the profile of a green-eyed redhead with ink, freckles, and a wicked smile.
Hmm, I mused as I looked at another. I’ve never been with someone with a Prince Albert.
Why do I feel like I’ve seen this guy before? I squinted at the photos. Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing him again, so…
I added them to my favorites and kept looking. I was kind of amazed at just how many men were on their payroll. Was there really this much demand for high-end male escorts in Seattle? Or, well, the I-5 corridor, I guess, since despite the name implying it was only Seattle (aka, the Emerald City), the available locations actually started as far north as Bellingham, which was just below the Canadian border, and they stretched to quite a ways south of Portland, Oregon. Either way—a lot of dudes for hire.
