Chapter 1 :: The Gigolo

Nathaniel Underwood woke up with an aching pain in his back and sides. Above his head, the white ceiling of the five-star posh hotel greeted him. On the walls hung a painting of a sunset. Hearing her soft breaths next to him was enough to remind him of what had happened the night before.

Like the other gigolos in the Mysterious Club, they tasked him with fulfilling a particular female guest. Out of ten other gigolos, that red-headed wealthy woman had picked him. He hadn’t expected her to have an insatiable appetite, nor had he anticipated the bite mark she left on his neck. 

Last night had been the most exhausting night he had ever experienced with a client. As much as it was exhilarating, he felt as if something had torn his soul out of his body. Never, for once in the three months of being in the trade, had he ever suffered such a demanding client.

She let out a soft moan as he gently pushed her aside and got out of bed. Just what time was it? He groaned as he searched anxiously for his clothes and slipped them on. A gold watch with his initials dangled from the corner of a desk. He grabbed it and put it on as well, glancing at the face of the watch to tell the time.

Goodness! The time for his next client was in an hour. He hurriedly entered the bathroom to get ready quickly.

The sight of his reflection in the mirror shocked him.

“What in the world?” He almost screamed.

That didn’t look like an ordinary bite mark. It was as if some beast had clawed on his neck with extremely sharp talons. There was no way he was going on his next ‘date’ looking like that. 

What should he do now?

His instinct told him he had to get out of there as soon as possible. While the wound wouldn’t heal in a short while, he needed to hide it as much as he could.

He still had bills and a house mortgage to pay off.

When he exited the bathroom, it appalled him to realise that the woman he had serviced last night had arisen, and was walking around the room in a daze.

She had swept her crimson hair around her naked shoulders glamorously, and her face carried a bright shine.

“Who are you?” She looked mystified to see him in the room with her.

“I’m Nathaniel. I mean, I’m the gigolo you chose last night.” He answered truthfully, unable to keep his eyes off her. What kind of woman looked so captivating even after a night of wild passion? Her morning look was definitely a soul-stealer. If not that he was a gigolo and she was the client, he swore he could have made another go with her.

“Oh? If that’s right, then you can leave now. I’m very busy.”

She pointed towards the door.

What? She was definitely straightforward! But kicking him out after having a night of passion? That was totally unheard of! Most of his clients had always requested for him to continue his services for a day, but not this one! 

"Hmmm?" She placed her hands on her bare hips. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

Her authoritative side was intriguing. He felt drawn to her, as if she had some power over him.

Regardless, he needed to go. Perhaps he could find some way to hide the mark on his neck. For now, he had it hidden well with a collar that he folded upwards.

"As you wish, ma'am. But please, let me grab my phone first and check on my payment."

He had left his cell phone on his side of the bed. As a gigolo registered on the eGigolo platform in Neon, it ensured that clients made a payment of his services in advance. But he needed to ensure that she had paid.

She sneered and leaned back in the plush chair in the suite. "Since when did I ever default on any payment?"

"Since now."

He flashed his cell phone screen before the naked redhead. The smirk on her face turned to that of annoyance. He had opened on the screen of his cell phone, the payment window of the eGigolo app. 

It indicated he had received a payment of zero for his services yesterday. 

"Are you kidding me?" 

He smiled coolly. "Like you, I don't have so much free time on my hands. I have another rich widow to handle next."

"Wait. I'll transfer the money to you now. There must be a misunderstanding. I am sure I've paid Madam McLean.."

He shook his head with a laugh. "How can you place me with McLean's little boys? I am Nathaniel Woods, an independent male escort."

"Don't waste my time. Give me your contact number for me to do an online funds transfer now."

She looked cross. He couldn't help thinking how sexy she looked while angry, and took his sweet time to key in his number into the contacts of her cPhone. He even saved his number in her phone as "Sexy Nat At Your Service".

"Thank you Madam for your patronage. Call me if you need any further servicing," he teased her with a curtsey. "I hope my performance last night pleased you."

While he was teasing her, some red stains on the pale sheets caught his attention. He eyed the woman strangely, but she avoided his gaze.

"Transfer done. I hope I don't see you again."

That desirable woman who had moaned so loudly last night that he thought the other patrons of the hotel floor could hear her turned out to be a virgin?

She had been such a wildcat that it made him pound inside her roughly. She had retaliated by scratching him on his back and biting him on his neck. But for a virgin to be this wild? It was like striking a jackpot for him. Virgins in Neon were as rare as a pearl in the wild. 

Hiding his excitement, he exited the suite, beaming silently at his finding.

She would soon look him up, and it wouldn't be many days later. As he had received the funds she had transferred into his account, he had her number now. They wouldn't remain strangers.

And she seemed like a really wealthy lady. She looked just a little older than him. Just a few more times and he could bid this horrible job goodbye.

He was even more scheming than he appeared to be. For every client he took on, he always prepared himself to have something in hand to seduce them for a second opportunity with him. And each time he met with a client for the second time, he would increase his price using valid reasons, until they eventually stopped calling on him. By then, he would have got what he needed from that client, and would move on to the next.

But for this fiery lady who turned out to be a virgin last night, he had a bigger plan. And that was to blackmail her with a video of their sex last night.

His phone suddenly started beeping with an unsaved number on the line.

It turned out his girlfriend, Regina, was back from another of her long trips for work. He decided that she likely wouldn't stay in Neon much longer this time.

And he had a client to attend to in fifteen minutes.