Beautiful Liar by Lexie Davis

his hand and
stared at the TV. A news report had his commercial on the screen and they
talked about how he was an escort and the potential lover of Tanner Lachlan.
They made their relationship out to be some big fucking news.
      “How did they find out about it?”
    “You’re
dealing with the rich and famous, son. They find out about everything.”
    Noah
shook his head. Tanner was probably livid. He was pretty fucking mad at him
when they parted and he wasn’t sure that had changed all that much with time
apart.
    DJ
left and Noah continued to get ready. He didn’t have paparazzi breaking down
his door so going out was something he could do to get his mind off Tanner. He
had no interest in having sex with anyone else, which surprised him. Even if he
wasn’t in the mood, it still became somewhat of a job requirement some nights.
    The
dinner date was at a luxury restaurant. The event was some kind of black-tie
affair, so Noah pulled out his one and only tux. Maybe taking his mind off
Tanner for a little while would help. Plus, he got paid in the process.
    He
got ready and looked at himself in the mirror. Nothing about him really wanted
to go. He tried to psych himself up, but the reality of it was he wanted
Tanner. He wanted to go to his penthouse and figure things out. He glanced at
his phone and saw it was too late to cancel. He blew out a breath and grabbed
his wallet and keys.
    The
cab ride to the event was uneventful. The cabbie tried to engage in
conversation and he simply wasn’t in the mood. He nodded and gave short answers,
but his mind was elsewhere.
    The
restaurant was packed and he found his way to the table to meet his date. He
gave him a smile and a handshake before he sat down.
    “You
come highly recommended.” His client, a wealthy man who was in the fashion
industry, smiled at him. “I’m meeting with some clients, and then if you want
to continue the night, we can talk about that before we leave.”
    Noah
smiled. He hated when people said he came recommended. It wasn’t like he was a
toy or something.
    “You’re
all over the news. I didn’t know you and Tanner were an item. Or was he just
renting your time? The media twists things around all the time. You never
really know what to believe.”
    “Tanner
and I were a couple.” Noah didn’t want to go down that road with his date. He’d
tried so hard to not think about Tanner and it seemed like everywhere he went,
his name or memory came up.
    “And
he was okay with you dating other men for money? I mean, I know Tanner. I can’t
see him being okay with that. He get’s pissed off if you park in his parking
spot let alone date his man.”
    Noah
chose to change the subject and did his best to avoid talking about Tanner and
other dates. He simply wasn’t in the mood to be cordial, though he tried to be
just that. Nothing about his job felt the same. He didn’t want to be
entertaining strange men. And it didn’t matter what he tried to do, Tanner’s
name and memory still lingered.
    He
talked with the guy and shared wine with him until the other guests arrived.
The man himself didn’t like being alone since all his friends had significant
others. It made sense and it wasn’t the first time Noah had ever heard that one
before.
    The
evening was nice enough once he stopped thinking about Tanner for a few
minutes. Noah didn’t know what the hell he wanted, but the pain he felt was not
it. He glanced up and a man who resembled Tanner walked across the restaurant.
He almost got up to go after him until he saw it wasn’t his former lover. He
blew out a breath.
    “I’m
sorry. I need to go. Would you please excuse me?” Noah’s tie felt tight around
his neck. He scooted his chair back with a few complaints from his date and
headed for the cooler night air.
    Loosening
his tie, he watched the people in the city go by. He couldn’t do this. Not
anymore. He didn’t want to date random strangers. He wanted to date Tanner.
Hailing a cab, he took it