the way cafés to study in, spent his time between lectures and labs, and let the few people he considered friends drag him to restaurants and little bars just outside the city. It was the best and worst escape from his former life, and one he had settled in far too easily.
Since being home—even though he could almost count the days between both hands—Archer already felt that life slipping away. His brother’s fame and notoriety meant he couldn’t leave the house without risking being caught by the press, and although his brother was popular, there were enough hateful people out there that Archer’s safety could be at risk if he wasn’t careful.
It was that fact which had Rex worried about him. He was going to lose his mind when he found out Archer slipped away, but Archer had no regrets. He needed this. He wanted to be there for his brother, but he wanted more for himself too.
“Are you okay?” Julian asked as they stopped by his car.
Archer blinked then sighed. “Yes, sorry. It’s been kind of a weird couple of days. Busy,” he said, remembering he was Will the prostitute who had a busy client schedule. “I’m going to grab my bags. Will my car be okay here?”
Julian offered to let him park it in the garage, and he felt a lot better once he pulled it in and got his things out. Julian’s car wasn’t as nice, but it was comfortable and worn. The engine was quiet, the tires balanced, and the seats were soft.
Neither of them said much as Julian pulled onto the freeway a few minutes later, and it was weird driving with absolutely no background music, but he figured Julian needed it that way if they were going to hold a conversation.
“So,” Archer said, and Julian startled a little. He took a breath and decided a real escort wouldn’t apologize. “What does your family know about me?”
Julian shrugged, glancing over his shoulder before merging into the toll lane. “Not much. The dinner where I uh…invented you,” he said, then cleared his throat, “we didn’t really get into specifics.”
“Okay. That works in our favor then,” Archer replied. “We can keep it simple and truthful.”
“We met through a friend?” Julian asked, and Archer grinned.
“Exactly. Your friend…”
“Ilan,” Julian supplied.
“He knew you were ready to start dating again, and he knew me through a co-worker.” Archer picked at the edge of his thumbnail. “What does he do?”
“He’s a doctor,” Julian said with a frown. “You know—your client was a nurse so…”
“Right,” Archer breathed. Julian didn’t seem suspicious—not yet, but he was going to have to do better. “We’ve been dating a while, right?”
“A few months. I figure keep it vague. Trust me, no one is going to ask for details.” The bitterness in Julian’s tone was rich, and Archer felt another surge of pity for him which he knew the man would have probably hated. “They’re going to be nosy, but they don’t really care about me.”
“That’s…rough.”
“It is what it is. My family cares more about money and status than they do about anything else. It’s always been like that.” Julian let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “My aunt and uncle have rented out this entire string of vacation cottages for the wedding. All the guests are in private casitas. I think she’s trying to compete.”
Archer frowned. “With what? The Kardashians?”
Julian shook his head, his mouth softening a fraction. “My wedding. Bryce wanted something grand, so he brought up a destination wedding and my mother did not hesitate to book a resort in Fiji. It was a lot smaller than this, but it probably cost twice as much.”
“That’s so,” Archer said, but he didn’t quite know how to finish that sentence. It was hard to reconcile this soft, quiet English professor with a family like that. Archer was far too familiar with those sorts of people. Even before Rex had decided to run for office, they were surrounded by those families. His father had been a political attorney, and Rex had followed in his footsteps.
Archer’s earliest memories involved posh dinners and ballrooms and a lot of dodging polished shoes as the people there ate, drank, and sank deep into their own self-importance.
Those early memories had solidified his desire to stay far away from that sort of society, to bury himself in what he loved most and paint over the life that had killed his parents. He still couldn’t understand why Rex had kept going—why he had doubled down and