Facade

and maybe banish some of his own demons.
    They made their way downstairs to the now abandoned hall and toward the front office. There were several assistants on the phone booking models, and Nicky shouted out for Tau. Jonas was amused to see how effortlessly Nicky slipped into his Fashion Designer persona, who demanded personal service and right now!
    Tau looked like he was about to kiss the ground Nicky walked on, and Nicky treated him like that was exactly what he should be doing. He rummaged through the folders, took out Josh’s, and then threw the rest over Tau’s desk. “Book those,” he ordered. He rummaged through the five extra ones and picked out one which he also threw at the talent agent. “And this one.”
    “No back-ups?” Tau asked him.

    Façade
    53
    Nicky gave him a condescending look. “If they’re not interested in working, then they shouldn’t have auditioned.”
    “They may have found other shows to do.” Jonas was surprised Tau was still smiling.
    “There’s only one show that’s important and that’s mine. No back-ups,” Nicky replied calmly before walking outside to an empty curb. “And where the bloody hell is my car?” JONAS was a patient man. After all, his job didn’t just consist of offering sexual favors; there was usually some waiting involved as well. He’d been used as an ornament, a bodyguard, a companion, and even though he knew which one was his favorite, he got paid for his time, not for the nature of his services. Handsomely paid, he reminded himself every time the waiting began to drag him down.
    Waiting for Nicky was usually interesting, though, especially when he was allowed to wait in the same room. Although Nicky’s theatrics and tantrums would have driven Jonas up the wall before he got to know him better, now he was fascinated by them and endured them patiently because he’d seen the other side of Nicky.
    He’d seen the needy man who wanted to be loved, the boy-like creature who couldn’t decide whether he wanted to kiss first or give a blow job or just lie there stroking a bit of skin and loved to be told what to do. Jonas imagined there was a charismatic god-like being behind that façade, full of sexual energy and totally in command of his own pleasure. Someday, he hoped he’d be allowed to peel off enough layers to see that person emerge.
    They’d missed out on lunch because Nicky wanted the stage settings out of the way, fearing he couldn’t relax until that was settled. So while Nicky was dealing with that, Jonas arranged for one of his favorite restaurants to cater to Nicky’s house. They had a nice dinner of scallops and salmon with pasta in Nicky’s sitting room. Nicky fell asleep mid-conversation, so Jonas carried him to the bedroom and crawled into bed next to him when Nicky mumbled
    “Don’t leave me.”

    54
    Zahra
    Owens
    When he woke up several hours later Nicky was gone.
    There was another Post-It note over the toilet, though.

    Gone to party.
    Will be boring but need to make an appearance.
    Pick me up in the car sometime after eleven?
    NB

    Jonas looked at his watch and realized he’d better get a move on.
    When Jonas arrived at the party and found Nicky, he was tipsy. Jonas didn’t think he was downright drunk, but he was sort of giggly and clingy.
    “Oh! My stalker was there too,” Nicky suddenly said in the middle of his hello.
    “Your stalker?”
    “Josh the super-duper stud,” Nicky elaborated as they made their way to the car. “Still thinks he can get inside my trousers. And he probably could have if you hadn’t picked me up. Look! Feel!” Nicky took Jonas’s hand and pressed it to his groin. Despite his inebriated state, he was rock hard inside his wide harem trousers.
    “You gotta fuck me tonight, Jonas, or I’ll explode!” Jonas chuckled. “Of course I will.”
    After arriving at Nicky’s London apartment, Jonas had a hard time peeling Nicky off of him all the way upstairs. Not that he wanted to, because he was definitely getting quite turned on, but he wanted to calm Nicky down a bit so he would enjoy their lovemaking more. He thought about getting Nicky off before they started, but he didn’t know what else other than alcohol Nicky had consumed at the party, so he wasn’t entirely sure if that would do the job. Once inside the privacy of the apartment, Jonas decided to try talking to him, hoping the alcohol would make him less inhibited.

    Façade
    55
    “So tell me why you can’t shake Josh,”