You Get What You Pay For

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: @fang

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy was currently in the parking lot, waiting. Just taking a few more moments before going inside. He didn't want to show up too early, nor did he want to be late. He settled with going a couple minutes before the agreed upon time, making his way into the coffee shop. A neutral location. Bellamy had hidden all trace of his true identity as a cop, and instead, was casually dressed, blending in with nothing that would make him overly stand out. He was going in undercover. There was news of one particular . . . escort in this company, being more violent than they should.

But in order to figure out who that was, or even get close to that person, Bellamy had to first get close to one of the people in the business. Which was what brought him to this point. He had made arrangements to meet one of the escorts under the facade of him being a client. Interested in this for the business as a customer, rather than an enforcer of law. He had done his research, picked his escort carefully. And if things went well, he'd be putting the guy in cuffs, and then striking a deal to get more information about this company.

But first things first, he had to meet him. Stepping inside the coffee shop, Bellamy did a quick survey of the crowd, his eyes falling on a young male who looked like the pictures. That was his guy. He looked young . . . but then, that could be all in his appearance. Bellamy supposed he would find out more about him soon enough. Taking a deep breath he walked up to him, a small, almost shy smile forming on his lips.

He didn't want to play the over confident guy. He wanted to ease into it. And make Adam lull him into that sense of comfort. "Adam?" He asked slightly shyly, a small smile to match his tone. His hands were in his pocket, still standing near the table, awaiting confirmation for a question that Bellamy already knew the answer to. "I'm Bradbury," he introduced. The fake name he was using under these circumstances.

[Deleted]

Li had already ordered himself a coffee and found a small table for two in the coffee shop. He wasn't sure what to expect--he never was--but sometimes it took clients a little longer to build up the nerve to meet him, and he didn't want to linger near the door. Other clients acted like they owned you for however long they paid for and didn't have any nerves whatsoever. The fact that Bradbury showed up pretty much on time, maybe a couple minutes early, didn't tell Li much. But the other man's demeanor certainly did. He looked shy, not even offering a hand to shake... which might be a sign that the other man actually did just want a date or to spend time with someone, not just sex. Working for an escort service meant you saw some of those people from time to time, though they were a minority.

Of course, if Bradbury was wanting sex, it just meant Li was going to have to work for it. He would try to put any client at ease, no matter whether sex was the end goal or not. Ultimately, his job was to make people feel good... but the sex brought in the good money. He stood and held out his hand for Bradbury to shake, offering him a warm and reassuring smile. "It's really good to meet you, Bradbury," he said, and when Bellamy took his offered hand, Li clasped his free hand behind Bradbury's, cupping his hand between his for a moment and giving it a gentle squeeze. "You'll have to forgive me. I would have ordered you something too, but I didn't know if you took it black or fancy," he joked. He held Bradbury's gaze as he spoke, still smiling, then looked down at Bellamy's hand still clasped between his. "Oh, sorry," he said, laughing a little as he let go, as if he hadn't noticed he'd held Bradbury's hand for as long as he had, when really he'd only been prolonging the skin to skin contact a little longer. It wasn't particularly difficult with this client, however, as he was quite nice to look at. No matter how this night went, Li thought it might be enjoyable.

Tag: Bellamy Blake

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: @fang

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy could see how easy it would be to fall into a sense of comfort around the male. The way he smiled, his words offering immediate reassurance . . . and the lingering touch. Giving just enough contact to create a spark without too much to stir discomfort. And then of course the physicality of the man and his demeanour just further drew people in. Bellamy however was playing the role of a shy man, and so knew he couldn't give anything away in his analysis of him.

He smiled with a flicker of amusement, that underlying gaze of shyness still there. But not uncertainty. "I'm not picky," he replied. "I'm sure whatever you would have chosen would be perfect." Willingness; eagerness, to be accommodating. To be easy going. Perhaps that would work in his favor. The shy smile returned when Adam apologized and released his hand after allowing the contact to linger for a little while.

"That's ok. I uh . . . I don't mind." Works that came out as an admittance, a want to encourage but still feeling shy on the subject. "Should we sit down?" He asked, slowly taking his seat but only when he was certain that Adam was doing the same. "What are you drinking? Maybe I'll just have the same," he stated, his eyes falling to the cup as an excuse to avert his gaze for a moment before almost hesitantly returning to Adam's face. "It's nice to meet you too," he added, a little bashfully.

[Deleted]

This was going well so far. Bradbury seemed pretty easy going, if a bit shy, and he seemed to like the way Li had held his hand, for a bit longer than necessary. 'I don't mind' from someone shy was practically encouraging more. That was a good sign. Bradbury asked wat he was drinking, looking down for a moment, then back up with a bashful look before saying it was nice to meet Li too. The smile already on Li's face bloomed even more, because Bradbury was... sort of adorable. "Good, then we're on the same page," he said, grinning as he pushed his cup toward Bellamy.

"It's a mocha. You can try mine, if you want. If you like chocolate," he offered. It was definitely a more intimate offer than most might make on a first meeting, but Li was curious how Bradbury would respond. He's ordered a to go cup, just in case his date wanted to get out of her sooner rather than later, and he huffed a laugh and gestured at it. "You can take the lid off, if you want," he said to normalize it a little, that Bradbury didn't have to put his mouth where Li's had been. "Either way, anything you want is my treat." If Bradbury didn't want sex, it was just a few dollars less in his pocket. If he did, Li would more than make up for what he'd spent.

Tag: Bellamy Blake

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: @fang

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy eyed the cup as Adam pushed it toward him, explaining that he could try some of his drink; that it was a mocha. Truth be told, Bellamy wasn't too fussed about what drink it was. He at least noticed the generosity of Adam's actions. But then . . . everything was in the mindset of pleasing a customer. At least it didn't come off as dreadfully obvious. Though, Bellamy knew if that were the case this guy would have been caught a lot sooner. "I like chocolate," Bellamy, or well Bradbury revealed.

"I uh . . . " He curled his hand around the cup, cradling it as he continued with that same shy smile that didn't seem to leave his features. "Also like vanilla," he said in a low voice, clearly in attempt to make a suggestive remark but seemed a little insecure about it. All into the playing of this role he was in. "And caramel." He was really going all out here. Though, there was truth in Bellamy's statements at least: that he didn't discriminate and held no specific preference to a type. The lack of certainty in regards to how Bradbury should drink the liquid was addressed when Adam told him he could take the lid off.

Bellamy pretended to consider it, glancing at the cup, and then at the escort . . . then back at the cup. He ended up leaving the lid on, slowly and almost reluctantly bringing it to his lips -- as if needing validation that it was alright. He took a small sip, the warm liquid pleasantly soothing his throat. "Mmm. That's pretty good." Following the words, Bellamy licked his lips, purposely taking his time as his tongue ran over them, but feigning innocence as Bradbury, as if oblivious to the potential suggestive connotations it could have. He set the cup down and pushed it back toward Adam. "You have to at least let me get you something," he insisted. "What about a cookie? Can I buy you a cookie?" With that, he turned his head to look at what treats were offered in this place, that same uncertainty and bashfulness unwavering.

[Deleted]

Li watched as Bradbury curled his hand around the offered cup, revealing that he liked chocolate... and vanilla... and caramel... Li's eyes widened just barely with delight when he realized Bradbury was trying to be suggestive, not realizing it at first, given the other man's shyness, his insecurity registering before the suggestion did. "Equal opportunity coffee drinker, huh?" he said. "Me too."

He watched as Bradbury carefully took a sip, giving him an encouraging look, and then watched as Bradbury licked his lips. Li wondered if Bradbury was intentionally doing seductive things now and trying to pretend he didn't notice, or if he was actually as oblivious as he looked. When Bradbury pushed the drink back over to him, Li made sure their hands brushed as he took the cup back and followed Bradbury's gaze to the counter. He chuckled softly. "Between the mocha and a cookie," he said, his tone amused, "I'd be sugar crashing in not too long. I don't think either of us wants that." It could definitely be looked at as either suggestive... or not. He wondered how Bradbury would take it as he pushed out of his chair. "I'll be right back," he said, brushing his hand over Bellamy's shoulder as he went to the counter to get Bellamy a drink.

Tag: Bellamy Blake

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: @fang

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Equal opportunity coffee drinker. The words brought a smile to Bellamy's lips, a slight chuckle escaping him. "Well, like you said, good to know we're on the same page," he said with an continued smile, allowing himself to relax a little more. Or well, allowing Bradbury to relax a little more. He chuckled again a little when Adam spoke of sugar crashing, not missing the potential suggestiveness in his voice. It caused that shy smile to return in Bradbury and well, damn if Bellamy could make himself blush on cue . . . now would be the perfect opportunity for that to further play into this role.

"No. I guess that wouldn't be a good thing. I mean . . . I wouldn't want you to crash or anything." It was clear how he had taken the words, but still reluctantly shy to go into further detail about why he didn't want that to be the case. Bellamy knew where he wanted this conversation to go: in a private location so that he could disclose himself to Adam. But Bradbury on the other hand . . . well, he had not come in here with his mind made up. And that was what Bellamy was playing into. He offered a smile, the brushy of his hand against Bellamy's shoulder -- a nice touch if Bellamy did say so, and his eyes followed Adam's as he went to the register.

After lingering there for a few moments, Bellamy brought his gaze back to the table. Inside, he was already feeling conflicted. He hated this; busting juveniles. Having a sister that looked about the same age as Adam, made Bellamy feel . . . sympathetic towards them. He knew he couldn't let it distract himself from his job but it was hard. Wanting to reach out and help them, yet knowing there wasn't a hell of a lot he could do . . . was there? Not allowing these thoughts to ruin the current facade, Bellamy turned his head to Adam again, his smile widening a little to compensate for the way his mind raced with thoughts about this young male before him. And, not in a kinky way.

[Deleted]

Bradbury seemed to be relaxing, even laughing at his comment. He got shy again for a moment when he seemed to get the suggestive side of Li's comments, but when he responded verbally, it was clear he'd taken it the way Li intended. He still didn't seem quite ready to commit to more than coffee, but it was moving the right direction. They only had a couple of hours together, though, so Bradbury would have to make his decision eventually, whether this was just a date or if he would ask Li to go somewhere with him.

He ordered another mocha at the counter, in a to go cup like his own, and went back over to the table, sitting down and sliding it over to Bradbury. "So, tell me abut yourself," he said, smiling warmly at Bradbury. He was genuinely interested. If he didn't like people or making them feel good, he would be shitty at his job. But at the same time, showing interest and learning more about clients was a good way to establish repeat customers. So it was win-win. "Are you from here, or are you a transplant? What do you do?"

Tag: Bellamy Blake

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: @fang

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy smiled in gratitude when Adam passed him his drink. "Thanks," he said with a tone to match his expression as his hands curled around the drink, taking in its warmth. Adam then started to ask questions about himself and well, Bellamy supposed it made sense. Building a connection with a client could certainly put them at more ease. "Sadly, there isn't much to tell," he said with a chuckle. "I'm from here, born and raised. I work in finance which, is about as thrilling as it sounds," he said with a continued smile.

"My life isn't that exciting. In fact, this is probably the most exciting thing I've ever done." Everything he was saying was a lie of course . . . apart from the fact that he was from this town. "What about you?" Bellamy was aware of the question he had asked, but as Bradbury, he was making it look like a bit of a realization at the potential inappropriate question. "I mean . . . whatever you can tell me that is," he added on, feigning a flustered demeanour as he awkwardly took a sip of his drink.

[Deleted]

Li thought there was probably a lot to tell about Bradbury, and the other man was probably just being shy or modest, but he listened as Bradbury said he was from here, and he worked in finance, making a 'yikes' expression at him after he joked about how not thrilling it was, then chuckling as Bradbury continued. He lifted an eyebrow when Bradbury said this was the most exciting thing he'd ever done, though. The expression was both one of disbelief, and one that said Li was going to make sure this experience was worth it, if that was the case.

He chuckled again when Bradbury asked what he did then seemed to get flustered, his laugh a warm sound rather than a mocking one. He waited for Bradbury to put his cup back down after sipping awkwardly, then reached over and placed his hand over Bradbury's in a comforting gesture. "I've lived here my whole life too," he started. "And..." He shrugged, still smiling at Bradbury. "I do this," he said. There was no use denying it, considering Bradbury was meeting him knowing full well he was getting paid for it. "I like it, though, most of the time. I get to meet all different types of people, and have heard some great stories." It was all true. He tried to lie as little as possible; lies were too easy to get mixed up, and misleading customers was a good way to make them angry if they caught on. Angry customers were dangerous customers.

He pulled his hand back, but not before letting his fingertips linger for a moment on the back of Bradbury's hand. He took a sip of his own coffee, then drew his fingertip along the rim of the cup's lid after setting it back down, an almost suggestive motion, should Bradbury catch it. "Sometimes I get lucky, and I wind up with company that's charming and handsome," he added, looking back at Bradbury. His tone and expression were clear he was speaking about Bradbury now.

Tag: Bellamy Blake