Hooked On Love

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/hooked.php
Summary: Based on 'Pretty Woman'. Daniel is a hooker wishing for love; Jack is a businessman wanting to stay uninvolved. Guess what happens next

Once upon a time...

...in the seedy part of Beverly Hills, during the year of 1985, the day was just beginning. Inside a crumbling apartment block, on the second floor, Daniel Jackson was just waking up. The twenty-year-old had been up all the previous night working, and had slept for most of the following day. He blearily looked at the clock - not that he could see all that well without his contacts - and figured it was about time he got up. Dressed only in black boxer shorts, he went out into the kitchen and made coffee. While that was brewing, he wandered into Sam's room to wake her up but she wasn't there. Figuring she had already headed out for the evening, he turned around and went back to get himself some breakfast, which for everybody else in the sane world, was dinner.

Thirty minutes later, he had eaten, cleaned his teeth, put on his spiky blonde wig, and dressed ready for work. He was wearing a mesh tank top so that plenty of skin was on show, and tight cargoes that advertised his assets. He had thrown a jacket on as well but he would take that off when he got to work. Daniel's stomach rolled when he thought of his job. When he was growing up, becoming a prostitute wasn't exactly what he had dreamed of. He had wanted to become an archaeologist and had even started the necessary degree after completing college but because of money problems, and the fact that he was always challenging the academic staff, he had been unable to finish it. So he was saving up his money to start again. Problem was, it was taking too long and he really wanted to get out of his current profession.

Sighing, he turned off the light and headed out of the apartment. When he got to the top of the stairs, he heard the landlord's voice below talking to another of the tenants about the rent. Darn, he thought, going back into his apartment. The rent was due today. He returned, went into the bathroom and opened the cabinet under the sink, taking the blue plastic soap container out and looking in it. No money. Sam! he thought in exasperation.

In order to avoid a confrontation with the landlord, Daniel went into the living area, opened the window, then climbed out onto the fire escape and down onto the sidewalk, quickly walking away. It was becoming an all too often occurrence lately, and he hated cheating the landlord. Daniel always made sure that he paid up eventually, usually the next day if he could manage it, because he knew the landlord needed money to live on too. But Sam was falling deeper and deeper into the wild scene, often taking Daniel's hard-earned money to buy drugs - and he had little doubt that this week's rent had been used the same way. He couldn't understand her reliance on drugs but then again, Sam had never shared her past with him so he didn't know whether there was anything personal that might shed light on it. And nothing he said to her made a difference; she kept walking along what he perceived to be a destructive path.

On the way down Hollywood Boulevard, the place where he plied his trade, Daniel saw many of the other workers already at their 'posts'. There weren't as many hookers around his area as there were in the centre of the city, but there were enough to be competition. That was why Daniel liked to keep his image fresh yet appealing to a wide variety of men and women.

Heading across the street, he went into the nightclub where Sam often hung out in - Pink Stargate. It had to be one of the seediest places in town, Daniel judged. Up until a few months ago, he hadn't even set foot in a place like this. Now, it was just another regular spot to hang out. He went over to the bartender, who was busy drying glasses. "Hey, is Sam here?"

"Upstairs," the bald man replied, giving Daniel only a cursory glance.

Great, Daniel thought; probably getting high. He really didn't know what to do about Sam; her drug habit was getting out of control. Going up the stairs with the intention of dragging her back down again, he found Sam exactly where the bartender had said she would be.

"Hey, Danny," Sam said, straightening up from where she had been leaning against a post. She was wearing a very short blue mini-skirt, a white top and a denim jacket. Her short blonde hair was mussed as if she had just got straight out of bed. She knew she was very attractive as well as very smart. In fact, when she was younger, she had been planning a career in physics or engineering. But then her mother had died, and her father was never home, and on the rare occasions he was, he put a lot of pressure on her to do well at school. Resenting that, she had eventually fallen in with the wrong crowd. The drugs helped her to forget what she could have been and made her content with what she had now. "Where have you been?"

Daniel didn't waste any time on small talk. "Is it all gone?"

Sam stalled, knowing exactly what Daniel was talking about. "Juan, you know my roommate, Daniel." She continued to introduce the others who were nearby, wanting to delay the confrontation.

"I know everybody here," Daniel cut her off impatiently. "Is the money all gone, Sam?" He knew the answer though, just from her avoidance of the topic.

"Juan sold me some great stuff," Sam tried to justify herself. "It was fantastic, you should have been here." She had tried to get Daniel involved with her crowd but he always refused; still, she kept trying.

"I can't believe you bought drugs with our rent money! What is wrong with you, Sam?" Daniel walked across and grabbed hold of her arm, ready to haul her away. He was sick of Sam spending their money on drugs with no thought of how it affected him.

"I just needed a little pick-me-up," Sam said shakily, trying to keep her balance. She couldn't see that she had done anything wrong.

"Well, we need rent money! Unless you actually want to live on the street," Daniel stated forcefully. It was already bad enough with the job he had been forced to take but living on the streets as well would be the last straw.

"Hey, calm down," Juan intervened; he was a raven-haired young man of Latin descent and questionable fashion sense. Weighing into the discussion, he stood between Sam and Daniel, and eyed up the latter. "She only owes me two hundred more."

"Juan!" Sam hissed. She hadn't wanted Daniel to know that because then he would just get started on how she was wasting their money, blah, blah, blah...

"Another two hundred dollars?" Daniel repeated. Just how much debt was Sam in?

"That was from way before," Sam tried to explain, waving her hand as if it would make the debt magically disappear.

"Yeah, two hundred dollars." Juan looked Daniel over again with dark desiring eyes. "But if you want to work off her money with me, we'll go work something out."

Daniel rolled his eyes; no way would he ever sleep with Juan. The man was too slimy. Besides, Juan would probably try and get him hooked on drugs, and he wasn't going to go down that path; he had seen how destructive it could be.

"That's very sweet of you, Juan," Sam said, realising through the drug-induced haze that her friend was hitting on Daniel, "but not now." She was very protective of Daniel even though he could take care of himself; since she was the one who discovered him and showed him the ropes, she considered it her responsibility to look after him. Therefore, she didn't consider it stealing when she used their rent money for drugs - it was more a matter of commission on Daniel's earnings. Sam hooked her arm through Daniel's and led him out of the room.

Daniel tried to get Sam to talk about the money on the way down the stairs but Sam wasn't co-operating. "You took it while I was sleeping!" he accused her.

"You were unavailable for consultation." Sam veered off towards the bar.

Daniel sighed. "Come on, let's go!" The sooner we go, the sooner it's over with, he thought, gesturing towards the door.

But Sam kept going in her chosen direction. "I need a snack," she said. She went up to the bar and started collecting nibbles. "It's my apartment. I can spend the money if I want to." She put the tidbits onto a napkin for a booster while they were working.

"I have to live there too, Sam." Daniel reluctantly followed Sam to the bar and sat on the nearest stool. How could he convince her that the money needed to be spent on rent rather than on getting high?

"Look, you came here, I gave you some money, a place to stay, and some valuable vocational advice," she retorted, annoyed. "I need something so don't irritate me." She wrapped the nibbles up and moved around Daniel to his other side.

"Irritate you?" Daniel echoed. Sam thought he was irritating her? "Sam, I'm worried about you. You're spending way too much on drugs, and what happens if you're too high to judge when you've had enough?"

"I know when to stop." Sam's tone was defensive; she didn't like it when Daniel started preaching about the evils of drugs.

A disturbance nearby - a brawl, it looked like - captured their attention briefly. Daniel sighed again; he really hated this place. Not just the bar but the whole town. "Don't you want to get out of here?"

"And go where?" Sam spreads her arms out wide. Where was there to go for someone like her? Much as she might want to do something with her life, what chance did she have now? She'd spent the better part of a decade being a hooker, and the drugs helped to suppress the regrets for what could have been.

"Anywhere that's away from here," Daniel replied. This wasn't what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. What he really wanted was to find someone who would take him away from all of this, someone who would love him; pickings were very slim in this neighbourhood. Maybe one day a client would fall in love with him and offer to marry him; a law allowing marriage between men had been passed a decade ago. Daniel snorted softly - as if! Who would want to marry him?

"What?" Sam inquired, curious at what was amusing Daniel.

"Nothing. Let's get going."

When Daniel and Sam walked outside into their 'territory', Sam immediately checked the area for likely customers. She spotted another friend of hers and went over to talk with her for a moment. Daniel hung back, and kept one ear on the conversation while he surveyed the streets for potential customers. There were few people around at that time of evening, which meant that he could relax for a while.

Sam turned to Daniel when the other hooker left. "Am I becoming a grouch?" she pouted.

Daniel prevaricated whether to tell the truth or not. "Sometimes," he ended up saying; she usually wasn't but after the drugs, she could be.

"Well, it's just because I'm so hungry."

Daniel refrained from rolling his eyes again; hungry for drugs maybe.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat. You want anything?" A flashy car caught Sam's attention as it was driving by. "Hey, baby," she purred, automatically switching into business mode.

"How about a freebie? It's my birthday," one of the guys in the car yelled out.

"Dream on," Sam replied as the car went past. Then she turned back to Daniel and surveyed how he looked tonight. She wasn't sure about the blonde hair but she had to agree that it made him look hot. That's why he always made lots of money, and why she always had so much to spend on drugs.

Daniel leaned back against the nearby lamppost. "Things are really slow tonight," he commented. There were hardly any cars going past, and still only a few people on the street. Nights like this he was lucky to make a hundred bucks.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should get a pimp. Juan really likes you," Sam suggested. Juan had mentioned it on more than one occasion, although Sam had her reservations about letting Juan anywhere near Daniel.

"And then he'll run our lives and take all our money." And for Daniel, his self-respect. No way was Daniel going to let that happen. He preferred to work for himself - it was the lesser of two evils - and besides, he knew what Juan would expect in payment for his pimping services.

"No," he said emphatically, giving Sam a look that she couldn't possibly mistake.

Sam nodded. "You're right. We say who, we say when, we say how much."

"Exactly." Daniel folded his arms across his chest. He didn't always like being self-employed - no, actually, he just didn't like this job - but since it was a necessity, he took pride in doing it well. He fiddled with his wig. "Are you sure this looks okay?"

"Positive." Sam flattened the hair down a little though, getting it just right. Then she looked over his shoulder as she saw a red car coming towards them. "Danny, catch this." The gears were crunching and the car was jerking along the road.

"That's a Lotus Esprit," Daniel commented, recognising the low-slung sports car. The owner of such a vehicle would have to be quite rich - and could afford to pay one hundred bucks for the hour.

Sam looked at the expensive Lotus with renewed interest. "No, that's rent. You should take him; you look hot tonight. Don't take less than a hundred, call me when you're through," she said, giving Daniel a quick hug. "Take care, you."

"Take care, you," Daniel said automatically. He turned towards the Lotus as it pulled over to the curb and started to mentally prepare himself. It still went against his nature to get into a car with a strange man for an hour or more of sex, but it was his job and therefore he had to do it. He took off his jacket and slung it over his shoulder. Once he was ready, he sauntered forward to the edge of the sidewalk.

~~~

Jack O'Neill had left the party and jumped into his lawyer's car after deciding to drive himself back to his hotel. He couldn't cope with parties, had always hated the amount of sucking up that went on at those things. He might have to be in Los Angeles for an important conference but there was no way he was going to socialise if he didn't have to. Cursing the car that wouldn't work properly, he pulled off the side of the road and tried to figure out how he could get to his penthouse suite without too much trouble.

It wasn't fair! Jack jiggled the shift stick again but still had no luck. Here he was, one of the country's foremost businessmen, and he couldn't even drive the car! See, this is why I have a driver, he complained to himself, not admitting that it was because he had a driver that he was in this predicament.

"You can do this," he muttered to himself as he tried to find the right gear, wrestling with the stick shift as though it were a willful piece of machinery that wouldn't do what he wanted it to do.

The gears crunched again so in order to safely find first gear, he managed to pull over to the curb. Frowning, he glared at the offending stick, and then he heard a voice speaking to him through the open window.

"Hey, you lookin' for a date?"

"What?" Jack looked up, surprised. Then his eyes widened slightly as he took in the guy standing there; wow, he was hot! But totally off-limits. "No, I'm fine, just trying to find Beverly Hills. Can you give me directions?"

"Sure. For five bucks," Daniel said in a husky voice; if he could make a little bit of extra money, all the better. Daniel liked the look of this man - not too old, short greying hair, deep brown eyes, lean face... a handsome guy. Daniel didn't think it would be a hardship to be bedded by this man, but if the guy wasn't looking for action, then he might get some money anyway. And the fact that he might get to travel in a Lotus Esprit had nothing to do with it, of course.

"That's ridiculous!"

"The price just went up to ten."

"You can't charge me for directions!" Jack protested. Imagine the cheek of this guy charging him for directions! Who did he think he was!

"I can do anything I want to. I'm not the one who's lost." Daniel turned his back and leaned against the passenger door to wait patiently. He knew he would come around. He could feel the man's stare burning into his back, his skin prickling at the sensation.

Staring, Jack noted the round buttocks perched on the edge of the car door. "Alright, okay, you win, I lose." He pulled out his money clip, ignoring the twitch in his groin. "Do you have change for a twenty?"

Daniel opened the door and, with a wide grin, hopped into the car, taking the money out of the man's hand as he did so. "For twenty, I'll show you personally." Daniel made himself comfortable and put the seatbelt on. He checked the street behind them. "Down the street, make a right," he instructed then watched as the man obeyed.

Jack nodded, shoving the stick shift a little more roughly than he should, and then bunny-hopped away.

"Easy does it!" Daniel began to have second thoughts about getting into the car; the man could not drive. "This is a cool car," he said casually, trying for a bit of conversation as the ride smoothed out.

"It's a little temperamental," Jack complained as he tried to change gears again. Now that the good-looking guy was in the car with him, his driving had deteriorated - not that it had been much good to begin with! He suddenly found himself feeling like he was in high school again, trying to impress someone he liked but failing miserably... No! This young man was a hooker. He would keep this strictly business-like.

"Yours?" Daniel inquired. If it was, the man obviously didn't drive it often. And, if Daniel's instincts were correct, the man was loaded so he probably had someone to drive for him. Daniel sighed; what a nice life that would be!

"No, it isn't," Jack replied.

That explained a few things, and Daniel felt disappointed that the man might not be as rich as he'd suspected.

He tried again. "Stolen?" It wouldn't be the first time some rich guy had stolen a car to go joyriding. Although usually they stole something they could actually drive.

"Excuse me?" Jack was indignant for a moment before he turned his head and saw that the young man was smiling. He smiled ruefully in return; the young man had got him on that one. "What's your name?" he asked, as he was curious about the hooker.

"What do you want it to be?" Daniel replied automatically. He didn't want his customers to know his real name - he was too ashamed to do this under his own name - so he had developed that response to the question. Most customers didn't care and tended to choose the name of someone they fantasised about.

When the man didn't reply, but just looked at him with a no-nonsense expression, he found himself saying, "Daniel. My name is Daniel." For some reason that he couldn't explain, he wanted the man to know what his real name was.

"Daniel," Jack echoed with a nod of approval but didn't offer his own in return; the hooker didn't really need to know who he was since they wouldn't be spending the night together.

Okay, then. "So, what hotel you staying at?" It would help if Daniel knew where the man was headed.

"The Regent Beverly Wilshire."

Not bad, Daniel thought; very swish. He had never been there before but he knew where it was. In fact, he practically knew where every hotel and motel was in Beverly Hills so that he could direct his customers there if they wanted somewhere private to have sex. "Down the block, right at the corner."

The man changed gears again and something screeched loudly in protest. Daniel shook his head; the car was fantastic - too bad the man didn't know how to handle it. "You do realise what kind of car you're driving, don't you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don't you know what kind of car this is? I mean, this is only four cylinders."

"How do you know so much about cars?" Jack inquired, interested in where Daniel had picked up such knowledge.

"My foster brothers used to buy cheap cars and fix them up. I paid attention." The two boys in question had both been into cars and had no ambitions outside of fixing said cars; Daniel had been the brainy one. "How is it you know so little about cars?" he threw back.

"My first car was a limousine."

Asked and answered, Daniel thought. This guy must be absolutely loaded; maybe he should have asked for more money for the directions.

"So where did you grow up?" Jack inquired, shifting gears again. The screeching of the gear mechanism made was painful to the ears.

"Outskirts of New York. You know, I think you left your transmission back there." Daniel looked out the back window for emphasis. "You're not shifting right. This is a standard 'H'."

"Of course," Jack echoed. "Like I know what that means." He paused to consider something as Daniel turned to look out the window. "You ever driven a Lotus?"

"No." Hardly, Daniel thought, turning back to the man.

"You're going to start right now."

Daniel stared at the man as he pulled the car over to the curb. "You're kidding." This man was going to let him behind the wheel?

"No, it's the only way I can get you off my coat," Jack said, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

Daniel smiled at the attempted humour. Okay, if the guy wanted him to drive, then he would drive. Daniel got out the car and went around to the driver's side. "Fasten your seat belt, I am going to take you for the ride of your life." He smiled at the pun. "I am going to show you what this car can really do," he boasted, fastening his own seat belt and adjusting the mirrors.

"I'm ready." Jack hid his amusement at the boast.

"Hold tight." Daniel put the car in gear and it peeled away from the curb. He floored the gas pedal until the car was travelling at the right speed, and then Daniel eased up a bit. "If you treat this car like a lover, then it'll behave like one." As he said that, Daniel wondered whether the man had borrowed the car from a girlfriend. A small flame of jealousy lit inside him, and he ruthlessly smothered it. This guy was just a potential client, nothing more. There was no need to get jealous. Although the car was certainly a beauty...

The silence dragged on as both men struggled to find a new topic of conversation. This guy's very quiet, Daniel thought. For something to say, he decided to check on the education of his client. "Did you know your foot's as big as your arm from your elbow to your wrist? Did you know that?"

"No, I didn't."

The guy turned his head to stare at Daniel, unaware that he was supposed to say more - like, actually carry on a conversation. Daniel mentally sighed; this was going to be tough. "Just a little bit of trivia." He had hundreds of those little facts stored in his brain.

There was more silence as the man stared at Daniel with amusement. Obviously he thought that Daniel was nuts. "Tell me, what kind of money do you guys make these days? On average."

Okay, the guy was interested. That was good. "Can't take less than a hundred dollars."

"A hundred dollars a night?" Jack nodded; that seemed reasonable to him.

"An hour," Daniel corrected; he wasn't cheap.

Jack gave Daniel an incredulous look. "An hour? You make a hundred dollars an hour and you have a safety pin instead of a button on your trousers? You have to be kidding." What was he doing with all the money he earned?

Daniel almost smiled; the man had been looking pretty closely at him to notice the safety pin. "I never joke about money." Money was something that Daniel had never taken for granted because he'd never had very much of it. Nearly everything he earned went on rent or groceries, and it now seemed Sam's drug habit, so that didn't leave much left over for luxuries.

"Neither do I. A hundred bucks an hour though. That's pretty stiff."

What an opening! Daniel reached across and felt the guy's groin. "Well, no. But it's got potential." He slowly withdrew his hand when the other man pointedly said nothing, and just stared at him. Lighten up, Daniel thought.

Jack turned his head to stare out the window, hiding his reaction to Daniel's touch. There had been another twitch in his groin but he quickly quelled it, stuffing the spark of emotion back in the box where he'd kept it recently. He was not going to let this hooker affect him in any way, no matter how good Daniel looked.

All too soon, they came to the Regent Beverly Willshire. Daniel pulled the car over to the curb and then killed the engine. That was some sweet ride, he thought, remaining in the car for a few more moments; he wanted to savour the one and only time he would be able to drive a Lotus.

"Good evening, Mr. O'Neill," the doorman gushed as he went over to open the car door for Jack. "Will you be needing the car again this evening?"

"I hope not," Jack said dryly as he got out. If he ever had to drive it again, it would be too soon.

Daniel didn't pick up on the surname as he walked around the car and onto the street; there was no reason to remember this guy's name if they weren't going to sleep together. Even if they had been, Daniel wouldn't want to remember - too personal. An awkward silence formed as Daniel tried to think of something interesting to say. "Well, we're here." Oh, very interesting, he silently berated himself.

The man nodded in agreement. "So, will you be alright?" He sounded a little concerned.

Daniel gave him a half-smile; he was used to taking care of himself. "Yeah, I'll just catch a cab with my twenty bucks."

"Going back to your 'office'."

Daniel paused as he thought about that. "Yeah. My office." A genuine smile appeared on his face; he had never thought about his job that way. Not the most traditional of offices, he had to admit, but it would have to do until he could get back into university.

There was another pause. The man's not a great conversationalist, Daniel thought. "Well, thanks for the ride." Still no response from the man except for a bemused expression. No point in wasting time then. "See ya."

"Bye."

Daniel put on his jacket and headed over to the bus stop. It wasn't exactly a warm night, and he would probably have quite a wait for the bus.

"No taxis?" Jack had found himself staring after Daniel as the hooker had walked away, and then the older man's feet had automatically followed.

There was less chance of being beaten up or mugged on the bus than in a taxi, Daniel knew from experience. "No. I prefer the bus." Daniel turned and smiled at him, knowing exactly what customers liked; Sam had told him he was drop-dead gorgeous when he smiled. The man was obviously still interested, otherwise he would have left Daniel and gone inside the hotel, which gave him hope of getting some more money tonight.

"You know, I was thinking... Did you really say one hundred dollars an hour?"

He's caving, Daniel thought as he cranked up the smile. "Yeah."

"Yeah," Jack echoed, mesmerised by the smile. He could feel himself becoming intrigued by this young man and suddenly he wanted to know more about him. Before he realised it, his mouth was opening and an invitation was pouring out. "Well, if you don't have any prior engagements, I would be pleased if you would accompany me into the hotel?"

"I suppose I could do that," Daniel replied casually while his mind was screaming 'yes, yes!' He didn't often go into places of this calibre, and then of course there was the prospect of earning this week's rent for one session. Daniel fell into step next to the guy. "So, what's your name?" He couldn't keep thinking of him as 'the man' or 'the guy' if they were going to have sex together.

"Jack."

"Jack. That's my favourite name in the whole world." Daniel nudged his host, flirting with him. He wasn't exactly lying either. His first boyfriend's name had been Jack, and Daniel still thought of him fondly.

"No, really?" The sarcastic tone of Jack's voice spoke volumes about his lack of surprise. He knew it was just a line but he couldn't help the little bit of warmth he felt at the words.

Daniel couldn't help grinning; Jack seemed like he could be fun even if he hadn't smiled yet. "I tell you what, Jack, this is fate." First and last lovers named Jack - no, that was just a fantasy.

Jack unfolded his coat and held it in front of Daniel. "Why don't you put this on?"

"Why?" He already had his jacket, and they would be going inside where it was warm anyway.

"Well, this is not the kind of establishment that rents rooms by the hour." He draped coat over Daniel's shoulders.

Daniel felt embarrassed, understanding the real reason behind the offer. "Oh." Of course. Jack didn't want to be seen with someone who looked like a hooker.

The lobby was the total opposite of the dingy places where he often worked, and Daniel struggled to find words to describe it. The walls seemed to shine like they were gold or something, and the marble columns were a milky-white in contrast.

"Wow," Daniel exclaimed just loud enough for only Jack to hear. There were several other people in the lobby, all of whom were regarding him with suspicion; their clothes cost more than Daniel could make in six months. This was way, way above him, and he felt very out of place.

"You're going to be fine."

How did Jack know what he was thinking? Daniel fiddled with the belt of Jack's coat, trying to get his inadequacy under control

"Come with me." Jack guided them across the lobby. "And stop fidgeting."

Easier said than done, Daniel thought, trying to obey. He stilled his hands and concentrated on following Jack as unobtrusively as he could across the lobby.

"Good evening, Mr. O'Neill," the female desk clerk stated.

"Good evening. Do you have any messages for me?"

"We have several." She handed them over.

"Thank you."

Daniel leaned casually against a nearby pillar and watched the people go past. This was a totally different world to the one he lived in - and it was one he wouldn't mind spending some more time in. But such thoughts were foolish because that was just not going to happen.

"Would you send up some champagne and some... strawberries please?"

Daniel's ears pricked up at the request. Champagne and strawberries? That sounded nice as an after-sex snack.

Jack guided Daniel over to the elevators just as one was opening. The young elevator operator, dressed in a clean red uniform with fancy epaulettes and gold buttons, stepped out ready to usher the passengers in.

Daniel went in first, feeling the need to annoy the older couple waiting for the lift; the woman had been staring at him in a disapproving manner. Adopting the type of speech he'd heard Sam use on occasion, he exclaimed, "Well, colour me happy, there's a sofa in here for two." He plonked himself down on the richly upholstered piece of furniture and lifted one foot to rest on the soft cushion.

"First time in an elevator," Jack explained as he followed Daniel in, secretly amused by the looks of horror on the couples' faces.

Daniel stood up as Jack approached and tried to hide his smile. "Sorry, I couldn't help it." The way that woman had been looking at him... He knew he should be used to it by now but he wasn't.

"Try," Jack suggested firmly.

There was silence for the rest of the trip, Daniel deciding to behave himself for a while. When the elevator door opened, the operator announced, "The Penthouse."

"The Penthouse? Wow." Daniel was even more impressed. He strolled out into the hallway and checked out everything. The decor was less ostentatious than downstairs, with more wooden panelling to mute the golds and creams. Nice, he thought; I could get used to this.

"To your left," Jack muttered as he stepped out of the elevator.

Daniel looked back at him in time to see Jack glaring at the operator for some reason. Given the speed at which the operator got back into the elevator, Daniel figured that the young man had been watching him and Jack hadn't liked it. Interesting. Very interesting indeed.

Jack pulled out a card and started to fiddle with the reader in the door, muttering something about missing the old-fashioned use of keys, while Daniel continued to look around him, berating himself at the same time. If he'd known that Jack was this rich and was going to be a customer, he could have named a higher figure for his services.

Eventually, Jack must have got the card-key to work because he opened the door and ushered Daniel in. Daniel went into a room that was bigger than his whole apartment; if one room was this big, he couldn't imagine how big the rest of the Penthouse was.

"Impressed?"

Daniel was but he was not never going to admit it. "You kidding me? I come here all the time. As a matter of fact they do rent this room by the hour." It would certainly provide a lot more luxury than he was used to.

"Sure they do," Jack said sarcastically. He figured that Daniel would be lucky if his clients even took him to a grungy motel for the hour.

Jack sat down at his desk while Daniel continued carefully out to the balcony. "Hey, great view!" He leaned out over the ledge to get a better idea of how high they were from the ground. It was quite a distance, and Daniel experienced a moment of vertigo; he wasn't exactly fond of heights. "Wow," he murmured to himself. This guy would be quite a catch... Daniel sighed. If only.

Jack found himself battling a smile. Daniel's enthusiasm was amusing. "I'll take your word for it," he said when he had his amusement under control. "I never go out there."

Daniel headed back inside, curious. "Why not?" Why pay for such a beautiful view if he never saw it? That was just stupid.

"I just don't," Jack replied succinctly, not wanting to explain any further. He didn't really have a problem with heights, just balconies - he had seen a childhood friend fall from one many years ago and that had left him with the phobia of them.

Something they had in common. "Why do you rent the penthouse then?" Daniel inquired.

"It's the best."

Of course, he should have guessed that. Daniel took off the coat, as well as his jacket, and threw them onto the sofa. Then he started prowling around the room, letting his natural curiosity take over. Some of the pieces of art were obviously fake but there were a couple of statues that looked very real and very expensive - his brief stint at university had educated him in that respect.

"I've looked all around for penthouses on the first floor but I can't find one," Jack quipped, making Daniel smile at the dry humour.

"Well, now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me?" Daniel asked conversationally.

Jack stopped working and stared at Daniel. It wasn't a greedy or desiring stare, just the stare of one who couldn't believe what he had just done. "I honestly don't have a clue." He hadn't thought much beyond bringing Daniel up here to find out more about him; sex hadn't even figured into the equation. "I thought maybe - talk?"

"Talk?" Daniel doubted the two of them had anything in common to talk about.

"I didn't exactly plan this," Jack confessed, still staring at Daniel, a thoughtful expression on his face. Now he was looking, he thought that he could be interested in bedding the younger man but he wasn't really in the mood for it at the moment. Besides, business always came first.

"Do you plan everything?" Daniel wanted to know. Jack struck him as the type who would.

Jack nodded. "Always." That way, there was less chance for things to go wrong when disappointment arrived. Ever since his father had callously divorced Jack's mother, he had decided that he would structure his own life to minimise the likelihood of disappointment. That - and his devotion to business - was why his relationships never lasted for very long, and why his own marriage had been short-lived. He had thought Sara would make the perfect wife, sensible and undemanding, except everything had changed once they had exchanged vows. Since then, Jack had always sent his lovers packing before the thought of commitment came up.

"Yeah, me too." Daniel sat down and thought about that statement. "No, actually, no, I'm not a planner. Sam reckons she's never seen anyone as disorganised as me..." He trailed off, embarrassed at revealing that to a virtual stranger.

Jack just looked at him, a part of him curious as to who Sam was. Was she an ex-girlfriend or someone Daniel had met because of his profession?

There was another awkward silence, and Jack still made no move to get on with things. So Daniel decided it was up to him to start the evening moving along. "You know, you could pay me. That'd be one way of breaking the ice."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Jack got out his money clip. "I assume cash is acceptable," he asked, taking out several notes.

"Definitely." Daniel got up and went over to the desk to get the money. He took it and put it in the pocket of his cargoes. When Jack still made no move, Daniel sat on the desk, trying to get into the man's space.

There was silence for a few seconds as Jack decided what to do. "You're on my fax," he eventually pointed out.

"Well, that's one I haven't been on before," Daniel said in a husky voice. He leaned out of the way for Jack to get the fax, the half-smile on his face again.

"Cute, very cute. Thank you." Jack carefully retrieved the fax, a spark of desire going through him as his knuckles brushed one of Daniel's well-rounded buttocks, and put the piece of paper down safely on another part of the desk.

Daniel gave a small laugh at Jack's concern for the fax. Then he put that out of his head and decided it was time they got down to business; after all, they only had an hour. "Okay." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a variety of condoms. "Pick one. I've got extra strength red, green, yellow, blue... I'm out of purple but I do have one gold circle coin left, the condom of champions - which I'm thinking would suit you as you seem to have a lot of money," he joked.

Jack stared at the condoms in fascination. "I'm not a fan of safety," he eventually said. He enjoyed the skin-on-skin feel, although he did understand why the condoms were necessary.

Daniel shrugged. "I'm a safety guy." There was no way Jack was going to do him without protection; that was just asking for trouble in his profession.

Jack shook his head, then sighed and stood up. Daniel put the packets down, taking Jack's movement as a sign that the older man was ready. "Alright, let's get one of these on you." He put his hands on Jack's belt and started to unbuckle it.

"No, no, I..." Jack stilled Daniel's hands, giving a nervous laugh at the same time. He wasn't comfortable with the whole hooker thing yet. "Why don't we just talk for a minute, okay?"

Daniel raised one eyebrow. His clients were usually in a hurry to get to the action. Jack was different to them and Daniel found that intriguing, if a little confusing. "Talk. Um, okay. So, Jack, are you in town on business or pleasure?" he asked conversationally.

"Business, I think." Jack stood up and walked over to one of the sofa chairs, stretching his feet onto the cushion opposite as he sat down.

"Business, he thinks," Daniel echoed as he stood up and followed Jack. "Let me guess, that would make you a... lawyer?" Daniel straddled Jack's legs and started to sit down. Jack moved his legs out of the way so Daniel ended up sitting on the cushion.

"A lawyer?" Jack queried.

"Mm-hmm."

"What makes you say that?"

Daniel smiled. "You have that..." He clicked his fingers as he searched for the right word. "That sharp, useless look about you."

Jack almost smiled. "I bet you've known a lot of lawyers."

"I've known a lot of everybody." Lawyers, doctors, politicians, sailors - all united in their search for pleasure. They might have different professions but they were generally all the same once they took their clothes off. Some were better than others, and Daniel hoped that Jack would fit into the first category... if they ever got around to having sex.

A chime sounded, indicating there was someone at the door. Both men stood up, their bodies only separated by centimetres.

"What is that?" Daniel asked, feeling the heat from Jack's body through their clothing.

"Champagne."

"Oh." Daniel stared into Jack's deep brown eyes. There was such a capacity for warmth in those eyes. What would it be like to wake up in the morning and have those eyes look at him with affection? "Might as well make myself useful." He couldn't think about that kind of thing; it would only lead to heartache.

Jack sat down again and watched Daniel waltz across the room to open the front door of the Penthouse. A waiter entered pushing a silver cart with a bottle of champagne nestled in a generous helping of ice chips, alongside a covered bowl. "Good evening," the waiter said formally as Daniel approached him.

"Hi."

"Where would you like it?"

Daniel turned to Jack. "Where would we like it?"

"Over by the bar."

The waiter pushed it over to the bar, which was only a few steps into the living room. Daniel followed, amused. He got in the way when the waiter turned around, playing a little game with him to see the reaction. The waiter eventually got past and headed back to the door. When he got there, he paused, staring at Daniel. Daniel stared back at him, feeling that the man was being rude. "What are you looking at?" He turned to Jack. "What is he looking at?"

"Ah, yes. Here you go." Jack got up and gave the man a tip. The waiter nodded uncomfortably and exited quickly.

Daniel closed the door behind him. "I think I messed that one up," he muttered to himself. He hadn't even thought about tipping the waiter; where he lived, that wasn't what people got tipped for.

"Don't worry about it," Jack said.

Daniel went and sat on the step leading down into the living room. "Mind if I take my boots off?" He might as well make himself comfortable for a while.

"Go right ahead," Jack offered. He went across to the table as well, then took the champagne out of the silver ice bucket and observed the label, noting it was one of the more expensive vintages. He popped the cork out of the bottle and then poured the champagne into a glass.

Daniel took his boots off. "So, you have a wife? Girlfriend? Husband? Boyfriend?" He was genuinely curious.

"The first two." Jack mentally shuddered at the thought.

"Where are they? Shopping together?" Daniel asked, sarcasm getting the better of him. Jack had everything while he had nothing. Life was not fair.

"They should be. They're both good at it." Jack handed the long-stemmed glass to Daniel and turned back for the strawberries. "My ex-wife is in Long Island in my ex-home with my ex-dog. My ex-girlfriend is in New York moving out of my apartment even as we speak." He turned back to see Daniel sculling the liquid. Jack lifted the lid of the dish to reveal the juicy red strawberries. "Try a strawberry," he told Daniel, offering him the dish.

"Why?" Daniel didn't eat a whole lot of fruit.

"They bring out the flavour of the champagne."

"Oh." Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Daniel took a strawberry and tentatively bit the end off, aware of Jack watching his every move. He made a production out of it, licking the juice off his lips, drawing Jack's gaze to them. Oh yeah, he had this guy hooked. "Pretty good." Then he noticed that Jack wasn't drinking. "Don't you drink?"

"No." Jack shook his head, watching Daniel intently. He occasionally liked a beer now and then but had never been a big fan of alcohol as he liked to be in control of his thoughts and actions at all times.

Daniel got embarrassed about being the only one drinking - and the fact that he was acting like he'd never had champagne before. "Listen, I appreciate the whole seduction scene you've got going here but I'm a sure thing, so you don't have to do this. I'm on an hourly rate so if we could just move it along..." He took another bite of the strawberry; it really was delicious. He could see why they were used in romantic seduction scenes. Jack obviously didn't want to be rushed into this, and Daniel flattered himself that Jack wanted to savour him.

"Somehow I'm sensing this time problem is a major issue here. Let's just get through that right now," Jack stated, looking at Daniel with amusement. The young innocent looks were at odds with the way he spoke, and Jack suddenly wondered what kind of background the kid had.

Daniel started to feel uncomfortable with the way Jack was staring at him so he put the glass down and said, "Great, let's get started." He wasn't used to having to talk to his clients, and despite the fact that he liked Jack, Daniel wanted to get the job over and done with as soon as possible.

"How much for the entire night?"

The question floored Daniel and he sank back down on the step. "To stay here?" Daniel looked at him, his surprise showing in his face. "You couldn't afford it," he lied. Anyone who had the penthouse suite could obviously afford it. But he was finding that he was enjoying Jack's company too much and he wanted to be convinced to stay.

"Try me." Jack crossed his arms and smiled at Daniel; he had the feeling he could afford to hire the man for several months and not put a dent in his bank account.

How much could he get Jack to pay? How much would Jack want to pay for him? "Three hundred dollars." That was average for a night's work.

"Done," Jack said straight away. He took the empty champagne glass from Daniel. "Thank you. Now we can relax." He wanted to get to know Daniel better and see if he could work out why the kid had chosen to live his life like this.

Daniel kicked himself; he could have asked for more, as Jack was clearly willing and able to pay anything. He should have asked for at least double that and made a bit of extra money.

Jack continued to watch Daniel closely, very interested in him. "Are your eyes really that colour?" he asked suddenly. The blue seemed very intense and compelling - part of Daniel's attraction, he supposed.

"Uh, yeah." Daniel curiously looked up at Jack, giving him a good look at said eyes.

"Cerulean," Jack murmured, his gaze softening as he stared into Daniel's clear blue eyes. For some reason, he'd always been attracted to people with blue eyes.

Whatever. Daniel had heard many compliments about his eyes before; to him, they were simply blue. "Um, can I go freshen up?" The strawberry seeds were sticking in between his teeth and would be a distraction later on.

"Sure. Straight through there," Jack said, pointing the door out to Daniel.

"Thanks." Gracefully, Daniel stood and made his way through to the bathroom. His hands were all sticky from the strawberries so he washed them before using the toilet. Then he washed his hands again and called out through the closed door, "I'll be out in just a minute. That champagne kinda got to me." He got his dental floss out of his pocket just before the door opened and Jack came in. Embarrassed, Daniel immediately hid the floss behind his back.

"I didn't hear you, what did you say?" Jack queried as he stepped into the bathroom.

"Uh, I said I'll be out in just a minute." Daniel smiled, hoping that Jack would go back into the living room.

Jack, however, had sharp eyes and they narrowed at the obvious attempted to hide something. "What do you have in your hand? What are you hiding?" he demanded to know.

"Nothing," Daniel said, feigning innocence.

Jack's expression tightened.

Oh, that is not good, Daniel thought as Jack approached him.

"Look, I don't want any drugs here. I don't want any of this. Get your things, get your money and please leave." Jack grabbed Daniel's arm and started pulling him towards the door.

Daniel shook off the hand, offended that Jack would think that he was doing drugs. "Look, I don't do drugs, okay, I never have." He'd seen too many examples back in his hometown of what drugs did to people, and he hadn't wanted that to happen to him.

In exasperation, Jack took his hand and opened it up to see the floss. The discovery shocked him, and he couldn't speak for a couple of seconds. "This is dental floss." How many hookers would take dental floss with them when they were on the job?

Daniel got the feeling nothing much surprised this guy - expect for discovering his hooker took care of his teeth, obviously. "Yeah, so?" Daniel snatched it back. "Strawberry seeds," he explained. They weren't very attractive, and would be annoying for the rest of the evening if he didn't get rid of them.

Thoroughly chastised, Jack stepped back. "I'm sorry. Please continue." He moved over towards the door, preparing to leave.

"Thank you." Daniel went back to stand in front of the mirror. He got the floss ready and then noticed Jack was staring at him. "Are you going to watch?" he demanded.

"No. It's just that... very few people surprise me," Jack told him.

Daniel nodded; he had guessed as much. "Well, you're lucky. Most of them shock the hell out of me." An innocent babe - that was what Sam often called him when he expressed surprise at things he'd seen or done. Maybe that was true. But he'd hate to be so jaded that life never held any surprises.

There was a silence as Jack hesitated over what to do next. He hovered in the doorway as he decided whether to stay or go.

"You're watching," Daniel pointed out.

"I'm going." Jack left, closing the door behind him.

Daniel smiled; that had been very interesting. He'd gained a lot of information from that little exchange. Jack didn't do drugs, didn't drink, didn't play, and was extremely bored with a life that offered few surprises. Perhaps that was why he had invited Daniel to stay the night - something new with the possibility of being surprised. Daniel's smile grew wider. Very well then, he would give Jack a few surprises and make it a night to remember...

When Daniel came out of the bathroom, Jack was firmly entrenched behind the desk in the living room. He went over to him, trying to keep his walk sexy just in case Jack looked up. "How long are you going to be with that?" he asked after a minute, a little miffed that Jack hadn't even looked at him.

"A while," Jack answered in a non-committal way. He looked up then, a hint of a smile on his face. "Just make yourself comfortable." He went back to his work, needing to get it finished before he would let himself do anything with Daniel; always business before pleasure.

'Make yourself comfortable'. Right. Daniel looked around at the penthouse - what could he do? The big-screen television caught his attention; now there was an idea. He and Sam didn't have a television in their apartment - couldn't afford one - so it would be quite a change to actually relax and watch something. But he would need a snack too. His eyes drifted over to the bar. Of course, the champagne and strawberries would do nicely; he could always floss his teeth again later.

Daniel collected all the things he needed, including cushions, and lay down on the floor. He switched the television on and flipped the channels until he found an 'I Love Lucy' marathon. Content to watch that for a while, he folded his arms in front of him and, resting his chin on them, settled down to watch.

~~~

Two episodes had gone by before Daniel spoke again. He had been keeping one ear on what Jack was doing, and so knew when Jack got off the phone. "I have a little carpet picnic going here. You sure you don't want a drink?" he asked. Surely it would be more fun than working.

"I'm high on life, can't you tell?" Jack replied dryly.

Daniel grinned at him then turned back to television; Jack's sense of humour seemed to match his, which was something in his favour. After a while, he felt Jack's eyes on him and he slowly turned his head. Jack was still seated at the desk but was now watching him with a deep intensity. "You know, I never saw this episode," Daniel said for something to say. The way Jack was staring at him was making him nervous, not to mention aroused. He shifted uncomfortably as he started to get hard.

Jack moved to get a better view, sitting on the lounge chair next to Daniel. He never let up on the staring. The kid absolutely fascinated him, both in looks and personality, and he was starting to wonder just how good Daniel would be in bed. The more he thought, he more he wanted it.

Daniel realised it was time to start earning his pay when Jack's eyes smouldered with desire. Getting up on his hands and knees, Daniel crawled slowly over to Jack, a seductive smile on his face, and slid his hand up over Jack's right leg to his groin, massaging softly once he reached his target. Once Jack starting firming up, Daniel moved away and took off his top, throwing it over his shoulder. Then he removed his cargoes, leaving only very skimpy black briefs.

Jack gave him an appreciative once-over and Daniel smiled to himself; he knew he had a good body - he had been told that often enough. He knelt down, and then leaned forward and unbuttoned Jack's shirt, pressing kisses against the hairy chest as he went. When he got to Jack's navel, he swirled his tongue around it, knowing that on some men it was an erogenous zone. And if the bulge below was any indication, it was one of Jack's too.

Reaching out with one hand, Daniel turned off the television with the remote; the sound was distracting. Then he threw the remote away and concentrated on pleasuring his client. Tugging on Jack's hips, he pulled the older man down further until he was almost lying down, and then Daniel unzipped his trousers. He ran a finger over the large cloth-covered erection and then looked up at Jack, smiling. "What do you want?" Daniel asked. He didn't want to presume anything with this guy.

"What do you do?"

"Everything. But I don't kiss on the mouth." That was way too personal, and had only been reserved for his boyfriends back home. A part of his soul missed that, missed being that intimate with someone. Sex was just an act; kissing was way more than that.

"Neither do I." Jack reached down and tangled his fingers in Daniel's hair. "Let's do everything." He wanted to experience everything Daniel was willing to give, especially since this was the only night it would be available.

"Everything," Daniel echoed. That would be no problem. He gave Jack another smile and then leaned forward again. Sliding his long fingers over Jack's erection, he teased the older man until he was hard, then pulled down the briefs to unveil the shaft. Daniel stared at it for a moment - it was quite big, long rather than wide - then he took the end of it in his mouth.

Fingers tightened in his hair as he bobbed up and down over Jack's groin, tasting the older man's unique flavour. Daniel swirled his tongue around the shaft and gradually inched lower until he had nearly the whole erection in his mouth. As he used all the tricks he had learned, he felt Jack's erection grow even more and he moaned in pleasure, forcing Jack to make his first sound since Daniel had started - a low groan in the back of his throat.

Daniel continued the pleasuring for a couple of minutes, easing off when Jack's breathing started to quicken. He leaned up to Jack's chest again and caught one of the nipples with his teeth, making a educated guess that the older man enjoyed a little bit of pain. Daniel tugged gently on the nipple, eliciting a gasp from Jack.

"Harder." Jack tipped his head back, thoroughly aroused; Daniel was very good at this. He hadn't been pleasured this much in a long time.

Obeying the order, Daniel tugged it again, this time harder, and then he licked it better. He swapped sides and repeated the process with the other nipple, making sure that his lower body was pressing against the hard shaft.

"Bedroom," Jack gasped, pulling Daniel's head away from his chest. It was time to take this further, and the bed was more comfortable than the chair or living room floor.

Licking his lips seductively, Daniel slowly stood up and offered his assistance to his client. With Jack's hand in his, he led the older man into the bedroom - remembering to bring the supplies along as well. Once there, he backed Jack towards the bed, his fingers gently stroking the hairy chest all the time. "I take it you've some experience with men?" he asked as he pushed Jack onto the bed.

"Hasn't everyone?" Jack responded, lying where he had fallen and admiring Daniel's body. The young man was smooth and slender, and Jack definitely liked what he saw.

Daniel just smiled. "Any one in particular or should I pick?" he asked, holding up the handful of condoms he'd brought along.

Jack gave a half-grin. "Gold."

Of course. Daniel put the little package nearby on the bed then got back to work. He pulled Jack's trousers off and threw them on the floor. Then he slowly crawled up the bed and seductively removed the rest of Jack's clothing. When he had finished that, he leaned down to suck on the nipples again, making sure he gave them a little tug every now and then.

Jack threaded the fingers of one hand through Daniel's short hair, and the younger man hoped that the wig was secured firmly, especially when he started to move lower and Jack's grip suddenly tightened to pull him away from the solid erection. Daniel glanced an inquiry at the older man. "Too much of a good thing," Jack stated, knowing that he wouldn't last too much longer if Daniel kept up the blow-job.

Daniel understood completely. He stood up and removed his briefs, then moved into a kneeling position beside Jack. Removing the condom from its package, Daniel expertly rolled it over Jack's erection, then covered it with lube - that was more for his comfort than anything else. Then he moved into position over Jack.

Showing that he had done this before, Jack flipped them both over so that he was on top. Daniel got the hint immediately, and bent his legs up to his chest so that Jack had easy access. He felt the snub head start to push its way in and he consciously relaxed his muscles as much as he could to ease the passage. Because Jack's shaft wasn't too wide, it went in fairly easily but it went further than most of Daniel's other clients. It was a good feeling, and he gasped as the shaft rubbed over his prostate.

He had expected that this was going to be quick but Jack seemed content to take his time. It was a slow torture, and Daniel found himself liking it. Most men liked it hard and fast, and although Daniel had grown used to it, he missed the slow version. He moved his legs to wrap around Jack's waist, then arched his back and groaned as the new position increased the pleasure. Many times he had to resort to stroking himself to achieve climax but he didn't think that would be necessary tonight; Jack certainly knew what to do. Therefore, he used his hands to stroke all the parts of Jack that he could reach.

The minutes passed slowly for Daniel as the pleasure continued to build until he thought he would explode. They were both breathing heavily, the sound interspersed with grunts and gasps as the tempo increased. Not wanting to come before Jack, Daniel clenched his internal muscles with practised ease to bring the man to the edge. Seconds later, Jack stiffened as he came, shouting something unintelligible as he did so and digging himself deep inside Daniel. Daniel felt the heat through the condom, and then he allowed himself to climax, gasping Jack's name as the intense pleasure ripped through him.

Jack collasped on top of Daniel for a minute while they both recovered then he shifted off to the side, lying on his back. He quickly got rid of the condom, then turned his head sideways to look at Daniel. "You're good," he praised. He hadn't come that hard in longer than he cared to remember.

Suddenly shy, Daniel bit his lower lip and ducked his head as best he could. "Thank you," he murmured; the compliment pleased him very much. He was also embarrassed about saying Jack's name just at the end; the sex wasn't supposed to be personal.

Moving in closer, Jack draped an arm over Daniel's waist, amused at the shy response. "I'm wiped out." He rested his head next to Daniel's on the pillow and closed his eyes.

Strangely content, Daniel also closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Daniel woke up alone. For a moment, he looked around in confusion - this wasn't his place. No way was this his place! The expensive satin bed sheets slid over his body as Daniel surveyed the bedroom. It was tastefully done in reds, gold and white, and it just screamed 'expensive'. The only way he could afford this was if someone else was paying... oh yeah. Someone else was.

Getting up slowly, Daniel wandered into the bathroom to clean himself up. Jack had kept him so busy the night before, that he hadn't even taken a shower yet. Usually, Daniel tried to clean up straight afterwards if he could but last night he had fallen asleep before he could do that. So now might be a good time, and maybe he could wake himself up more with the shower.

After locating a towel and bathrobe and putting them aside for later, Daniel stepped into the shower cubicle and turned on the hot water. Then he adjusted the water, adding some cold, until it was perfect. The water felt good against his skin, the pressure just right. He took the soap and rubbed it over his body, the touch allowing him to relive the night's activities. After the first time, they had both dozed off for half an hour, and Jack had woken first, his roaming hand waking Daniel. He'd rolled on top of Daniel, their erections caught between their bodies, and they had rubbed their way to climax. The third time, Daniel used his mouth to take Jack to the edge, and then Jack had entered him again. His ass was protesting this morning, as that second time had been somewhat rougher than the first, but Daniel didn't regret it. He had enjoyed the sex very much, and he was glad that he had stayed the night. Daniel's groin agreed, and he started to harden. In a practised move, he started thinking about other things and his erection soon subsided; better to think about Jack in the privacy of his own home.

Daniel stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. Then he wrapped the white bathrobe around himself and headed out of the bathroom to find Jack.

"There's always a possibility that things are going to go wrong, that's why I enjoy this so much," Jack was saying into the phone as Daniel walked out into the dining room. "Oh by the way, Harry, about your car..." He paused and then pressed the 'end' button, a smile on his face as he cut off his lawyer's indignant spluttering.

Daniel walked a few more steps as Jack hung up and turned to him. "Hi," Daniel said hesitantly. Facing his client the next day wasn't something that he often did, and for some reason, Jack made him feel very self-conscious. Maybe that had something to do with the way Jack was looking at him as if he was remembering last night.

"Well, good morning," Jack replied, his eyes raking over Daniel's body and remembering what couldn't be seen. He felt his interest rising at the memories.

Daniel pointed to his hair without the blonde wig when Jack's gaze stopped there. "Brown," he said unnecessarily.

"Better," Jack told him, mentally comparing the images.

That made Daniel feel good; usually his clients preferred blondes. "I can see you're really busy. I can be out of here in just a minute." No point in taking up more of Jack's time than necessary, although part of him wanted to stay and savour the whole experience.

"No, there's no hurry. Are you hungry? You must be," Jack said, standing up. "Why don't you sit and have something to eat?" He would wager that Daniel hadn't had a good meal in months, although depending on how much the young man made per night, that might not necessarily be the case.

Daniel went uncertainly over to the table. It was laden with many trays and dishes, and he didn't know where to start. He generally didn't have much of an appetite in the mornings - well, actually, he usually slept through the mornings - so coffee had become his breakfast of choice.

"I took the liberty of ordering everything on the menu. I didn't know what you would like." Jack lifted the lids of the platters, showing Daniel what was on the menu. There were so many different foods - pancakes with strawberries and cream, croissants, bacon and eggs. Deciding on something simple, Daniel took a croissant and then went out onto the balcony; he wasn't comfortable sitting down and eating with Jack. It was like the hired help dining with their employers.

"Did you sleep well?" Jack called out to him.

"Yeah. Too good. I forgot where I was," Daniel admitted. Staying away from the edge, he looked out over the city - it was amazing how far one could see in the daylight.

"Occupational hazard?"

Daniel gave a small laugh, not offended. "Yeah." He went back inside, feeling that he should make some effort to talk, and sat on the edge of table near Jack. "Did you sleep?" He had wondered about that when Jack wasn't there earlier.

"Yeah, a little on the couch. I was working last night." Jack leaned back in his chair, away from Daniel. His fingers were itching to touch but he wouldn't let them as he had to leave for work soon.

"You don't sleep, you don't do drugs, you don't drink and you hardly eat. What do you do, Jack? I know you're not a lawyer." The man was a mystery and Daniel found himself wanting to solve it. Not that he would have time to, nor was it very professional. But there was a small part inside him that wanted to throw all those accepted rules out the window.

Jack smiled. "There are four other chairs here." He gestured to them with his right hand, wanting Daniel to move away from him. If the kid stayed that close, then Jack would drag him back to bed for several hours and since he had an important meeting today, that wouldn't be a good idea.

"Oh." Daniel sat down in the nearest one, hiding his embarrassment at being so obviously told to keep his distance. "So...?" he prompted.

"I buy companies."

"What kind of companies?"

"I buy companies that are having financial problems," Jack elaborated, staring at Daniel again, an amused smile on his face; staring at the young man was a pleasant pastime.

"Oh." Daniel put the last of the croissant in his mouth and licked his fingers clean as he contemplated that. "If they're having problems, you must get them for a bargain, right?"

"The one I'm buying this week I am getting for the bargain price of one billion."

Daniel almost choked on his croissant. One billion dollars? He could barely imagine that amount of money. "One billion dollars?" he echoed, just making sure he hadn't misheard.

"Yeah." Jack smiled at Daniel's reaction.

That was very impressive to Daniel. "You must be really smart." Not to mention really loaded. If Daniel had a billion dollars, he could finish university and go on all the digs he wanted.

Jack smiled and gave a soft snort of laughter at the suggestion. He considered himself business-smart, able to sense the right time to close in for the kill, but any other kind of smart... Okay, so he'd got good marks at school but that was only because he had one goal in mind; anything that wasn't relevant to what he wanted, he avoided.

"I got through college," Daniel offered, leaving out the part about not being able to afford to go to university. He was quite sure that he would have ended up getting the degree he wanted if the money hadn't run out. "How far did you get in school?"

"I went all the way."

The double meaning was obvious, and Daniel briefly smiled at Jack, liking the man's sense of humour. "Your parents must be really proud."

Jack just raised one eyebrow; he didn't like talking about his parents, especially his father. "I have a meeting in an hour. Why don't you finish breakfast while I get ready?" he suggested.

And then I'll have to leave, Daniel thought, not liking the idea. "Thanks," he said as Jack left the table. Slumping back in his chair, Daniel perused the rest of the food and found that all of it looked appealing. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of an appetite. Except for one thing. "Uh, Jack? Is there any coffee?" he called out.

"Call room service," Jack called back the suggestion.

Of course. Daniel went over to the telephone and put in an order, then went through to the bedroom to talk to Jack. Something about the work he was doing made him curious.

The walk-in closet door was open and Jack was reaching inside for a tie. Daniel followed him over to the closet and peered inside. There were about three dozen expensive suits in there. "So you don't actually have a billion dollars?" Daniel asked, moving out of the way as Jack stepped away from the closet.

"No, I get some from banks, some from investors... It's not an easy thing to do." Jack tried to knot the tie but kept messing it up; his mind wasn't totally on the task but rather on the young man nearby.

"And you don't make anything and you don't build anything?" Daniel thought that was a rather boring job but he supposed that it could be interesting to those who were obsessed with money.

"No and no." He had never thought of doing those things.

"So what do you do with the companies once you buy them?" Daniel inquired, still curious.

"I sell them." Jack just couldn't get the tie to work today, and he let his hands fall to his sides in frustration.

Daniel got sick of watching Jack struggle with the tie. "Here, let me do that," he offered, moving in front of Jack and fixing the tie. "You sell them?" he said, continuing the conversation.

"Well, I don't sell the whole company. I break it up into little pieces and then I sell them off; it's worth more than the whole." Jack watched Daniel's hands while he was fixing the tie, and occasionally looked around Daniel at the mirror to see how it looked.

Daniel finished the tie and looked up at Jack. "There - perfect." He was unable to move away, a part of him wanting to savour the last moments he would spend with Jack.

Jack looked around Daniel into the mirror. "Not bad. Not bad at all. Where did you learn to do that?" he asked casually.

"I screwed the debate team in high school." There was a skeptical silence at that answer, so Daniel continued, "Where do you think? Do you mind if I take a bath before I go?" He could take his coffee in there and have both luxuries at once, enjoying himself before going back to his... life.

"Not at all. Just stay in the shallow end," Jack warned as he walked out of the room, his body reacting to the thought of Daniel wet and naked. He pushed that image from his mind... business - focus on business, he told himself.

"Ha-ha," Daniel responded dryly before turning and heading into the bathroom. He had just started the bath running when the doorbell rang, so he went out to answer it. A waiter stood there with a tray that carried a steaming hot jug of coffee and two mugs. "Thanks," he said, taking the tray and moving it into the room. "Jack!" he called.

The older man popped his head into the living room. "What?" He spied the waiter and the coffee. "Oh." Getting out his wallet, he came forward and gave the waiter a tip. When the waiter had left, Jack turned to Daniel and found him already sipping from one of the mugs, a blissful expression on his face. "Is there something about you and coffee that I should know about?" he asked in amusement.

"Not really," Daniel replied, his eyes twinkling innocently. "Would you like a cup?"

"I think I'll pass," Jack replied. "I wouldn't want to deprive you of such pleasure."

"Thanks." Daniel picked up the tray and put it down on the bench as he checked the bath. It was filled, and the bubblebath he had put in had created a nice lot of bubbles. He took off his robe and put it on the bench next to the tray, then picked up one of the mugs and got into the huge tub.

The water was beautifully warm, just on the tolerable side of hot. Daniel laid back as far as he could without spilling the coffee and relished the whole experience. Coffee in a huge tub, bubbles, opulent surroundings - when would he get such an opportunity again?

He had almost finished the second cup of coffee when Jack walked back into the bathroom. The older man leaned against the bench surrounding the basin and just looked at Daniel for a few seconds before saying, "Daniel, I have a business proposition for you." He had just thought of it, and it would certainly solve a lot of his problems - not to mention, he would get to keep having sex with the hot young man.

Really? Curious, Daniel raised one eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"I'm going to be in town until Sunday and I'd like you to spend the week with me," Jack outlined the basic plan.

"Me?" That was a very surprising turn of events. Why would Jack want to spend the week with him? If he was looking for sex, there were plenty of other hookers he could get each night.

"Yes. I would like to hire you as an employee. Do you think you'd be able to spend the week with me?" Jack asked, the hint of a smile on his face. He knew that he could be difficult to live with but maybe it might be different with Daniel, who seemed easy-going.

Daniel remained quiet, thinking. He was already becoming used to the rich surroundings, not to mention there was a smidgeon - that he would admit to - of attraction to Jack. Could he stay a week and not fall any deeper?

"I would pay you to be at my beck-and-call," Jack continued, thinking this was about money - which, of course, it was to him. "There'll be dinners and other events where I will require your company." The sex would just be an added bonus.

Daniel shook his head. "Look, I'd love to be at your 'beck-and-call' but you're a rich, good-looking guy. You could get a million guys - or girls - free." As he said it, he found he didn't like the idea of anyone else sleeping with Jack and he was surprised; jealousy hadn't been something he'd had to deal with often.

"I want a professional. I don't need any romantic hassles this week." Jack's face became serious as he spoke, indicating that something very important was happening in his work. He didn't want to get romantically involved with the Hammond account at stake; he needed to keep his mind on business but required an acceptable escort for appearances sake.

Well, if he was going to be like that about it, then Daniel figured he could take the risk; he could be professional. "We're talking 24 hours a day so it's going to cost you." He might need something at the end to counteract any feelings that he might develop for Jack... and why was he thinking like that? This would just be another job that could earn him enough money to get back to university.

Jack's expression segued into amusement. "Right. Of course. Okay, give me a ball-park figure." He figured that whatever Daniel came up with, he would be able to afford.

Daniel did some mental calculations, trying to work out how much he could ask for. "Six full nights, and days too. Four thousand." That was a nice, tidy figure, and enough for a fresh start.

"Six nights at three hundred is eighteen hundred," Jack corrected, not wanting to be cheated.

"But you want days too," Daniel pointed out. If he couldn't work at all for a week, he needed to make sure he got compensated.

Jack nodded, agreeing with that. "All right, two thousand."

"Three thousand," Daniel countered; although two thousand was really good, he didn't want to come across as cheap.

"Done," Jack agreed; that was a reasonable sum, and one he didn't mind paying.

Daniel stared at Jack for a moment. "Holy Hannah!" A smile on his face, Daniel slid under the water in celebration. He couldn't believe that Jack was going to pay him three thousand dollars!

"Daniel? Daniel, is that a yes?" Jack went in search of Daniel, neatly rescuing the coffee cup at the same time.

Daniel surfaced. "Yes!" He laughed as he wiped the bubbles off his face. "Yes!" Most definitely yes! It was nearly enough for a fresh start and he was overjoyed; he was almost free from this part of his life.

~~~

Later, Jack handed some money over to Daniel as they walked out of the bedroom together. "I'll be gone most of the day. I want you to buy some clothes." There was no way he could let Daniel come with him to any functions looking like a hooker.

That shouldn't be a problem, Daniel thought, eyeing the money. He couldn't imagine having all this cash just sitting around, or being casual about handing it out.

"We may be going out evenings so you'll need something to wear." Jack tucked the wallet in his pocket and gathered up his briefcase.

Really? That sounded like fun. "Like what?" Daniel followed Jack around the living room.

"Nothing too flashy, too sexy. Conservative." Something that Jack wasn't going to be embarrassed by.

"Boring," Daniel sighed; much like Jack's clothes then.

"Sophisticated," Jack disagreed. He stopped and faced the younger man. "Any questions?"

"Can I call you Jacky?" Daniel grinned, teasing the older man.

"Not if you expect me to answer," Jack replied seriously; he hated that nickname as it had haunted him through his schooldays.

Daniel followed Jack to the door, the grin still on his face. "I would have stayed for two thousand," he said, although he didn't know why he even mentioned it.

Jack turned and gave Daniel a matching grin. "I would have paid four," he admitted.

That made Daniel feel good inside - Jack really wanted him. "Jack, I'm going to treat you so nice, you'll never want to let me go."

Jack considered that and then said, "Three thousand for six days. And Daniel, I will let you go." With that, he opened the door and left the penthouse.

Daniel's face fell. He hadn't expected that reply and it hurt. He shouldn't really have expected Jack to say something like 'Of course I'll never let you go'. Still, he was here now. He could take advantage of that.

Running into the bedroom, he flopped down onto the bed and stared happily up at the ceiling for a minute. Then he picked up the phone and called Sam to gloat. Once that was done, he decided to go shopping.

~~~

There were just so many places to shop on Rodeo Drive. Mainly the shops were for women but there were more than enough for men as well. Daniel couldn't decide which one he wanted to go into. Eventually, after a lot of window-shopping and building up of courage, he decided to enter one which seemed to have very nice suits.

"May I help you?" the salesman asked almost as soon as Daniel was in the door. The sales assistant was very tall and thin, with reasonably handsome features, and his refined taste was reflected in his cream suit. Daniel decided that he didn't like the man one little bit.

"No, just checking things out, thanks." Daniel ran his fingers over the suit nearest to him; the material felt very nice. Then he moved slowly through the shop as if it was filled with delicate glass objects, and cautiously examined a suit on one of the mannequins. He was betting it cost more than what Jack was paying him for the week.

The salesman followed Daniel around the store. "Are you looking for something in particular?" he asked.

"No. Well, yes," Daniel corrected himself. "Something... conservative." Jack had been very particular about that, and since he was paying for this, Daniel might as well oblige him.

"Yes," the salesman said slowly, waiting for more, eyeing Daniel with barely disguised contempt.

Daniel fingered the suit on the dummy. "How much is this?"

"I don't think it would fit you." The tone was condescending.

"I didn't ask if it would fit. I asked how much it was," Daniel said with a hint of impatience.

"How much is it?" the salesman asked his colleague nearby.

"It's very expensive," came the haughty reply.

"It's very expensive," the salesman echoed, still in a condescending tone.

"Look, I've got money to spend in here--" Daniel started to say then stopped when he saw the disparaging looks on the salesmen's faces.

"I don't think we have anything for you here. You're obviously in the wrong place. Please leave." The man's tone left no room for argument.

Daniel was speechless for a moment but then, gathering his pride, stalked out the door. When he was out on the street, he stopped and took a deep breath, trying to control himself. It shouldn't matter to him what those men inside thought of him but it hurt nonetheless. He had forgotten for a moment that he was way out of their class, and the return to reality was painful.

Two women walking past stared at him and giggled. Suddenly feeling very ashamed of his appearance, Daniel headed back to the penthouse. Why had he ever thought this would be easy?

~~~

Back at the hotel, Daniel made a beeline straight for the elevators, his head down and arms crossed over his chest. He felt cheap and dirty after those comments from the salesmen, and he wanted to get upstairs as soon as possible.

Murray Teal had been watching Daniel earlier that morning and wondered who he was. As the manager of the hotel, it was his duty to know everyone who was staying at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. He quickly strode over to the young man and cut off his access to the elevator. "May I help you?"

Daniel looked at the big black man standing in front of him and felt intimidated. "I'm just going to my room," he replied. He didn't want to cause any trouble.

"Do you have a key?" Teal inquired.

Daniel snapped his fingers as he remembered about the card-key. "Oh, I forgot that cardboard thingy. I'm on the top floor."

"You are a guest here?" Teal said in surprise. Surely he would have remembered someone like this.

"I'm with a friend," Daniel said as he crossed his arms defensively. He so didn't need this after the morning he'd just had.

"And who would that be?" Teal inquired politely but insistently.

"Jack...uh..." Daniel realised that he didn't know Jack's last name. Oh yeah, I sound really convincing, he thought to himself. The elevator doors opened and Daniel recognised the operator from the previous evening. "He knows me," he said in desperation.

Teal turned to the operator, who was staring wide-eyed at the scene. "Did you just come off the night shift?" The operator nodded. "Do you know this young man?" Teal asked him.

The operator nodded again, adding, "He's with Mr. O'Neill."

"That's it," Daniel said, snapping his fingers as if he'd just remembered the name. "Jack O'Neill." He started towards the elevator, hoping he could sneak quietly away.

"He joined him last night," the operator added quietly to Teal.

The manager waved the operator away and then turned to Daniel, who was about to step into the elevator. "Why don't you come with me? We'll chat for just a moment." He took Daniel firmly by the arm and led him off to the office.

"What is it with everybody today?" Daniel felt like protesting more but decided it wouldn't do his cause any good. The manager guided him to a seat and then sat on the edge of the desk facing him. Daniel stared back, trying not to give away how nervous he was at the prospect of being kicked out.

"What is your name?" Teal questioned.

"What do you want it to be?" was Daniel's automatic reply.

"Do not play games with me, young man."

Daniel subsided under the disapproving tone. "Daniel." For the second time in two days, he had given his real name; Teal's stare did not exactly encourage lying.

"Thank you. Master Daniel, things that go on in other hotels don't happen at the Regent Beverly Wilshire," Teal told the young man. He took great pride in the fact that his guests were of the elite and did not bring hookers into his hotel. When Daniel said nothing, Teal continued. "Mr. O'Neill, however, is a very special customer. And we like to think of our special customers as friends. As a customer, we would expect Mr. O'Neill to sign in any additional guests. But as a friend, we are willing to overlook it. I am assuming you are a... relative?"

Daniel nodded slowly; that could work.

"I thought so. And you must be his...?" Teal left the sentence hanging, waiting for Daniel to supply an answer.

"Nephew?" Daniel knew he looked young enough to pass for Jack's nephew but the hesitation with which he said it gave away the lie.

Teal bowed his head. "Of course. Naturally when Mr. O'Neill leaves, I will not see you in this hotel again." After all, the establishment had a reputation to maintain.

Daniel hung his head, feeling ashamed. He should have expected this from the moment he had walked into the hotel. When he was growing up, he was a geek and therefore picked on, and now that he was a hooker, he was lower than that and could be just thrown out of places.

"I assume you have no other uncles here?" Teal queried; his tone implied that Daniel better not have any currently residing at the hotel.

Daniel shook his head; of course he didn't.

"Good. We understand one another." Teal managed a small smile, pleased that the young man had got the message. "I would also encourage you to dress a little more appropriately. That will be all."

"No, that won't be all. That's what I was trying to do!" Daniel protested angrily. He pulled out the money Jack had given him and handed it to the man. "Jack gave me all this money to buy clothes but no-one would serve me. I have all this money now and no suit. Not that I expect you to help but I have all this money and no-one will help me!" Daniel's emotions were a mixture of anger and hurt at the way he had been treated in the last few hours, and at the moment, the anger was winning.

Teal politely glanced at the money then handed it back. Then he went over and picked up the phone; if he did not want Daniel to be seen as a hooker, then Teal would have to assist him. It was for that reason - or at least, that was the one he would admit to - that he was making the call to a specialist shop.

"Oh yeah, call the cops. Tell them I said hi," Daniel said flippantly. He should have known that the manager would be suspicious of the large amount of cash.

"Men's clothing. Emmett, please."

Daniel just stared at him. The manager wasn't calling the cops... unless he knew a policeman named Emmett.

"Emmett, hello, this is Murray Teal over at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. I would like to ask a favour of you. I am going to send someone over. His name is Daniel. He is a very special guest." Teal looked over at Daniel, whose expression registered surprise. "He is the nephew of a very special guest."

The emphasis on 'nephew' was the indication that Teal had accepted the cover story; suddenly, Daniel felt a lot better.

~~~

Later that afternoon, Daniel walked happily into the hotel. Emmett had been a lovely man, and had helped Daniel choose a very nice suit, black, with a blue shirt and dark blue tie to match. "I got a suit," he announced, seeing Teal still hard at work showing some guests around.

"I expected that you would be wearing it," Teal said dryly.

"I didn't want to get it messed up. Wanna see?" Daniel offered enthusiastically, holding up the large bag that contained the suit.

"That is perfectly all right," Teal declined, very aware that Daniel's attire was still inappropriate for the hotel. There were customers nearby. "I am sure it is more... appropriate."

Daniel shrugged that off; he was too happy to take offence at anything at the moment. "Okay, well, listen. I didn't mean to interrupt your work but I just wanted to say... thank you." Considering what he was, and what Teal was, it was very surprising that the man had wanted to help at all.

"You are very welcome, Master Daniel." Teal inclined his head solemnly. This young man was like a breath of fresh air and Teal felt his spirits lift with Daniel's enthusiasm.

Daniel smiled at him, unaccountably pleased by the respect Teal was now displaying towards him. It was good to know that not everyone around here was a snob. With that in mind, he headed off to the penthouse, already imagining how pleased Jack was going to be to see him tonight.

Not long after he walked into the penthouse, Daniel heard the phone ringing. He threw his packages onto the nearest chair and hurried to pick up the phone, not thinking for a minute that he probably shouldn't be answering it. "Hello?"

[Never, ever pick up the phone,] Jack chastised him from the other end.

"Then why are you calling me?" Daniel retorted with a smile on his face. Jack was calling him from work; that was nice.

[Did you buy clothes today?]

"I got a suit." Daniel looked over at it. It was a very expensive suit, one he could never afford to buy himself, and it felt good to own a suit such as that.

[That's good. I'll be in the hotel lobby at seven forty-five sharp,] Jack reported.

"You're not coming up to the door?" That disappointed Daniel; it would have been a nice romantic gesture... Stop that! he chided himself. This was business and he shouldn't forget it.

[This isn't a date; it's business,] Jack reprimanded, unknowingly echoing Daniel's thought.

No kidding, Daniel thought wryly. "Where are you taking me anyway?" he inquired.

[To a restaurant called The Voltaire. It's very elegant.] The subtext behind those words was very obvious - Daniel had better be elegant too.

"All right. I'll meet you in the lobby. But only cause you're paying me to," he joked. Daniel thought it would have been nice for Jack to pick him up as if it was a date, but obviously the man wanted to keep their relationship business-like - just as it should be. He was so looking forward to tonight, partly because of the fancy restaurant but mainly because Jack was taking him to one.

[Thank you very much.] The smile in Jack's voice could be heard through the phone.

Happy at the thought of going to the restaurant, Daniel set the phone down and headed into the lounge area. He had taken two steps away when the phone rang again, so he did an about-face and answered it. "Hello?"

[I told you not to pick up the phone,] Jack's voice came down the line.

Daniel smiled upon hearing Jack's voice again. "Then stop calling me." He hung up and shook his head; maybe Jack did have a playful side after all.

~~~

Tugging on his cuffs, Daniel looked in the mirror one last time. He couldn't believe the reflection he saw there - he wasn't used to seeing himself looking so good, so classy. He looked elegant and rich, which he definitely wasn't. His one wish for the evening though, was to get through it as if he were those things. If he could do that, then Jack wouldn't be ashamed of him. He had asked Murray for some help with learning which knives and forks to use for which course, so hopefully he wouldn't embarrass himself with that. But there were still plenty of other things that could go wrong.

Down in the hotel lounge, it was a nerve-wracking wait. He had been on the receiving end of quite a few stares but he couldn't go anywhere else until Jack arrived. His stomach churned with nerves but he tried to keep it from showing on his face; he didn't want Jack to see anything but professionalism because that's what he was getting paid for.

Jack was running late, so he was a little annoyed when he entered the lobby and didn't see Daniel. Deciding to call him and see why he wasn't where he was supposed to be, Jack crossed to the house phones and picked one up. As he reached out to dial, he felt a presence behind him so he turned to see a large black man in a suit standing there.

"Good evening, Mr. O'Neill. I'm Murray Teal, the manager of the hotel," came the solemn introduction.

Not in the mood to socialise or have anyone suck up to him, Jack turned back to the phone, not caring that his behaviour was rude. "Excuse me, I've just got to make one call..."

Teal ignored the snub and bowed his head, ever polite. "Yes, sir, of course, sir. I have a message for you."

"From who?" Jack inquired absently, concentrating on listening to the ringing on the other end.

"From your nephew, sir," Teal hinted.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "My what?"

"The young man who is staying with you in your room," Teal said, his expression implying that Jack should get a hint.

Jack's eyes narrowed and he hung up the phone. He understood what wasn't being said but he had no time for games. "I think we both know he's not my nephew."

"Of course, sir." Whatever the customer wanted.

"The reason I know that is that I'm an only child," Jack continued somewhat impatiently, wanting the manager to get to the point.

"Yes, sir." Teal stared solemnly at O'Neill, thinking about the difference between the two men... and deciding that he liked Daniel better; despite the young man's obvious profession, he seemed more pleasant to be around than O'Neill.

Having got that cleared up, Jack asked, "What's the message?" It had better be important, he thought while still wondering where Daniel was.

"He is waiting for you in the lounge." Teal waited for the information to sink in before he continued. "Intriguing young man, Master Daniel."

"Intriguing...?" What had Daniel been doing today that had involved the manager of the hotel? Something to ask about later but not now, not when there was a business dinner to get to.

"Have a good evening, sir." A hint of a knowing smile appeared on Teal's face.

Jack fully intended to. As he started walking towards the lounge, he said, "Thank you. Mr...?"

"Teal. Murray Teal." He started to get out his business card but Jack was already gone. "Manager of the hotel, sir," Teal finished to no-one in particular, hoping that as uneducated as he appeared, Daniel could teach O'Neill a thing or two about manners.

After what seemed like hours to Daniel, Jack finally arrived. Daniel felt his presence first and turned around to see Jack's eyes on him. His lips twitched into a smile that was tinged with dismay when he saw the surprise in Jack's eyes. Was his appearance so different that Jack couldn't believe it was him? Taking a deep breath, Daniel went over to the older man. "You're late."

"You're stunning." Jack couldn't believe the difference that the suit made. He almost decided to skip the meeting and just take Daniel back up to the penthouse but his business mind was used to ruling his libido; they would go to the dinner meeting.

Daniel stared at him, surprised and warmed by the compliment. "You're forgiven." With a small smile on his face, he walked out of the hotel beside Jack, looking forward to the rest of the evening.

~~~

Daniel couldn't help feeling out of place as he accompanied Jack into the restaurant. It was very fancy, done in subdued creams and reds, with plenty of gold paint as well. The tables were well spread out, guaranteeing privacy, and there were many waiters to ensure prompt service. "Oh boy," he muttered as they were led towards a table near a winding staircase. He had never been anywhere so exclusive.

"You'll be fine," Jack assured him in a quiet voice. His only hope for the evening was that Daniel wouldn't do anything to embarrass him - and, of course, that business went well.

Two men were sitting at the table when Daniel and Jack arrived. The older man was rather rotund, almost bald, and Daniel thought that he looked like a nice man. However, it was the younger man that received more of his attention. Short black hair, green eyes and a friendly, handsome face - Daniel felt a stirring of attraction towards him but not quite as much as he felt for Jack.

"Mr. Hammond?" Jack said, holding out his hand for the older man to shake.

"Yes. Mr O'Neill?" George Hammond stood, shook Jack's hand and then sat down again, his manner friendly.

"Yes," Jack replied politely.

"This firebrand is my grandson, Paul," Hammond introduced the younger man seated at his side.

With a self-depreciating smile, Paul shook Jack's hand. "I don't know about the firebrand part, but grandson's true enough." Once that was said, he turned his attention towards the hot young man at O'Neill's side and gave him an appreciate once-over.

"I'm pleased to meet you both." Jack turned to Daniel. "This is a friend of mine, Daniel Jackson."

"Hi," Daniel said, shaking their hands, not catching the look from Paul. "Glad to meet you." The pair seemed nice enough, and he wondered what kind of business they were in, not to mention why they were meeting with Jack. He guessed that he would probably find out soon enough.

Everyone sat down and ordered their food. There was just general conversation until the entrée arrived. Daniel looked at his plate in confusion; the triangles with pâté and avocados definitely didn't fall under the category of salad. Not sure what to do, he leaned over to Jack and said in a quiet voice, "Where's the salad?"

"The salad comes at the end of the meal," Jack informed him equally as quietly.

"But that's the fork I know," Daniel told him, aware that the other two men were listening in.

Hammond smiled at him with gentle amusement. "I don't know about you but I've never been able to figure out which goes with what." Then he picked up a triangle with his fingers and started eating it.

Grateful that they weren't laughing at him, Daniel picked up one of his triangles and started eating as well. Maybe this wouldn't end up being so bad.

He continued to believe that until the next course arrived. There were several shells on his plate and Daniel hoped that they weren't what he thought they were. Then again, knowing his luck they probably were. "What's this?" he asked Jack discreetly.

"It's escargot. It's French for snails," Jack replied. "It's a delicacy. Try it." This will be amusing, he thought as he watched Daniel staring at his plate.

Snails! How could he possibly eat those? Daniel regretted letting Jack order for him now; if he had seen escargot on the menu, he would have avoided it. Snails! Mentally girding himself - and ignoring the fact that Jack had assumed he wouldn't know what the French word meant - Daniel picked up the small elegant tongs and experimented with how to use them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jack using the contraption and decided to copy him. He half-listened to the conversation about shipyards and Jack buying Hammond's company but Daniel's main focus was on how to eat the snails without embarrassing himself.

Unfortunately for him, because he was unused to using the tongs, the first snail he tried to pick up went flying over to the nearby waiter. With an apologetic grin, Daniel tried to joke about it. "Slippery little suckers."

The waiter gave him a sympathetic smile. "It happens all the time."

That didn't really make Daniel feel any better but at least the others weren't laughing at him. And Jack didn't appear to be so maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. He picked up another one and tried again. This time he managed to get the slimy part in his mouth and regretted it instantly. He quickly swallowed and took a long drink of his white wine to get rid of the taste. Then, hoping that no-one had noticed, he looked up through his eyelashes at Jack, only to catch the man looking back at him, a glint in his eye. Self-conscious, Daniel turned his attention back to the food, wondering how he was going to eat the rest.

Jack saw Daniel's dilemma and leaned over to say in a hushed voice, "If you don't like them, just leave them."

Relieved, Daniel did just that; he was sure that his stomach would have rebelled if he'd had to eat any more of them. He sat back and listened quietly to the conversation around him until the next course was served - which, fortunately, was mint ice-cream. Daniel starting eating eagerly, keeping half his attention on the conversation, which had just turned to the subject of Jack's father. It turned out that Jack's father had died not long ago, and Daniel took notice of the detached way that Jack announced that fact. It seemed that the father/son relationship hadn't been all that good - but at least Jack had had a father, unlike Daniel.

Unaware of Daniel's thoughts, Jack changed the subject back to business; he wasn't comfortable talking about his father. "Mr. Hammond, you asked for this meeting. What can I do for you?"

"Leave my company alone," Hammond demanded with steel in his voice.

Jack shook his head; he had put a lot of money into the venture, he couldn't back out now. "I can't do that. I own ten million shares."

Hammond glared at him, hating him for calmly sitting there and destroying his business. "I'll buy your stock back."

"You don't have the money," Jack stated with certainty; he'd had a background check done to make sure.

Daniel was a little disturbed by Jack's calm manner. Didn't it worry him that he was ruining Mr. Hammond's life?

Paul Hammond spoke up with the confidence of the young. "We will. We're getting a contract to build ten destroyers."

"There will be no contract. The contract is now buried in Appropriations Committee and it will remain there," Jack stated with a dismissive tone in his voice. He had discovered about the contract only a few hours ago and had quickly pulled some strings. He enjoyed the thrill of wearing the opposition down, of making them see that there was no hope, before closing in for the kill which he sensed was very close now.

Paul was outraged. "How the hell can you pull something like that? What, you got dirty politicians in your pockets now?" It wouldn't surprise him in the least.

Daniel hoped not; he could cope with Jack being ruthless in business but if he was crooked, then that was it. He had to draw the line somewhere about whom he associated with.

Hammond put a calming hand on his grandson's arm. "Paul, please. Calm down." He turned his head to glare at Jack, disgruntled by the man's manner. "Mr. O'Neill plays hardball."

Jack wore a smug expression. "Yes, yes, I do." And it had always served him so well in the past; that was how he had become so rich.

Paul wasn't going to be calmed down. He threw down his napkin and abruptly stood up. "I've heard enough of this. Daniel, it was a great pleasure to meet you." Paul bowed to him, sorry that he couldn't spend more time with the young man. Then, after looking daggers at Jack, he said, "I'm sorry, Grandfather, I've got to get some air."

Hammond watched his grandson leave then turned back to Jack. "I'd better join my grandson. Enjoy your dinner, I'm sure it will be delicious," he said to Daniel as he got to his feet. Then he rounded the table and threatened Jack, "Watch out, O'Neill, I'm going to tear you apart." The look in his eyes was determined and not very friendly.

Jack simply smiled; he had heard so many threats over the years that they had lost their potency. "I look forward to it, sir." As Hammond left, Jack looked at Daniel, who wasn't looking very happy, and sighed. The evening, which he had hoped wouldn't turn out this way, was ruined.

~~~

The two men soon returned to the penthouse. Jack hadn't said a word during the ride back, and Daniel had respected that by staying quiet, somehow instinctively knowing that Jack wouldn't welcome any conversation.

At the penthouse, Daniel went straight away to get changed into something more comfortable than the suit. He put his cargoes back and then, bare-chested, went out of the bedroom to find Jack. Surprisingly, he found the older man sitting on a chair on the balcony. Granted, the chair was still partially in the doorway but still, out was out - so to speak. "Jack, you said you never come out here."

"I'm only halfway out," Jack replied, justifying the position of his chair. He felt a flutter of desire as Daniel walked past him, his torso bare. Daniel certainly has a beautiful body, Jack thought, eyeing the younger man with interest.

Daniel sat down on the cold tiles, his back against the wall of the balcony so that he couldn't see how high up he was. "You didn't say much in the car on the way home." Jack didn't say anything to that. "You thinking about dinner?" He hadn't been as sophisticated as he had hoped but he'd had a good time anyway.

"I mean, the business was good, I think," Daniel continued when Jack remained silent. "He's in trouble, you want his company, and he doesn't want to let it go." He didn't know the man all that well yet but he could sense that something was not right. And after what had happened at the restaurant, anyone with a heart would be a little upset.

"Thanks for the recap," Jack said dryly; he was very well aware of how the evening had gone. Trouble was, he wasn't feeling as good about it as he had thought he would.

"The problem is, I think you like Mr. Hammond," Daniel stated, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them; what had possessed him to come out here without a shirt? It was freezing!

Jack shifted uncomfortably, not happy about that idea. "The truth is, it's totally irrelevant whether I like this man or not. I won't let myself become emotionally involved in business." That just led to trouble just like it did in the rest of his life.

"I know," Daniel said, nodding his agreement. "Sam is always saying to me: don't get emotional when you turn tricks. That's why no kissing - it's too personal. It's like what you're saying - you stay numb, you don't get involved... when I'm with a guy, I'm like a robot, I just do it." Daniel's brain caught up with what his mouth was saying. "I mean, except with you," he amended. Despite not having kissed Jack, Daniel's emotions were already involved with the man. He was going to end up with a broken heart at the end of all this, he knew that, but he still couldn't help liking Jack.

Jack laughed softly. "Of course not with me." His expression said that he knew Daniel was a hooker and that this was just a job to him - and that he didn't care. But deep down, he was a little hurt at the thought of Daniel not being the least bit turned on by him. And that worried him.

Daniel looked away, a sliver of hurt going through him. If he wasn't a hooker, and he had met Jack as a normal guy, then things would be different and Daniel would be free to care about him. As it was...

"You and I are such similar creatures, Daniel. We both screw people for money," Jack observed, a part of him wanting Daniel to hurt too after that careless comment.

Those words did hurt too. Daniel bit his lip, trying to keep the emotion from showing on his face. He needed to change the subject before Jack could hurt him further. "I was sorry to hear about your Dad. When did he die?"

"Last month." The words were spoken tonelessly; he didn't want to talk about this.

"Do you miss him?" Daniel still missed his parents even though he had been orphaned at a young age. He'd had good foster parents but it wasn't the same thing as having a real mum and dad.

"I hadn't spoken to him in fifteen years. I wasn't there when he died." And Jack didn't regret that; he hadn't liked his father much anyway. Too demanding and domineering, not to mention too unforgiving.

That's a very long time, Daniel thought. "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

O-kay then. Daniel eyed Jack and decided that he needed a distraction. He got up and kneeled in front of the older man. "I'll tell you what. I've got an idea. Let's watch old movies all night... we'll just veg out in front of the TV." He hadn't done that in such a long time, ever since he was back in New York.

"Veg out?" Jack had to smile at the old term.

Daniel grinned at him. "Yeah. Be still like vegetables, lay like broccoli."

Jack sighed; much as he might like to do that, he had other things on his mind at the moment. "Look, I'll tell you what. I'll be back. We'll do broccoli tomorrow." He slowly got up and walked away, ruffling Daniel's hair as he did so.

"Where are you going?" Daniel asked with some concern. He didn't think Jack should be alone right now.

"I'm going downstairs for a while." He needed some space and he couldn't think properly with Daniel there half-naked.

Daniel remained on the balcony as Jack left, still kneeling next to the chair. He wanted to go after Jack but didn't feel he had the right; after all, he was only the hired help. They didn't have a relationship outside of that, so it was none of Daniel's business if Jack wanted to be on his own for a while. That didn't stop him from feeling unhappy about it though.

He got up, went into the bedroom and got changed into the satin pyjamas that Emmett had helped him pick out earlier. The satin felt so nice against his skin, so erotic... Daniel wondered whether he would get to keep them when the week was up. They would certainly do wonders for keeping his spirits up when he was back living in that dump of an apartment with Sam.

Daniel settled himself in front of the television and found a channel with a documentary on Egyptian pharaohs. He watched that, then the program after it, and finally he looked at the clock. It was more than two hours since Jack had left and Daniel's concern returned. Why wasn't he coming back?

Deciding to do some investigating, Daniel put on a white bathrobe and headed down to the ground floor. Soft music drifted out of the dining room as Daniel approached. He slowly pushed the door open and entered the room. Jack was sitting at a grand piano, playing a soft, melancholy tune. Four men were nearby cleaning up the dining room. Quietly, Daniel went over to Jack, not wanting to disturb him. When Jack turned his head to look at him, Daniel said, "I didn't know you played." Daniel had learnt to play the piano but hadn't devoted as much time to it as Jack apparently had.

"Only in front of strangers," Jack replied, his fingers ceasing to play. "Did you get lonely without me?"

"I missed your witty chatter," Daniel responded with a smile.

Jack stared at Daniel for a few seconds, the only sign he had got the joke being the twinkling in his eyes. Then he turned his head slightly to address the others in the room. "Gentlemen, would you mind leaving us, please?" he ordered softly. Without a word, the men obeyed. "Thank you."

Daniel was impressed. "Do people always do what you tell them to do?"

Jack pulled Daniel to stand in front of him and then rested his head on Daniel's stomach for a few seconds. Daniel didn't know what to do. He rested his right hand on Jack's head and then threaded his fingers through the short silvering hair, enjoying the texture of it. After a short while, Jack pulled back then untied the bathrobe and ran his fingers over Daniel's flat stomach.

"I guess so," Daniel answered his own question as desire ignited inside him. His breathing quickened as Jack continued just to run his fingers over his skin; who knew a simple touch could be so erotic?

Showing just how strong he was, Jack lifted Daniel onto the top of the piano. Daniel automatically put his feet on the piano keys, his legs spread to allow Jack easy access. Jack's hands went around his waist and pulled him close, trying to kiss Daniel on the mouth. Daniel wanted to let him but resisted, knowing he couldn't let himself get personal with Jack because it would be all to easy to develop more feelings for him. So to distract both of them, Daniel leaned back on piano and undulated wantonly, encouraging Jack to kiss him elsewhere. He felt Jack trace a line down his chest before pulling the satin pyjama bottoms down to stroke his erection. Much better, he thought to himself; just as well I brought some supplies.

His hands found their way into Jack's hair as lips closed around his erection. Daniel bucked up slightly, having not expected the action, and then consciously stilled his hips. Jack expertly sucked and licked the hard shaft until it started to leak, then he lifted his head to look at Daniel, a knowing grin on his face. "Condom?"

Still in a daze from the expert blow-job - he wasn't usually the recipient - Daniel managed to get two condoms and the lube out of the bathrobe pocket and then handed them to Jack; they would prevent any spillage on the piano.

"You must have been a boy scout," Jack commented as he accepted the supplies. Quickly, he prepared himself, and then he pushed Daniel a little further back along the top of the piano. He stripped Daniel of his pyjamas and, to the younger man's surprise, Jack got up on the piano with him.

"Hi," Daniel said as Jack rolled the condom onto his shaft and then lay down on top of him.

"Hi," Jack replied.

Daniel wrapped his legs around Jack's waist as the older man pushed slowly into his body. When Jack started thrusting, the movements' small but going deep, Daniel automatically tried to arch his back in pleasure but Jack's weight kept him pinned down. So he settled for arching his neck. He felt Jack start to suckle his neck - he was going to have a hickey in the morning - and he put his hands on Jack's head to hold him there. He thrust his pelvis up as much as he could, matching Jack's increasing tempo and creating much pleasure for them both. His erection was trapped between their bodies and it took all of Daniel's experience to prevent himself from coming too soon.

With a shout, Jack pushed himself deep inside Daniel and stilled, his teeth nipping the sensitive skin of Daniel's neck as he came. The slight pain pushed Daniel over the edge and he gasped Jack's name as his seed spilled out of him.

They lay there for a few moments, Daniel lazily caressing Jack's back and enjoying the knowledge that he would never think of pianos in the same way again. Then, when Jack shifted off to the side, Daniel smiled at him. "Feeling better?"

"Much better." Jack reached a hand up to trace over the reddening mark on Daniel's neck. "Did I hurt you?"

Daniel shook his head. "It's fine." He'd had worse than hickeys before.

Jack pressed a kiss to Daniel's forehead then slid off the piano. Daniel sat up and removed his condom, then watched Jack do the same. "You didn't even get undressed," he commented as Jack zipped his trousers up.

"It's a kink of mine," Jack confessed, grabbing Daniel's legs and pulling him towards the edge of the piano. Standing between Daniel's legs, he held the younger man to him. "Thank you." He had needed that, and he was glad that Daniel had not asked any questions.

"Any time," Daniel offered generously; Jack was an excellent and generous lover and Daniel was starting to find that he couldn't get enough of him.

Jack stepped away from Daniel and handed him the satin pyjama bottoms. Daniel put them on, and then put the used condoms and the lube in the pocket of his bathrobe. "Shower?"

"Lead the way."

~~~

Daniel woke slowly the next morning. Eyes still closed, his hand went out to touch Jack but found nothing except empty bed. Jack had abandoned him again. No, not abandoned, Daniel berated himself; that implied that he and Jack actually had a relationship. Jack was probably just working again, that was all, and it wasn't any of Daniel's business if he had been.

With a big stretch, Daniel flipped over onto his back. His body was a little sore from the sex last night, especially from the little session on top of the piano. A small smile spread across Daniel's face as he remembered the thrill of having sex in such an unusual way. That had to be the kinkiest thing he had done yet that he had actually liked.

Jack entered the room at that moment, then walked over to the bed and sat on it, his hand casually coming to rest on Daniel's chest. "Nice dream?" He was coming to love seeing a smile on Daniel's face; it made the younger man look even more beautiful. It had been a long time since he had put a smile on anyone's face.

"Memory," Daniel admitted, opening his eyes. "I've never done it on a piano before."

"I'm glad I was your first," Jack said with a smile of his own.

Daniel's smile faded a little, the words invoking shame inside him. He'd had so many men since his first one that he couldn't joke about his long-lost virginity.

Jack didn't notice as he had turned his head at that moment. "Time to shop," he said, holding up a credit card in front of Daniel's face. "Now if you have any trouble using this card, I want you to call me, all right."

Daniel took card, sighing. "More shopping." Great, just what he felt like doing - not.

"I'm surprised you didn't buy more than one suit yesterday." He had thought Daniel would have bought enough clothes to last the whole week; that's what most people would have done.

"I had a few problems," he admitted reluctantly.

Jack tilted his head slightly; that didn't sound good. "Like what?"

Daniel hesitated; this was going to sound so petty. "They were mean to me." Substitute childish for petty, Daniel thought as he heard himself speak. It shouldn't worry him that the salesmen yesterday hadn't served him.

"Mean to you?" Jack echoed.

"I guess I wasn't the kind of clientele they preferred," Daniel stated matter-of-factly. "It's okay, I'll just find somewhere else."

Jack stared down at him for a few moments, his mind rapidly going through ideas. Then he grabbed Daniel's hand and pulled him up. He would make sure that no-one else turned Daniel away.

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked as he freed his hand from Jack's and then grabbed his briefs.

"Taking you shopping." Jack disappeared then to return a few moments later with a cup of coffee for Daniel. "Don't dawdle." He left Daniel to get dressed.

Daniel quickly drank his coffee. This promised to be an interesting experience.

~~~

After noticing that Daniel had a tendency to wander, Jack, in exasperation, took hold of his hand as they were walking down the street to keep the younger man with him. Because same sex couples - and marriages - were common nowadays, they didn't receive a second glance. Surprisingly, although it wasn't why he was doing it, Jack found that he liked holding Daniel's hand; it fit nicely into his, just like their bodies fit together when they were spooning after sex. It was almost as if they had been made for each other. Jack dismissed that thought; there was no such thing. That's what he had thought about Sara when they'd first married, and it hadn't lasted. But he couldn't harden his heart against Daniel; the young man had got under his skin before he had known it. So long as it didn't go any further though, it would be okay. "See anything you like?" he asked as Daniel paused yet again to look through a shop window.

"This place doesn't look too bad," Daniel stated. It looked more hip than the places Jack had been interested in but there was also formal wear.

Jack quickly led Daniel inside, pleased to have finally found somewhere for the young man to shop. He had a business meeting to get to soon and he couldn't stay shopping with Daniel all day.

A medium-sized, oily-looking man approached them. "I am Richard Woolsey, the manager," he said, introducing himself.

"Jack O'Neill." He offered his hand to shake and then withdrew it as soon as possible. He'd met men like Woolsey before and had little patience for them. "See this young man?" Jack turned his head towards Daniel.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have anything in the shop as gorgeous as he is?" Jack noted the blush that appeared on Daniel's face and smiled to himself; it was a good look on the younger man.

Woolsey didn't hesitate in his reply of "Yes, sir," but then he realised what was going to happen so he changed his mind. "No. No, what I'm saying is that we have many things in the shop as gorgeous as he would want them to be, that's the point, and I think we can all agree with that."

Jack cut him off and took him aside so that Daniel couldn't hear what he was about to say. "Let me tell you what we're going to do here. We're going to need a few more people helping us out here and I'll tell you why. We are going to be spending an obscene amount of money here. So you're going to need a lot more help sucking up to us because that's what we like, you understand?"

Daniel smiled, overhearing the words and Woolsey's ingratiating reply. Jack was going to a lot of trouble to get him some clothes and he liked that fact. He had also liked the handholding earlier, and as they had been walking down the street, he had imagined that they were actually a couple. Too bad it was only a fantasy. But that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it while it lasted.

Woolsey came over and solicitously told him to sit down while three saleswomen started bringing over clothes to show him. He was amazed by the multitude of choices and often looked over at Jack for his advice. The older man didn't say anything, just nodded or shook his head, and Daniel sent away anything that didn't meet with Jack's approval. He admitted to himself that he wanted to look good for Jack; therefore he would wear what Jack liked.

Jack had to make a couple of calls and when he was finished, he took a long look at what Daniel was wearing. Slim dark blue trousers with a yellow shirt and a sweater thrown over the shoulders; although the style didn't suit Daniel, he still looked hot in it! Jack walked over to him and held out his credit card. "You're on your own now, I've got to get to work. You'll be okay." He walked past Woolsey on his way out. "He has my card."

"And we'll help him spend it, sir," came the enthusiastic response.

After two hours of shopping, getting all of his clothes from that one place, Daniel decided to get a little revenge on the salesmen who wouldn't help him the previous day. He went into the clothing store, laden with bags and parcels, and headed straight for the guy who wouldn't serve him. Pasting a huge smile on his face, Daniel said, "Hello, do you remember me?"

"No, I'm sorry." The guy looked thoroughly confused and Daniel felt good about that.

"I was in here yesterday, you wouldn't wait on me. You work on commission, right?" Daniel guessed.

"Uh, yes." The salesman was now totally confused.

"Big mistake. Big. Huge," Daniel stated, holding up all the bags that he was carrying. Satisfied that he had made his point, Daniel walked out, the smile still on his face. Maybe next time the men in that shop would think twice about being so judgmental. Maybe, but probably not. Still, it had been fun, and he couldn't wait till Jack got home so he could put on a fashion parade - with frequent breaks for relieving desire!

~~~

Daniel wanted it to be a very special night. Jack had gone out of his way to help with the shopping that morning and Daniel wanted to show his gratitude the only way he knew how. He found a packet of thick candles and set them on the dining table; he would light them later. Then he got the ever-present bottle of champagne from the little fridge and put it in an ice bucket to keep it chilled. After that, he got the fire going in the open fireplace and finally, selected some romantic music that would play in the background for later. Five minutes before Jack was expected, the food arrived and Daniel arranged it to his satisfaction.

A phone call told him when Jack was on the way up - Murray was kind enough to do that for him - and that gave Daniel time to finish the preparations. He lit the candles, made sure the fire was burning well, put the necessary supplies on the rug near the fireplace, got undressed except for a tie he had got from a salesman earlier, and then dimmed the lights. When he gazed around the room, he smiled in satisfaction; it was perfect.

Hearing the electronic lock click open, Daniel hurried over to the dining table and sat down on the nearest chair, draping himself over it in what he hoped was a seductive manner. Then, when he saw Jack come in and stare at the fire, Daniel said softly, "How was your day, dear?"

Jack turned and stared at the sight that greeted him. Blood rushed from other parts of his body to his groin, making him instantly hard. He couldn't believe that Daniel was sitting at the table wearing nothing but a tie - just for him. "Nice tie," he managed to say as his briefcase fell out of his nerveless fingers.

"I got it for you," Daniel said in that same seductive voice.

"Very... very nice," Jack continued, trying to think of something else to say and failing. The faint red light from the fire lit Daniel's body in a very interesting way, matching the fire that had been lit inside him.

Daniel slowly stood and advanced on Jack, trying to swing his hips as he walked; not an easy thing when he had an erection. "I just thought I'd say... thank you."

"You're welcome," Jack replied automatically; he didn't know what Daniel was thanking him for but he wasn't going to spoil the moment. As the younger man drew close, Jack ran one hand up the bare chest before settling on the knot in the tie. "Did you have any plans for this?"

"Not really." Daniel revelled in the desire he could see in Jack's eyes and was proud that he could put that expression there. Being in his business, he knew that he was nothing more than a convenient body to the men who used him. But seeing Jack's expression made him feel that this was more than business. He knew it wasn't but he could indulge himself for a while.

Jack dragged his eyes away from Daniel for a moment and took in everything that had been done, especially the items near the fireplace. A plan formed in his mind and he hoped that Daniel would agree to it. "Do you do bondage?" he had to ask.

"Not the hardcore stuff," Daniel stated, wondering what Jack had in mind.

"Good. Then I have a plan. Hold out your hands." When Daniel did as ordered, Jack slowly undid the tie and wrapped it loosely around the young man's wrists. Then he led Daniel over to the fireplace. "Lie down."

Daniel did so, getting the idea of where this was going. He stretched his bound wrists above his head, making it easy for Jack to tie the other end of the material to the leg of the sofa. Daniel found himself getting turned on by the whole thing and he couldn't wait to see what Jack did next.

With Daniel laid out in front of him, Jack just sat there for a moment and looked his fill. There hadn't been a whole lot of time for just exploring, or just simply looking, so he was making time now. He ran a hand down Daniel's throat over the chest and stomach before skirting the sensitive groin area. The hand continued on down one leg and then up the other, over a hip onto the slightly concave stomach where it stopped. Jack could feel as well as hear Daniel's quickened breathing, and could see that the hooker was enjoying this so far, which pleased him.

Standing up, Jack quickly shed his clothes and then knelt over Daniel's chest. He ran his fingertips lightly over both of Daniel's arms, finding the sensitive spots, before moving down to the armpits. Jack felt the fine hair there and kissed the sensitive skin before moving onto Daniel's throat. He found the pulse point, nipped it gently with his teeth before sucking on it until a hickey was created. He moved further down, licking the skin in the hollow of Daniel's collarbone, and all the way down his sternum before getting sidetracked by the pink nipples nearby.

Daniel arched his back as Jack latched onto the left nipple with his mouth, creating a wonderful suction. He couldn't believe that Jack was doing this - it was supposed to be his job yet Jack was the one pleasuring him. He would have to reciprocate later to make up for it. His erection was completely solid, and Daniel knew he was on limited time now. But he had to endure the exquisite torture, unable to get his hands free to touch Jack. The same torture was applied to the other nipple before Jack kissed every inch of his stomach, not to mention swirling his tongue around Daniel's navel. Then finally, Jack took Daniel's hard shaft in his mouth and it took all Daniel's willpower not to thrust upwards.

Jack had enjoyed doing this so much the night before that he had wanted another taste. He worked the erection expertly, using his tongue to maximum effect. And when he felt that Daniel was getting close, he reached further down and ran his finger down the cleft before pushing the tip through Daniel's entrance. He could see that Daniel didn't want to come yet but Jack was determined; he wanted to taste the rest. "Let go," he prompted.

With a muffled cry, Daniel did just that, shooting his seed down Jack's throat. Then he lay there for a minute, recovering, so that he would be ready when Jack wanted to continue. And then something sank into his brain... "Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack answered as he prepared himself to enter Daniel.

"Did you just... swallow?" There were a whole lot of risks involved in that, and although Daniel knew he wasn't carrying any diseases, he didn't think it was worth the risk.

Jack shrugged. "I wanted to taste you," he explained. Ending the discussion, he hooked Daniel's long legs around his waist and then pressed forward, figuring that the asshole would be relaxed now. It was, and Jack slid smoothly in. It took less than a minute for him to finish, the tight heat and contracting muscles massaging his erection until he couldn't stand it any longer. He pulled out of Daniel, disposed of the condom, and then released the younger man from his bonds. After that, he lay down on his side next to Daniel, facing the fireplace, and admired the soft glow from the fire on the body next to him. "I guess you often get told that you're beautiful," he commented.

"Sometimes." Daniel just figured it was part of the job so he didn't let it go to his head. He turned onto his side to face Jack. "Any other kinks I should know about?"

"I'll let you know," Jack said, a smile on his face. He pulled Daniel in close and then rolled to lie on his back, bringing the younger man to lie on him. "For now, some sleep sounds good."

Daniel smiled and then closed his eyes; he hoped Jack would enjoy the next part of the evening just as much.

~~~

An hour later, after a relaxing meal by the fireplace, Daniel was busy in the bathroom as the tub filled with water. Jack really needed some relaxing time and Daniel was determined to help him get it, hence the candles from the dining room and the bubble bath.

Once the candles were arranged to his liking, he dimmed the overhead lights. The dozen candles gave off a very romantic glow, and Daniel smiled at the thought. He wanted to be romantic with Jack, despite the fact they weren't supposed to get involved. He knew he was probably setting himself up for disappointment but at the moment he didn't care. He was feeling good tonight and wanted that to continue.

"Very nice." Jack entered the bathroom behind him and took in the romantic surroundings; it had been a long time since someone had gone to this much trouble for him and he was flattered.

"Thank you." Daniel turned to face Jack. "I thought that you deserved something nice after this morning."

Jack looked around at the surroundings again; he'd thought Daniel had already done that but he wasn't going to complain. He stepped forward and stripped off his robe. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"

Daniel removed his bathrobe and got into the tub. After a minute, Jack got in and sat down, his back to Daniel. Obligingly, Daniel put his arms around Jack's chest and his legs either side of the older man's. "Good?"

"Oh yeah." Jack leaned his head back so that it rested on Daniel's shoulders. This felt so good.

Retrieving the sponge from nearby, Daniel started lazily washing Jack's body. "Tell me about your parents," he asked, curious to know more about Jack.

Jack paused for a few moments, savouring the feel of Daniel behind him, before he started talking. "My mother was a school teacher. She married my father, who was extremely wealthy. Then he divorced my mother for another woman, and he took his money with him. And then she died. I was very angry with him. It cost me ten thousand dollars in therapy to say that sentence - I was very angry with him. I'm doing very well with that, aren't I? I'll say it again - I am very angry with him. Hello, my name is Mr. O'Neill, I am very angry with my father."

Daniel smiled, enjoying Jack's brand of humour. "I would have been angry at the ten thousand dollars."

"My father was president of the third company I ever took over," Jack continued. "I bought it and sold it off piece by piece." That had been the most personally satisfying moment in his career.

"What did the shrink say?" Daniel asked curiously.

"He said I was cured." Jack took Daniel's hand in his and examined it. Such long fingers, such smooth skin. There was a callous on Daniel's right middle finger, presumably from holding a pen for many, many hours. That would be a much better profession, Jack thought; Daniel should be a writer or something like that, anything so long as it wasn't this.

"Well, you got even. That must have made you happy." Daniel leaned forward so that his chin was resting on Jack's shoulder.

Jack didn't say anything, just squashed Daniel's hand in between his. He didn't like talking about his past; he just wanted to concentrate on the here and now.

Daniel noted the reluctance to continue the conversation and sighed. Time for a diversion then. "Did I mention my leg is thirty-seven inches from hip to toe, so basically we're talking about seventy-four inches of therapy wrapped around you for the bargain price of three thousand dollars." He wrapped his legs around Jack's waist.

Jack relaxed back against Daniel and ran his hands over the long, supple legs. "A definite bargain," he chuckled.

~~~

The next day, Jack took Daniel to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, which was going to be a mixture of business and pleasure. Jack was rather looking forward to seeing Daniel in this environment in a Henry Higgins type of way. Throwing Daniel to the lions would be very interesting indeed but Jack resolved to stick close by to rescue the young man if necessary.

When they arrived, there was a polo match already in play on the field. The crowd was cheering enthusiastically, and the sound overwhelmed Daniel as he got out of the car. He looked very attractive in a light short-sleeved blue shirt and cream trousers but he still felt underdressed compared to everyone else he could see. He leaned back against the door, hands behind his back, and contemplated running away. "What if someone recognises me?" he said, eyeing the crowd.

"Not likely. No-one here spends much time on Hollywood Boulevard." Jack was quite positive about that - he wouldn't have either if he had been able to work out how to drive Harry's car.

"You did," Daniel pointed out.

Ignoring that very good point, Jack put his arms around Daniel and detached his hands from the car door. "Let go. You look great; you look like you belong here. You're going to have a wonderful time."

Daniel was unsure about that but let Jack take his hands, trusting the older man's words.

"Okay. Don't fidget, and smile." Jack led him off towards the main crowd, hoping that the day would go well.

Daniel put a smile on his face and let himself be led into the fray. His eyes kept roaming around the crowd, noting the smart outfits and feeling very out of place. Even if this were his fantasy come true, Daniel figured that he would never be able to fit into this kind of scene.

Jack introduced Daniel to the blonde Olsen sisters. The one seated on the platform above Daniel stated, "So you're the flavour of the month," and then turned back to the action on the field.

"Don't mind her," the other one said with a smile. "She's just being testy. Jack is our most eligible bachelor. Everyone is trying to land him."

Daniel smiled. "Oh, I'm not trying to land him. I'm just using him for sex." Pleased with the stunned expression on her face, he moved away and went back over to Jack. "Tell me again why we're here."

"Business," Jack replied without taking his eyes off the horses but he was very aware of Daniel's proximity.

"Business, mingling?" Daniel inquired.

Jack nodded, finally turning his eyes towards Daniel and dampening his physical reaction to the sight. "Yes."

Joy, Daniel thought sarcastically. Thank goodness he didn't have to do this every day.

"Jack!"

They turned as one. Harry Maybourne, Jack's lawyer, gestured them over, two glasses of champagne in his hand. "Come over here."

Repressing a groan, Jack took Daniel's arm and led him over to the lawyer. "Harry," he greeted the man, plastering a smile on his face. "I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel shook Harry's hand as Maybourne introduced himself and then his wife, Olivia. Instinctively, the younger man decided that he didn't like the guy; there was just something about Maybourne that gave Daniel the creeps.

"It's always nice meeting one of Jack's, um, friends," Olivia stated before getting distracted by someone and leaving to talk to them.

Daniel had the impression that she knew that he wasn't just a friend and hoped that she didn't guess just exactly what he was.

Harry made a derogative comment about his wife under his breath then said, "Let me get you something to drink. Daniel, how about you start with that?" He handed the young man a glass of champagne.

"Thank you." Daniel accepted the glass and took a tentative sip. He was beginning to acquire a taste for the drink but didn't want to imbibe too much as his alcohol threshold wasn't very high.

"By the way, did you know Senator Kinsey is here?" Maybourne said to Jack, always focused on business.

Jack put his arm around Daniel's waist, sending a subtle message to everyone watching that their relationship was genuine, and drew him close. "I asked him," Jack stated smugly.

"That is why I have pledged my eternal love to you." Harry clapped Jack on shoulder and then moved away to get the drinks.

Daniel looked at the retreating form. "Real genuine guy," he said sarcastically. Maybourne's entire manner had rubbed him the wrong way; a definite sleaze if he ever saw one. "Who is he?"

"He's my lawyer," Jack replied, enjoying having Daniel so close in public. This was their first real public outing and Jack felt a thrill that the hottest guy in sight belonged to him. "He's alright."

Daniel raised one eyebrow; he was not convinced. "You could freeze ice on his wife's ass," he commented dryly.

Jack grinned in amusement; he'd often thought the same thing. "We'll try that later."

"Are these people your friends?" Daniel inquired, leaning into Jack's one-armed embrace. It felt so nice to be standing there as if they were a real couple.

"I spend time with them, yeah." He didn't have any real friends, people he could open up to and whom he enjoyed spending lots of time with. Daniel's coming close to the latter though, Jack realised. Maybe too close...

"Well, I wonder..." Daniel drew Jack's thoughts back to the present. His face was pensive as something occurred to him.

"You wonder what?" Jack asked.

Daniel smiled sadly at him. "I wonder why you came up with me." They were such opposites, the country-bumpkin hooker and the world-wise executive.

Jack didn't have an answer for that. To cover for that, he just hugged Daniel closer to his side and contemplated just why these people were his friends...

~~~

Sod stomping had to be the most ridiculous thing he had participated in. Daniel jumped around on the field like everyone else, trying to put the clumps of grass back where they belonged. And surprisingly, he was having a good time doing it. Jack was nearby, thoroughly enjoying it too if the expression on his face was anything to go by. Occasionally they held hands and stomped together, which was a lot of fun. After the stomping was finished, members of the club - of which Paul Hammond was one - cleaned any dirty shoes, and Daniel, taking his socks off too so they wouldn't get dirty, soon found himself with bare feet. He loved the feel of the grass against his skin and was lost in the sensation when a shadow fell across his feet.

"Daniel," Paul Hammond said, grinning when the younger man looked up with a startled look on his face.

"Paul." Daniel was embarrassed at being caught staring at his feet but he put a smile on his face and tried to act nonchalant. "Hi."

Too much of a gentleman to call Daniel on his embarrassment, Paul simply stated, "I saw you admiring the horses earlier. Would you like to visit one?"

"Oh, I don't know," Daniel said, looking over his shoulder at Jack, who was busy talking to a group of people. "I should probably wait for Jack."

"We'll only be a few minutes," Paul tried to persuade Daniel; he really like the young man. "And O'Neill will be able to see us the whole time."

Daniel looked away in embarrassment; that made it sound like he was Jack's possession, which he wasn't. Just an employee - Jack didn't own him. Which meant that he could talk to whomever he liked, and he did like Paul. "Alright." A few minutes wouldn't do any harm.

They chatted casually as they went over to where Paul's horse was grazing. Then Paul brought the conversation around to Jack again. "So, is it serious between you and O'Neill?"

Daniel laughed and shook his head. "We're just... enjoying each other's company for a while," he replied, ignoring the slight pain in his heart as he said the words.

"In that case, when you're free, would you like to go out with me?" Paul asked, hoping that he wouldn't be refused.

Daniel hesitated for a moment and then said, "I'd like that." It didn't really matter whether he agreed or not because when the week was up, he would never see Paul again, which was a pity. Here was someone who didn't know who he was and was interested in him anyway; someone who liked him for himself. Daniel gave Paul a shy smile. "I'd like that very much."

Over near the marquees, Jack was strolling along with Maybourne at his side. The latter was being very inquisitive and had just asked how Jack had met Daniel.

"I was asking for directions, there he was," Jack replied, hoping but not believing that Maybourne would be happy with that.

"You just ran into him, that's great." Harry gave Jack a big smile. "So, what's he do, does he work?"

Jack paused a second before stating, "He's in sales." That was sort of true, he justified to himself; just not the sort of sales that Maybourne would be expecting.

"Sales, that's terrific, that's good. What does he sell?" Harry inquired, continuing to pry. There has to be a story, Maybourne though, because Jack wasn't one for bringing boyfriends to events. Girlfriends, definitely, but not men.

Hesitating, Jack looked around them before turning his attention back to his lawyer. "Why do you want to know?" Harry's persistent curiosity was unusual.

"Just hear me out on this. I've known you a long time. I've seen some differences in you this week, like the tie--"

Jack thought about the tie with a smile on his face. The sex had been wonderful, and so had been the time they had spent just talking. Jack had learnt lots of little tidbits about Daniel, and his appetite had been whetted; he wanted to know more. Perhaps tonight.

"--and, um, I'm wondering whether this guy is the difference," Harry continued, unaware that Jack had tuned him out. "Especially when I see him talking to Paul Hammond." Harry stopped walking and looked pointedly in Daniel's direction.

Seeing Daniel talking with Paul brought Jack out of his thoughts. Jealousy struck him quick and painfully. What was Daniel doing talking to the man? Paul was young and handsome - if one liked those kinds of limpid looks, Jack thought nastily. Surely Daniel wasn't looking for another customer here, was he? "I introduced them at dinner the other night," he stated, still staring at Daniel.

Harry snorted. "And what, now they're best friends?" he said with skepticism. "This guy appears out of nowhere and now he's talking to a guy whose company we're trying to buy. That's a bit convenient, don't you think?"

Jack shook his head. "Harry..." That theory was a little farfetched. Daniel would never do such a thing; there was just too much innocence in the younger man's character in spite of his profession.

"How do you know that this guy hasn't attached himself to you because he's bringing information back to Hammond? These things happen," he defended himself when Jack scoffed at the notion. "Industrial espionage..." Harry rambled on, not listening to Jack's attempts to stop him until the latter grabbed his shoulders.

"Harry. He's not a spy. He is a hooker. He's a hooker!" Jack hated having to say that but if he was to put a stop to Maybourne's absurd notion of Daniel being a spy, then he had to.

Maybourne looked at Daniel, a speculative look on his face as he took in the good looks and winning smile. A hooker...

"I picked him up on Hollywood Boulevard," Jack continued. "In your car."

Harry started to laugh. "Oh man. You know, you're the only millionaire I know who goes looking for a bargain basement streetwalker, you know." The idea of Jack being so desperate for company that he picked up a hooker was just hilarious. But himself on the other hand...

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry I told you." It had been a dumb thing to do and he hoped that Maybourne wouldn't say anything to Daniel about it; he didn't want the younger man to be mad at him. Leaving Maybourne to it, Jack left to talk to another acquaintance.

Harry's laughter stopped as he looked over at Daniel again, who had moved away from Paul. A hooker... Harry frequently had one-night stands with hookers, especially when his wife was being less than forthcoming in the bedroom. And Daniel was very good looking... he would probably be very good in bed too. So why couldn't he have a piece of the action?

Maybourne made his way over to Daniel, who by now was standing next to a tree and watching the action on the field. "Having a nice time, Daniel?"

"Yeah, I'm having a great time." Maybourne gave Daniel the creeps. He had met types like Maybourne before and knew just how sleazy they were.

"Must be quite a change from Hollywood Boulevard," Harry continued.

Daniel froze. How did Maybourne know? "What?" he said cautiously. The only person who knew was...

"Jack told me. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Maybourne ran his hand up Daniel's bare arm, causing him to shiver. "Listen... maybe you and I could get together sometime after Jack leaves." He traced the edge of his sunglasses over Daniel's bare arm.

When hell freezes over, Daniel thought, but he put on a brittle smile and forced himself to say, "Yeah. Sure. Why not?" It wasn't as if he could afford to turn down customers. But what had possessed Jack to tell Maybourne about him? Daniel felt hurt that Jack had done so.

"Well, we'll just have to do that then, hmm?" Harry let his fingers trail over Daniel's arm and then walked away.

His skin crawling with disgust both at himself and at Maybourne, Daniel turned to look at Jack. There he was, smiling and chatting as if he hadn't just given permission for Maybourne to hit on Daniel. When they got back to the hotel, he was definitely going to have something to say to Jack about that.

~~~

Daniel spent the entire trip trying not to talk to Jack. The latter was very persistent but Daniel was determined not to give in. The more he had thought about what Jack had done by telling Maybourne about his background, the more Daniel was determined to leave. How could he stay with someone who had so little regard for his feelings? Didn't Jack give any thought as to how Maybourne might react? Or had he just ruined Daniel's happiness for a chance to boast?

They entered the penthouse together but Daniel kept walking as Jack switched on a light.

"You alright?" Jack asked as he followed Daniel.

"I'm fine." Daniel walked straight into the bedroom, determined to leave. Jack hadn't even been able to work out why Daniel was in this mood, and that just added to the latter's mood.

Jack sighed; Maybourne had certainly ruined the day. He had thought that the younger man had been having a good time at the polo match up until Daniel had told him what Maybourne had said. "Right. That's been seven 'fines' since we left the match. Could we have another word please?"

"Bastard. There's a word," Daniel said sarcastically as he went into bathroom and slammed the door, the loud sound reflecting his current mood.

"I think I liked 'fine' better," Jack murmured to himself, realising he was well and truly in the doghouse over his mistake.

Daniel didn't grab anything before he stormed out of the bathroom to confront Jack. "You know what?" he said angrily. "Tell me one thing. Why did you let me get all dressed up?"

"Because the clothing was appropriate." Jack started towards him but Daniel glared at him, hands on his hips.

"No." He didn't want Jack near him right now. "What I mean is, if you were going to tell everybody that I'm a hooker, why didn't you just let me wear my own clothes?"

"Wait!" Jack held up a hand to halt the flow of words. "I did not--"

"Why didn't you tell me," Daniel continued, "so when guys like Maybourne come up to me, I could handle it, I'm prepared for it." He walked past Jack into the closet and retrieved a suit box; he needed something to put his belongings in.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very happy with Maybourne at all for saying that or doing that but he is my attorney, I've known him for ten years. He thought you were some kind of industrial spy, I had to set him right." Jack started towards Daniel again, hoping that if he could just hold the young man, then he would be able to set everything right.

"Are you my pimp now? You think you can pass me around your friends? I'm not your little toy." Indignant, he stalked away from Jack towards the bathroom. Tears welled in Daniel's eyes as the emotions threatened to overflow. Stop it! he berated himself; it wasn't as if they were an actual couple. They were just employer and employee. But it still didn't give Jack the right to treat him like this. He brought up one hand to quickly wipe away the tears; he would get control of himself.

"I know you're not my toy," Jack said as the younger man kept walking. "Daniel! Daniel! I'm speaking to you, come back here!" he ordered. He was not accustomed to having people walk away from him in such a manner.

Daniel halted and reluctantly turned to face Jack.

Jack didn't notice the reddened eyes as he was focusing on making Daniel hear his point of view. "I hate to point out the obvious but you are, in fact, a hooker! And you are my employee."

Daniel couldn't argue with the first point but the second one enraged him again. "You don't own me! I decide! I say who, I say when, I say who!" He was yelling now, which he much preferred to crying except he didn't really want to be doing either with Jack. But if he had to do one, he would prefer the yelling because then Jack wouldn't see just how much this was hurting him.

"I refuse to spend the next three days fighting with you!" Jack glared at Daniel, his voice turning hard instead of yelling, and a measure of his feelings. "I said I was sorry and I meant it. That's the end of it!"

Daniel's anger drained out of him; he didn't want to fight either. He just wanted to leave and forget this had ever happened. "I'm sorry I ever met you," he said in calmer voice, the hurt barely controlled. He turned and went into bathroom. "I'm sorry I ever got into your stupid car," he called out as he gathered up his things.

"As if you had so many more appealing options." Jack watched Daniel come back out and stand in front of him, toiletries in his hands.

Daniel threw his stuff into the box and faced Jack. "I've never had anyone make me feel as cheap as you did today." Then he turned and went into the closet to get his clothes.

Jack scoffed at that suggestion. "Somehow I find that very hard to believe." He thought that Daniel's very profession would make him feel cheap all the time.

Daniel walked out of closet with armfuls of his clothes. He wasn't going to take the really expensive stuff but the casual clothes would be fine... unless Jack wanted them back.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked quietly as he watched Daniel pack some of the clothes into the box. He had really blown it; no wonder his exes had said he was bad at relationships. He couldn't even keep a pretend boyfriend for a week!

Eyes on the floor, Daniel stated, "I want my money, and I want to get out of here." If he looked at Jack, he might be tempted to stay and he couldn't allow himself to do that. He had to leave. His emotions were already too involved and he needed to get out now while he could. His arms automatically went across his chest, partly to keep his emotions inside and partly to keep the hurt out.

Jack stared at Daniel for a long moment before getting the money out of his wallet and putting it on the bed. If Daniel really wanted to leave, then Jack wasn't going to stop him. Spending time with the young man had been fun, and the sex had been great, but that was all it had been. Figuratively washing his hands of Daniel, his heart hurting more than it should, Jack walked out of the bedroom.

Daniel looked after Jack as he walked out, then at the money on the bed. Three thousand dollars just sitting there waiting for him to pick up. There was so much he could do with that amount of money! But... he couldn't take it. It felt wrong, although Daniel couldn't explain why. He didn't want to take Jack's money. So without a second glance, Daniel walked out of the bedroom with only the box and his clothes.

>From the living room, Jack's eyes followed Daniel as the younger man left the penthouse, and then he looked at the bed. The money was still there. That surprised him. Why hadn't Daniel taken the money? Was he too ashamed? Or were there more feelings involved than there should be? Whatever the reason, Jack decided that he couldn't let Daniel go, not yet. Somehow he had to convince Daniel to stay for the rest of the week.

As Jack left the penthouse, he saw Daniel standing at the elevator, obviously willing it to hurry up and arrive. Jack took a few steps forward, a sincere expression on his face. "I'm sorry. I wasn't prepared for questions about us. It was stupid and cruel... I didn't mean it. I don't want you to go. Please stay the week," he found himself saying, almost begging. He never begged but he would if it meant that Daniel would stay - was that significant, he wondered.

"Why?" Daniel whispered, fighting back tears. Why had Jack come out here? Why couldn't the man just leave him in peace?

Jack knew what Daniel meant. "I saw you talking to Paul Hammond. I didn't like it," he admitted. He realised that he had been jealous of Daniel's attentions towards the other man but had surpressed it.

"We were just talking," Daniel stated, slightly bewildered.

Jack was silent for a long moment. "I didn't like it," he repeated, willing Daniel to understand why.

Daniel wanted to believe that Jack had been jealous but that would be an indication of stronger feelings on Jack's part and he didn't want to believe that. Believing that would only set himself up for more hurt later. But Jack hadn't had to tell him that he had been jealous. Maybe he could give Jack a second chance. But could he risk his heart any more than he already had?

Just then the elevator arrived and the doors opened. The young male attendant looked out expectantly. "Down?" he asked.

Jack looked at Daniel, who looked back. Then Daniel looked at the attendant and shook his head slightly. He would stay. It was probably a monumental mistake but he would stay anyway.

The attendant stepped back into the lift and door closed.

"You hurt me," Daniel accused, his eyes on the elevator door, unable to look at Jack just yet.

"Yes." Jack didn't deny it; he knew that he had hurt Daniel.

"Don't do it again." Daniel turned to look into Jack's eyes, allowing the other man to see the pain there.

Jack nodded his agreement. He silently vowed he would never hurt Daniel again, however hard it might be to keep that promise.

Daniel went back slowly into the apartment, leaving Jack to follow. He just hoped that he couldn't stop himself from being hurt when they eventually parted.

~~~

It was easier to talk when he couldn't see Jack properly. In the dark, lying on his side facing Jack, naked, Daniel related the short version of his life story. "I first fell in love with a guy at seventeen. We were both at college. His name was Jack. He was three years older than me and a jock."

Daniel had been in college at seventeen? Obviously the kid was a lot smarter than Jack had realised. "A jock? Football?"

"Yeah. Six foot two, dark hair, brown eyes and really built. I was about five inches shorter than that, thin, glasses, floppy uninteresting hair, and a geek. I didn't think I stood a chance. Everyone knew that if you were interested in sports, you couldn't be interested in guys." Daniel smiled at the memory.

"So what did you do?" Jack reached out and put his hand on Daniel's side.

"Went to see every football game he was in, followed him around college, stammered whenever I had the chance to talk to him." Got beaten up by Jack's friends for being a fag. "Then one day he actually came over to talk to me and asked me to help him with his maths."

"And not much tutoring went on," Jack guessed.

Daniel grinned. "At first, we actually studied. But after about a month, he made a move. We were together for the rest of the year, although we only went all the way once, the day before he left after being drafted for the New York state football team."

"Good?"

A laugh escaped Daniel. "Interesting. Neither of us knew what we were doing so there was a lot of fumbling. But it was fun and completely unforgettable... and special." His voice had changed to wistful by the end.

Jack shifted his hand to cup Daniel's cheek. "I'm glad."

Smiling, Daniel placed his hand over Jack's. "So am I." He wouldn't have missed that experience for anything in the world.

"So how did you end up here?" Jack asked.

"I was accepted into the University of Chicago but couldn't get a job to pay for it so I had to leave. Then I met a guy and followed him down here, and he left me soon after. So here I was, no money, no friends, and no guy." It had been very hard those first couple of months.

Jack's hand slid down to Daniel's hip again. "And you chose this as your profession?"

"I worked at a couple of fast-food places and various other part-time jobs but couldn't make the rent. I planned to go home and that's when I met Sam. She was a hooker and made it sound so great. So one day I did it. Then I got some regulars, and... You know, it's not like it's my childhood dream but it's a living," Daniel stated matter-of-factly, resigned to his current life.

"But you could be so much more," Jack said, confident of that fact.

"Some day I hope to earn enough money to go back to university, become an archaeologist," Daniel shared, Jack the only other person he had shared that dream with besides Sam. "Problem is, I don't know whether I'd be able to make it."

"You'll make it," Jack stated firmly, looking straight into Daniel's eyes. "I think you are a very bright, special man."

"You ever notice how the bad stuff is easier to believe?" Daniel said despite the warmth he felt inside from the compliment. "People put you down so much in this profession, it becomes hard to believe in one's self."

"Well, believe this - you are special and one day you're going to get that dream of yours to be an archaeologist." Jack leaned in to kiss Daniel's forehead. "Okay?"

"Okay," Daniel agreed. He snuggled in close to Jack and put his arms around the older man. If only he could keep Jack around for a while longer to truly help him believe in that dream.

~~~

The next afternoon, Daniel put on the elegant black evening suit with blue tie that he had bought earlier in the week. Jack was taking him somewhere special and he was excited about it. Their late night talk had brought them closer together - or so Daniel felt - so that they weren't just employer and employee. In Daniel's mind, this was a date.

He walked out of the bedroom into the living room where Jack was waiting. "Do I look okay?" he asked.

"Hmm." Jack looked thoughtfully over the outfit. Daniel looked breathtaking and it was all Jack could do not to take him back into the bedroom for some hot sex.

"Hmm?" Daniel was offended; was that all Jack could say?

"Something's missing," Jack said, smiling to himself because he knew what was coming.

Daniel looked himself over. "No, I think that's everything." Jack had laid out all his clothes and he had meticulously put them all on.

"Maybe something in this box." Jack held out a black box, which he opened to show a very expensive watch. "I don't want you to get excited. This is only on loan." It was one of his but he didn't tell Daniel that.

Daniel reached slowly into the box to get the watch, awed that he was going to wear something so expensive, then jumped when Jack playfully closed the box on his fingers. A laugh escaped him and he grinned at Jack; this was going to be a fun night.

Jack grinned back, fascinated. It was the first time he had seen Daniel really laugh and he was surprised at how beautiful Daniel looked at that moment. He felt a piece of his heart melt at the sight. Then he shook his head; he had to remember to keep his distance.

They went out of the penthouse into the waiting elevator. Once inside, Daniel asked, "So where are we going?"

Jack shook his head. "It's a surprise." He wanted to see Daniel's reaction when they arrived.

Daniel nodded, accepting that. "If I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight." He was positive that he was going to have a wonderful night, one that would last him the rest of his life.

"Thank you." Jack was touched by the confidence and trust that Daniel had in him, and determined to make this a special night for the younger man.

They travelled by limousine to Burbank Airport, where a sleek white private jet waited on the runway. The pilot came forward to open the door as the limo pulled up at the end of the red carpet. Daniel stepped out first, eyeing the red carpet that went all the way to the jet. This was just like a fairytale.

"We're going to San Francisco," Jack said as he stepped out behind the younger man, one hand going automatically to the small of Daniel's back to guide him along the carpet.

Daniel was impressed; Jack owned the jet! "I've never been on a plane before," he admitted. Whenever he'd travelled, it had always been by car, bus or train.

Smiling, Jack left his hand on Daniel's lower back and guided him over to the jet.

Inside was just as impressive to Daniel. There was only a passenger lounge with a long couch curving around two walls, a built-in bar, television and stereo, and a table with two champagne glasses on it near the couch. "Wow," he said, awed by the sight.

Jack chuckled. "Thanks." He led Daniel over to the couch where they sat together as the jet took off, sipping champagne.

The time flew by. Jack went over the papers from work that he had brought, while Daniel flicked through the channels on the television. Never in his fantasies had he imagined travelling in such style. Nor, Daniel thought, looking sideways at Jack, would he become blasé about such luxury if he had it.

At the airport, they were met by another limousine and then driven to the San Francisco Opera House. This time Jack got out first, and then he assisted Daniel to exit the limousine. He put his hand on Daniel's elbow as they walked up the steps and then through the elegant lobby. Daniel's eyes widened as they walked past a beautifully lit fountain that had several graceful statues in its centre. Everything was just so elegant, and Daniel felt very much out of place even though he was dressed exactly the same as everyone else. The difference was that they were rich and he very much wasn't.

Jack was aware of the looks he and Daniel - mainly Daniel - were receiving from both men and women. He was proud of the fact that Daniel was here with him, and he put his arm around the younger man's waist in a possessive gesture.

Daniel leaned into the one-armed embrace, taking strength from Jack's presence. It was nice to have someone to lean on for once, even if it was only for a short while.

They took their seats in a balcony high above the stage. Amused at the contradiction again of Jack hating heights but choosing to be up high, Daniel looked over the edge at the people below and at the orchestra, which was just starting to warm up. "Hey, come here, you gotta look at this," he teased, certain that Jack wouldn't do it.

"I've already seen it," Jack stated as he sat down.

An amused smile on his face, Daniel continued, "Well, if you're afraid of heights, why do you get seats up here?"

"Because they're the best."

Of course. Daniel sat down and looked around their balcony box. He had never been to the opera, let alone in the best seats. Then he picked up the opera glasses and tried to get them to work by flipping the circle parts up. "So, you said it's in Italian."

"Yes." A smile threatened to appear on Jack's face as he watched Daniel try to fix the opera glasses. It was fun observing the younger man's reactions to new things like that.

Despite the fact that he knew several different languages, including Italian, Daniel asked, "Then how will I know what they're saying?" He was sure that the words would be harder to understand when being sung. Daniel gave up trying to figure out the glasses. He was sure there was a knack to them but he didn't know what. "These are broken," he complained.

"No, it's okay." Jack took them and flipped them over the right way before handing them back. "Believe me, you'll understand. The music is very powerful." The lights began to dim as he spoke. "People's reaction to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic. They either love it or hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they might learn to appreciate it but it will never become part of their soul."

The orchestra began to play the opening to 'La Boheme'. Daniel's eyes focused intently on the stage, prepared to enjoy every part of the experience.

Daniel never expected to be so carried away by the music and the emotion of what he was seeing on the stage. It was all so beautiful, and since he could understand the words, he knew exactly what was happening. Absently, he raised a hand to wipe away the tears which had gathered while he continued to watch, completely enraptured and moved by the unfolding events on stage.

Jack noticed the discreet gesture and, under the cover of darkness, impulsively reached out to hold Daniel's hand. He squeezed the long fingers and then turned his attention back to the opera, leaving their hands joined, and enjoying the performance more than he ever had before.

~~~

That night, back at the penthouse, Jack challenged Daniel to a game of chess. He soon found himself in deep trouble, Daniel laughingly telling him that he had been in the chess club at high school as he backed Jack into a corner. The game was full of laughs, neither man taking it very seriously, but rather using it as a way to enjoy each other's company and conversation - and it acted as prolonged foreplay for them both.

Finally, Jack looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly one o'clock. "Why don't we finish this tomorrow? It's really late, and I have to get up early to go to work." Much as he was enjoying himself, he did need a clear head for work and that wouldn't happen if they stayed up too late.

"Why don't you not go to work tomorrow?" Daniel suggested impulsively. "Take the day off." He thought that Jack was entirely too serious about his work, and teaching the older man how to relax could be fun.

"Me not work?" Jack was surprised at the suggestion. He was also surprised that he didn't have any real objections to it. In a few days, Daniel would be leaving and Jack found that he wanted to spend more time with the young man.

"Yeah." Daniel grinned at him; he could see Jack wavering.

Jack didn't need any more time to think about it. "I do own the company," he said. He hadn't taken a day off since he had started working, and since he was the boss, he should be able to take time off whenever he wanted to. That settled, Jack took Daniel by the hand and led him into the bedroom.

~~~

They slept-in the next morning and had fun sex before breakfast. Daniel hadn't realised that sex could be so much fun, Jack keeping him amused by trying to carry on a nonsensical conversation throughout. He was going to miss this a lot when he had to leave but at least he would have some good memories to help him get through the rest of his life.

The first stop was literally a walk in the park. Daniel got Jack to take his shoes and shoes off, and walk barefoot on the grass, feeling the strange texture beneath their feet. Then they got some hot dogs to eat before sitting under a tree and having a mini picnic with the other food items that Jack had brought along. They took it in turns to feed each other, laughing the whole time at the silliness of it.

When his cell phone rang, Jack started talking into it, unable to not answer it. Not wanting work to interrupt the day, Daniel took it out of Jack's hand and switched it off. Jack protested briefly before wrestling Daniel to the ground and tickling him. When they got tired of that, Jack leaned back against a nearby tree, Daniel's head in his lap, and they read 'Much Ado About Nothing' out of Jack's Shakespeare book. Daniel relaxed, content to let the words flow over him as he imagined himself and Jack in the lead roles, destined to be together even though they argued all the time. A silly fantasy but enjoyable nonetheless.

When the light began to fade, they found a small diner where they shared a pizza and beer. After nearly two hours there, they went back to the apartment in the limo. Since it was late, and they'd had a full day, Jack got ready for bed while Daniel went to the bathroom for a quick shower, anticipating the sex that was to come.

As Daniel walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom, he saw that Jack was asleep in bed, half-lying against the pillows. "He sleeps," Daniel quoted Shakespeare, his heart swelling at the peaceful sight. He quietly walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, just looking at Jack. The older man looked so good when he was asleep, all the worries and pressures of his job lifted off his shoulders. Daniel pressed a kiss to his own finger and then pressed it against Jack's lips, thinking about what they would be like to kiss. Then, as he looked at them, Daniel decided that he wanted to try kissing Jack even though it went against the main rule in his profession. He wanted to get involved, even if Jack didn't know about it.

Daniel leaned in and pressed a kiss to Jack's mouth. The lips were slightly rough and dry but Daniel liked the feel of them. He didn't notice that Jack had woken up until the older man started to reciprocate. Daniel pulled back and looked Jack in the eye, trying to determine whether he was in trouble.

Jack smiled gently at Daniel. The kiss had been so sweet, and Jack felt a similar desire rise in him. It wasn't the needy arousal of other times but a tender desire akin to love. Which of course it isn't, Jack thought hastily; it was just affection.

With a sigh of relief, Daniel leaned back in and captured Jack's lips again. They did nothing else for a couple of minutes, just explored each other's mouths, delighting in this new intimacy. Jack rolled Daniel underneath him but didn't weigh him down. He slid his hand under the bathrobe, caressing the smooth skin, savouring the feel. With one hand, he then undid the robe for more access.

Things continued in the same vein for a while, both caressing and stroking, kissing and removing clothing. Daniel's heart swelled with emotion; this was the first time he had felt so much during sex since he had left his hometown. He felt so connected with Jack, as if they were truly lovers instead of just using each other for a week. It felt right... it felt like lovemaking rather than just sex.

They took their time, arousing each other slowly, not in any hurry for release. Eventually, Daniel lay on his back, his legs spread open, Jack lying between them. As Jack slowly entered him, Daniel lifted his legs and put them around the older man's waist. The joining was exquisitely slow and tender, and when Jack was finally all the way in, he kissed Daniel with all the affection he could muster.

Tears leaked out of Daniel's eyes at the tenderness and he hoped Jack didn't notice them. He felt completed, as if they were one. With every thrust, Jack took him to higher planes of pleasure until he felt that he was going to burst. Finally he came explosively at the same time as Jack stilled, their releases perfectly in unison.

Afterwards, they lay together exhausted from their lovemaking; Daniel spooned up on his left side, Jack behind him. Daniel listened to Jack's breathing even out and when he thought Jack was asleep, picked up the older man's hand and examined it. He hadn't had much time to really explore all of Jack's body; the hands fascinated him the most. Jack's hands looked so strong yet when they were together like this, they were so gentle. Such a contrast, much like the man himself. Self-confessedly ruthless in business but he always treated Daniel as a lover, never like a hooker - well, almost never. For that, Daniel was grateful.

His fingers traced over the back of Jack's hand. Tonight had been so beautiful. Playing hooky, reading Shakespeare in the park, the laughter, and finally the lovemaking - all of those things had combined to make this the most romantic day of Daniel's life. Jack hadn't had to do those things so therefore he must have wanted to do those things; Daniel was touched by that fact. In fact, he might even love Jack for it.

He tried the words out - "I love you." The words were barely a whisper.

Clutching Jack's hand tightly to his chest, he closed his eyes, content.

Jack opened his eyes, having heard the whispered words. His heart constricted; Daniel loved him. That wasn't supposed to happen. But apparently it had and Jack was flattered by it. Unfortunately, he couldn't reciprocate that love despite the swell of emotion he had felt while making love with the young man, but he could ensure that Daniel had a wonderful time for the rest of his stay. And maybe they wouldn't have to part at the end of the week; maybe there was a way they could stay together for a while. The question would be - would Daniel agree to it?

~~~

Daniel awoke with a smile on his face. Last night had been wonderful. They had made love, rather than just had sex, and he had broken his rule about kissing on the mouth.

He loved Jack.

It was a bad thing to have fallen in love with the man but perhaps there could be a happy ending - that was, if Jack had done the right thing and fallen in love with him too. In a fantasy, that might work but Daniel knew that reality was nearly always different. Still, he could always hope.

Putting on a robe, Daniel headed out to breakfast. Unsurprisingly, Jack was already sitting at the table eating. "Whatcha thinking about, sitting here all by yourself?" Daniel asked as he continued walking.

"The fact that this will be our last night together. You'll finally be rid of me," Jack joked even though he didn't feel like laughing.

"Well, you've been pretty tough to take." Daniel went around to Jack's side and sat on the nearby chair.

"My business is almost over so I'll be going back to New York." Jack looked expectantly at Daniel but the younger man said nothing. "I'd really like to see you again." Daniel had made him feel something, made him live, when previously he had just been coasting through life. He... cared for Daniel.

Daniel was surprised, and he felt a warmth spread through him at the thought that Jack wanted to date him. "You would?"

"Yes. Yes, I would. I've arranged for you to have an apartment, you'll have a car, a wide variety of stores guaranteed to suck up to you any time you wanted to go shopping. Everything's done." As soon as he had got out of bed earlier, he had started things in motion; he wanted to keep Daniel in his life.

Daniel's face had fallen along with his heart as Jack had recited the conditions. Jack didn't want to date him; he just wanted a convenient lay whenever he was in the neighbourhood. "What else? You'll leave some money by the bed when you pass through town?" He wrapped his arms around his chest; he should have known that Jack wouldn't really care about him that way. He was a hooker, not worthy of anyone's love.

"Daniel, it wouldn't be like that," Jack protested.

"How would it be?" Daniel challenged him, a stubborn expression appearing on his face.

"Well, for one thing, it'd get you off the streets." That alone made it a good offer in Jack's opinion.

"That's just geography." Disgusted, Daniel got up and went out onto the balcony. He would still be a hooker, just one living in an expensive place instead of a seedy apartment. He couldn't live like that, not even for someone he loved.

Jack followed him to the door. "Daniel, what is it you want? What do you see happening between us?" He wanted to know what the young man wanted from him.

"I don't know." Daniel kept staring out at the city. "When I was little, one of my foster mothers locked me in the attic when I was bad, which, according to her, was pretty often. And I would pretend that my parents would come and take me away, take me around the world with them. When I got older, I knew that was never going to happen so my rescuer became a handsome young man who would support me in my dream of becoming an archaeologist and we would live happily ever after." He turned to face Jack with a sad expression; the lack of money had dashed that dream completely. "But never in all the times I had that dream did he say to me, 'Come on baby, I'll put you up in a great condo'." The sarcasm was very noticeable in his tone of voice.

Nothing was said for a few moments, tension thick in the air. Jack was about to say something when the phone rang. Taking the easy way out, he went over to pick it up but he kept his eyes on Daniel, who had his arms crossed and a pensive look on his face. Jack listened to Harry on the other end of the phone talking about some emergency, and then he hung up and reluctantly faced Daniel. "I have to go now. I want you to understand... everything I said... is all I'm capable of right now. It's a very big step for me." He wasn't one to show his emotions, which was probably why all his relationships failed.

Totally understanding, Daniel moved forward to straighten Jack's tie. "I know. It's a really good offer for a guy like me." He was just a hooker. Someone like Jack was never going to fall in love with him and sweep him off his feet, let alone help him live his dream of being an archaeologist and seeing the world.

"I've never treated you like a prostitute," Jack stated, truly believing it. He stared at Daniel for a moment longer then left, his work a priority right now.

"You just did," Daniel muttered, moving to stare out at the city again. There went his fairytale.

~~~

To Daniel's surprise, Sam called in that afternoon. After rescuing the patrons in the lobby from her forthright attitude, Daniel took his friend out to the pool. Fortunately, no-one else was around so Sam's too-tight clothes didn't embarrass Daniel. "Listen, I've been calling you," he said as he led her around to a poolside table.

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "I know. They told me at the Banana you were looking for me."

Daniel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You were supposed to come by Tuesday." That was when he had called her, and he had half-expected her to come immediately to see how he was doing.

"Yeah, I was hiding out from Carlos." That was a reasonable excuse in her opinion, and it was the truth.

"Well, if you'd had the money, you wouldn't have to hide." The three hundred dollars he had left at the front desk for her would have paid off the debt with a hundred to spare.

"Hey, I have a life you know." She listed off a few of the things she had been doing, leaving out the drug taking. "Anyway, I got the money, thank you very much for saving my ass, now Carlos can get off of it. You know he was talking about you last night."

Daniel refrained from asking how Sam knew that if she had been avoiding Carlos; sometimes he knew never to believe what came out of her mouth. He wondered how different she would be if she didn't take drugs, if she hadn't rebelled against her father all those years ago. Such a waste of intelligence.

"He would bust something if he saw you in this outfit," Sam continued. "I was afraid to hug you up there, I was so afraid I might wrinkle you." As they sat down, Sam observed the crisp light blue shirt and white trousers. "You look really nice. You clean up very well. Sure won't fit at the Boulevard looking like you do, not that you ever did."

"Well, thanks. It's easy to clean up when you've got money." Three thousand at the end of his stay would sure do a lot to make his life better.

"So, when does he leave?" Sam asked casually.

"Tomorrow." Less than twenty-four hours until they never saw each other again.

Sam eyed Daniel, observing his reactions. "You get to keep the clothes?"

"Yeah. Jack asked if I wanted to see him again but I think... I think definitely no. I mean, it's just another week, right?" Jack was just another client, no-one important, certainly not someone he wanted to keep breaking his heart.

"Definitely no?" Sam was skeptical. She knew Daniel, and she had observed the fact that he always got too involved for his own good.

Daniel's smile was sad. "Yeah." He had to stick with that decision because saying 'yes' was only going to cause pain.

"Oh no." She looked closely at Daniel and saw the emotions that he was trying to hide.

"What?" Daniel tried to project innocence.

"I know this weepy look on your face." She'd seen it once before just after Daniel had arrived. He had been moping about, devastated that his boyfriend had left him. That look signalled bad news.

"No, you don't," Daniel denied, turning his face away.

"You fell in love with him," Sam accused, knowing she was right.

"No. Sam, please! I did not fall in love with him." The words were firmly said but Daniel's face gave away the lie.

Sam raised her eyebrows; she could tell when he was lying. "Did you kiss him on the mouth?"

"I-I... yeah, I did," Daniel admitted, wrapping his arms across his chest.

"You kissed him on the mouth!" Sam exclaimed. This was way worse than she thought. For Daniel to be in love was one thing, for him to have actually acted on it was another.

"Yeah. It was nice." Very nice, Daniel remembered. He hadn't felt that good in a long while.

Sam shook her head. "You fall in love with him and you kissed him on the mouth! Did I not teach you anything?" She threw up her hands in disgust.

"Look, I'm not stupid, okay. I'm... I'm not in love with him." He couldn't look at Sam while he said that. "I just... I like him." That sounded reasonable and not nearly as stupid.

"You like him?" Sam echoed, not completely believing him.

"Yeah." Daniel gave her a big grin.

"You definitely like him?" Sam leaned back and thought about that. She didn't entirely believe him but she was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Well, he is a rich, classy guy."

Not to mention handsome, Daniel thought. "Who's going to break my heart, right?"

"Oh no, hey, you don't know that. I mean, he asked you right?" That meant something. "Maybe you guys could get a house together, buy diamonds, and get a horse, I don't know... Anyway, it could work, it happens."

Daniel laughed it off then got serious again. "When does it happen, Sam? When does it really happen, who does it work out for? I want you to give me the name of someone we know that it worked out for." He couldn't think of anyone. Once the profession had its hooks into you - pardon the pun - then it was extremely difficult to get out.

"You want me to give you a name of someone, you want a name?"

"Yeah."

Sam sat back and tried to think. "The pressure of a name." A grin appeared on her face as a thought struck her. "Cinderella."

They both laughed at the mention of the fairytale - like it was going to happen like that!

~~~

The lovemaking between Jack and Daniel that night was unhurried and tender, ending with the older man spooned around the hooker as they had done the other night. Daniel lay awake for a long time just savouring the feel of Jack surrounding him, absorbing the warmth so that he would have something to remember tomorrow night when he had no-one. He had fallen hard and fast for Jack, and his absence was going to be like a hole in his heart, but that was the way it had to be. Silent tears running down his cheeks, he planned his future without love.

Jack also lay awake, wondering whether there was any way he could entice Daniel to accept his offer. Then, remembering what Daniel had told him about the dream he wanted, he knew that nothing less than love would get the younger man to stay with him. And since he couldn't offer that, then he couldn't offer anything.

~~~

When the doorbell rang the next morning after Jack had gone to work, Daniel stopped his pacing and went to answer it. He had been thinking about his situation since Sam had left the day before and hadn't come up with any ideas. He wanted to stay with Jack but wasn't sure that the older man loved him enough to let him remain as a partner, not a fly-by lay. Therefore, he was all packed, ready for when Jack came back; he didn't want to stay and let his heart be broken.

To his surprise, Harry Maybourne was standing at the door, briefcase in hand. "Well, well... Hello again. I'm looking for Jack," Maybourne said, an almost-smirk on his face.

Daniel stared at him, remembering the last conversation they'd had. "Jack's not here. I thought he was with you," he said coldly.

Maybourne walked past him and down the steps into the living room, pretending to look for Jack. If his boss wasn't there, this would be the perfect opportunity to get some from the hooker. "No, Jack is definitely not with me. No, if Jack were with me - no, when... when Jack was with me, we didn't blow off billion dollar deals." Maybourne walked over to the bar and set his briefcase down. Then he turned back to Daniel, his intent plain to see. "I think Jack's with you, that's what I think. Do you want to have a drink?"

"No. I want you to leave," Daniel stated firmly.

Ignoring him, Maybourne poured some scotch into a glass. He offered it to Daniel, who shook his head.

"No, thank you." Daniel wrapped his arms around his chest and walked away, nervous. He knew what Maybourne wanted and debated his ability to prevent it from happening.

Maybourne finished off the scotch in one mouthful. "Well, I'll just wait." And contemplate the best way to approach the hooker.

Daniel backed away and sat on the couch. "Jack will be back soon, any minute he'll be home." If he could stall Maybourne until then, he would be okay.

Maybourne walked casually over to the couch. "You know... this is not a firm. This is a hotel room and, uh, you are not the little woman. You are a hooker." He put his glass on the table and sat down right next to Daniel.

The young man moved away but Harry followed. "Maybe you're very good. Maybe if I do you, then I wouldn't care about losing billions of dollars because - I have to be very honest with you right now, Daniel, right now, I really do care. Right now I am just freaking out." He trailed a finger over Daniel's left leg.

Daniel shot him a look while crossing his arms over his chest again. Then, because Maybourne didn't seem to be discouraged, Daniel moved away.

Harry simply followed. "So maybe if I can screw you, and take you to the opera, then I could be a happy guy just like Jack." He slid his hand up higher. Daniel pushed it away and then Maybourne got mad. He tried to grope Daniel's groin, forcing the younger man down on the couch but Daniel fought back.

Finding an opportunity, Daniel actually bit Maybourne's arm. Not long after, he felt a fist hit his left cheek and he fell off the couch, stunned. Maybourne leaped after him, landing on Daniel and pinning him to the floor. Daniel continued to struggle and shout, determined not to let Maybourne have his way, and tried to aim a kick at his attacker's groin.

Suddenly the weight was gone, and Daniel looked up as Jack pulled Maybourne away from him. His knight in shining armour had very good timing.

Jack had returned home to spend some time with Daniel and was initially stunned to see Harry trying to rape Daniel. The young man's shouts had spurred him into action, and he had seen red. How dare Harry do this! Furious, Jack roughly escorted Maybourne to the door and threw him out, Harry protesting the whole time that Daniel was just 'a whore'. Disgusted, Jack decked Harry; he felt satisfied when the lawyer went sprawling on the floor.

"I think you broke my nose!" Harry shouted, bewildered at this turn of events.

"Get out of here!" Jack threw the briefcase out into hall; it landed on top of Maybourne.

"What is wrong with you?" Harry kept trying. "I gave you ten years! I devoted my whole life to you!" How could Jack do this to him!

Jack shook his head; he couldn't believe he had trusted Maybourne for that long. The man was a sleaze, he had known that, but it had never bothered him until now. "No, I made you a very rich man doing exactly what you love. Now get out of here! Get out!" he yelled. He needed to make sure Maybourne was gone before he went back to see if Daniel was alright.

As Harry scrambled to his feet, Jack slammed the door, cutting the lawyer out of his life. Then he went over to where Daniel was still sitting on the floor and helped the younger man up onto the couch. Surveying Daniel's face, Jack got up and fetched some ice from the champagne bucket that was sitting on the bar. Coming back to the couch, he wrapped the ice in a handkerchief and placed it on the bruised cheekbone.

Daniel's hand came up to help hold the ice against his cheek. He was still feeling stunned at the suddenness of events, and relieved that Jack had come to his rescue. "Why do guys like that always know how to hit someone? Right across the cheek, wham, so it feels like your eye is gonna explode. What do they do, do they pull you all aside in high school and show you how to do this?" He knew he was rambling but he couldn't help it. If Jack hadn't come back when he had, Daniel had few doubts that he would be being raped right now, so his rambling was just pure relief.

Jack stroked Daniel's short hair with his free hand. "Not all men hit." He certainly tried not to unless he was in a fight, and he definitely knew the meaning of the word 'no'.

Daniel leaned into Jack's hand. "I heard what you did with Hammond," he changed the subject. He was very proud that Jack hadn't taken Hammond's business away from him, even though he didn't know the details.

"It was a business decision," Jack downplayed it. The truth was, he had let his heart rule his head in the matter. It had been Daniel's influence with that throwaway comment about not building anything that had made him decide to build ships with Hammond's company. Instead of destroying, he was creating - that was his gift to Daniel.

Daniel looked at him, a faint smile on his face. "It was good."

Jack nodded. "It felt good," he agreed.

Looking at him for a few moments longer, Daniel then pushed the ice away. "This is fine now. I gotta get going." He couldn't stay any longer and fall even more deeply for the older man.

"Yes, I noticed you'd packed. Why are you leaving now?" Jack looked down at his hands. He wasn't happy that Daniel was leaving at all but was too set in his ways, and too afraid, to ask him to stay.

"I have to." For his own survival. "Jack, there'll always be some guy, some friends of yours thinking that he can treat me like Maybourne, thinking that it's allowed. What are you going to do? You gonna beat up everybody?"

Jack looked at him, saying, "That's not why you're leaving." There was something else and he would bet anything it had to do with the declaration of love that he wasn't supposed to have heard.

"Look, you made me a really nice offer and a month ago, no problem. But everything is different and you changed that, and you can't... change back." He paused, allowing his unhappiness to show. "I want more."

Jack stood up, uncomfortable with the statement. "I know about wanting more. I invented the concept. The question is how much more?" He knew what the answer was likely to be.

"I want the dream," Daniel replied simply. He wanted a man who would sweep him off his feet and defend him, much like Jack had from Maybourne. But he knew Jack wasn't prepared to give him that, which was why he was leaving.

Jack shook his head slightly. "Impossible relationships," he muttered, walking over to Daniel. "My special gift - impossible relationships." He took money out of his wallet, then sat down beside Daniel and handed the cash to him. "Thank-you." He had thoroughly enjoyed the last week but there was no future for them as a couple. An long-term affair maybe, but not the relationship.

"You're welcome," Daniel said quietly, understanding completely. His heart still hurt but he understood. He took the money and put it in his pocket.

Not wanting Daniel to go yet, Jack offered, "If you ever need anything - dental floss, you name it - you give me a call." He didn't want to lose contact with Daniel forever. Maybe eventually, Daniel would let him help to get him out of his current profession.

Daniel smiled at the reference to their first night together. "I had a good time." The best time; he was never going to forget it.

"Me too." Possibly the best time of his life.

For a long moment, they just looked at each other. Then Daniel broke the moment, standing up and starting to gather his things. He needed to leave now.

"Want me to help?" Jack offered, following Daniel over where the clothes bags were lying.

"No, I got it." He needed to do this by himself.

Jack picked up a bag and took it to the door. Using his free hand, he opened it and then closed it again straight away. "Stay." He gathered the courage to complete the request. "Stay the night with me. Not because I'm paying you to but because you want to." If Daniel chose to do that, then there was hope... The look in Daniel's eyes was sad, and Jack knew the answer before the younger man even said, "I can't."

Jack looked at him, eyes full of regret, and then opened the door a second time. "Goodbye." He was going to miss Daniel terribly.

Daniel put one foot out the door then half-turned towards Jack. "I think you have a lot of special gifts." With another faint smile, Daniel turned and walked away, his heart heavy with the loss.

Jack just stood there and watched Daniel disappear into the elevator, and remained there for another minute. Then he slowly went back into his silent penthouse, already feeling Daniel's loss.

All the way down in the elevator, Daniel fought back tears. He berated himself for becoming so involved, for letting his heart take over. But he hadn't thought that he would fall for the man so quickly. Jack was so different - more serious than him, although a dry sense of humour that Daniel appreciated; rich, compared to Daniel's meagre amount of money; sophisticated instead of a country bumpkin... the list went on.

Composing himself, Daniel stepped out into the lobby with his bags. He looked around him, memorising every detail of the lobby so that he wouldn't forget.

He was going to miss this place.

Murray Teal saw Daniel step out of the elevator and went over to him. "Leaving so soon?" he inquired unnecessarily.

"Yes." Daniel managed to smile at the hotel manager. "Thank you for all your help this week," he said sincerely; things could have been a lot worse if Teal had decided kick him out on that first day.

"You are welcome," Teal bowed slightly in acknowledgement. "Do you require transport? Yes, of course you do," he said without waiting for an answer. "Come." He had the ideal chauffeur - O'Neill's man. That way, when O'Neill realised what he had lost, he would be able to find Daniel again.

"Thank you." A minute later, Daniel meekly followed Murray outside into the rain and then got into the waiting limousine. When the car started to move, Daniel finally relaxed and allowed silent tears to flow down his cheeks. He was going home... too bad it wasn't the home he wanted.

~~~

After getting back to his apartment, Daniel changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and then started packing. He had enough money to re-enrol at the University of Chicago - if they would still have him - and rent a nice little apartment in the city. He could try getting a couple of part-time jobs to bring in enough money to see him through the degree. Everything he owned went into either the suitcase or the backpack he had - which didn't say much about the quantity of stuff he owned. His 'hooker' clothes he would leave behind; there was no way he was going back to that profession.

He put the photo of him and Sam together in his bag - his memories in LA weren't all bad - as Sam did her best to talk him out of going. Daniel only half-listened, touched that she cared but he wasn't going to change his mind. He needed to get out of here.

A smile on his face, Daniel picked up his baseball cap and put it on Sam's head, telling her to clean up her act. The corresponding look on her face said that she'd give it a try for him but no guarantees.

"You sure you won't come with me?" Daniel asked, not wanting to leave Sam here to waste her life.

"And leave all this? Not in a million," she joked. Recently she had thought that she would like to get out of there and get a normal job but there was no hope for her, not anymore. Not like Daniel; he was going to go places. "What time's your bus?"

"In a couple of hours." He hadn't wanted to wait too long just in case he changed his mind and stuck around in the unlikely event that Jack changed his.

"Yeah. Well... I gotta split. Goodbye's make me crazy." Sam sniffed as she hugged her friend. She was going to miss Daniel so much.

"Here's some money," Daniel offered her after they parted. He held out two hundred dollars for her.

"No," Sam refused. Daniel was going to need all the money he could get if he was to succeed. "You took care of rent, that's enough."

"I want to," Daniel insisted. He put the money in Sam's hand, not letting her refuse it. "For food, got it? Nothing else."

"I'm gonna pay you back next time I see you, Danny. Just wait, I'm gonna do something real nice for you some day," she promised. She didn't have any idea what at the moment but she would.

"Get clean and make something of your life," Daniel said earnestly to her. "That would be very nice."

They hugged again, and then Sam backed out of the room. "Take care of you, okay? Take care of you. Love you..." She turned and hurried out of the apartment before any tears could fall.

Daniel sighed and sat on the bed. He was really going to do this. He was going to take control of his life and change it for the better. Well, almost for the better, he thought, thinking about Jack. For it to be better, he would have to have the fairytale ending, and that was never going to happen.

~~~

Jack spent an hour wandering around the park after Daniel left. He had his shoes off, feeling the grass between his toes, and he was thinking - hard. Even though Daniel had only been gone for an hour, it felt like months, years even. The young man had affected him in so many ways, become a part of his life in such a short time.

Daniel had made him feel alive again.

So the question was, what was he going to do? Should he do anything? Jack's plane left in just over an hour for New York; he had stopped in the park on the way there. Yes, he had enjoyed Daniel's company and yes, he cared about Daniel. But was it love? Could he risk his heart and love Daniel the way that the younger man had done? Jack had a bad track record with relationships, Daniel knew that, and yet he seemed willing to enter into one with Jack.

He looked around him at the busy city, at the bustling pedestrians, and listened to the tooting car horns. Everything seemed grey, ordinary, except it hadn't when he had been with Daniel. Everything had seemed brighter, and he'd realised that not everyone saw things in the same jaded way he did.

He wanted more of that.

Making his decision, he got back into the car and instructed his driver to take him back to the hotel; he needed to find out where Daniel had gone. And when the driver told him that he had taken Daniel home, Jack smiled. Everything would work out just fine.

~~~

A while later, Daniel looked at his watch and sighed. It was time to go. There was going to be no rescues so there was no excuse not to go.

He stood in the apartment, taking one last look at it. Despite what it stood for, and its sparseness, he would miss it. Mustering his resolve, he started for the door.

And stopped. Curious, he tilted his head and listened. Music; it sounded like music, coming from outside and getting closer. Daniel went over to the window and opened it to hear better. An aria from the 'La Boheme' opera assaulted his ears and he knew.

It was Jack.

Daniel stepped out onto the fire escape as the limousine drew closer until it was right outside the apartment block. He could see Jack clearly now, the older man's upper body visible through the car's sunroof. Jack had his arms open and in one hand held a bunch of artificial flowers; an extremely sappy gesture but Daniel appreciated the thought.

He grinned as Jack got out of the car and started to climb the fire escape stairs, the flowers now in his mouth to keep them out of the way. After two levels, Daniel decided not to wait and he went down one level to greet him.

Taking the flowers out of his mouth, Jack took Daniel into his arms and kissed him. This was definitely the right decision, Jack thought as desire and love flooded through him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this beautiful young man. "I love you," he said, breaking the kiss to tell Daniel that.

Daniel felt as though his heart was going to burst with happiness. He had his dream, and the love that went with it. "I love you too," he replied.

They climbed down the fire escape and when they reached the ground, Jack lifted Daniel into his arms and carried him over to the limousine; he reckoned that a strained back would be worth the romantic gesture.

Daniel laughed as he got into the limousine and the smile stayed on his face as Jack got in after him. Then the limousine pulled away from the curb and headed towards the sunset.

~~~

Daniel went on to get his archaeology degree and then branched out into linguistics, while Jack started building rather than destroying with his company, and supporting Daniel in his every endeavour.

And they lived together happily ever after...