Explicit Transactions

Explicit Transactions Hayden Hall Copyright © 2023 by Hayden Hall All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. Edited by Sabrina Hutchinson Cover photo by Xram Ragde Cover by Cate Ashwood Written by Hayden Hall www.haydenhallwrites.com ISBN: 979-8-3959-9169-0 Contents 1. Austin 2. Luca 3. Austin 4. Luca 5. Austin 6. Luca 7. Austin 8. Luca 9. Austin 10. Luca 11. Austin 12. Luca 13. Austin 14. Austin 15. Luca Epilogue More Stories From Hayden Hall About Author G et In Touch Join my newsletter for a freebie pack. Follow me on Instagram. Check out my website. It's www.haydenhallwrites.com Follow me on Amazon. Chapter one AustinI rubbed my hands together and quietly cursed all my ancestors. “Bring gloves, Austin,” Maddy had said.“Oh, I’ll be fine. It’s not that cold,” I had replied some minutes before regretting my entire existence.Holding them together, I brought my hands to my lips, and blew my heated breath to keep warm. Like a steam locomotive, I puffed out an entire cloud and shifted my weight from one foot to the other and back.This was my dark gray coat’s third winter. With some needlework over my morning coffee every so often, I’d managed to keep it looking pretty good. Or, at least, I kept it from falling apart. Not that anyone would notice if one of the sleeves fell off. The kind of crowd I was around wasn’t terribly interested in what I was wearing. They were more interested in what I hid underneath the layers.But tonight, no layers were enough to keep me from the chills blowing from the Atlantic. They cut through my coat like it was the finest, thinnest silk lingerie I’d ever worn.I paced up and down the street.Jack Holloway was one of those guys. A workaholic and, as the old adage went, a dull boy. But it definitely wasn’t the case of Jack not knowing how to play. He could play hard when he was in the mood for it. This was the case of a man so busy with work that he forgot he’d booked playing for later.It wouldn’t have been the first time I got a text from him apologizing and letting me know he wouldn’t make it. However, it would be the first time such a text was the difference between life and ruin. I was desperate for tonight’s payout. More desperate than I’d ever felt before.“Damn,” I muttered as I lifted my gaze to the pool of orange light coming from a street lamp. In it, fresh snow flurried in the wind before I felt it peck my cheeks. My fingers were getting numb, which really wasn’t ideal for someone who worked with their hands in the way I did. I mean, the last thing I wanted was to make Jack Holloway squirm and squeal. I was all about the best experience I could offer and cold hands cupping balls was as far from premium servicing as you could get.“Austin,” the familiar voice came from far behind.As soon as I heard him, I realized I’d chosen this spot for a reason. I had expected Jack to be late just as much as I’d expected my friend to be around.I turned on my heels and flashed him a grin. “What brings you here?” I joked.Parrish Turner pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the small tattoo shop and rolled his eyes. “Get in.”My heart inflated as I headed down the street. The white neon lights that normally made the parlor bright were all out. Instead, yellow lamplights made for a subdued atmosphere inside. When I walked in, the heat from the electric heater washed over me and I wanted to fall asleep right there and then.“Jesus,” I muttered, stomping my feet against the mat. “It’s going to bury us.”“It’s just snow,” Parrish said, ushering me inside and shutting the door after me. “Coffee?”I swallowed and blinked. “I don’t know which guardian angel I sucked off to have you as a friend, but I’m very happy I did.”Parrish chuckled and walked to the back of the shop, where a few words were exchanged, and out came Levi, with two mugs of hot coffee. “Hey,” he said, handing me my coffee. “You should have come straight here instead of waiting outside.”I bit my lower lip. “Thanks,” I said. “I wasn’t sure he’d be late.”“He’s always late,” Parrish said from behind, then walked back to the front of the shop. He’d already cleaned the whole place and I was leaving wet footsteps everywhere my boots touched the floor.The truth was, I hadn’t wanted to bother them. For the past six months that Levi and Parrish had been together, I felt like a third wheel. They kept inviting me over, making me feel good, fussing over every little inconvenience in my erratic lifestyle, and I didn’t want to ask for more.“You should have come,” Levi said firmly.I shrugged and took a good sip of my coffee. It warmed me from inside out as I settled on the sofa in the waiting corner. The entire parlor was meticulously designed for comfort. The wood and brick walls gave it plenty of warmth; the old sofa had big, soft cushions and piles of pillows, and there were armchairs on either side of it with an old wooden coffee table in the middle.Parrish crashed into one of the armchairs and swept Levi down with him. Levi folded over Parish’s lap.I rolled my eyes over the top and groaned. “Get a room.”Parrish tickled Levi for