It had been weird, seeing Professor St. Croix in the bookstore. As he drove home, his shift at Book Alcove followed by a four-hour shift at Rocky’s, Baxter wondered why that was. After all, he often saw people he knew in the store, especially professors or fellow students. So why had St. Croix being there affected him so much?

Maybe it was because the guy was hot, he considered. He couldn't deny the effect the man had on him. It was a bit awkward and embarrassing, even to himself, but he had to admit it was true. And if he was honest with himself, Baxter knew you couldn't judge yourself for who or what you were attracted to. The heart wanted what it wanted, simple as that. He'd had his fair share of crushes on straight friends throughout high school, and he'd come to accept that as okay, as long as he wasn't foolish enough to act on it.

So he would treat his weird fascination with St. Croix in the same way. It was okay, as long as he didn't act on it. Because the man was his professor, his teacher, not to mention quite a bit older. And even if he wasn't all of that, there was no way a guy like him would be even remotely interested in Baxter. He was hot, sexy, successful, all perfect reasons why he could do a hell of a lot better than Baxter. That wasn't Baxter being mean to or degrading himself. It was the simple truth. Right now, at this point in his life, he wasn't a good catch for anyone, let alone someone of St. Croix’s caliber.

Still, he wondered if the spark he’d felt when the man had touched him had been a figment of his imagination or if it had been real. God, he’d felt like he'd been shocked. He’d always thought that was some kind of romance cliché, like the books his mother loved to read and that he would borrow every now and then without her knowing.

She was addicted to gay romances, not that she'd ever admitted as much to him. He could see why it would be weird for her to talk about to her gay son, but the truth was that he didn't mind at all. He got it, her love for the genre. They were both attracted to men, simple as that. The fact that she was a straight woman didn't change that. It was one of the many things he lamented about not having even a few minutes of spare time. He missed reading for pleasure. All the reading he did right now was for his studies, for his degree, though the chances of him ever reaching that goal were getting slimmer.

He made twelve bucks an hour now at the bookstore, the state’s minimum wage, and only a few dollars more at the gas station because he worked late shifts. Even with those two jobs, he could barely afford to pay the rent for his trailer, as well as food, clothes, insurance, and of course the big whopper, tuition. If he didn't find something else that paid better, he would have to drop out for the year to save up enough to pay for his tuition. Because he was getting that degree, dammit, even if it killed him.

Or made him take drastic measures, like taking out the student loans his parents had always warned him against, too scared he’d drown himself in debt. Maybe he’d have to consider it, though he’d feel guilty as hell for going against his father’s express wishes. He had never taken out loans for anything. You worked, you saved money, and you didn’t spend what you didn’t have. That had been his parents’ philosophy.

Robert had taken out some loans to afford law school, but not as much as he would have had Baxter not worked his ass off. And as of now, Baxter was still debt-free. But he needed a solution, or it wouldn’t stay that way. Maybe he really needed to consider becoming a sex worker.

Would it really be that bad? Having sex with strangers? He was still going over the pros and cons in his head, pushing down his own disbelief of even considering it, when his phone rang. He picked it up, seeing that it was Denise, and put it on speaker.

"Hey boo, what's up?" he said.

"Have you ever heard of an app called Valentine’s Inc.?" she asked, skipping all small talk.

Baxter frowned. "Doesn't sound familiar. Why? Is it, like, a dating app?"

"No," Denise said, a giddiness in her voice that was rare. "It's different, and it may very well solve your financial troubles."

Baxter's frown intensified. "Well, what is it then? Is it a hookup app? Are they gonna pay me for sex?"

Denise giggled. "You and your weird escort aspirations," she said. "No, it's not like that. It's a dating and matchmaking agency, where they offer various services. Some of it is like a dating app, like a matchmaking service where the app sets people up, and then you both pay. But they also function as an intermediary for people who need a paid date. Kind of like an escort, but without the sex. In fact, their terms of service clearly state you can't have paid sex, as that would be illegal."

"Oh, okay," Baxter said slowly, trying to form a clear picture in his head. "So how does that work, exactly? What kind of people would want a paid date? I can't imagine there's a big market for that."

"They share some examples on their website. Sometimes, it's people who need a date for a social function, like a business dinner, or even a wedding where they don't want to show up as the sad guy, all alone. But it's also for things like vacations, going to the movies, or to a concert. People are lonely, Bax. You'd be surprised how many are willing to pay for companionship."

"Still, I can't imagine the demands being that big, especially for gay men."

"Are you kidding me? They just opened their office in Boston, and they’re recruiting like crazy, because so far, the demand is far greater than the supply. They're looking for guys who are willing to be someone's date, and you’re exactly what they're looking for: intelligent, good-looking, great social skills, and between twenty-five and thirty-five years old."

Baxter switched off his car, as he had reached the parking spot right next to his trailer. "How much do they pay?"

"Oh my god, Bax, that's the best thing. They pay well. You could get, like, a hundred bucks to go to dinner with someone. Easiest money ever."

"A hundred bucks?" That was a lot of money for only a few hours work. Hell, two of those dates a week and he could supply himself with a nice little extra income. He'd have to maybe lose a shift at the gas station, but it would be worth it.

"I'll send you the information, okay? There’s a website and everything. And they have a whole intake process before you're allowed to register on their app. They take privacy and safety quite seriously. I think it would be perfect for you, Bax."

"Because I'm good-looking and have great social skills?" he joked, but his heart was lighter than it had been before. If Denise was right about this, it could be the answer to his problems.

Denise laughed. "Dude, if you had been only the tiniest bit interested in women, I would've tapped that ages ago."

He laughed at what was kind of a running joke between them now. They both knew the sexual attraction between them was absolutely zero, what with him being gay and her being in a serious relationship with her boyfriend. In fact, Baxter expected him to pop the question any day now, and so did she. Their money was on Valentine's Day, and Baxter hoped she'd get her wish. Nick was a good guy, and he and Denise were a great match. Even better was that he had zero jealousy toward Baxter and was happy they were such great friends.

They chatted a bit and ended the call, and right after, Baxter heated up leftover chili he brought from the gas station, then set down behind his laptop to do a little googling. An hour later, he leaned back in his chair. His stomach was growling, not happy with the meager portion he'd eaten, but his mind was spinning. Denise had been right. Valentine’s Inc. did look good.

He'd studied their reviews in the various cities where they were operational already, and aside from a few negative ones that were clearly motivated by personal issues, they had four- and five-star reviews across the board. They'd gotten great editorial write-ups as well, being praised for bringing people together for more than just sex. Apparently, multiple solid friendships had formed through Valentine’s Inc., even though that was not the primary purpose of the app. The fact that they had a thorough application process also drew a lot of praise, as they did an identity and standard background check to make sure none of their dates had records for things like sex offenses or violent crimes.

Should he do this? Baxter knew that deep down, he had already decided. He couldn't afford not to try this. Not with the money they offered. They were targeting a certain clientele in Boston, which wasn't strange, considering the city had its fair share of affluent gay professionals. Driving to Boston would be a nightmare at night, but it could be totally worth it. Plus, the information on the website had said many candidates were located in the suburbs of big cities, and with multiple colleges and research institutes nearby, chances were he could find dates closer to home. Yes, he would do this. It might be a long shot, but he had to try.

It took Baxter two hours to fill out the entire questionnaire. Sheesh, they really did want to know everything, didn't they? There were questions about everything, ranging from background and education to hobbies, sports he played, interests, languages he spoke, and there was a whole section on sexual preferences.

That's where things got interesting, because it not only asked if you had experience with certain kinks or lifestyles, but also if you were interested in them. Baxter had to Google quite a few terms to make sure he knew what they meant. Some of them were hell no right off the bat, but there were quite a few he checked off as open to explore. What the hell did he care if a guy he had a few dates with was into being dominant or tying someone up? As long as they didn't have sex, and it was pretty clear under the type of contract he would have that sex was off the table, what the hell did it matter anyway?

He understood why they wanted to know. It was to ensure a good match. He didn't know much about anything kink-related, but enough to figure out that matching two dominants on a date might not be the best idea ever, for example. Well, little chance of that happening with him. He was as vanilla as they came, and easygoing at that. Oh, he had a backbone when he needed one, like when St. Croix had been a little too snappy with him about sleeping in class, but generally, he didn't mind someone else being in charge. In class too, he had no urge to speak up and voice his opinion. He had one, and he would offer it when asked, but he didn't need to be heard or something.

It had frustrated Robert, that Baxter hadn't been assertive enough around other people. It was one of the many reasons he’d given him for why they had broken up, the fact that Baxter wasn't fun enough around company. As if Baxter really was stupid enough to believe that if he'd cracked a few more jokes, they would still be together.

By the time he went to bed, he only had five hours till he had to get up for his next shift, but for the first time in weeks, he went to bed with a smile on his face. Maybe, just maybe, things were finally turning around for him.