Hunger (Chicken Ranch Gentlemen's Club Book 1) by Amanda Young Read Free Book Online Page A

counting his adventure into prostitution, he'd had exactly one date in the last three months, which had ended in disaster. After mistakenly allowing a woman at work to set him up with her brother, Killian had spent a two-hour meal eating rabbit food and listening to a smug yuppie describe his calling as a proctologist and brag about his custom Porsche. There'd been so many one-liners running through his head that he'd bitten into his cheek to keep from cracking jokes at the other man's expense. He'd been so relieved at the end of the night that he'd left a twenty-dollar tip.
    That was the very last time he was going to allow someone to set him up on a blind date. He wasn't ever, ever, ever doing that again. If he couldn't find his own dates, then too bad, too sad. He'd rather be alone than miserable.
    Besides, it wasn't like he was pitiful. Not everyone was cut out to be part of a happy couple. While he'd love to have someone to share his life with, he didn't need a significant other to fulfill him. It wasn't as if he didn't have friends. There were people he talked to at work and Cash. Although now that he thought about it, they hadn't really hung out together all that much lately. That wasn't really anything new. Cash went out and had his little adventures and inevitably came back to brag about them because he knew Killian would placate him and listen to all his tall tales.
    Killian was weighing the pros and cons of fixing yet another boxed meal versus some kind of frozen heat-and-eat dinner when he heard a god-awful crash behind him. He set a package of Hamburger Helper back on the shelf and turned in time to see a slender blond picking himself up off the floor. Two cans rolled off what remained of the center aisle display and slid into the young man's white sneaker.
    An involuntary smile spread across Killian's face as he recognized the blond. Declan, the hot prostitute he'd had the pleasure of sleeping with a few months earlier, stood a few feet away. He clutched a family-size bag of plain potato chips to his chest like a shield. The younger man's hair was a little longer and he looked as if he'd put on a little weight, but it was most definitely him. No way would Killian forget those big blue eyes or the sweet way Declan's fair skin flushed when he was uncomfortable or getting ready to come. He looked even better than Killian recalled, which was quite a feat considering the number of times he'd pulled the younger man's image out of his spank bank and put it to good use.
    At the moment, Declan's cheeks were pink with embarrassment. His eyes appeared a little wild, as if he expected someone to pop out of the shelves and lecture him for standing too near a display and knocking it off center.
    Killian wasn't sure what the protocol was for acknowledging a man you paid to have sex with, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. An opportunity to strike up a conversation was at hand; he wasn't going to miss it.
    A couple of steps brought him closer. Killian stopped a few feet away and offered a smile. "Are you okay?"
    "Uh, yeah. I guess so." Declan glanced around and settled his bright gaze on Killian. One hand absently rubbed his left arm. "They should have a warning label out front: 'Beware of cans; they pack a wallop if crossed.'"
    "Right." Killian smiled and nodded. "You don't r-remember me, do you?" He bit into his tongue, cursing his stupid stutter. Even after very careful enunciation, the strength of how very much he cared showed in a much-too-obvious way. He didn't like the way his weaknesses were stripped bare for all to see. He wished he didn't get so damn flustered. The way it exacerbated his speech impediment was infuriating. Deep down, he knew he was a good man. He was smart and kind, but that never seemed to be enough. Humanity also expected men to be charming and aggressive, two traits he'd been born without. Perfection was the price a gay man had to pay to succeed in today's world, and he inevitably