Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“All right, I’m in,” Jordan said. “When is this wedding?”
Ferrara’s shoulders relaxed. “Next week.”
Chapter 2
The switch in the Fiumicino airport happened four days later. Having been in Rome for a few days already, Jordan arrived at the airport after Ferrara and Nate’s plane landed and found the restroom they had agreed on beforehand.
Jordan got into a bathroom stall and glanced at his watch, trying to quash his anxiety. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to wait for Nate long. He’d never been comfortable in confined spaces—that was one of the few things that rattled him, badly. Thankfully, the stalls weren’t floor to ceiling, and it made him feel less claustrophobic than he otherwise would have been.
“Jordan?” someone whisper-yelled.
Thank fuck.
Jordan opened the door a crack. “Here. Get in.”
He started undressing, as quickly as possible.
“I still think this is ridiculous and unnecessary,” Nate muttered with a sigh, locking the door.
“Undress,” Jordan said. He was already down to his boxer briefs.
Nate blushed a little, glancing at him. Unlike Jordan, he blushed easily. “This is so weird, man,” he said, but complied. “You’re my boss. I feel weird about wearing your clothes and you wearing mine.”
Snorting, Jordan took Nate’s shirt and slipped into it. They had a very similar build, with Jordan maybe being slightly more muscular. The shirt fit well, even if it wasn’t as sharp as the clothes he normally wore. For a boyfriend of a billionaire, Nate dressed very low-key.
“Get dressed,” Jordan said, zipping up Nate’s jeans. “Leave the bathroom at least half an hour after me. Wear my sunglasses. Take my keys and my passport. The address of the apartment I’ve rented and my credit card are in the pocket of my shirt. Don’t be shy about using my card—Ferrara will compensate me for your expenses. Wear sunglasses all the time.”
“Aye-aye, boss,” Nate said dryly.
“Take this phone, too,” Jordan said, giving him his old cell phone. “It’s already logged into my Instagram. Take some artsy pictures of Rome’s sights and post them from time to time.” While he wasn’t much of a social media person, his family would think it strange if he went completely AWOL.
Luckily, they weren’t the type of family that called each other much, preferring to text. It also helped that his parents were hosting some old friends this week and would be too busy playing golf to pay attention to what he was doing on his vacation. His sister Eloise was too busy with her brood of kids to even answer his messages. Bella was… well, she was his ex-wife for a reason. No one should miss him.
Still, his parents had means to track him if they wanted to.
Jordan slipped off his ring, trying not to feel guilty about it. “Wear this, too.”
“Your ring?” Nate said, scrunching up his nose. “I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“It’s not just a ring,” Jordan said. “It’s a very sophisticated tracking device. My family owns an electronics company that produces them. They can track me through it.”
Nate blinked. “Wow, and you voluntarily wear it? Isn’t it a little overbearing?”
“It’s something of a family tradition,” Jordan said curtly. He had no intention of telling Nate that this supposed tradition started since his little brother had gone missing last year. After that, Jordan’s father had insisted that everyone in the family should wear jewelry with a GPS tracker. It was invasive, sure, but Jordan knew his parents would never abuse his privacy without a very good reason, and he was willing to sacrifice some of his privacy if it made his mother sleep better.
Snapping himself out of those thoughts, Jordan raked a hand through his hair, making it as messy as Nate’s. He felt underdressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans. He couldn’t remember the last time he left home looking this way. “How do I look?”
“Weird,” Nate said, his forehead wrinkled. “Weirdly casual and young? You do look like me.”
“Perfect, then.”
“There’s still time to cancel the whole thing,” Nate said, with something like hope in his voice.
“Not a chance,” Jordan said. “I look forward to my paycheck for this. Chin up, Parrish. A week of sightseeing in Rome won’t kill anyone.”
Nate pulled a face, buttoning up Jordan’s shirt on himself. “I know. I just… I feel useless. I’m worried something will happen to him and I won’t be there.”
Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Jordan said, “And what would you do if you were there and something did happen? Cry over him?”
Nate laughed a little. “I know. But you’d better return him safe and sound, boss.” His light tone contradicted the dead serious look in his eyes. “I agreed to this only because I know he would go alone if I said no to us switching places. He can be such a stubborn son-of-a-bitch.”
“He just wants you safe, Parrish.”
Nate smiled humorlessly. “I know. And I love him for that, but it pisses me off, too.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, averting his gaze. “I want him to be safe, too.”