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Spencer Reid enjoyed his work, catching unsubs and all the other little bits and pieces he did from his desk was very satisfying but not always enjoyable though. The work he truly enjoyed was very strictly after hours and almost never was a chore, after all, it provided fresh challenges and he got to meet some very interesting people in it. He got to profile without the pressure of potential loss of life if he made a mistake, got to dress up and have fun, got to talk to people about a wide range of topics that never failed to interest him.
Of course if either job knew about the other or mixed in any way Reid would be left in a very awkward position trying to explain the two sides to his life. However he was confident that wouldn’t happen, he was careful that none of his clients were FBI or anyone he was likely to run into, that none of the functions were law enforcement only. It wasn’t like he worked his second job often, he was down as a last minute contact as he rarely could say for certain which state he’d be in next week. Anyone who wanted to book in advance was warned that his day job may take him out of town at any moment.
Still, he was popular. His cover was that he was a professor, though sometimes he was a model, it depended what his client would prefer really. Once he’d even been a pianist. That was one thing he loved about being an escort, he didn’t have to be Spencer Reid, he was a chameleon; constantly changing to cater to his clients preferences. Sometimes he was outgoing and debonair, other times he was shy and timid, he was always alluring, performing the role the client wanted with ease. Often they didn’t even realise how perfectly he was fulfilling their desires, asking for his number after the night was over having thought that he was actually what they were looking for. He usually gave a line about regulations and fled at that point, they’d shattered their own illusions and the fantasy he had lived for a few hours so it was time to leave.
His favourites were when they wanted a specific person, especially if they were in attendance too, because he would subtly edge them towards each other. Playing matchmaker was very satisfying. Once he’d even gone as a woman, just for something different, though it had been the kind of fun you never want to do again but fondly remember. Not all of his clients had a sexual interest in him by the end of the evening, in fact he rarely fell into bed with one of them, escorts weren’t technically for sex, it just happened to be a fairly common outcome. Reid though preferred that his clients’ attraction remained fantasy-only, especially when it wasn’t returned. That said he would still kiss them all goodbye at the very least and possessive hands were kind of part of the deal.
Tonight he was going to be Charles (Charlie) Spencer, a trophy boyfriend on the arm of Antonio Mancini, simply there to look good and freak the rich, conservative parents out. He was an aspiring actor with a psychology degree so he couldn’t go on any rambles but that was pretty easy. The event was meant to be some Italian celebration so Reid had carefully checked that Rossi had no plans before agreeing, better safe than sorry. He’d escorted Antonio before but never to anything like this, a few ‘small’ fundraisers and parties but never anything so formal. Dancing would be required. Thankfully Reid was perfectly adept at most social ballroom dances, a skill his mother had felt was essential for every young man and one he was grateful to have learned. Antonio was not a skilled dancer, well, he was, but he was a hopeless leader. Reid would guide them through the evening while appearing to be the one guided, it was a skill he usually employed to keep Antonio looking good among his friends, and then later he would take over completely.
Waiting at the park that he usually met Antonio at, he smoothed the lines of his tuxedo. It was a little more effeminate than a tuxedo would usually look, the party wasn’t so formal that he could have a few differences and among the predominantly alpha-male types expected at the party the small details would be more obvious. He’d even gone as far as to put a little makeup on, his eyes looking wider and lips just a little pinker without any obvious trace of makeup. He’d decided to have green eyes tonight, to match the deep emerald of their ties, he usually wore contacts but rarely bothered with coloured ones, these had been a whim that he was thoroughly enjoying.
Finally his ride arrived, a sleek sports car with Antonio at the wheel, and Reid climbed in with a compliment and pleasant greeting, throwing his small bag in the back, a change of clothes just in case. During the short drive he read over the helpful sheets Antonio had made to give him all the information he’d need to know about any family members who would be attending, changes in Antonio’s life that might be mentioned and a few random facts about people who would be there. Pretending to be a long-term boyfriend could be very difficult but Antonio knew what details he had to provide Reid with and there were always excuses ready if he made a mistake.
By the time they arrived Reid was officially in the role of Charlie and was completely caught up on everything he’d need to know for tonight. There was going to be a formal dinner where they would be seated with Antonio’s parents, his sister and her boyfriend. Formal Italian dinners were quite possible one of the best parts of this job, Chinese was for eating while working, Italian was for happy events and dinner at Dave’s place with the team. Reid was looking forward to that but also the long evening of dancing and socializing, he knew he was going to cause a bit of a stir and Antonio liked watching him dance with others.
Walking in they shed their coats and took their time walking down the hall to the main room where they would have to meet and greet. As they walked Reid gently linked arms with Antonio, if he wanted freaked parents then Reid would carefully press every conservative, homophobic button they had. Even better he would do it all with unfailing politeness and apparent ignorance. Then, if he was lucky, he would press Antonio into a bed and he would be getting home very late, hopefully with enough time for a nap before he had to leave for work.
As Antonio greeted everyone and introduced ‘Charlie’ to people Reid felt eyes on him, a quick sweep of the room showed it to be Antonio’s sister watching him. Reid carefully tugged Antonio over when they finished greeting everyone else, he wanted to meet this woman and make a good impression so she would support his client against their parents, it wasn’t something Antonio would think of but he would be very grateful later. Reid bowed slightly and playfully kissed her hand, getting an evil eye from her boyfriend until he wrapped an arm around Antonio. Alicia was as funny as Antonio had described her to be, tactful but with a razor sharp wit that Reid enjoyed sparring with as they waited for dinner to be announced.
Eventually it was and they moved to their table which meant Reid finally would get to meet the parents. Antonio pulled out a chair for him, and Reid scooted it just a little closer, not so much that anyone would really notice but enough that they would subconsciously extrapolate that closeness to them. It felt like forever until Mr and Mrs Mancini arrived at their table and took seats before looking at their children properly. Both sets of eyes landed on him and all the eyes at the table soon were studying ‘Charlie’ so he cleared his throat awkwardly and said hello.
They didn’t say anything directly but there was obvious tension at the table as the first course came out and wine glasses were filled. Reid wouldn’t drink much, he was working, but it would be conspicuous if he refused wine completely like he often wished he could. Alicia dominated the conversation helpfully, no one wanted a family spat at such a formal event and she effortlessly held the majority of her parent’s attention for her brother. The first comment came when Spencer chose the white meat over red, any form of pig was not a favourite still, and chicken sounded much more pleasant.
“Not a fan of red meat son?” The father asked. “No wonder you’re so... fashionable.” That was an impressive jab, implying Reid was less of a man for his choice, that this must be why he was gay and that yes, he was clearly gay because no other male had fashion sense. Reid just smiled politely.
“Just pork I’m afraid.” He offered sadly, implying some tragic story there before brightening. “Thanks, I’m trying to break into acting so I try to have my own style, it’s important to be noticed.” He turned it into a compliment which threw the father off. From there they didn’t say anything too direct, a few slight snubs that Reid either turned into compliments or carefully defused. They may not have said anything but that in itself was telling enough, they didn’t speak directly to him unless it was a disguised insult and they didn’t say much to their son either, then their looks spoke volumes of how they felt.
By the time they could politely leave the table Reid was questioning the sanity of actively baiting those two, if that’s how they took it while on best behaviour Reid shuddered to think what they’d be like in private. Then again Antonio was independently wealthy enough to live without their support and they wouldn’t exactly run into each other often so maybe that was the plan. He didn’t care, it was time to dance and Reid was itching to twirl across the floor. To prevent a further comment from the parents he got Antonio to pick heads or tails for the traditionally male position and easily rigged the coin flip so he would win and Reid could playfully pout about it.
For half an hour they danced, leaving the floor once for drinks of water before rushing back into formation. Reid was subtly leading, a surprisingly difficult feat from this side but Antonio could keep them from crashing into anyone if Reid kept the steps flowing and the mirrored wall along one side was helping greatly. Once they got used to their unusual system they could occasionally point out funny things about the other partners on the floor and they would laugh gently before looking for something else to point out.
A break was a highly appreciated idea by this time, Antonio gliding to the bathrooms while Reid moved out to one of the balconies to wait for him and have a moment of peace to check his phone. He had it on silent, even his team, and while it would still vibrate he probably wouldn’t notice while they were dancing, too busy concentrating on the people around them. No messages from the team, more than once he’d had to call Morgan or someone back halfway through dates because they wanted to see if he wanted to go out. However this was a Wednesday night, no one without a formal function to attend would be out late.
Reid heard a giggling couple approaching and shuffled over a little so he was still visible but a polite distance from the other side of the balcony so they could quietly talk over there while he waited. Antonio had agreed to meet him on this balcony, he wasn’t moving until then, especially not with the surprisingly aesthetic view of the city. The couple stumbled onto the balcony giggling and the man whispered an ‘oops’ when he saw Reid’s figure indicating they’d been doing something indecorous. Reid didn’t bother to turn around and acknowledge them, preferring to tilt his head to the darkest corner that he’d intentionally moved away from.
One of them must have noticed and pulled the other into the corner because there was the slight rustle of the woman’s dress as though she were being hugged from behind against the balcony. Curiously Reid snuck a glance and found his guess had been spot on, they were whispering to each other and looking at the city. Reid turned back to his own view and thoughts, it was easy to ignore them and they didn’t seem bothered by his presence.
“It looks so peaceful from here.” Antonio murmured coming up behind him and providing warning before hugging him similar to the other couple who had lapsed into a comfortable silence. Reid hummed in content agreement, the evening felt peaceful. Even his thoughts had slowed down, grateful for the break after a busy day at the office. “Have I mentioned how gorgeous you are tonight?” He asked placing a gentle kiss on Reid’s cheek making him huff in amusement.
“You’ve even used the same adjective twice now.” Reid teased and suddenly felt like he was being watched. Smiling he pulled Antonio a bit further into the shadows and turned to look over his shoulder but saw no one staring.
“Ah so I have praised your striking good looks so much I have been forced to repeat myself.” Antonio teased with a kiss to Reid’s neck.
“Well you did miss a few possible adjectives.” He kept the teasing tone up, not wanting to alarm Antonio in case he was just imagining it but he could feel the attention. Who was watching?
“You know I save the Italian for later, I like to provide every incentive to get you in my bed that I can.” Antonio clucked and kissed him on the lips with only a tease of tongue.
“Mmm, you taste like coffee, how do you taste like coffee?” Reid hummed trying to get more when there was an indignant gasp that made him pull away and look to the other couple in time to see the woman storm back inside angrily and the man stare at him. Well at least he found the source of his feeling.
“Reid?” The figure asked in an all too familiar voice that had Reid cursing.
“Read what?” he asked. “Sorry about your lady friend; should always be careful what you say on moonlit balconies.” He added.
“Spencer?” David Rossi asked again and Reid wondered why the man couldn’t take a hint.
“Do I know you?” He asked and Rossi moved into the light. “Oh! You’re that author, weren’t you reading one of his books earlier Tony?” He asked and Antonio nodded, he had been starting to read them.
“You have quite a way with words.” Antonio praised oblivious to the tension having missed the first gasp of recognition.
“Thank you.” Rossi replied very confused. “I’m sorry, you look like someone I know.” He realised something wasn’t right.
“Tony, could you please get us a glass of wine? I’d love to pick Mr Rossi’s brain for a part I’ve been cast for, if you don’t mind that is.” Reid demurred and Antonio was all too happy to collect them glasses when Rossi agreed to chat for a while.
“What the hell is going on?” Rossi demanded once Antonio was gone.
“Charlie Spencer, I’m an aspiring actor and you said you didn’t have plans.” He greeted and Rossi just stared so Reid smiled awkwardly. “Antonio invited me to annoy his parents, and if you don’t screw up my chances of getting laid I’ll buy lunch tomorrow and explain.” Reid promised.
“Getting laid?” Rossi repeated. “What is this about? Do you normally go on fancy dates with guys?” He added.
“Yes I do normally go on fancy dates but not always with guys, and no, I don’t normally plan to have any kind of sexual intercourse with clients but sometimes I do and tonight just happens to be one of those times so please don’t screw it up for me?” He pleaded and Rossi nodded weakly.
“Clients?” He asked horrified.
“In my spare time I work as an escort. Please don’t tell the others, Morgan will never let me live this down and Garcia will want pictures.” Reid pouted and Rossi stared as though hypnotised.
“Was it you and him dancing before?” He asked curiously and Reid shrugged.
“As far as I know we’re the only homosexual couple here so I guess so.” Reid offered and Rossi raised an eyebrow.
“I’m learning so much about you tonight.” Rossi teased and they saw Antonio coming back. “Say, why don’t you come into the office tomorrow and we can talk more, you can sit in on an interrogation.” Rossi offered and handed Reid a card making him gulp.
“Okay.” He whispered praying that it wasn’t actually a subtle threat that Rossi was going to tell the team.
“I better go beg my way back into her affections. Gentlemen.” Rossi tipped his head to Antonio and fled the balcony though Reid knew Rossi would watch them the rest of the evening. He hadn’t been seriously pursuing the lady, just some friendly flirty, possibly an old friend or ex even.
Reid and Antonio stayed out on the balcony sipping their drinks for a bit longer, discussing the awesome opportunity Reid just received before Reid managed to push them to less awkward topics. Reid barely drank his wine, tipping most of it out when Antonio wasn’t paying attention, he was worried about what had happened with Rossi and was doing his best to conceal that. While Antonio wouldn’t be terribly surprised to find out that Reid wasn’t in fact Charlie Spencer nor an aspiring actor actually confirming either as a lie would be extremely disappointing. Especially if it were during the night where Antonio indulged in the fantasy that the cover was indeed real and Spencer was his. It was probably time to stop escorting Antonio, Reid didn’t like to have regulars, too much risk of recognition as they’d work out he wasn’t what he said and get curious about who he really was.
Being caught up in his own private fears didn’t stop Reid from enjoying the rest of the night which was mostly spent dancing, it just dulled it slightly. He got to deflect a few more barbs from the parents and dance with most of the women in the room, and several of the men were willing to take him for a spin, a few even asked. At some point Reid decided the best way to deal with Rossi watching him was to have as much fun as possible and so Antonio became the envy of quite a few women as he danced and lightly played into their preferences making him the perfect man.
By a little before midnight they’d been present long enough that Antonio felt they could move somewhere more private and Rossi was clearly starting to tire but not willing to leave Reid with strangers like this. Reluctantly Reid let himself be led out, being a week night they could cite work as a good reason to leave the richer people to party on. Reid noticed Rossi’s car following them casually, Antonio didn’t notice but Reid directed him to the park that he’d been picked up at.
It would be deserted at this time of night and Reid, a little tipsy from the alcohol but mostly endorphins and stress, decided to put on a show for Rossi. Antonio was more than happy to help him change in the back seat, thinking he wasn’t going to get laid but not rude enough to try and talk Reid into anything, especially as the fantasy was beginning to fade. He was wrong because Reid found a picnic rug buried under a seat and tugged Antonio to an even more secluded area, shrouded by trees and more than a little creepy.
Reid didn’t care and smiled as he heard a faint rustle that was almost certainly Rossi following in concern. He quickly threw the rug on the ground and pushed Antonio against a tree, undoing his pants and stroking him quickly to attention as he knelt on the folded rug. The man above him spluttered as Reid quickly wrapped a mouth around the head of his cock and positioned Antonio’s hands in his hair, bobbing and mentally preparing before taking him to the root. Gasping Antonio couldn’t help but react how Reid wanted, bucking forward and holding the hair in his hands tightly enough to twinge. Reid brought his hands up to brace on Antonio’s thighs, letting his mouth be used almost harshly as his client caught onto what he wanted.
The only thing that was stopping Rossi from doing something brash like interrupt was quite probably the little sounds of pleasure that Reid was making. He wasn’t going to touch himself, not with a co-worker hiding in the bushes carefully not watching, Antonio wouldn’t offer to return the favour unless Reid indicated he wanted that. Knowing someone was watching didn’t stop Reid from palming himself and briefly considering a round two on the rug though. Antonio was murmuring a mixture of praise and swear words in Italian and clearly getting quite close which was almost disappointing. Reid had wanted to annoy Rossi in return for annoying him, but at the same time his throat was going to be sore if this went on much longer, as it was he’d probably be speaking a bit rougher tomorrow.
Antonio’s hips jerked as he spilled down Reid’s throat and he leant against the tree, panting as Reid gently licked him clean and tucked him back into his dress pants. Reid shuffled so he was seated on the grass and waited for his client to recover.
“Here.” Antonio finally regained most of the use of his brain and handed Reid a hundred dollar bill which Reid shrugged and took, he wasn’t so rich he’d refuse money but he didn’t expect or demand it.
“Drive safely, I’ll walk home soon.” Reid told him, handing the rug up. Antonio leaned down and kissed him one last time.
“You surprised me with this, thank you.” Antonio offered in farewell and walked back to his car and Reid flopped back so he was laying on the ground, head cushioned on his bag.
“You can stop lurking now, it’s getting creepy.” He told the bushes which rustled in response and Rossi moved out. “Enjoy the show?” Reid teased and Rossi growled.
“Do you normally let him just use you like that?” The older Italian demanded angrily and Reid shrugged.
“No. With him I usually dominate everything; in public I let it look like he leads but in bed he is so beautiful and trusting. Sometimes though I let him have the illusion of control.” Reid rasped and dug a water bottle out of his bag.
“You okay?” Rossi asked watching him carefully.
“Not really. You ruined my night with the interrogation line and it’s too late to go and find a more appropriate partner for the night.” Reid grumbled as Rossi sat beside him. “I don’t do it for money if that’s what you’re worried about; I haven’t been that desperate for a long time.”
“Then why do you do it? You don’t like to be touched, you still avoid shaking hands.” Rossi pointed out and Reid moved slightly so Rossi’s hand found his head instead of the ground. He purred gently as it instinctively stroked his hair.
“Don’t make promises you won’t keep.” Reid teased and Rossi didn’t make a sound by moved his hand to lean just beside Reid’s head. “I enjoy it, to be simple. I’ve always been what mum called a human chameleon, I instinctively reflect what people want from me, I didn’t even know I was doing it when I was younger.”
“So it’s what, practice?” Rossi teased and Reid snorted.
“Not exactly. Think about it, I get to be someone else, someone who doesn’t exist once the ball’s over and I turn back into me. This someone is almost always outgoing and popular, life of the party and everything I’m not in my normal life, I get to be all of that and get paid. Then when I’ve had my fun I get to go back to my life without, until tonight, any repercussions.” He tried to explain and Rossi looked at him as though kind of understanding.
“But why be an escort? Why not just go out to a bar and pick people up?” Rossi asked. “You could still be someone else, most guys do that to some extent.”
“You don’t meet the same kind of people in a bar, and you don’t dance like that in a club, I’m still me under whatever persona I adopt for the evening.” Reid answered and Rossi snorted in amusement.
“Could have fooled me.” Rossi commented and Reid smiled proudly, that meant quite a bit to him.
“Thank you. I suppose I don’t bother socially because I’ve just never done that before, I’ve been doing this for a long time and I enjoy it. We both start the evening a bit timid, not wanting to overstep boundaries but on my part having to play the role but by the end of the night I almost always get either asked out on a proper date or back to a bedroom. It’s a game and I hold the better hand.” Reid shrugged.
“How did you start doing this? You said you’ve been doing it a long time, I can assume before you joined the FBI but I don’t want to think of you doing this any younger.” Rossi asked not sure he particularly wanted to know the answer but it seemed kind of necessary to find out.
“I started working as an escort at sixteen, I needed money and it’s very hard to get a part time job at that age with multiple degrees. It paid well and I could support myself and mum without constantly worrying if I’d get to eat that week. I passed myself off as eighteen or nineteen and I never did more than kiss them and I carried homemade pepper spray everywhere.” Reid offered as comforting as he could manage.
“Hold on. What did you do before then?” Rossi asked sharply and Reid winced.
“No one’s ever asked me that before. I got by without lasting trauma or a criminal record so it’s not important.” He deflected badly. “I got some bad clients, and I still do occasionally but nothing I couldn’t and can’t deal with.”
“Nice try. I’m asking now and I want to know.” Rossi pressed his point and Reid sighed and rolled onto his side to curl up a little. He knew it was a defensive position but he didn’t care, not when he was going to have to share his deep dark secret with someone finally.
“What do you think I did?” Reid asked cautiously.
“I assumed you either lived off scholarships or the government provided enough funds. Now I’m a little worried it wasn’t all tutoring and odd jobs like most college students manage.” He answered equally cautious, having noted the change in position and correctly interpreted it.
“I did some tutoring, but not many people want to be tutored by someone younger than them. Instead I found a nice street corner with a nice alley nearby and started with Johns. I quickly got a few regulars and a few of them were happy to pay quite a bit if I would fulfil certain taboo fantasies for them and it was better than the alternative so I agreed. I only ever did just enough to cover mum and any medical or urgent expenses of mine, everything else came from whatever was left over.” Reid spoke quickly, it was not a confession he wanted to make and it came out in one awkward tumble of words that left Rossi blinking.
“How taboo are we talking? I’m having trouble not thinking of case files from over the years.” Rossi admitted and Reid grimaced.
“Nothing too bad, just all the normal things you’d expect from people willing to pay an underage boy. Never anything like what we see in case files and I always turned them in if I thought they’d hurt other people, then I turned all their names over when I could finally work for an escort agency.” Reid promised.
“How far did you go? I know you don’t want to answer and I don’t really want to know but I have to know if it’s as bad as I think or if you were some kind of screwed up lucky.” Rossi asked and Reid chuckled at the almost tact.
“I didn’t have sex with any of them, not until I was ready and I made sure that my first time was with someone I honestly wanted and would be gentle with me. I may have had some bad Johns but I don’t regret it, I wish I’d had other options, someone I could have asked for help instead but I don’t regret it. I survived it all with only a mild aversion to touch and the knowledge that it all ended much better than it could have so it’s not the worst part of my childhood.” It was comforting, he admitted to going further than Rossi wanted him to have but he did so in a way that assured him there was no lasting psychological damage.
“Okay. I’m sorry for ruining your night. I won’t tell the others about any of this but I want you to come to me if you ever need help or just to talk about this.” Rossi decided and Reid looked up at him with shining eyes. “I know I should but unless it’s necessary what you do in your off-time is your own business, though now that I know I’m going to be concerned for you on occasions.” Rossi warned and Reid smiled.
“Are you ordering me to call you if I get a bad client?” Reid asked cheekily.
“Yes. You have no choice but to let me fret over your second job, just be glad I’m not insisting on running background checks on every client.” Rossi teased back and Reid pushed himself into a seated position.
“Naw, papa’s getting all protective.” Reid teased just a little maliciously.
“Never call me that again.” Rossi pleaded and Reid giggled, letting himself be helped upright and the two walked out of the bushes. Rossi drove Reid the few blocks to his apartment and bid him goodnight before heading for his own home, it had been a surprising night and both men were more than ready to fall into bed and sleep.