Jay
"Jay Minster?" I answered my office phone rubbing my eyes, it had been a long day at the office.
"Hello sweetie!" I heard my mother's voice.
"Hello Mum" I moaned a little, not that I wasn't happy to hear from her just that I was tired and I just wanted to wrap this case up and go home to chill out and not have to think about anything. But if I knew my mother she never only phoned me at work if it wasn't important.
"You don't sound too happy hearing from your own mother" she complained.
"Sorry. Hello Mother, how is your beautiful self today" I said with a little more enthusiastic.
"No need to overdo it, dear"
"What can I help you with?"
"I'm just reminding you about this weekend's getaway for Rupert Anderson's birthday," she said. I curst in my head, crap! I forgot all about the damn party.
"Is this a reminder or are you telling me?" I said it was Tuesday I had three days... I was meant to find a date.
"I told you about it!"
"No you didn't" I snapped back at her, mother always said she did and said things when she didn't... I'd blame it on her age but Dad says she's always done it.
"Yes I did, I distinctly remember talking to you about it last week at coffee" great example of my last statement, we didn't have coffee.
"We didn't go to coffee Mother that was most likely one of my other brothers" I leant back in my chair wanting so badly to be asleep; I was not a night person. I could wake early in the morning and him happy as Larry but after a fall stressful day at the office, I'm an ogre.
"I'd have sworn you knew about it" she started to sound doubtful.
"No mother because I would have made up an excuse by now not to go" I hated parties where my whole family and friends we're involved, no one was themselves and it was just an excuse for people to gossip about each other. Or in my mother's case play cupid.
"You're going," she told me but she forgets that I'm not a child anymore, I'm twenty-eight years old I don't have to do what my mother tells me. I think...
"No, I'm not" I stated.
"Yes! You have to or my plans..." she started saying slipping out her big match-making plans.
"What plans?"
"Ah... what... I don't have any plans" she tried to dig herself back out of the hole she started, sometimes she acts like the child and I the adult.
"Mother?" I said telling her I wasn't stupid.
"Ok! She's twenty-six and loves art, just like you"
"Lots of people love art Mother" I groaned.
"Yes but she's lovely! Very beautiful, tall with..." she started rambling on before I stopped her.
"Mum you need to stop setting me up with women!" I laughed that awkward annoyed laugh people do when the moment isn't funny but it's all you can do.
"Well come on Jay, you're not giving me much to work on here, you've never had a girlfriend..."
"Yes, I have" I interrupted her, thinking of the many girls my Mother has seen me with.
"Dates Jay, their dates. You've never had a relationship that I know about" she sounded upset about that like she always did when she talked about my love life.
I hated how upset she got about me not being with anyone, I wanted to make her happy by being with someone but I also know I can't just have a girlfriend to make my Mother happy. I know she medals because she cares but it was tiresome after being fixed up with half of London, I didn't want to have to fight my Mother over this every time there is a party.
"Neither has Jake or Paul and coming to think of it, Connor. We all just not relationship kind of guys" I said.
"Yes, I'm working on that, if any of my children are going to give me grandkids before I die will be a great achievement" I rolled my eyes glad that we were only on the phone. "Connor is my only hope for that, clearly still being in love with your sister, even thou the girls as blind as a bat about it" That was true. Connor met Jake at school and had been best friends and part of the family since then. Also completely in love with Lilly my younger sister but she saw with like a best friend or brother.
"Paul's always jetting off around the place but even he's had his fair share of girlfriends, with his wild ways" Mother wasn't happy with my younger brother travelling around the world being famous for all his death daring stunts and wild child ways but don't get him wrong he's making a profitable living selling his travel books around the world. Not living all off Daddy's money.
"And then there is Jake... well you know what he's like. He'll be a lady's man, a heart breaker until some special girl, God help her, sets him straight, just like your father" she sided my eldest brother Jake was a true player. Being the famous rugby star of the family he didn't even have to try when it came to the women, they all just fell at his feet.
Yep, Jake, had it all looks, built, money and charm but he was still a Mummy's boy and everyone knew it. He would do anything for Mum that's why he didn't get so annoyed and uptight like I did about this match-making That's why mum had stopped setting him up a long time ago when mum started losing friends after Jake 'love them and leave them act'.
True he was much younger back then and he had got better over time, keeping a girl for the longest time... two months I think which was amazing for him.
"I only ever see you with a girl at parties and it's never the same girl Jay. I know you're not the same as Jake when it comes to the ladies Jay but..."
"What a heart breaker?"
"The women love you, Jay, you just ever seem to feel the same... and I think I know why," she said leaving an awkward silence, what did she think she knew? "You're just looking for the right girl" she finally said. I let out a large breath I didn't even realise I was holding.
"That's why I'm helping you find the special someone"
"Mum..." I moaned again to get her to stop. I didn't know how much of this I could take.
"You'll love her Jay she..." I couldn't take this anymore.
"Mum!"
"Yes," she finally stopped.
"I'm not interested!" I snapped
"How do you know, you haven't meant her yet" I didn't have a clue what to say, was now the right time, over the phone to tell her why I didn't what her to keep match-mating? Yer... I could do this, it was time.
"Mum, I need to tell you something...I'm..." tell her. Just tell her the truth! I screamed inside. "I'm in a relationship already. I have a secret girlfriend" I lied.
Oh My God, why did I lie like that!
Why?
Oh crap! I didn't mean to say that but it was the first thing that came out of my mouth.
"What?!!" she shouted down the phone shocked.
"Yeah, I have a girlfriend already" I lied, oh great this was a perfect plan!
"Well why didn't you tell me!" she shouted louder in my ear. This is why you should only tell lies once you've thought it through... especially when it comes to your Mother because they know when you're lying.
Ok. I'm a lawyer. I can do this.
"Because it's early stages and I didn't what to jinx it"
"Oh, Jay that's wonderful darling! I thought this day would never come" was she crying? She's crying. Oh Jesus, Mary and... "You'll bring her to the party right... oh and dinner Friday night?" she said everything so fast without taking a breath, she sounded so excited. I just wanted to punch myself in the stomach a few times
I'm going to hell. I cannot believe I just lied...numerous times to my Mother... wait did she just say Friday night?!
Crap that was three days from now!
How am I meant to find a person willing to be my girlfriend for a week in front of my family and friends! I can't!
"Yeah! Why not? See you then"
I hit my head on the back of my chair again and again.
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
"Bye sweetie. I'm very excited" with that she ended the called and I just sat in my chair for the next hour staring into nothing thinking how I could get out of this mess.
"Hey, you ready to get dinner I'm thinking Thai food" my best friend Sean came into my office "What's wrong?" he said noticing my stressed face; he sat in the chair across the desk as I told him everything that happened on the phone. Think it would be helpful to get a friends advice Sean just laughed himself off the chair.
"Why didn't you just tell her the truth?" he said. "Hey Mum, I knew you think I like women but here's a plot switch... I'm into men. Whats for dinner?"
"Have you met my mother?" I asked raising my eyebrows.
"Good point. She'll have the Vicar round to cleanse your soul... I got it! You could hire an actress" he finally stopped laughing and started helping me get out of this mess.
"What like an escort?" I asked. I was a lawyer and I knew how far near illegal escorting was but the idea of hiring an actress...
"Yeah! Hire some hot struggling actress to play your girlfriend for a bit"
"You know any actresses?" I asked.
"No... but it's London! Just walk down Soho you'll see hundreds of them"
"I can't risk anyone recognising the girl, also I need someone who wouldn't sell this in the paper to try and get a head start with their career" that's all I needed right now. My family weren't celebrity famous but were still very popular in the presses eyes. With Jake bring captain for the Irish rugby team and Connor also being a part of the team, Pauls travelling career and Lily's modelling, not forgetting my family old money the family were always spotted in the magazines and newspaper somewhere. Even me being a lawyer for the rich and famous I know my fare charge of celebs, our family worked hard keeping their personal life out of the press. I couldn't risk it.
"Mate. Just tell her the truth. She loves you. Who cares if your gay or not. It's 2010" I love Sean but he'll never understand. Family is everything to my Mother and Father. If I told them I was gay they'd be heart broken thinking I'd never have a family that they pictured me having. I've always been the perfect son. I can't risk them not accepting this. I'd rather live a lie.
"I'm just not ready. No... I just need someone who could be or at least act to be in the same status, the same league, someone that people will believe I would be with and at the same time can just blend into the background, not drawing any attention"
"You need this" Sean passed me a card saying Sugardaddy.com with a number written on the back. "Call that number asks for a Mickey Brown, he's local in the city. He'll set you up with the perfect escort"
I thought about it all night and started to think... what's the worst that could happen? And right now this was my only choice.