Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. I am BROKE.

Summary: Matt is an escort. An ESCORT! Not a hooker, as most people choose to believe. That is until he meets Taichi Yagami and his remaining morals seem to desert him. Taito! Rating for sexual scenes and language.

Chapter 5 - Let the Games Begin

"Wow Matt! You look like crap!"

Matt glanced up in surprise, resisting the urge to groan when he realised who had spoken.

A short red-headed girl stood expectantly in front of him, hands placed critically on her hips. She was surveying the blond with a suspicious gaze, eyes revolving over his messy hair and crinkled clothes.

"Long night," the blond explained, taking a long slip of coffee and attempting to appear somewhat together. If Sora found out how truly haggard he was, he would never hear the end of it.

"Long night?" The redhead frowned, eyebrows raising. "And what exactly were you doing last night that has you so tired out?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Not what you think. I was just with a client, that's all."

"A client? You had a long night with a client?"

"It wasn't like that," the blond insisted, mind flashing over the events of the previous night. OK, so he had slept in Tai's bed, but nothing remotely intimate had happened, as much as he wished it had done. "You know me better than that. I don't sleep with clients!"

Sora sighed, collapsing into the seat next to him. "That's what I thought too. But I went to your apartment earlier this morning and you weren't there!"

"Oh." Matt blushed, shifting uncomfortably under the redhead's judgemental gaze. "Yea, I stayed with the client. But nothing happened! It was just a nightcap!"

"Since when did you except nightcaps from customers?!"

"Since last night, OK? It's not a big deal!" Matt hissed, pulling his jacket hood further over his head, shielding himself from the morning light.

Sora crossed her arms, but looked blankly out the café window that they were sat in, clearly lost in thought. She sighed slightly before she spoke, unable to meet Matt's eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to nag, but you know how much I worry about you being an escort! There are some real bastards out there!"

The blond smiled softly, touched by her words. "Thanks for caring, but I'm fine. You know how much I need this job!"

"Yea I know." Sora nodded in understanding, before her expression changed from sombre to playful, eyes twinkling in mischief. "So who was your client then? Male or female?"

"Male," Matt replied, feeling his mood lift with the mere mention of Taichi. "He was young too."

Sora laughed. "No wonder you agreed to a nightcap."

"Yea, I just left actually."

"You like him?"

Matt blinked, taken aback by the bluntness of her question. He paused before replying, mind mulling over the night's events. "I think I'm started to. He's definitely good-looking."

"Are you going to see him again?"

"Yea," Matt replied, blushing crimson. "Tonight."

"Tonight?!"

"Yea. He's hiring me again," the blond explained, gulping back his coffee, trying to ignore the dull pounding of his head.

"Wow, he sounds eager!" Sora cried, smiling encouragingly.

Matt shrugged half-heartedly, fighting back a yawn. "I hope so."

Leaning forward and placing his head on the table, the blond sighed contently, silently wishing he could just go to sleep. After the previous night he was hung-over and tired, but knew that he still had lessons to attend. The last thing he needed was Tai affecting his schoolwork too.

"Matt, are you sure your OK?" Sora asked suspiciously, surveying the blond with raised eyebrows. "Do you have a hangover?"

Matt groaned, not daring to lift his head. "Nope. Just tired."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Pretty sure," Matt lied.

"Uh-huh," Sora replied doubtfully, leaning closer to the unsuspecting blond, whose head was still leant tiredly on the table. "So you don't have a headache then?"

"Um… no."

"Oh so you don't mind if I SHOUT!"

Matt jumped, head snapping upwards in surprise.

"Ah!" he cried, clapping his hands over his ears in pain. He glared viciously, head pounding in protest.

"So you do have a hangover?!" Sora said sweetly, clicking her fingers. "I knew it!"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Yea yea. Save the lecture. I was just feeling a bit nervous, that's all."

"More than a bit by the look of you," the redhead replied critically, waving a dismal hand in Matt's direction.

"Yes, I know I look terrible. There's no need to point it out."

"You said it, not me."

"Well I'm going to class!" Matt said loudly, choosing to end the conversation before he was insulted further. He felt crappy enough as it was.

Jumping to his feet and ignoring the intense throbbing of his head, Matt gave Sora a small wave of goodbye and hobbled quickly out the café. Hoping that the redhead would not attempt to catch him up, the blond shielded his eyes from the light, wondering in the vague direction of the university, knowing that he really did need to get to class.

But unfortunately, enduring tiring lectures on Quantum Physics was the last thing on his mind.

All he could think about the for entire day was Tai.

Even as he walked home after his classes, the blond was still daydreaming about the brunette. He was replaying the previous night over and over again in his head, attempting to analyse the small touches that Taichi had given him.

He was actually so immersed in his fantasies, that he failed to notice a certain young man waiting patiently outside his apartment.

"Matt?" Tai grinned, startling the blond out of his reverie.

Blinking rapidly in an attempt to disguise his surprise, Matt shifted nervously, instantly feeling a blush stain his cheeks. "Hey Tai. I didn't see you there!"

"Looked like it. You were on another planet. Thinking about anything special?"

Yes. "Nope, not at all."

"Well you gave me your address this morning, so I thought I'd come round and see if your ready for our date," Tai explained, grinning happily.

Matt raised his eyebrows. "Date?"

The brunette flushed, shifting from foot to foot. "You know what I mean."

"Hmm," Matt mumbled, ignoring the pounding of his heart at the word 'date'. "It's not really a date when your paying me, is it?"

"No," Tai replied, sounding somewhat disappointed. He quickly changed the subject. "So how are you feeling?"

"Like crap." Matt realised there was no point in lying, as he knew full well he looked like complete shit. And he was pretty sure Tai could see that too.

"Yea, you don't look quite as lively as you did last night," the brunette confirmed, causing the blond to cringe. Tai could have at least given him time to recover and get ready before he decided to turn up on his doorstep. He wasn't looking quite as glamorous as he hoped he would.

"I'll get changed and then we'll go, yea?"

The brunette nodded, watching Matt unlock his apartment door and give him a small wave of invitation.

Following the blond inside, Tai assessed the small flat, eyes flicking over the cosy living room and compact kitchen. It was fairly organised, with only a few magazines scattered over the floor, but quite dingy and dark.

"Nice place."

Matt laughed. "No it's not, but thanks for lying." Giving the brunette a small smile, he walked towards his bedroom, glancing back for a quick moment. "Just a sec, I'm going to get changed."

Tai nodded, despite the fact that the blond had already turned back around, heading into his bedroom.

Feeling curiosity bubble up inside his chest, the brunette tiptoed forwards, hesitating as he approached Matt's slightly open bedroom door. Feeling his heart hammer into his throat, Tai peaked into the room, watching with uncharacteristic hunger as Matt slowly began removing his slinky black shirt.

Despite knowing that what he was doing was wrong, and probably illegal, the brunette couldn't help but stare at the smooth pale skin that was revealed to him.

He'd only known Matt a day, and he was already spying on him. The blond didn't even no him well enough to know he wasn't actually a psychopath. If he was caught, Matt would surely through him straight out.

However, just watching the blond peel off his pants, caused Tai to loose all logical train of thought. Not that he had much to begin with.

The brunette shifted uncomfortably, attempting to contain the urge to jump Matt then and there. He really didn't want to get arrested for assault.

Cursing himself silently, he staggered backwards, dragging his eyes reluctantly away from the pretty blond. He focused his gaze on the kitchen sink, determinedly trying to ignore the small sounds coming from Matt's bedroom that his eyes were desperate to identify.

"So where do you want to go?" came Matt's voice from inside the bedroom.

"Don't care," replied the brunette, not having given much thought about what to actually do on the date. He still couldn't believe that Matt had actually agreed.

"You're the client; you're supposed to tell me!"

"If I had my way we wouldn't go anywhere at all," Tai said suggestively, half-joking and half-serious. He certainly wouldn't mind curling up with the blond to watch a movie, or even moving straight into the bedroom. However, he was doubtful that Matt would agree. After all the blond had previously insisted that he would never sleep with a client, to the everlasting disappointment of the brunette.

Grumbling in annoyance, Tai folded his arms, suddenly feeling a lot more pessimistic about the date. He glanced back towards the bedroom, waiting less anxiously now for the blond to immerge.

As if on cue, Matt entered the kitchen, looking sexy and refreshed in a new pair of jeans and a slinky shirt. He threw Tai a subtle smile, blush reddening his cheeks.

"Stay here?" he repeated, shuffling his feet uncertainly. It certainly wouldn't be incredibly professional for Tai to stay in his apartment, but then again, the brunette was already there. What would be the harm in letting him stay? "Yea, we can stay here if you want. You're the customer."

"Really?!" Tai asked, sounding surprised. He hadn't expected the blond to agree. "Yea, let's stay here then!"

Matt smiled at the eagerness in the brunette's voice, pleased that he was so enthusiastic.

"What do you want to do then?" he asked, waving a hand towards his lounge.

Tai took his actions as an invitation and collapsed on the couch, looking up at the blond expectantly. "I dunno. Your supposed to entertain me, so entertain!"

Matt raised his eyebrows, but nodded, moving towards the TV. "Let's watch a film!"

"Yea, a romance!" Tai grinned, eyes twinkling as he surveyed the doubtful blond.

"A romance?"

"Yea," the brunette confirmed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "How about Pretty Woman?!"

Matt blanched, staring at Tai in horror. "A chick-flick?"

"Yep!"

"No way!"

"I'm the customer and I say Pretty Woman!" Tai said gleefully, ignoring the glare the blond was directing his way.

"Why Pretty Woman?!" Matt asked, crossing his arms and surveying the client with annoyance.

Tai shrugged innocently, a small smile creeping onto his face. "No reason."

"It's because it's about a prostitute, isn't it?" the blond growled, a statement more than a question.

"Maybe," Tai grinned. "See any similarities?"

Matt glared stubbornly, holding his head up high. "No I don't actually. I'm an escort, NOT A PROSTITUTE!"

Tai blinked, taken back by the sudden burst of anger.

The blond was panting slightly, trying to regain his composure, face flushed and eyes flashing.

The brunette raised his eyebrows expectantly, realising that he'd managed to hit a major nerve. Matt wasn't half touchy when it came to talking about hookers. There was obviously a fine line between the escort profession and the prostitute one, and Tai was unsure of what it was.

"Ok, not a prostitute. Noted," the brunette confirmed, giving the blond a nervous thumps up and a sheepish smile.

"Thank you," Matt replied, having somewhat calmed down. "Do you actually want to watch Pretty Woman, or were you just saying it to wind me up?"

"I want to watch it," Tai grinned, "it's been a while since I've had a good laugh!"

Matt smiled, shaking his head in amusement. "Fine. You're the client. Pretty Woman it is."

After the blond had inserted the DVD, he sat down hesitantly next to the brunette, watching him suspiciously out the corner of his eye. The mischievous smile on Tai's face had made Matt unreasonably nervous, so much so that he wanted to do nothing more than to retreat to the other side of the room.

However reluctantly realising that he had suffered much creepier clients than the brunette, Matt decided to suck it up and be professional, despite the butterflies that were exploding in his stomach.

He relaxed slightly and began to watch the film, with little interruption from the brunette.

It was a total of at least half an hour before Tai finally decided to make his move, inching slowly closer to the blond. He wrapped an arm around Matt's shoulders, tugging him so close that he could smell the subtle scent of his golden hair. Grinning in triumph, the brunette ran his fingers up and down Matt's side, enjoying the fact that the blond couldn't do anything to stop him. If he did, then he wouldn't get paid.

"So…" Tai began, attempting to start a conversation and distract the blond from their close proximity. Matt had suddenly become unbelievably rigid, shoulders hunched with tension. "In the film the hooker wont kiss her customers because it's too personal, yea?"

Matt blinked, mind completely focused on the movements of the brunette's hand, rather on what he was saying. "What?!"

"The hooker! In the film! She wont kiss her clients because it's too personal right?" Tai asked, nodding his head towards the screen.

"Yea…" Matt replied, wondering where the brunette was going with his questioning.

"Is that the same with you?"

The blond blushed, tensing even more than he was already. "No. I do kiss customers, although it's never personal. But sometimes it's necessary, like when I'm posing as someone's boyfriend."

"You didn't kiss me," Tai pointed out, attempting to calm Matt with subtle caresses, realising that he was not going to get a honest answer when the blond was edgy and uncomfortable. When Matt was truly relaxed in his presence, he would be a lot more open in his answers.

"You didn't ask me to," the blond replied, closing his eyes briefly in pleasure as Tai soothed the tension out of his back.

Tai leaned closer, continuing his soft touches to stop Matt from recoiling quickly. "I'm asking you now."

Matt blinked suddenly, startled out of his reverie.

However before he could form any kind of response (not that he would have been able to), soft lips pressed quickly against his own.

His gasped quietly, but responded, silently reminding himself that Tai was a client.

The kiss quickly turned more passionate as the brunette prodded his lips open with his tongue, instantly sweeping into his mouth. Suppressing the urge to moan, Matt buried his hands into Tai's dark hair, feeling tanned hands stroke gently at the small of his back. He pressed himself closer, all thoughts of professionalism flying out the window.

However, eventually realising that they had to come up for air, Tai pulled back, happily noting that Matt's soft lips were red and swollen. The blond blinked back at him blankly, eyes reopening and face flushed darker than Tai had ever seen.

The hazy fog of pleasure slowly vanished and Matt mentally groaned, inwardly kicking himself.

That had been way too personal.

To be continued…

A/N Wow cheesy chapter for you! But sorry about the wait. I started working on some plot bunnies (check my profile and let me know what you think!) and my other fics, but never finished anything. I've also been on holiday and thought I could update before I went, but I didn't get round to it.

I'll probably be finishing Playing Dirty before I update this again, and completing some of my plot-bunnies, so I don't know how long the next update will be. However I'll update my profile or livejournal regularly to say how things are progressing.

But thanks for all the great reviews! Review more :)