Fake and Dandy

  Dandies, Inc., Book 0.5

  G.R. Lyons

  Cover design by

  Dana Leah at Designs by Dana

  Copyright © 2019 G.R. Lyons

  All rights reserved.

  AUTHOR'S NOTE

  This story takes place in a fictional world, that of the Shifting Isles and other related series. You'll find references to multiple gods, amongst other things. Unlike other books set in this world, no glossary is included with this one as no unique terms were used in this particular story. For more information on the Shifting Isles world, check out grlyonsauthor.com.

  Chapter 1

  JAYDEN WYATT chewed his lip as he knotted the plain, boring tie around his neck. Turning to the full-length mirror, he buttoned his jacket and frowned at his appearance. He was dressed in the one normal business suit he owned, and it was getting way too much use lately.

  He eyed the rest of his clothing as he shuffled out of his walk-in closet, letting out a sigh. Another stupid business dinner. He wasn't even sure why he kept going to the damned things. Or the board meetings, for that matter. It wasn't like Dad or Grandpa could actually do anything to him if he didn't show. His trust fund was all his now. Jayden could do whatever he wanted with no consequences and no need for a backup plan.

  Yet every time his family asked him to be present for some business function or another, he kept agreeing.

  Jayden grabbed his wallet and let out another sigh. It's just a few hours, he reminded himself. Then he could come back home, change into something fabulous, and go out for a night on the town. Maybe call up his best friend, Mason, and see if he wanted to go to the club. Gods knew Jayden could use a little play time with a daddy after putting up with stuffy business types, even if he only got to do so for one scene. One horribly sex-lacking scene. Ugh. Stupid virginity.

  He picked up his phone, tapping one corner of it against his lips while he considered calling Mason right then and there, but before he could decide, the apartment intercom buzzed, indicating a visitor.

  Jayden slipped his phone into his pocket and headed over to the nearest wall panel, pressing a button to bring up the security feed from the front door.

  His eyebrows went up. Grandpa? What was he doing there? They were supposed to be meeting at the Concourse Hotel. He pressed another button and spoke into the intercom.

  “Hey, Gramps. Come on in.” Jayden tapped the button that remotely unlocked the door.

  Grandpa looked up at the camera, gave him a nod, and let himself into the apartment.

  Jayden made his way to the foyer to meet him, pausing to study Grandpa as the man turned away to shut the front door. At sixty-eight, Richard Hendricks still made for an imposing figure, standing tall and proud in his simple but expensive suit, somehow managing to make the plain cut look like a fashion statement in and of itself. It definitely wasn't a look that Jayden could pull off. He needed something more to feel like he stood out in a crowd.

  Grandpa held out his arms and gave Jayden a warm smile. “Well? Come give this old man a hug.”

  Jayden chuckled and hurried over, closing his eyes with a sigh as he melted into Grandpa's embrace. “You're not an old man,” Jayden said.

  Grandpa laughed. “Just wait 'til you're my age,” he said, then stepped back and ruffled Jayden's hair.

  “Gramps!” Jayden whined, fussing with his hair and knowing he'd have to check a mirror before he even thought about setting foot outside his door.

  Grandpa chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry,” he said with a smirk.

  Jayden rolled his eyes as he hurried over to a mirror that hung over the fireplace in the living room. “I thought we were meeting at the hotel.”

  “I wanted to have a few minutes alone with you first,” Grandpa said, following him.

  Jayden stopped halfway to the mirror and spun around on his heel. “Oh?”

  Grandpa nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I know Jacob has been having you attend board meetings lately,” he began, naming Jayden's father.

  Jayden just stopped himself from rolling his eyes again. “Yeah.”

  “But you haven't actually taken a position in his company?”

  Fuck that. “No,” Jayden said. He didn't understand the first thing about business and wanted nothing to do with it. He had more than enough money in his trust fund thanks to Grandpa's investments. There was no need for Jayden to ever have to work a day in his life.

  Grandpa slowly nodded again. “In that case, I'd like to use the party tonight to publicly name you as heir to Hendricks Textiles.”

  Jayden choked. He pounded a fist on his chest and coughed hard, then looked up at his grandfather from under his eyelashes. “What?” he asked, then paused. His eyes widened, but more from worry than shock. “Wait. You're not, like, sick or–”

  “Oh, no!” Grandpa strode closer. “Gods, no.”

  Jayden heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank gods. You had me seriously freaked out there for a second.”

  “No. I just want to know that, when the time comes—someday—the business will stay in the family. Jess loves her teaching job,” Grandpa went on, naming his daughter, Jayden's mother, “and doesn't have any interest in business, so you're the only one I could pass it on to.”

  Jayden frowned. There was Dad, of course. He was a hell of a businessman, and Grandpa knew it. But Dad and Grandpa had always had a strained relationship. Jayden never knew why, and neither of them would talk about it, though Jayden suspected it had something to do with the fact that Dad was twenty-five years older than Mom, and that Dad had gotten Mom pregnant when she was barely sixteen. Over two decades later, they were still happily married—they were so cute together, it was almost disgusting—but Grandpa apparently still wasn't over it.

  “Just imagine,” Grandpa went on, sweeping out a hand. “Meet a nice girl. Tell her you're going to be CEO of Hendricks Textiles one day.” He grinned.

  Jayden shivered, his skin crawling underneath the boring suit he wore. How Grandpa hadn't yet figured out that Jayden was as gay as they came was beyond him.

  And why would Grandpa think he had any interest in running the company? Jayden had never shown the slightest inclination to have anything to do with either Hendricks Textiles or Dad's marketing firm.

  Then again, he'd never actually said no, either. Hence his current attire and plans for the evening.

  Grandpa held up both hands. “I know, you're surprised.” He chuckled, then stepped forward and clapped Jayden on the shoulders. “But this is going to be great. I can't wait to make the announcement.” He turned and started for the door, then paused and turned back. “You coming?”

  Jayden slowly shook his head as an idea formed. “You go on ahead. I just…need to take care of something real quick. I'll meet you there.”

  Grandpa gave him a nod. “Don't be late.” He smiled, then walked away and let himself out of the apartment.

  Jayden waited until the door clicked shut, then he ran to his bedroom, yanking off his tie as he went.

  He cast off his plain, boring suit, and dug out the flashiest, most flamboyant outfit he owned.

  Truth be told, he had far more flamboyant clothing scattered throughout his closet, but those weren't the kinds of things one could get away with wearing at a high society function at the Concourse Hotel. The staff there wouldn't let him within ten feet of the lobby if he were to stroll up wearing a crop top or a leather harness.

  A gold-trimmed three-piece suit, designed and stitched with his own two hands, however…

  Jayden bit his lip and hummed with a smile as he slipped into the shiny, crimson trousers. He kept the white dress shirt he already wore, then pulled on a black waistcoat, the edges trimmed with gold embroidery. A gold lamé cravat went around his neck, the ends tucked into the top of the waistcoat, then a red jacket went over the top. The jacket had the same gold embroidered pattern as the waistcoat, traveling down the lapels as well as outlining the pockets and ringing the ends of the sleeves. There were no buttons on the jacket, so it remained open to show off the waistcoat.

  With a gold lamé square tucked into his front pocket and his shoes changed to better match the outfit, Jayden grinned at his reflection.

  If this didn't get the point across to Grandpa, Jayden thought nothing would.

  He tucked his wallet and phone into his inside jacket pockets, grabbed his keys, and rode the elevator down to the ground floor. The doorman for the building saw him coming and darted out to the street to hail a taxi for him, holding the door open as Jayden approached.

  “Thanks, Maury,” Jayden said, slipping a tip into the man's hand.

  “Have a good evening, Mr. Wyatt.” Maury tipped his hat, then shut the door and stood back as the taxi pulled out onto the street.

  “Where to?” the driver asked.

  “The Concourse,” Jayden said, settling back into the seat and biting his lip as he smiled. He couldn't wait to see Grandpa's reaction. Jayden was going to be the very definition of fashionably late, and it would certainly turn some heads.

  He paid the driver, tipping generously for a quick, smooth ride, then strolled through the hotel entrance, the doormen holding the doors open for him and nodding their heads in greeting even as they gave his outfit curious glances. Jayden smirked to himself and found his way to the private dining room that Grandpa had reserved for the evening.

  Even though Grandpa's company only handled textiles, Richard Hendricks was a big name in the fashion industry, providing the most exotic, high-quality fabr ics to all the best designers in the business. As such, he could throw a party, and all the famous labels would show. Jayden spotted Burt Jensen, Benjamin Smith, and Carl Graves just at a glance amidst the sea of other well-dressed guests that filled the room.

  Well-dressed, but boring. Jayden couldn't see a single person wearing anything other than black suits—expensive, of course, but plain in style—or black cocktail dresses.

  Jayden grinned as heads began to turn, taking in his appearance.

  Grandpa spotted him in the midst of a conversation with Benjamin Smith, then pulled a double-take. He quickly excused himself from Smith and strode over, taking Jayden's arm and dragging him to one side of the room.

  “What in the gods' names are you wearing?” Grandpa hissed.

  Jayden grinned. “Do you like it? I was in the mood to celebrate.”

  Grandpa scowled. “You look like something out of that queer magazine.”

  Jayden was torn between wanting to frown and laugh. 'That queer magazine', as Grandpa put it, was Dandy, one of the most popular men's fashion magazines in circulation, even if it did cater mostly to gay men. Maybe that was why Grandpa hated it so much. He was always complaining about how flashy and progressive the designs were that the magazine featured.

  “Come on, Gramps. You know fashion is the gay man's territory. If I take over Hendricks, we'll fit in better with the industry.”

  Grandpa straightened. “Are you saying you're–”

  “Gay? Queer? More bent than a right angle?” Jayden grinned. “You mean you didn't know?”

  Grandpa grumbled something under his breath, then said, “We'll talk about this later. Would you please behave during dinner?”

  With that, Grandpa strode away, putting on a smile as he returned to mingling with his guests. Jayden rolled his eyes but did as he was told, moving about the room and pretending to enjoy the boring discussions until it was time to sit down to dinner.

  The meal dragged on with dozens of conversations happening all around the room. Jayden forced himself to be polite and talk to the people seated on either side of him, but all the business jargon went right over his head. It was all he could do to keep up the pretense.

  But they were almost on the dessert course, and Grandpa still hadn't made his announcement. Maybe Jayden's statement had done the trick.

  The sound of a knife tapping on the side of a wine glass made all the noise in the room suddenly vanish. Jayden looked up and saw his grandfather stand.

  Shit.

  Grandpa put on a smile and went through a speech, thanking everyone for coming, congratulating them all on another successful business year, and teasing plans for some new fabric designs that would be coming out in the next few months. That certainly got everyone's attention, designers and boutique owners alike eager to see what they might be able to get their hands on.

  “And one final announcement for the evening before dessert arrives,” Grandpa went on, taking up his champagne flute. He glanced at Jayden, his smile going tight before he swept his gaze around the room again. “I would like to publicly declare that, when the time comes for me to retire–” He held up his free hand and laughed. “No, I'm not going anywhere any time soon,” he assured them. “But when that day arrives, my grandson, Jayden, will be taking over control of Hendricks Textiles.” Grandpa held up his glass in Jayden's direction, his eyes slightly narrowed. Almost challenging. “To Jayden.”

  Everyone around the table raised their glasses, some of them wearing smiles while others had curious looks on their faces. “To Jayden,” they parroted.

  Jayden smiled all around, then looked back at his grandfather across the table, giving a slow nod. Very well. He'd just have to step up his game if he were to find a way out of this.

  He slipped away as soon as he could, pulling out his phone and dialing Mason's number as he went.

  “Daddy's phone,” someone answered with a hint of a laugh in his voice. That had to be Noah, Mason's boy.

  In the background, Jayden heard Mason. “You did not just answer my phone like that.”

  “Relax, Daddy. It's just Jay. His name came up on caller ID.”

  “Oh.” A pause followed, then Jayden heard Mason's voice loud and clear, like he'd taken his phone back. “Baby Jay?”

  Jayden rolled his eyes. He hated that stupid nickname. “I'm gonna let that slide because it's not the worst thing that's happened tonight.”

  “Uh oh. What's wrong? What do you need?”

  Jayden almost smiled with relief. Mason might not be his daddy and might drive him crazy sometimes, but the man did love to take care of people. “I could really use a night out if you guys are up for it.”

  “Hmmm.” Mason paused, then called out, “Hey, Noah?”

  “Yes, Daddy?” Noah asked in the background.

  “You up for going to the club tonight?” Mason asked.

  Noah gasped, sounding closer now. “Do we get to play?”

  “You want to?” Mason asked with surprise. “In public?”

  “Please, Daddy? You can show everyone what a good boy I am for you.”

  Mason bit off a moan, then asked, “Jay?”

  Jayden rolled his eyes. “You guys are adorable. It's disgusting.” He chuckled. “And I wouldn't at all mind watching you play.”

  “Then we'll meet you there.”

  Jayden sighed with relief. “Thank you.” He blew a kiss into the phone, then strode outside and flagged down a taxi.

  The sooner he could get inside the nightclub and have a drink, the better.

  Chapter 2

  DIRK CAMERON slammed down the phone, cursing under his breath. Before he could even press the intercom button, his executive assistant, Spencer, hurried into his office, tablet in hand, stylus at the ready. How he did it, Dirk had yet to figure out. Somehow, Spencer always managed to anticipate Dirk's needs.

  “Get a hold of Kensington,” Dirk ordered, brushing his thumb back and forth across the surface of his desk as he watched Spencer scribble down the note. “See who they can get lined up for a full-page ad by tomorrow morning.”

  Spencer raised his eyebrows. “Sir?”

  “Nautilus is restructuring and eliminating their men's fashion division,” Dirk grumbled, gesturing at the phone before reaching for the handset to make another call, “so they're pulling their advertising.”

  “On it,” Spencer said, spinning on his heel and hurrying back out of the room.

  Dirk paused with his hand on the phone, watching Spencer go. Fucking hells. He squirmed in his seat, staring at the man's ass and hating himself for it. Lusting after his assistant was so many kinds of wrong, but his body refused to cooperate. Spencer was incredibly sexy and didn't even know it. He had that whole quietly sophisticated, almost nerdy thing going on, and it pushed every one of Dirk's buttons.

  The fact that the man was so good at his job and took such good care of him didn't hurt, either.

  The door shut, cutting off his view. Dirk let out a sigh and snatched up the phone, putting in a call to his accounting department. He knew the magazine was turning a profit and had good cash flow—he checked the reports every day, after all—but if they couldn't replace their biggest advertiser, he needed to see projections on how it would affect the budget. Dirk gave the head accountant a few different scenarios, dragging his fingers up and down the length of his tie as they spoke, then hung up the phone after getting a promise that projected reports would hit his inbox within the hour.

  Dirk checked the time. Shit. He wouldn't be able to go over them until tomorrow. He had a meeting with the CEO of Tustin Designs, which was part of the reason why he wasn't attending Richard Hendricks's industry dinner that night.

  The other part being that he technically wasn't invited.

  Dirk had received an invitation but he knew it was only a formality. The CEO of Hendricks Textiles fully expected him not to show, but the man also knew it was social taboo not to at least extend an invite. Dirk had no idea why Hendricks didn't like him, but he didn't care. He was succeeding in the industry just fine without that particular man's friendship. Everyone considered Dirk the men's fashion guru, after all.

  Before Dirk could make another call, the intercom buzzed on his phone. He pressed the button and asked, “Yes?”

 

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