In the advertising business, Harris Desmond is notorious for his bad boy attitude, but behind that arrogant front hides a sensitive soul. Weeks away from launching his first perfume for men, Erebus, Harris dreams of success and finally emerging from his painful past. Weeks before the launch party, Harris's friend suggests he contact an escort agency to hire a date for his big night. Of course, Harris has his reservations about the idea, but the last years of casual encounters and failed relationships have left him feeling lonely. He secretly longs for someone special who'd understand him and all of his faults. When the agency sends him his date, Pallas, Harris gets a lot more than he paid for. Sweet and vulnerable, Pallas cuts through Harris's heart like a clean blade. But Pallas is chasing a dream, running on empty and caught in a downward spiral. He wants to give Harris his heart, yet after years of seeing the ugly side of people, he fears there's nothing left of it to give. But Harris knows the secret of scents, and he and Pallas are the perfect accord.

Cling to Me

“So, you’re patient then,” Pallas said.


“Only when I really want something.” Harris took Pallas’s elbow. “Come on, let’s get out of the lab before you get a headache.”


They stepped out. “Thank you for showing me your lab,” Pallas said.


Harris shut the door behind them. “I don’t usually let anyone in there, by the way. It’s a thing with us perfumers—the secrecy. Don’t want people copying the formulas. You know, Catherine de Medici had a secret passage into her perfumer’s lab.”


“Rene Le Florentin. He was famous for his perfumes…and fishes.”


“Yeah, he sold fish, too.” Harris stopped by the bar, wanting a drink. “I read somewhere that King Louis XIV had a perfume for every day.”


“‘Cause he probably smelled like shit.”


Harris burst into laughter. “So fucking true.”


Chapter 12