Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Quid Pro Quo
SERIES: Market Garden #1
AUTHOR: Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 43 pages
BLURB:
For the past six months, Jared’s been selling sex at Market Garden, a London club that caters to the better-off. But business is slow in the run-up to Christmas, when businessmen and bankers are too busy bickering over bonuses to rent themselves a little high-class action.
Though Jared’s wallet finds the downtime unnerving, the rest of him rather enjoys the opportunity it gives him to admire Tristan, an old hand in the club whose reputation usually sees him well-booked. Jared has been crushing on Tristan for months—he’s no more immune to Tristan’s cockiness and confidence than the johns, and those are just Tristan’s inner qualities.
Just as Jared’s about to chat Tristan up, a businessman asks for something a little different: he wants to book them both. They agree—and Jared finds himself going from crush to mind-bending lust as he’s made the pawn in a sexual power game. Tristan shows him how a pro handles a john while delivering the top-shelf sex for which the Market Garden is so rightly renowned.
REVIEW:
This is a re-read for me, and I really enjoyed this tasty little book both times I’ve read it. There isn’t much plot, it is only 43 paged long, but it’s just enough to give you a taste of things to come. I have read the whole series, and the men in this book show up in later books as well. If you haven’t read any of these Market Garden books, you really need to.
The Market Garden is a club where men can buy companionship for some time, an hour, an evening, or a night. It’s set up like a comfortable bar, with the rent boys mingling with the potential johns, and with each other. Tristan has been with Market Garden for some time, and knows that the slow time they are experiencing is just a bit of seasonal quietness. Jared, the new boy on the block, is more concerned. The two are having a slow night, so sit for a chat, when they spot a potential john. He asks to spend some time with both men, and off they go for an evening of playing and negotiating. The john, nicknamed Rolex, has a nice fat wallet full of cash and the two men work it all out of him a bit at a time. I loved watching the negotiations, Jared and Tristan giving just enough to tease until more cash appears…
So there’s not much plot here, it’s mostly sex, but it’s the beginning of a relationship between Jared and Tristan that continues over several books. What it lacks in plot, it makes up for with some lovely voyeuristic sex. Rolex doesn’t want to touch, he wants to watch. And he pays well for that privilege! Most rent-boys-find-love stories I see have the love occurring between the rent boy and the client, I liked that this time it’s between two of the rent boys. Not that there is love declared in this book, but you can see what is to come. The attraction is there. Rolex reappears in later books as well.
These two authors are among my personal favorites, they consistently write good books. This is a little shorter than I’ve seen from either of them, but it’s very good. Just a hint, an evening, a tease of what is to come for Jared and Tristan, and Rolex too. This month’s theme is rent boys finding love, this whole series fits in that theme. If I had the time I’d review a couple more, but I don’t so you’ll just have to read them!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
I usually hate short stories however this was a well written review that makes me want to check out this story and I love that the characters reappear. I’m putting this one on my To Read list.