The lights of New York burn into Joonmyun's irises, leaving little colored specks in his vision no matter where he looks. With a sigh, he lifts his watch to peek at the time again, smacking at his steering wheel in frustration. He's an hour late, traffic ungodly at this hour, and suddenly he lamely wonders why he bothered to drive his Bentley, leaning his forehead against the wheel. To impress, of course, he answers his own question. After all, that's what you had to do with these sorts of people, right? Joonmyun isn't sure, considering his dating pool is rather small and limited; much to the distaste of his colleagues, he dates his desk and his paperwork far more than he does anything or anyone else.

'You should really get out more, Joonmyun,' Yifan, his business partner, had mentioned offhandedly as he took the coffee from the offering intern, his eyes lingering on the sharp cheekbones and feline smile, head tilting a bit as he watched him leave. Joonmyun, oblivious, furrowed his brows together as he tugged on a particular folder, the corner stuck beneath Yifan's pressed black slacks.

'You're sitting on the Shinkai deal...Move,' he'd grumbled slightly, tugging again. Yifan tore his eyes from the closing door and instead rolled them, shifting until one buttcheek was off the folder, Joonmyun having tugged a bit too hard and sending the contents scattering across the desk. With a frustrated sigh, he began straightening them up. Yifan snorted quietly and set the other's coffee down out of harm's way, sipping at his own.

'I'm just saying it'd do you some good,' Yifan continued, sputtering slightly when he burnt his upper lip, sliding off the desk to grab a tissue and bring it to his mouth. 'Jesus , I told the kid to get cold milk so it wouldn't be scalding...'

'Jongdae's screwed up your coffee three times already; I have no idea why you keep asking him to fetch it.' Joonmyun grabbed his fountain pen, checked the ink, and left his artistic scrawl across a few lines before folding the case back up and setting the folder in his outbox. Only then did he allow himself a sip of coffee, shrugging. 'Mine tastes fine.'

Yifan, still grimacing as he dabbed his Burberry button up, sniffed a tad. 'I like to watch him leave.'

'You're unbearable. What would your wife say?'

'I'm not allowed to look? I'm behaving; I'm not touching anything.' Tossing the tissue into the trash, Yifan left his coffee on the desk to cool off, moving towards the floor to ceiling windows behind Joonmyun's desk, hands sliding into his pockets. 'I mean it though. You need to get out.'

'Yifan, if I had time to go through the perils of dating, our entire company would plummet,' Joonmyun sighed, twisting in his chair to face his Vice President. The blonde tilted his head briefly to glance at Joonmyun before looking back at the streets below them, shrugging. 'There's always options,' he'd chuckled.

'What, to stop time? Even now, we're wasting time. You should be in your own office, not in mine, harrassing the interns and me,' Joonmyun laughed slightly, taking another sip of his coffee. He could spare a couple minutes he supposed. Yifan gestured back at the other with a large hand, and Joonmyun carefully handed over his coffee.

'I recently met up with Luhan; remember him? From Uni?' Yifan continued, taking another sip with a grimace. Joonmyun had to think a bit, face contorting awkwardly in thought before realization hit him.

'Oh! Wasn't he Yixing's roommate? The one with a trust fund?' Pushing from his chair, Joonmyun moved to stand beside Yifan, peering down at the hustle bustle forty floors beneath them. 'All I remember was that he fooled around a lot, since he pretty much bought his way through life.'

'He still does. Buys his way through everything; even love.' Yifan's voice was pointed, and Joonmyun turned to blink stupidly up at the taller man.

'What're you getting at?'

'Luhan had a real pretty chick on his arm. I don't even remember her name, and frankly, I doubt he does either.'

Joonmyun tilted his head slightly, expression still rather dumb. The gears weren't quite clicking yet. 'Good for him..?'

'He bought her, Joonmyun, God you're dense,' Yifan laughed, ruffling the shorter man's perfectly slicked brunette hair, much to the disdain of Joonmyun.

'An ?! Don't be ridiculous. I'm not that pathetic,' Joonmyun huffed, turning to slide back into his chair, bringing his coffee back to his mouth.

'You are that pathetic,' Yifan lamented solemnly, speaking only the truth. Joonmyun choked on his coffee, and half of it ended up on his shirt; with a groan, he loosened his tie, trying to mop it up with tissues, glaring at the other. 'But there's hope. She wasn't an .'

Joonmyun wasn't even mildly interested, looking back down at his shirt with a heavy sigh, reaching forward to press the pager at the edge of his desk planner. 'Baekhyun, do me a favor and bring me a new shirt. I've just gone and spilled Americano all down the front of mine,' he grumbled to his secretary, the chipper voice giving back a, 'Right away, Mr. Kim!'

Once he'd sat back in his seat, picking at his buttons until he could discard the button up, undershirt just as drenched, he glanced back up at Yifan with a distasteful scowl. 'I'm not buying an .'

'She wasn't an ; I already said that. Luhan was telling me all about this site he went on; Seeking Arrangement. She was a sugar baby. He called it a "Mutually Beneficial Arrangement,"' The other moved to pick up Joonmyun's shirt and toss it into the trash. 'It's not like you don't make enough money to afford one. Basically, you pay them for their time, and they give you their companionship. You get to skip all the wasted time on traditional dating and jump right into the fray of it.'

'What makes you think that'd be right for me, huh? I'm not like Luhan; if I remember right, that kid had a steady stream of girls to the point that Yixing stayed with us more often than not. I'm not all about that fake relationship stuff, Yifan,' Joonmyun frowned, glancing in his desk mirror to fix his hair a little where Yifan'd ruined it.

'It's not really fake...It's just a suggestion,' the blonde chuckled, shrugging. 'You just need to do something before you hit forty, because you're under-laid, and it's really starting to make you unbearable,' Yifan teased pleasantly, reaching out to pinch Joonmyun's cheek. Joonmyun tugged away with a grimace.

'You don't exactly get ed up a lot either, Mister I'm-In-A-Stale-Marriage.' Yifan narrowed his eyes slightly, reaching a long arm out to pinch Joonmyun's cheek harder.

'Watch it. You may be CEO, but I'm older than you,' he threatened, though there's no real heat to his words. Joonmyun made a face and swatted at his hand before standing as Baekhyun let himself into the room. With an immediate reversal into a pleasant smile, Joonmyun thanked him for the new shirt, tearing into the package and unfolding it, shaking it out a bit. Baekhyun handed over a new undershirt as well and Joonmyun was quick to shed his dirty one, pulling the new one over. As he popped his head through the top, he grimaced, shooing his hands at Baekhyun, who was currently grinning wickedly at Yifan, the blonde returning the expression boyishly.

'Thank you, Baekhyun,' Joonmyun stated firmly, gesturing towards the door.

'Baekhyun, could you go organize the conference room for my 4 o' clock?' Yifan interjected charmingly.

'You have your own secretary!' Joonmyun swatted at the other with his dirty undershirt. Yifan rolled his eyes, amused, and moved to follow the snickering secretary out the door. 'Think about it, Joonmyun,' he called out behind him, door sliding shut.

The honking behind him has Joonmyun jerking from his thoughts, sitting up quickly and lifting his foot off the brakes, holding up a hand in apology. He was ashamed to admit that he'd merely lasted a couple hours that day before he'd curiously pulled up SeekingArrangement.com and narrowed his eyes at the entire site. After browsing a little, he'd promptly shut it and focused on Work and just Work.

That night, in the security of his highrise Chelsea apartment, he'd made a profile, guilt and shame boiling in his stomach, especially as he selected 'man interested in men'.

Picking up his phone, he quickly pulls up his messages, biting his bottom lip slightly before writing another, 'I'm almost there!! Lots of traffic; I am so sorry!!' text to the contact listed only as 'HZT.' After a few minutes, his phone buzzes with a reply: 'don't worry about it. can i order us some wine while i wait? ;]' Joonmyun feels awful that the other's already seated, but assures him to feel free, glaring back at the license plate in front of him.

It's another twenty minutes before he finally arrives at the restaurant, leaving his keys to the valet and quickly making his way inside, stopping briefly to check his coat in, fix his hair in a mirror, and follow the hostess to his reservation. He swears his heart's about to leap into his throat, nervous as he peers around the restaurant. Briefly, he considers turning on his heels and running back out. Good boys don't do this; his family would be ashamed, and frankly, he could be at home working on investments than here with someone who probably would merely be counting the seconds until he got paid and could leave. There's a faint taste of bile on his tongue and he glances around briefly to try to find the nearest restroom.

His eyes get stuck, however, at the table he's led to, and immediately he feels his breath escape him. Sure, from the very small amount of pictures they'd shared, he'd expected HZT to be gorgeous (after all, he was pampered by business men of all sorts with pockets probably deeper than Joonmyun's), but none of them had shown his face. Just the same, Joonmyun had hid his, and when his eyes meet the sharp brown irises peering up at him from beneath ash blonde hair, spiked to perfection, Joonmyun is pretty sure the entire restaurant can hear him swallow.

The hostess leaves once she's pulled Joonmyun's chair out for him, set a menu in front of him, and poured him a glass of wine.

"I'm so sorry I'm late; traffic was awful," Joonmyun starts nervously, mouth extra dry, and he takes a quick gulp of Cabarnet, hiding a grimace. He was definitely more of a white wine sort of man.

"It's okay, really," The other's accent is thick, leaving his English hanging in the air with an air of softness to them, voice languid. Joonmyun allows himself to look at him properly once he's worked up the nerve, his dry lips. HZT is gorgeous by any standards, man or woman. Joonmyun's never been quite open about his preference, but he couldn't see how anybody could resist this man, with his dark eyes, perfect hair, and tanned skin. His sweater dips just enough at the collar to tease Joonmyun with a glimpse of defined collarbones, and his fingers are long and thin, currently wrapped around the stem of his glass as he brings it up to plush lips, taking a slow sip. His eyes are currently sizing up Joonmyun as well, and suddenly, Joonmyun is embarrassed on top of already being nervous.

"I'm Joonmyun," he starts, introducing himself properly as he reaches a hand across the table in offering. The corner of the blonde's lips tug up in a smirk and Joonmyun feels weak in the knees as he takes his hand. Their handshake is firm and Zitao's hands are softer than any woman's he's ever grasped.

"I'm Tao," comes that soft voice, and Joonmyun bounces his leg slightly to distract himself from the way it surrounds his senses. Giving the other a pleasant smile, he releases their grip and folds his hands gently across the table. Tao raises a perfectly shaped brow. "Shouldn't we order? It has been a while, and I'm a little hungry."

Joonmyun blinks before fumbling with his menu, giving a weak laugh. "Yes, of course, sorry. I'm so sorry I kept you waiting." Picking up his menu, he peeks over the top, relaxing a little at Tao's amused expression, before skimming his options. Settling on something easy on his stomach, he chooses seared halibut with foie gras, taking another sip of wine. It isn't until the waiter appears that he realizes his breath will smell like fish, and suddenly he's even more embarrassed. This is why he doesn't date. Quickly, he changes his order to the first thing he spots on the menu, the waiter leaving with both pamphlets.

"So," Tao purrs out once their orders are being whisked away, and Joonmyun returns from his jumbled thoughts. "Tell me a little about yourself, Joonmyun? You said you dealt in stocks, right?" Joonmyun relaxes a little, giving a gentle laugh.

"Well, sorta. I own an investment company. We trade stocks and bridge deals between companies with mergers and the like. Businesses come to my company seeking assistance with their profits, and we put them to good use, teach them how to invest properly, help them network, and in return, we earn a chunk of their profits," he chatters on. The way Tao glances at Joonmyun's watch has him worrying that he's boring the other. "But that's all a bit boring, isn't it? What do you do?"

"Mm?" Tao raises a brow again, thinking a moment, before he grins. "I'm a student."

"A student?" Joonmyun blinks in slight surprise. "For how long?"

"A sophomore," the blonde hums in response. "I'm actually an exchange student. I'm here on a scholarship." Joonmyun nods enthusiastically, interested.

"How old are you? What's your scholarship for?" he questions, perhaps a bit overeager. Tao laughs slightly, sitting up a bit in his seat.

"Slow down...My English isn't that great," he teases, and Joonmyun feels his heart stutter at the way his lips curl over his teeth when he grins. Joonmyun nods in apology, bringing a hand up to his neck shyly. Tao doesn't answer until he's drained his glass, and Joonmyun immediately leans over to refill it.

"I'm twenty two. And I have a scholarship because of my martial arts." Reaching up, he lightly brushes his fingers against Joonmyun's, taking his glass with a grin and a 'Thanks,' making the brunette's stomach flip excitedly. So he's gorgeous and he could probably kick Joonmyun's ; Joonmyun's not sure if it's fear or attraction pooling in his gut.

"How old are you?" Tao continues, asking over the rim of his glass. Joonmyun pinkens slightly, rubbing his cheek.

"I'm thirty six..." he laughs nervously, not realizing the until it's out in the air. He's fourteen years Tao's senior. If it bothers Tao, he doesn't show it, instead tilting his head a bit.

"Thirty six and already a CEO?" he tests playfully, as if he doesn't quite believe the other's occupation suddenly. "You certainly don't look thirty six."

Joonmyun's cheeks pinken more at the compliment and he laughs shyly, shaking his head. "Koreans age well, I guess...My best friend and I started up this company shortly after graduating University. We only really started to blossom well about five years ago."

Zitao gives a noise of understanding, nodding as their food arrives, and Joonmyun only then notices what the other's ordered. It's an American Wagyu 12 oz rib-eye steak, the same thing Joonmyun himself has ordered, and he can't help but laugh slightly. Expensive taste, then, considering it was a $92 cut of beef. But that was to be expected, wasn't it?

"How long have you been doing these, uhm...arrangements?" Joonmyun questions as he lifts his knife to cut a piece of his steak, staring at it more than the other out of slight embarrassment. That was a dumb thing to ask, now it's awkward --

"A few years," Tao answers, delayed, delicately taking his fork and knife to his own steak. "Since China."

"You're Chinese?" Joonmyun looks up at that, and then cringes because he feels stupid for not noticing. Of course he's Chinese; his name is Tao.

Tao laughs at that, and it's a sound that sends relief through Joonmyun's veins as he relaxes a bit, admiring the other's smile. "Did you think I was something else? Do I not look Chinese?" He takes a bite of his steak, the fork slipping slowly from his lips. Is that...gloss? Joonmyun's slightly distracted before he's quickly shaking his head.

"Oh, no, you do, I mean, I just didn't..." he fumbles over his words, and Tao swallows, giggling behind his palm. His sharp eyes glance down teasingly towards Joonmyun's plate, and the older man looks as well, realizing he's been cutting at the plate for almost a minute now, tender meat already sliced through.

Joonmyun's making a fool of himself and he suddenly feels like throttling Yifan for even putting this idea in his head. "Is this your first time?" Tao's voice is so casual, and yet there's almost a faint lisp to his words; it's endearing.

"It's obvious, huh," Joonmyun laughs weakly, ears bright red. Tao smiles, nodding a bit before he returns to cutting at his dinner.

"You're cute though. So it's okay," he muses. Joonmyun, slightly taken aback, watches the other for a moment before taking a bite of his dinner with a wide smile.

Their meal continues on in idle chatter. Between bites of food and sips of wine, Joonmyun learns a bit more about Tao; he learns that the other's trained in Wushu, that he's attending a University ("I'm not comfortable telling you just yet...You understand, right?" Tao'd smiled.) as a Poetry major, and that he really likes sweets. He learns that Tao has a penchant for fashion, literature, and fine dining. His ideal dates are beaches and theatre and shopping.

Joonmyun tells him about his job, how hard he works, that he doesn't have a lot of time for himself. He tells him about his days of University, how his company rose from the bottom, and how he really likes to read. He tells him about his dog, and how he hasn't really told anyone about his uality, that the only person who really knows is his vice president, Wu Yifan. At the mention of Yifan's name, Tao perks up slightly ("Chinese? Introduce me one day," he'd hummed.) and Joonmyun feels a twinge of jealousy first, followed by the fear that he's boring the other.

At dessert, Joonmyun finds himself helplessly staring at the spoonfuls of sorbet disappearing between Tao's lips, and has to clear his throat and excuse himself briefly for the restroom. Upon his return, he finds the bill, and Tao idly glancing at his phone. Pulling out his black credit card as he sits, he signs the bill (which comes out to around $300 after the bottle of wine and dessert), oblivious to the way Tao's eyes linger on Joonmyun's card; the way his lips tug into a bit more of a smirk than before.

Handing off the check, he stands, pushing in his chair and offering a hand to the other in a gentleman's fashion, despite the racing of his heart. He hopes his palms aren't sweaty. Tao takes it nonetheless and stands, and Joonmyun reddens (he's done that a lot tonight) at how he has to crane his neck up to properly look at the other. Tall and attractive -- all the genes Joonmyun himself didn't seem to get. The kid rivals Yifan's height, and even Tao seems to be pleasantly amused at the difference between them. Putting it off with another smile, Joonmyun guides the other towards the coat check, gathering both their jackets for them and helping Tao slide into his sleek black peacoat. It's probably a brand Joonmyun's never heard of, and that brief close contact fills his senses with a delicious cologne. As Tao fixes his scarf, Joonmyun can't help but blurt out, "What scent are you wearing?"

A bit surprised, Tao gives a laugh before humming, pleased. "Gucci Black."

Joonmyun nods, as if that made any sense to him, and gestures towards the doors. "I can take you home if you'd like --" he hesitates at the slight weariness in Tao's eyes, and immediately offers a bright, charming smile. "Or I can pay for a cab."

Tao reaches to hook their arms lightly, nodding for Joonmyun to lead the way. "I think I'll take the cab this time," he hums, winking at the other. Joonmyun nods quickly, guiding him outside and towards the curb, where he does his best to wave down a cab. Holding open the door, he his dry lips, watching the lanky blonde climb into the car. Quickly fishing in his pocket for his wallet, he tugs out all the money left inside (about $200) and hands it over unceremoniously, smiling weakly. "That should cover it, right?" Tao raises a brow but takes the money without question, grinning up at the other. "It'll do, I suppose," he teases.

Joonmyun closes the door with the promise of continued communication lingering in the air. His insides are doing somersaults, and he watches the other's cab disappear into New York traffic before wandering off to get his car from valet, already fishing in his pocket for his phone, planning to call Yifan on his way home. The other doesn't answer, and instead, Joonmyun's left to his jumbled thoughts as his only company on his drive back to Chelsea.