I've been so busy with university so this is just a one off for a while!

Three part story just an idea that popped into my head, they aren't cousins, its a chance meeting but with such a strange agreement... Enjoy, i'll be back with part two and three.

The Agreement

Joey Jacobs stared at his reflection in the mirror. Straightening his outfit he couldn't help the sigh that left his lips. He was fed up of this life, all he wanted was to write, write about the things that mattered, maybe even write a book. But life didn't want him to do that, instead he found himself working with his friend Tyler as strippers, focusing on hen parties of course, that's where the big bucks is made. He hated it with a passion, women leering over his body for money. The chanting, the shouting, and worse of all the groping. Most men would love his job, but Joey hated it, he just wanted a career in what he loved, but the money was just too good to say no now, he needed it.

Lauren Branning sighed, she was sat on her laptop in the kitchen of number 5 Albert Square. It was her sister's hen night, and of course Abi, and her best friend Lola had demanded there be strippers, it wouldn't be a proper hen party they both stated countless times before Lauren finally agreed to book them. In all honesty Lauren hated strippers and hen parties for that matter, so here she was sat in the kitchen on her laptop doing some last minute work since she had been promoted recently by her boss instead of enjoying her sisters hen party next door. The strippers had arrived not long ago but Lauren stayed well away and hidden in the kitchen. She had dived into her week determined to keep on top of the now heavy work load to avoid taking a bollocking from her bitch of a boss, who quite frankly hated Lauren.

Having been so deep into her work she failed to notice the presence of someone else in the room. In fact she wouldn't of been able to hear the door open anyway due to the amount of noise and music that was pulsing from the living room. The loud screams and whistles she heard from the lounge had become background noise now, so it was no surprise that she didn't hear the door open and the shut.

That was the first time Joey laid eyes on Lauren, her small face scrunched up at the bright laptop screen before her. Her glossy long brown hair trailed down her back slightly resting on the chair back. She had minimal make up compared to the girls in the other room. In fact she was a breath of fresh air to him. She hadn't watched half of the routine, she wasn't drunk and most of all she was breathtakingly beautiful. He coughed lightly gaining her attention, he didn't miss the sweep her eyes did of his attire before reaching his eyes. He saw the blush form on her cheeks before she stood up abruptly, shutting her laptop screen down.

"Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt" Joey suddenly felt nervous, hoping he hadn't pissed off this beautiful women before he even got a chance to explain.

"No its fine, just finishing off some work, can I get you something?" she asked politely, unsure where to place herself. She was under the intense gaze of this stranger dressed as a police officer.

"Just some water please, my names Joey by the way" he smiled extending his hand out to her. Lauren blushed again when she shook his hand feeling electricity pulse through her hand before disconnecting with him.

"Lauren" she replied, busying herself with getting Joey a glass of water.

"So how comes you aren't in the lounge with the others?" he asked curious why this beautiful girl was hidden away in the kitchen on her sisters hen night doing work.

"Hen parties, not my thing, nor are strippers" she smirked at him, just to let him know she was joking, well sort of joking.

"Were not all bad" he joked back, taking a sip of the water she had passed to him.

"I don't doubt that" she replied shyly. Just as she was about to ask him some more questions Abi bounded through the door, the alcohol had taken its toll.

"Lauren, come and enjoy the last bit of the show" she slurred, Lauren rolling her eyes at her little sister. Before she knew it, Abi was dragging her into the lounge sitting her down on the couch, Joey following them in the room.

Lauren felt intensely uncomfortable as she sipped on her coke trying to stare anywhere but the show before her. Joe was now stripped down left only in his trousers, his bare chest attracting Laurens attention, that he defiantly noticed. Tyler on the other hand had only a g-string on and was currently giving Lola a lap dance whilst the other girls cheered. Joey was making his way around the coffee table towards Lauren, he sensed her uneasiness and bend down on his knee taking her hand he kissed it softly before moving back to the other girls. Lauren smiled a little, Joey had noticed how uncomfortable she was with it all and giving a small gesture to her, to Lauren that was better than a lap dance any day.

The hen party soon ended and the guys left, Lauren couldn't remove the image of Joey's chiselled chest from her mind, he was beyond gorgeous and that night she found herself dreaming of the stranger she had only just met.

Lauren hurried into work the following morning. Lorraine her boss her already piled files onto her desk before she had got in. This women seriously had it in for her. Her colleague Lucy was already sat at the desk opposite, greeting her as she walked in.

"Good weekend sweetie?" Lucy smiled as Lauren sipped her coffee before replying.

"Yeah, hectic but good you?" she replied, opening up her work emails.

"Yes really good, me and Lewis were at my parents for the weekend, have you read the email Lorraine sent from Mark regarding the company benefit weekend?" she continued, waiting for Lauren to catch up.

Lauren sighed reading the email, her eyes glaring at the words, All partners welcome.

Lauren didn't have a partner, she hadn't had boyfriend for years in fact, after the last disaster boyfriend she kept well away from love.

"Luce, is it important that partners come?" Lauren asked as casually as possible.

"Lorraine said defiantly, that Mark likes to know employees and their partners" Lucy said, just before Lorraine came out of her office.

"Ladies, I take it the reports are up to date?" her voice harsh as her eyes flicked between the two girls.

"Yes Lorraine, and I've just read the email about the benefit too" Lauren stated, she hated the way Lorraine looked at herself and Lucy like they were beneath her.

"Will your partner be attending Lauren?" she asked taking Lauren off guard. Without thinking Lauren replied. "Yes he will be, myself and Joey will be there" she said before her brain caught up with what she just said.

"Lovely" Lorraine purred before turning on her designer heel and heading back to her office, her door slamming shut behind her.

"You didn't tell her you had a boyfriend" Lucy squealed, a little over excited at the possibility she and Lauren would be able to double date. She had always nagged at Lauren to get a boyfriend so they could all go out together.

"I like to keep it quiet you know" she smiled, before trying to focus on her work and what the hell she was going to do next.

Arriving home later that evening, Lauren held her mobile in her hand, the number for the strippers on the screen. She was highly considering ringing and asking for Joey, asking him if he would consider coming with her to his benefit weekend. It sounded crazy sure, but what option did she have? Turn up to the benefit without a date and be barked at by Lorraine, or bite the bullet and ask Joey to pretend to her boyfriend for two days.

Joey was surprised to hear from Lauren, in fact he hadn't stopped thinking about her since the hen party, she really had captivated him so hearing that she had been in contact gave him a new sense of hope. Calling her back instantly he couldn't help but feel giddy, then she answered her voice stirring something within him.

"Hi its Joey, I had a message from you" he sounded shy on the phone.

"Yes sorry for calling, oh its Lauren by the way, I erm, this sounds so stupid but I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend" she burst out laughing as the words left her mouth. Joey was practically smirking ear to ear hearing a rather nervous Lauren suggesting such a thing. But it wasn't too far fetched from what he was used to. He had done escort work before so it wasn't new, he was just surprised someone as beautiful as Lauren would need one.

"What am I needed for?" he asked once she had stopped laughing.

"Well I have a work weekend benefit and partners have to come, well I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend for the weekend, I'll pay your rate plus more and the place it is held at is a grand hotel with gym, swimming pool all you need to do with accompany me in the evenings to the drinks, how does that sound?" her voice not so nervous now.

"Sounds pretty amazing, I'm in, how about we meet up a few times so we can get the story straight before going?" Joey suggested listening for Lauren to respond.

"That would be great, thanks Joey, bye" and with that she put the phone down, feeling a little giddy at the fact Joey would be with her the whole weekend in the same hotel room. She was also a little scared, what had she got herself into, lying to her work colleagues and boss, spending a weekend with a stranger, a good looking stranger at that, or the fact since meeting Joey she hadn't managed to shake the feeling she got when she thought about him.

Lauren had met with Joey a few times before the weekend arrived. They had got on that a house on fire. Their personalities bounced off of one and other, like they had known each other for ages. To say they both were attracted to each other was an understatement, but nothing could happen between them, this was an agreement sealed with money, no feelings could get mixed into this no matter what the heart wanted..