Sunshine Cuddle Services
. . .
Cade
I’d thought the unicorn might’ve been sent here to kill me, but it seemed she’d come to deal irreparable damage to my reputation instead.
That might be worse.
I dragged my eyes off the elevator to look down at the unicorn.
Ellie’s lips parted as she stared at the closed doors, and a lightbulb went on behind her eyes. “Hold on. Does that mean Steve’s is a real company? I thought it was a cover you created for our appointment.”
Taking a deep breath for patience, I let go of her arm. “Why would I make up a cover? I didn’t know you were coming.”
Her brow pinched, and she absently rubbed her arm. “But if you didn’t hire me, then who did?”
“I wouldn’t know,” I said through a clenched jaw. “You said you were booked through an app?”
“Sunshine Cuddle Services,” she rattled off with a nod. “It’s the highest-rated professional cuddling app on the market.”
With a name like that, it was a surprise they were taken seriously at all.
I held out my hand, palm up. “Show me the booking.”
She carefully fished a phone out of her duffle bag, and my eye twitched at the glittery light blue case with cat paw charms hanging from it.
The lock screen featured a close-up of a cat wearing a yellow hat and the grumpiest face I’d ever seen.
Ellie opened an app before handing over the phone.
“See? Cade Westbrook. There’s your address, as well as the date and time for us to meet. ”
I scrolled through the appointment, spotting my name and building next to the time.
No phone number was listed, but there was an area to send direct messages.
Ellie had sent a couple dozen asking to be let into the building, with the amount of exclamation marks used growing with each message. They’d all gone unanswered.
There was also a short paragraph with my supposed preferences—including the nickname Cuddle Muffin and that I was “obsessed with all things unicorn.”
Kill me now.
Who could I possibly have pissed off enough to warrant this?
“Is there a problem?” Ellie asked, leaning closer to see the screen.
“Yes, there is.” I handed her phone back so I wouldn’t do something stupid like throw it at the wall. “That’s my information, but I didn’t hire you. Can you track the IP address of whoever created this profile?”
She blinked twice. “The what?”
“Never mind.” Even if she knew what it was, I doubted she had access. “What about their billing information? Can you see how they paid for it?”
“Well… The app only shows me your profile and preferences, but I can ask my boss. He’s supposed to have a verification system in place to keep us safe, though it must’ve failed today.” She frowned. “Why would someone book a session for you and not tell you?”
I’d been asking myself the same thing. “Could be a prank.”
She tilted her head, a furrow between her brows. “You think someone would send a cuddler as a prank?”
I liked that better than the other options.
“Or it’s a competitor looking to get a story about me in the paper,” I said. “You were most likely photographed outside my building.”
I was just grateful she’d waited to get inside before changing into the unicorn outfit.
Ellie gave a soft hum and tapped her chin.
“Huh. Well, this is new. I’ve never been hired as a joke before.
Most men who use our service are very discreet, though my friend got hired by a guy for his brother’s birthday one time.
They thought she was a stripper. But she got two slices of birthday cake out of the deal, and I was so jealous. ”
I doubted an appropriate response to that story existed, so I ignored it. “I’ll get my security team on it, and they’ll track down who’s responsible.”
“Good. That’s good. So… do you still want to cuddle, anyway?” she asked brightly, checking a cat-shaped blue watch on her slim wrist. “I’m afraid we have a strict cancellation policy that requires twenty-four hours’ notice, so whoever paid for the service won’t get their money back.”
“Stop calling it a service,” I said, rubbing my jaw. “I don’t care if they’re reimbursed or not. That’s not my problem. It’d be better if you just left.”
Ellie softly cleared her throat. “Can I be straight with you, Mr. Westbrook?”
“Nothing’s stopped you so far.”
I checked the elevator’s progress; it’d made it back down to the lobby. I stabbed the call button.
“That’s fair.” Ellie lifted her chin and tightened her grip on the duffle bag strap, seeming to steel herself. “In my professional opinion, you seem like you could use a good cuddle. Plus, I’m already paid for. Why not let me try to help?”
I stared down at her. “I’ll pass.”
“No one will know it happened, if that’s what you’re worried about. I had to sign an NDA before starting work on the app, so your secrets are safe with me,” she promised, before quickly adding, “Not that hiring a cuddler is anything to be ashamed of.”
“I don’t cuddle.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Well, you don’t have to. I’ll do all the cuddling. Do you like to be held?”
I shook my head at the bizarre turn this had taken. “What kind of question is that?”
“An important one,” she answered with a straight face. “Some people like to do the holding, while others prefer being held. It’s the big spoon, little spoon conundrum.”
I could only stare. “I’d rather you not touch me at all.”
“Oh. Okay.” She glanced around the foyer. “I can just lie beside you, then. That still has plenty of benefits for reducing stress and improving sleep quality. It’ll be the best nap you’ve ever had, trust me.”
She was the last person I planned to trust with anything. “I don’t let strange women into my bed.”
Ellie just gave a sunny smile, unbothered. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m a professional and not strange at all, then.”
There was something seriously wrong with this girl. She wore unicorn costumes and had barely stopped smiling since I pinned her to the bed. And now she insisted on seeing this through because it was already paid for. She must have some sort of severely misplaced gig worker honor.
“Would it help if you saw my certification?” She patted her duffle. “I have it in my bag.”
I blinked. “There’s a certification for cuddling?”
She paused before wincing. “Now that you mention it, I’m pretty sure my boss just printed it out himself, but it has a really official-looking gold sticker.”
She had a sticker.
Awesome.
When I didn’t say anything, she leaned forward to add, “And it’s laminated.”
I took a deep, calming breath and let it out just as the doors opened to an empty elevator.
Perfect timing.
“You just got a free payday,” I reminded her, looking pointedly inside the elevator, “and now you’re free to go.”
I held out an arm to keep the doors open for her. But instead of shuffling into the elevator like a normal person who’d been dismissed, Ellie leaned back and crossed her arms. Her gaze flicked over me, and I got the impression she was sizing me up.
“I’ve been in this business for a while now, Mr. Westbrook, and I know a grouch when I see one. The cuddler in me can’t just stand by and do nothing.”
I barely suppressed a scoff. “You want to change me? How cliché—”
“No, not change you. Just help you relax a little.” Her little shrug was almost as annoying as the constant smiling. “It’s no different than a massage or a yoga class, which are also perfectly legal practices. … But if you’re too scared to try something new, then I won’t push you.”
I cocked a brow, lips flirting with a smirk. “Now the reverse psychology? Baby, I’m not scared.”
Her mouth curved innocently, but I swore a challenge flashed in her blue eyes. “Then prove it.”
My smirk dropped.
I didn’t need to prove anything. This girl was trespassing on my property, and her little challenge would be forgotten as soon as I threw her out.
But that nagging voice inside me—the one that needed to win—refused to shut up.
And I was so, so tired. Maybe I wasn’t completely thinking straight.
I dropped my arm. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but get your ass back in that bed.”
Ellie beamed—even clapping her hands before turning to the hallway. “You won’t regret this, Mr. Westbrook!”
“Cade,” I said through clenched teeth. “If we’re doing this, then call me Cade.”
“You got it, Cade,” she echoed, marching forward. “Now, let’s go cuddle.”
She headed back toward my bedroom with a skip in her step and her fluffy rainbow tail swinging behind her.
I trailed after her, considerably less enthusiastic, questioning every life choice that’d led to this moment.
I was going to bed with a unicorn.
To cuddle.
… What the hell was wrong with me?