Chapter 5 #5
I pull the sheet over me. “I did go to school you know. I even made it through sixth form college without peeing on the classroom floor and eating peas with my knife.”
“What?” He holds up a hand. “No, don’t even bother. I’m not pursuing that particular conversational detour.” I grin at him, and he stands still for a second, his hands on his narrow hips, his eyes curious. “So, you did your A-Levels, then?”
He immediately looks like he wants to wish the question back, and I repress a laugh. “I did.”
He’s too controlled to gape, but his mouth falls open for a second. “Then how—?” He stops himself with obvious difficulty.
I offer him a flirty smile. “How did a boy like me end up with a man like you fucking me and paying for the pleasure? That’s a long story, Mac. May I call you Mac?”
“No.”
“Well, Mac.” He rolls his eyes, and it makes me laugh. When I stop, he’s watching me, his eyes gleaming. “Maybe I had a premonition that in the future I’d need a qualification in maths to deal with all the moolah you’ve put in my account.”
“Did you mean that to sound rude?”
“I was going for flirty.”
“You managed it for a brief shining second before it turned seedy.”
“Thank you.”
He stares at me, his clever eyes busy, and then his phone sounds. He jerks, as if for a moment he’d forgotten where he was, and I feel a sense of triumph. He grabs his phone and glances at the screen. When he turns back, I deflate. He’s once more closed off.
“I have to go,” he says perfunctorily. He pulls on his jacket, shrugging his shoulders until the material settles, observing me as I sprawl on the bed.
I sit up as realisation dawns. “Oh, of course. I won’t be a second.”
“No.”
I pause my momentum. “Pardon?”
“Stay here if you want. Have a shower, order food, and have it put on the bill. That will be settled in the morning, so you can stay the night.”
His words are cool and calm with no trace of the amused, sardonic man I’d seen a glimpse of before. The sentiment is kind, but the tone is dismissive, and my spirit sinks in disappointment.
“Thank you,” I say awkwardly. “But I think I’ll be going.”
He blinks, and I wonder if I’ve broken one of Julian’s rules. I imagine Julian is very regal in his own dealings. It seems that men proffer allegiance to him, and he accepts that as his due rather than being silly like me.
“I suppose this is it, then,” I say, pushing my hair back and looking up at him.
He studies me, his eyes taking in every detail. He hesitates, and he seems to be struggling with something, but what do I know? I’ve only met him twice. I wait him out and he straightens, grabbing his bag.
“Would you be amenable to meeting me again?”
For a second, I think I imagined his words, and I stare at him until he shifts awkwardly.
“We could make this a weekly occasion and meet every Wednesday.” He names a figure, which I don’t even blink at now. At some point, these telephone-sized figures have become almost commonplace in my life.
I swallow hard. I didn’t expect this. Everything is moving at lightning speed.
What I did last night was to pay my tuition fees.
Today had been a way of paying some of the debts and shoring up my money in case Tyler makes another run at it.
Now I could earn this amount weekly, and he’s offering me a chance to get my entire finances sorted and help my brother at the same time.
I seem to be tumbling into prostitution very quickly.
I eye his handsome face and body. I’d do you for free , I think wistfully and dismiss the thought immediately.
“That would be great,” I say softly.
He relaxes, offering me a small smile that is a shadow of the ones he’d gifted me earlier. This one is polished and urbane—the businessman front and centre.
“Excellent. Let’s meet at the same time every Wednesday. I will text you the room number in the morning.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I eye him. “Are you sure you can’t stay?” I say impulsively. “We could order food and watch a film or something.” I know it’s a mistake as soon as the words leave my mouth, and I watch as he closes down.
“No, I don’t do that,” he says coldly. “I never stay.” He moves towards the door, opens it, and then pauses and turns back to me. His face is set, and my heart starts to hammer for some reason.
“I must insist that while we are doing this, you are not undertaking a similar arrangement with someone else.”
“What?” I shake my head. “Of course not. Jesus, you’re paying me a lot of money, Cormac. I’m yours while this goes on.”
The words seem to discompose him, because he frowns and then nods. “Until next week.”
The door closes behind him, and I eye it as though he’s going to suddenly appear again, even though he’s obviously not a man who ever backtracks or apologises.
I tap my finger against my lip absently while I examine my feelings. I just got paid again for sex. I cock my head. Fucking good sex, though.
I think about what my mum would say and shift awkwardly because she’d be absolutely horrified.
But the last thing she told Tyler and me was to look after each other.
He did his part, and now it’s my turn to step up.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m still furious with him and so hurt.
I don’t want to see him or even talk to him at the moment.
But despite all that, if he were to turn up now and ask me for money, I’d give him whatever he needed because he’s my brother and I love him.
And is it so bad what I’m doing? I actually like Cormac, and I’d have given him my arse totally for free if I’d met him in a club somewhere, so why should it matter if he’s paying me for it? We’re both okay with it, and I’m looking out for my brother.
My phone beeps, and I struggle out of the bed sheets to grab it.
The money is in your account.
For some reason that makes me want to smile. I tap on my phone. I have to say I’m very disappointed.
The silence after I send the text lasts for a few minutes. I smile because I can almost feel his aggravation and how much he’ll be fighting the urge to ask why.
The message alert sounds. Why?
That one word almost shouts displeasure, and I snort.
Because you didn’t put a kiss on your text.
He doesn’t reply, but it makes me laugh before I fall back into the tumbled sheets and reach for the room service menu. His reluctant texts have changed my mind. I will eat before I leave.