Chapter 15
Three weeks had passed since the Jeff incident, and I had barely seen him at the office due to him ‘coincidentally’ booking more consultations at his private practice.
For the most part, we had been able to keep out of each other’s way, with the exception of the odd email here and there, which were always to the point, and professional.
As my manager, I suppose I had a duty to report what had happened to Kofi, but decided not to tell him after thinking about it for a while; I didn’t want to escalate it any further; the less people that knew about it, the better.
I just wanted to forget it ever happened.
It had also been three weeks since my cute ‘Theo: free chauffeur and Peckham Rodeo’ adventure.
After meeting up with his cousin for a drink, we decided to ditch the PeckhamPlex idea and he’d decided to take me to his flat in East London.
This was in fact A Big Deal. He was letting me into his world, little by little, and it was something I didn’t want to take for granted.
His flat was small, yet beautifully decorated. It followed a very earthy aesthetic, with loads of wood panelling, soft beige decor, candles and African artwork – he had a good eye for interiors, I’d give that to him.
His bedroom was simple, but classically decorated and incredibly tidy.
He had a poster of Pam Grier as Foxy Brown near his window (an iconic movie tbh), and several houseplants that trailed underneath the window, with photos of him as a child, as well as photos of his parents and grandparents decorating the window sill.
I picked up a photo of his mother – a gorgeous woman with a huge Afro, caramel complexion and the biggest, kindest eyes I’d ever seen.
His father was handsome and quite dapper – I could see where he got his looks and his dress sense from.
‘What do you think of my humble abode?’ Theo asked shyly, coming up behind me to wrap me in a hug. ‘It’s not much, but it’s comfortable for now.’
I turned in his arms, giving him a mischievous smile. ‘I love it. It’s cosy – like a man cave, but without the smelly socks vibe. And your stack of vinyls? Very impressive.’ I raised a brow. ‘Honestly, it almost feels too good, like you’re secretly trying to charm me.’
He smirked, tightening his hold just a little. ‘And is it working?’
‘Maybe,’ I teased, biting back a grin. ‘I’ll let you know after I see the bathroom.’
His bathroom was small and clean; and not a ‘10-in-1’ body wash to be seen in sight, thank God.
I decided to indulge my curiosity and peeked inside his bathroom drawers, expecting the usual; face creams, body lotions, maybe a few hair products. And sure enough, everything was premium; fancy, fancy, fancy.
I moved on to the second drawer and froze. There, neatly stacked, were at least fifty condoms. Next to them: boxes of Tampax in every size, a bottle of lubricant, edible body oil, and a packet of wet wipes. And tucked in the corner, almost innocently, was a diamond bracelet with the initials ‘C.T.’
I quietly shut the drawer, my stomach twisting in a way I couldn’t fully unpack.
I mean … OK, considering Theo’s line of work, at least the man was prepared and responsible.
Condoms? Check. Safety first and all that.
I reminded myself not to take it personally.
He slept with women for money; this wasn’t new information, and jealousy had no seat at the table here.
But the bracelet; that one prickled. Who was C.T.
, and why had he kept it? I considered confronting him in a light-hearted way, something teasing but not heavy – just enough to satisfy my curiosity without making a scene.
Was this ‘C.T.’ the same ‘C.T.’ those girls had asked him about on our first date?
My fingers itched to ask, but I had to be smart about it, knowing some answers were better revealed on Theo’s terms.
A couple of minutes later, Theo came to find me in the bathroom. I leaned against the doorframe, casual but with a teasing glint in my eye. ‘Hey! So … random question,’ I said, tilting my head, bracelet swinging around my index finger. ‘Who’s C.T.?’
He paused mid-step, raising an eyebrow. ‘C.T.?’
‘Yeah,’ I replied, tilting my head with mock curiosity. ‘I noticed a little diamond bracelet tucked away in your drawer. You’ve got me curious! Is it a secret admirer, a keepsake … or should I start interrogating you?’
Theo froze for a millisecond, and then laughed low and warm, the kind of laugh that made my chest do that little fluttery thing. It was disarming. ‘Oh. Err, I can’t remember – maybe something a previous client accidentally left here, I think. Don’t worry about it.’
Hmm.
I smirked, hiding the little flutter his laugh caused in my chest, even though I was suspicious of his secrecy. ‘Mmm … OK, Mr Secret-Keeper. I’ll let it slide … for now. But don’t think you’re getting away with hiding all your treasures from me.’
He chuckled, leaning closer with a playful grin, before taking the bracelet from my hand and practically throwing it back into the drawer, then slamming it shut with such force that it made me slightly jump.
‘Noted. I’ll make sure you get full VIP access eventually – you are one of my top clients, after all.’
He then took me into an embrace where we kissed passionately, his hands slowly reaching down my back, and landing on the top of my butt.
He knew which buttons to push to make me think about nothing else but him, and it worked.
He then walked me to his bedroom, where we spent the day wrapped up in each other.
Making love, sharing food, and drifting through his vinyl collection in the living room like it was our own little world.
The last two weekends had followed the same rhythm, split between our homes, and honestly? It was fun. No labels, no pressure, and – most importantly – no monetary transactions.
Last week, Theo had even invited me to a work event as his plus one – a move I considered a major step in our …
whatever-this-was. Even though the evening was informal, the invitation itself made my heart skip: he was starting to see me as more than a transaction, more than just a temporary distraction.
I arrived at the sleek Liverpool Street building feeling every inch the showstopper. I’d finally broken out my red, sequined Eloquii bodycon dress – the one I’d been saving for the ‘perfect’ moment – and paired it with low-heeled black strappy sandals from Simply Be. I felt like an absolute vision.
And, unsurprisingly, Theo thought so too.
I could feel his eyes on me the moment I stepped inside, an intensity in his gaze that made my pulse quicken.
He didn’t take his eyes off me all evening, and I couldn’t deny it: I loved every second of being the centre of his attention.
It was interesting to have the roles reversed in that instance, where I was the one escorting him; he needed me.
And despite a few misunderstandings during the evening (everyone seemed to think I was his girlfriend, which I didn’t deny!), we had an amazing time.
Of course, that didn’t stop the chaos. Within minutes, I’d made the first fatal social error: approaching a cluster of his colleagues with a smile far too wide and a cocktail in hand.
‘You’re Theo’s girlfriend?’ someone asked, wide-eyed.
I hesitated for a millisecond too long before shrugging and replying, ‘I suppose I am tonight!’ Theo turned about fifty shades of red – rare, for his complexion – and just sighed, shaking his head at me.
By the end of the night, I had somehow:
Been declared his ‘girlfriend’ by literally everyone at the party
Knocked over at least three trays of food
Spilled a drink on the CEO’s jacket (sorry, Mr CEO)
Almost started a minor civil war between the wine and canapé stations
Through it all, Theo remained by my side, half mortified, half amused, shaking his head as if he’d been cursed to witness my brand of charm in full effect. And despite the chaos, or maybe because of it, we had the most fun I’d had in ages.
After the eighth time we slept together, I joked that he could start putting everything on my tab.
He just smiled and said everything from that first Sunday up until now was on the house.
Shit, I wasn’t going to complain; no siree!
The monetary transactional arrangement had now turned into a somewhat casual arrangement, and I was just fine with that.
The days were slowly stretching out again, and with the extra light came little pockets of time where Theo and I would meet after work – usually for a drink, followed by a cheeky fumble back at mine before he headed home.
With every encounter, I felt my confidence building, especially in bed.
Something was shifting. I was beginning to explore a more dominant side of myself, a version I’d never even thought to tap into before.
And honestly? I liked her. Theo did too, which made things even hotter.
I’d even popped into Ann Summers and treated myself to a couple of sexy lingerie pieces, plus a few toys, you know, for solo missions and joint operations.
I was turning into a whole new woman: sexually enlightened, freshly stocked, and feeling myself in more ways than one.
Who knew all it would take was paying someone once to unlock my inner sex goddess? Honestly, money well spent.
In that time, Sade and Kofi had quietly become exclusive, much to my absolute joy. They had been seeing each other nearly every day, as well as spending time at each other’s homes constantly. They had even planned their first couples trip to Turkey in a few months’ time.
‘Sis, I know it probably sounds like we’re moving a bit fast, but it just feels right, you know? And when you know, you know!’ Sade said one day across a bowl of shared Ceviche at our local Peruvian restaurant in Stockwell.