I’m seeing him tonight, and oh, it’s all going so well.
I think back to the emails he sent me, and I go through the list of his qualities in my mind.
I don’t have a YouPorn profile. What does that even mean?
“What does YouPorn mean?” I ask Sarah and Paul. They look up from their task.
“What do you mean?” Sarah asks.
“I heard someone say the other day that they don’t have a YouPorn profile. What does that mean?”
“Oh.” They exchange looks and both laugh.
“You know… YouPorn?” Paul says.
“Nope.” I shrug. “Should I know what that is?”
“They should teach this shit at school. This is vital information,” Sarah says. “YouPorn is a platform like YouTube, but people upload sex videos to it.”
“Honesty, I wouldn’t even know how to fuck if it hadn’t been for this when I was a teenager.” Paul laughs.
“Me too.” Sarah nods enthusiastically. “I remember I used to practice the blow job tutorials.”
Paul laughs. “I remember I used to watch the guys fingering the girls to see what I was supposed to be doing down there. I had no fucking idea.”
“Did you practice?” Sarah smiles.
“Yep, on a watermelon.”
We all burst out laughing.
“You need to get on it and watch it, Lottie.” Sarah smiles. “See what we’re all missing out on. There are some seriously hot dudes on there who make the rest of the male population look very lame indeed.”
“Oh, yeah, because all you women let us blow on your faces.” Paul tuts. “Men are more depressed by that site than women are, let me tell you.”
“Yes.” Sarah gasps. “What the fuck is with that? Nobody is blowing on my freshly straightened hair while I kneel with my mouth open.” She shakes her head in disgust. “Honestly, as if women do that in real life.”
I giggle, pretending to know what they are on about. Shit, I really need to study this YouPorn thing tonight.
“Delivery for Lottie Preston,” a voice calls out.
I turn to see one of the security team from the foyer walking through with the biggest bunch of red roses I have ever seen.
“Holy shit!” Sarah cries.
My eyes widen and the man walks over to me. “You Lottie?” he asks.
I nod.
He passes me the huge bouquet, and I turn bright red.
“Oh my God!” Sarah cries. “Look at the size of the heads on those roses.”
I inhale their scent—a deep and beautiful perfume—and I open the card.
Lottie,
Thanks for an amazing weekend
I can’t wipe the smile from my face.
Dolce.
10
I hold the card to my chest as happiness literally beams out of me. It was an amazing weekend and I can’t wipe the smile off my face either.
Oh, and he signed it Dolce….so sweet that he remembered our stupid game.
“Who the hell are they from?” Sarah gasps as she touches the petals. “Look at the size of the flower heads. And look at the crystal vase they are in.”
“Those will have cost a pretty penny. The fucking vase alone.”
I swing on my chair in glee.
“I got back with my ex-boyfriend,” I lie. I’ll just go along with Spencer’s story. It seemed to work okay.
Sarah nods in approval. “He knows his shit, that’s for sure.”
I place them on my desk and I read the card again.
“I’m just going to call him quickly, is that okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, sure thing, go for it,” Sarah says, and the two of them turn back to their work.
I dial his number, smiling as it rings.
“Hello.”
I walk out of earshot from my colleagues.
“Hi,” I breathe. I can hardly contain my excitement. “I just got a delivery of the most beautiful red roses I have ever seen in my life.”
“You did, huh?”
“Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“I should be thanking you. I had an amazing weekend.”
“Me too.” I’m practically beaming.
We both wait for the other to say something.
“What time are you coming over tonight?” I finally ask.
“I’ll come over and cook you dinner.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’m a great cook.”
“You’re great at a lot of things.”
He chuckles, and I imagine him swinging on his chair in his office.
“How will you get in?” I ask, aware that the guards are going to be an issue, as always.
“I’ll park in the basement and catch the lift straight up.”
I bite my lip as I think. “Okay. About seven-thirty. That way they know I’m in bed for the night.”
He grunts, unimpressed. “Okay.”
“Do I need to get anything? Any ingredients?” I ask.
“Just be waiting for me in something sexy.”
“Okay, I can do that.” I blush.
“Goodbye, angel. Have a nice day.”
My heart bursts when he calls me angel.
“You too. Bye.” I hang up and go back to work, and I have to concentrate really hard to not jump on the desk and punch the air.
This is a good day.
The best.
*
“Just down here,” I say to Wyatt and Anthony. I power walk across the street as the lights change.
“Where are we going?” Wyatt asks. I’m on my lunchbreak and I’m on a mission.
“Victoria’s Secret,” I say casually, as if I say that to them every day.
Wyatt frowns at Anthony but quickly recovers.
I march down the street and they try to keep up with me. I know this looks suspicious. I’m going to buy lingerie on my lunchbreak, making it seem like I have a date.
Well, too bad, because I do.
I walk inside the store and the two men come in and look around to check the surroundings.
“You can wait outside for me, if you like.” I smile awkwardly. I don’t want them to see what I buy.
“Okay, sure thing.” They head off outside and wait near the front doors for me.
I exhale heavily as I look around. Right, what do I want?
Something sexy.
There are rows upon rows of skimpy satin and silk bras, as well as panties. I take a black bra and thong set and keep walking. I keep going until I get to the corsets. I grab an ice-pink lace-up corset and matching thong. I keep walking until I get to the nightdresses, and I smile. This is more me.
I spot a cream babydoll nightdress that is completely see through with a fuchsia-coloured satin ribbon weaved through the lace under the bodice. A delicate flower pattern is entwined into the lace. It’s beautiful. The lace bottoms are the same fuchsia colour with pretty cream bows.
This is it. I grab my size and head to the counter. I look at my watch and realise I’ve been here for all of twelve minutes.
Don’t mess with me when I’m trying to be sexy. I’m a woman on a mission.
*
I walk through the foyer of the Four Seasons with Wyatt carrying the biggest bunch of flowers in history—vase and all.
“Where did you get these?” Anthony asks.
I fake a smile. “A secret admirer from work. Someone on level four, apparently.”
Wyatt frowns from behind the flowers. “Who?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m hoping it’s the guy from accounts.”
Anthony smirks and I smile cheekily. I’m going to throw them off the Spencer scent.
We get into the lift, and I have to concentrate on keeping a straight face. Every day it’s the same routine. We come back here, they check my apartment and check the fire stair doors are still locked from the outside, and then after they are satisfied that it is safe, I’m left alone.
We arrive at my floor and Anthony walks inside first as Wyatt and I stay outside. Then Wyatt goes in while I wait for them to give me the all clear.
I listen to them walking through the apartment. It’s never really occurred to me before now how bizarre this actually is.
“You can come in!” Wyatt calls. I walk in to find my roses have been carefully placed in the centre of the dining table.
“Thank you.” I walk in and throw my handbag on the foyer table. I kick off my shoes, turn the television on, and I walk through to the kitchen to boil the kettle.
I listen as Anthony walks around upstairs and Wyatt does his balcony checks. Eventually, they both come down to the kitchen to find me.
“Are you going out again tonight?” Anthony asks.
“No. I’m having room service and going to bed early,” I lie. “I won’t be needing you again this evening.”