sharpens, "Why are you hiding? Did the intruder hurt you—"
"I’m fine," I mumble.
Why’d I have to go and blurt that out to her? Maybe I needed someone to empathize with me, huh? Not that Weston hadn’t. He had taken care of me, even if it was grudgingly… Still, I needed to hear a familiar voice, someone unthreatening with whom I don’t need to pretend.
"Then why are you still whispering?" Her voice sharpens, "Is the intruder still there?"
"No, no. I think Wes scared him off."
"Weston?"
"Yeah."
"He’s there with you?"
I draw in a breath. "I walked in on him, completely naked, as he was wrapping up his hot tub session."
Silence, then she chuckles, "You found him naked?"
"Yeah."
"In the hot tub?"
"He’d just been in…yeah, and he didn’t have a stitch of clothing on and he had a cigar."
"Hot damn." She laughs, "Talk about phallic symbols, hmm?"
That’s true. He’d been all but sending me subconscious signals… Okay, seeing his massive dick upfront? Not that subtle…but you have to give the man full marks for making an impression.
"That’s not all," I add.
"You mean there’s something to top off that picture?" She chuckles.
I frown, "Wipe that image from your mind, please."
Silence again. "Did you just ask me to refrain from imagining the hot doctor naked?"
"Yeah." Shit, I know how that sounds... But I really don’t want her going there… Nowhere near that very male, very gorgeous naked ass…or dick, of said doctor…because…well I am...
"Are you jealous?"
Of course, I am. "No, no, nothing like that…" I bite my lips.
"It’s fine; I understand." I can hear the grin in her voice.
"Nothing to understand."
"You’re holed up with him over the festive season, huh? Planning a hot and dirty week, eh?"
"No, no," I hasten to clarify, "nothing like that."
"Oh?" Her voice is credulous.
"No, seriously, uh... He wants me to meet his family over Christmas."
The silence stretches this time. A beat, another.
"Family? Christmas?" Her voice sounds strangled. "Isn’t that uh, premature?"
"It’s part of the deal."
"The deal…? What deal? Amelie, what the hell is happening there?"
The phone vibrates again; I glance at the screen. She’s asking for access to my video again. I huff out a breath, then agree.
Isla’s face fills the screen. Her eyes are wide, concern writ across her features.
"Finally," she huffs. "The hell have you gotten yourself into?"
"Me?" I frown, "Why are you yelling at me, when it’s that alphahole’s fault that I am here in this bath tub?"
"Where is the doctor?"
"He’s shutting down the house for the night."
She raises an eyebrow.
"What?"
She makes the motion of zipping her lips, "Nothing."
I scowl, "Out with it, bitch."
"It sounds like you two are playing house up there."
"Yeah, and Max is our child," I say, only half-joking.
"Sinclair and Summer’s puppy?"
"Yeah, Weston’s dog-sitting."
"He can’t be that much of an asshole if he’s dog sitting."
"He knows how to fool people, huh?" I mutter.
She peers up at me through the screen. "The deal," she prompts. "What’s that all about?"
"He’s paying me a million pounds a day for my time."
"A million?" she splutters. "You sure?"
"Yeah, we shook on it."
"Hmph." She purses her lips, "He’s filthy rich. No doubt, he can afford it." Her forehead furrows, "And what does he want from you in return?"
"Uh, I’m going to have to housekeep for him, until we leave here."
She bursts out laughing. "You? Housekeeping?” Isla has been to my place.
“Shut up,” I say, before giggling along with her.
She snickers, "So, what does that mean? Housekeeping." She emphasizes the word, as if it has a hidden meaning.
My cheeks heat. "Well, uh..." I shift my body. Why can’t I get comfortable? "It means I have to do everything he wants."
"Ooh," she perks up, "you mean kinky games?"
"Sort of…" I look up at the ceiling before continuing, "except, I’m not supposed to sleep with him."
"Excuse me?"
I hurry to explain. "As long as I don’t have sex with him, I get the money."
She blinks rapidly. "That..." she frowns, "that makes no sense."
"Right?" Glad I’m not the only one who thinks so.
"I mean, shagging him would be almost as good as getting the money in your account.”
I squeeze the bridge of my nose, "This entire thing is gonna go tits-up on me."
"So, he’ll come through with the money. You’re confident of that, right?"
"Right."
"And all you have to do is get through the next few days... Break bread with his fam..."
"Yeah," I nod.
"So, what’s the problem?"
I stare at her.
"Oh." She tilts her head, "OHHHHH."
I turn down my lips, "Now you see?"
"You want to ride him horizontally?"
"Don’t be crude." I laugh.
"You want to fuck him, get it on