“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 professionalopinion, 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.
