His bedroom was simple, but classically decorated and incredibly tidy. He had a poster of Pam Grier as Foxy Brownnear 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’sline 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, whereIwas the one escortinghim; he neededme. And despite a few misunderstandings duringthe 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.
