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With much trepidation, I handed over my phone. It would only be for two or three days, tops. I could live without it for thatlong. In fact, I could probably do with a digital detox, and I could always fill Remi in on my newfound womanhood when back on dry mainland.
I followed the man through the cavernous entrance hall. Darkness intensified as we entered the mouth of a corridor and followed the pale flicker of sconces along both walls. Our footsteps echoed dully as we went. Eventually, we came to an archway that reached from the floor to the high ceiling. Beyond it was a winding staircase that curled upwards. I had to tip my head back slightly to take in the narrowness of the space we stood in. It reached up hundreds of metres but couldn’t have been more than ten feet in diameter. Doors punctuated every floor, each one getting darker and smaller the further up they went.
“Where are we?” My voice was breathy as we started up the loudly creaking staircase.
“The North Tower, miss. Where you’ll be staying.”
I swallowed, almost choking on my dry throat. The damp air clung to my shivering skin and the darkness shrouded any confidence I’d mustered up to that point. Now, I was, quite frankly, shitting myself. What the hell had I been thinking? I was standing in some eerie castle that was barely on a map, preparing to meet a reclusive rich man who wanted to take the virginity of a woman he didn’t know. Who else knew that was the reason I was there? Did the driver? The helicopter pilot? The guy showing me to my room? Sorry,rooms.
My cheeks heated and I focused intently on putting one foot on one step, the other foot on the next. By the time we reached halfway I was already out of breath and thankful my bags were going to find their own way to their destination.
“Not far now,” the man said, his eyes flashing at the sound of my ragged breaths.
I gripped the curling banister for extra ammunition, then the man stopped abruptly and fed a key into a door to the side of the staircase.
“After you.” He held the door open and I stepped past him into a room that couldn’t have been more starkly different to anything else I’d seen so far. Light streamed in from enormous leaded windows, silver damask wallpaper reflected the sun and the light from the imposing chandelier. An intricately carved wooden desk sat to the right, while a black velvet sofa stretched across to the left. My feet sank into thick, cosy carpet and the scents of red, pink and stone roses collided from where they overflowed from the giant vases positioned in every corner.
My heart stopped beating for a few seconds longer than I’d have liked but I couldn’t blame it. The room was breath-taking.
I twisted slowly, open-mouthed, to face the doorman, only to see the handle turn as he closed the door leaving me alone. Alone and confused.
What now? I was in heaven but for how long? And where was the man who’d paid for me?
I heard a throaty cough and jumped half out of my skin. The sound drew my gaze to a doorway at the far side of the room. My feet felt suddenly heavy as I debated whether to attempt to move them or not. My heartbeat rattled in my ears, slowly obliterating all other sound.
“Come in here, Rose.”
I sucked in a breath before forcing it out slowly. The voice, while commanding, sounded young. Maybe mid-twenties. Not what I’d expected at all. Why would a young guy with a deep, measured, confident voice need to pay someone for sex?
“Today, if you don’t mind.”
Despite the cool edge to his words, the tone wasn’t frosty, and it subdued my nerves enough to allow me to move my feet. The closer I got to the doorway, the harder my heart pounded.I almost tiptoed over the threshold and stared into the sun-drenched room. I rubbed my eyes and squinted through the blinding rays that crossed my path.
With my feet planted firmly into more soft carpet, I focused on the silhouette seated on the edge of an enormous bed. He might have been young but I could tell from his outline he was well-built. He held himself confidently, his feet parted on the floor, his hands resting across his thighs as he looked straight ahead out of the window.
I swallowed a ball of disbelief as more details emerged through the haze. His profile was beautiful. A smooth brow tapered to a strong nose, full lips and square jaw. The shadow-black hair was short, thick and yearning to curl. I couldn’t peel my gaze away.
“I trust the flight was satisfactory.”
I cleared my throat. “It was, um… fine. Great. I’ve, um, I’ve never been in a helicopter before.”
I winced as the last sentence tumbled out of my stupid mouth. I sounded naïve and inexperienced. Though, I supposed that’s what he was paying for. My heart rattled again, reminding me why I was there. This man was going to take my virginity. I ran my gaze over his solid body again and gulped. There were undoubtedly worse ways to go.
“Did you read the contract?”
My eyes were drawn to an object he was turning over slowly in his hand as he continued to stare out of the window.
“Yes,” I replied, uneasily.
“Your payment has been transferred to a neutral depository and it will be released into your personal bank account on delivery of the service.”
I bristled at the mechanical, prescriptive way he was talking about one of the most meaningful things I could ever give to a person. Sure, I was devaluing myself by allowing someone to buyit from me, but it was still a precious thing, and I only had one virginity to give.
“Yes,” I repeated, my voice weakened by the thought.
“There is one condition.” The object kept turning, flashing light around the walls each time it caught the sun.
“A condition?” My heart raced with both trepidation and annoyance. There’d been no conditions stated in the contract.
