Page 20 of Unstitch

The whole jocular Brunch Daddy vibe he has going on is hot—more than hot—but it’s a persona. I know for sure that if he got a woman to himself, that smirk would vanish, and he’d be intense as fuck. It’s there, that energy, thrumming right below the surface. I can feel it, and most likely it’s the true source of my attraction to him.

Still, twenty grand for a dance feels indecent, even for a guy like that. Aggressive, somehow? The way he threw it out there was so cavalier, but that doesn’t mean I should treat it the same way. Paying out that kind of money for a dance may be normal behaviour for him, but accepting it definitely isn’t normal for me. I can’t make head nor tail of it, if I’m honest, even if I’ve spent half the night turning it over in my head.

Nor can I ask my sister for advice. I wouldn’t dare share such an indecent proposal with her, even if she wasn’t currently pootling around the Greek islands on her brand new husband’s yacht.

There’s only one person I can ask.

Maddy.

I message her before she’s even got into work to beg for a quick meeting.

I had an indecent proposal last night and I’m not sure what to do about it. Fancy talking some sense into me? x

Telling Maddy you need advice on a weird sexy-ish proposal is probably worse than waving a big red cloak in front of a starving bull. Judging by the capitals and exclamation marks in her flurry of replies, she could not be keener to meet. So I drag myself out of bed, shower, and put on my workout gear before taking the tube a few stops to Green Park, the nearest tube station to Alchemy.

Maddy meets me at Pret, where we brave the throng to grab a coffee and a granola pot each before escaping into the park. It’s a lovely morning, and London’s self-appointed “green” park is showing the signs of this heatwave we’re having. The trees are verdant but the lawns are getting scorched.

We give the scratchy grass a wide berth and sit down on a bench, because, even if I’m in Lululemon, she’s in a seriously cute and seriously high-maintenance pink and white dress with straps that tie on the shoulders with huge bows. She looks like a doll. A very innocent doll. I bet Zach goes crazy for it.

‘So, you can’t just drop a text bomb about an indecent proposal and leave me hanging,’ she complains, popping the lid on her granola pot. ‘Shoot, motherfucker.’

‘It’s from Max,’ I say with a pointed sideways look at her that’s meant to communicate need I say more?

She widens her eyes, spoon frozen in front of her mouth. ‘Max? God, he’s such a dirty bastard. I love it. Go on.’

‘He wants me to go to his place this evening. He’s offered me twenty grand to dance practically naked for him in private.’

Maddy’s a gratifying audience. She shoves her spoon straight back into her yoghurt and granola and sits up straight. ‘You are shitting me.’

‘Nope.’ I take the opportunity for a quick mouthful of compote and yoghurt. Yummy.

‘A “naked private dance”.’ She says it like we both know exactly what it’s an innuendo for.

‘Exactly.’

She smirks. ‘Fuck, that’s hot.’

I laugh. I wasn’t expecting that—more a how dare he? or a go for it. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You know.’ She narrows her eyes at me and flicks her perfectly blow-dried hair over her bare shoulder. ‘Like, he’s throwing his money around because he wants you so badly. It’s seriously fucking hot on so many levels.’

‘Yeah,’ I say, because it really is, and it makes me feel better that Maddy thinks so, too. ‘Doesn’t make it okay, though.’

She cocks her head as she considers. ‘Do you think he’s doing it because it’s the only way he’ll get you to agree? Or is it, like, a kinky power play? He’s doing it because he gets off on paying women to do that kind of thing. Because if you wouldn’t do it for free, then don’t feel you have to do it for the money. You’re not hard up, are you? But if you’re attracted to him, then seriously, babes, take it and run.’

I frown. ‘I dunno. A bit of both, maybe? I mean, I definitely find him majorly attractive. He’s such a…’

‘Daddy,’ Maddy finishes with a decisive nod. ‘Yep. Totally. And overtly filthy, you know what I mean?’

She’s not wrong there. ‘So the thought of dancing for him definitely doesn’t give me the ick.’ Quite the opposite. ‘The chemistry between us is crazy—I told you we danced at the wedding, right?’

‘Right,’ she says. ‘So why haven’t you two fucked yet?’

‘Something’s been holding me back,’ I admit. ‘It didn’t feel right to hook up in France—I wanted to be there for Gen. But I suppose I like the chase. He’s the kind of guy who’d be all over you till he got what he wanted, and then you’d never see him again.’

‘Totally.’ Maddy digs through her little pot to get to the compote at the bottom. ‘But that’s not a problem for you, is it?’

‘God, no. He and I are probably quite similar in that respect. I suppose I’m just holding him off because it’s fun, right? He’s a cocky shit, so it’s entertaining to be the thing he can’t have.’

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