Page 35 of Viral Affair

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. It must have been horrible,” she said.

I nodded, then dragged my hand through my hair.

“It’s the past that left me with some scars in my adult life. I get regular checkups every six months and I have a private doctor. I have some OCD tendencies that I believe are linked to my childhood.” I wanted to move past that. “I always crave control, and I fucking freak out if I’m not. Maybe that’s why all my previous relationship failed.”

“Hence the fact that you never let any woman sleep in your bed?” Veronica asked, sounding concerned and compassionate. “I would have been happy spending a night in one of the other rooms.”

“I panicked when I brought you home. You were so ill. I called my doctor, but he was in France. He managed to calm me down a little.” I’d felt completely powerless while she’d lain in my bed, weak and pale. “Eat, otherwise the soup is going to get cold.”

“Shit, I really need to call Laura. I texted her saying that I wasn’t feeling well on Friday and then this morning again, but she’s probably freaking out.” Veronica tried to get up.

“No, eat first,” I urged, stopping. “I talked to Spencer earlier on, and I think he let her know you were all right.”

Veronica nodded and continued to eat. I grabbed several dumplings and put them on my plate, then sat down in front of her. For a while, we both enjoyed our food.

“These dumplings look delicious. You know that Laura is Polish. She was born there, and then was adopted by this couple from London,” Veronica said.

“My housekeeper is Polish, and the dumplings are her mother’s recipe,” I said. “Listen, I have to apologise. I may have freaked out your roommate a bit, but she’s a feisty one. She kicked me in the balls.”

Veronica laughed.

“Yeah, she told me about that but don’t worry, I now kind of understand you a little better. The fact that Laura works for your brother has freaked me out slightly. I can imagine what you must have felt,” she added, stealing one dumpling off my plate and biting into it. “Oh my word, these are delicious.”

“You’re trouble.” I knew that if this were someone else, I would have already lost it. I hated when other people touched my food.

“Rupert, I’m really sorry about your childhood. It must have been hard for you, but I think you should let it go. You’re young and healthy. You need to let your hair down for once,” she said.

I wiped my mouth and stared at her beautiful face, only just noticing that she had makeup on. She must have had some in her handbag. It seemed that Veronica didn’t like letting her hair down, either.

“I’m trying, sunshine, but it’s not always so easy,” I murmured. I wouldn’t bring up the club and ruin the moment. “So tell me about your past relationships? Did you have anyone special in your life?”

“I haven’t been in many relationships. There was one when I was at Uni, and this guy was totally obsessed with me. We went out for two years and then broke up because he became too much,” she explained. “There’s nothing to talk about. Better to tell me about your summer plans?”

“Spencer and Maja go to Sicily every year since we still have family there, and I was planning to accompany them,” I told her.

The school holidays were starting in a few weeks, and I often took time off work in August, although the weather on the Island was unbearable at times.

Veronica’s face brightened.

“No way. I’m planning another trip to Europe, mainly Italy with a few girls. Nothing is set in stone, but that’s another spooky coincidence." She winked at me. “Anyway, I think we should go for a date, Rupert. Obviously that sexual tension between us is not going away, and I really want to see that pierced cock in action.”

I was taking a sip of water and nearly fucking choked. Veronica was a devil. I could already see that mad gleam in her eyes as she laughed.

“Maybe. I do want to fuck you again, but the club is a dealbreaker for me, sunshine. You quit and then we date.”

Chapter Nineteen

Veronica

I didn’t stay long after we had that awkward conversation. He’d insisted on his driver taking me back to my apartment in Camden, so in the end I’d agreed. I’d told him I was going to think about quitting the club, but deep down, I knew I wasn’t financially ready to commit to something like that. I couldn’t take any money from Rupert, and I knew he would offer it to me, but this wasn’t something I was comfortable doing. The money I was earning in the club was great, so this was a very difficult decision that I couldn’t simply make on a whim.

Still, Rupert was a fantastic guy—obviously jaded, but at the same time I felt he was right for me. This whole thing was too complicated, and I was terrified of this relationship. Doubts slipped in. What if we started dating and it didn’t work out? I had a lot to consider.

After I got back, I needed a bit more time to recover, so I stayed home until Wednesday. Laura was thinking about joining Spencer and Maja on their yearly holidays in Sicily. No doubt a huge step for her, and it was obvious why she was reluctant as we’d talked about it. Things between her and her handsome boss were still undecided. He’d been clear with her that he didn’t want a relationship, and she didn’t want to ruin the family dynamic. It seemed we both couldn’t move forward.

On Tuesday evening, I had a mysterious call from someone who claimed to be an assistant of this huge Russian beauty brand, Cashmere. Apparently, their CEO, Katharina, was looking for a new brand ambassador. The call came completely out of the blue, then Yuri—her assistant—asked me to apply for the position, so I’d spent most of that evening researching them.

Later that evening, I looked at their page and the ad for brand ambassador. I nearly fell off my chair because they were offering a six-figure deal. This was completely wild and obviously a dream come true, although the list of requirements was long and tedious. I didn’t think I stood a chance, but I submitted the application anyway that same evening.

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