Page 36 of Viral Affair

On Thursday night, I waited for my client outside the club. The usual text message had come later than usual, and for a moment I thought that maybe someone had made a mistake, but Aurora, one of the admin girls, confirmed that this was a last-minute booking. Coincidently, I happened to be in the club, so several minutes later I jumped straight into a black Mercedes as the car pulled up outside. I had no idea who the client was. Aurora had mentioned his name was James and he was pretty. Apparently, he needed me for some kind of function tonight, and since I hadn’t worked in a while, I’d agreed instantly. The driver didn’t say anything else to me apart from the usual pleasantries.

We arrived in an underground car park, and when the car stopped, the driver turned around and told me to head straight to the sixth floor. This was all very cryptic, and I wasn’t sure if I felt totally comfortable with it, but I knew how well both Matthews and Rupert vetted their clients. By the time I knocked on the door of apartment number thirty-two, my heart beat frantically. My gut feeling told me that maybe I should leave, but finally the door opened and for a second I thought this was a joke.

“Hello, Veronica, it’s been a long time,” said a familiar voice attached to a very familiar face.

I instantly recognised why I’d felt uneasy earlier on. Right in front of me stood my ex-boyfriend, Vincent. We hadn’t seen each other for years, and I had no idea why he was even here.

“Vincent? What the hell is going on? What are you doing here?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest. I hated surprises like that.

“Why don’t you come in so we can catch up and I can explain everything?” Vincent suggested with his trademark arrogant smirk.

A cold shiver crawled over my spine.

“No, thank you. I’m here to meet with a Mr. James Crawford, and clearly, you’re not him,” I said, not moving an inch.

Vincent and I had split up a few years ago after I’d told him I didn’t love him and it was time for us to go our separate ways. He hadn't taken it well, though. He’d kept following me to the point that I had to go to the police. He eventually got the message, but I wasn’t in the best place mentally back then. Vincent was the man who’d nearly ruined me financially, and I didn’t want to think about all of that now. He was part of my jaded past.

“I’m Mr. Crawford. Anyway, that’s the name I currently go by. Seriously, Veronica, I just want to talk. You can text your boss now and let him know what is going on, but I think we are both aware you don’t really want anyone to know about your past relationship with me.”

I clenched my fists. He was right. I didn’t want anyone to know I used to fuck him. Vincent was a very smart guy who’d impressed me with his stamina and brightness. He always knew how to make money and was a great businessman until he wasn’t. I’d fallen for him quickly. I was younger back then and much more naïve, so he’d quickly taken control of my life. He’d manipulated me into doing things I didn’t want to do until he’d eventually made me go completely broke.

This was bad, but I needed to know what the hell he wanted from me, so I entered the apartment, hoping to get this conversation over with.

“You have ten minutes, then I am leaving,” I snapped.

His odd obsession with me made my skin crawl. He claimed that he was in love with me because I had great potential. We’d been together for several months, and after things ended badly, I’d done my best to forget his twisted presence in my life.

I walked straight to the open-plan kitchen and the living room. The place was very neat, modern, and there weren’t many personal items lying around. I wondered if he lived here.

I stopped by the kitchen worktop and turned around to face him, thinking he hadn’t changed much. He appeared more polished now than a few years ago, had aged a little and had longer hair than I was used to, but he was dressed well. His suit was expensive, and his flashy Rolex indicated that he had money. He was a tall guy, lean with dark-blond hair and a beard. His hazel eyes stared right through me.

“Let’s get this over with. Tell me exactly what you want so I can be on my way,” I insisted.

He smiled then went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of red wine.

“What’s the rush? I paid for the evening so we could enjoy each other. I have Mont Blanc from 1999 because I know that nowadays you enjoy the finer things in life, isn’t that right?” he asked, but it was a rhetorical question. He must have done his research on me if he knew how to find me.

I watched him as he pulled put two wine glasses from the cupboard. Damn it. He was right—he must have paid a fortune for this evening. How did he even know I was working for Emperor?

“I’m fine and I appreciate that you paid to have a nice evening with me, but wouldn’t it have been easier if you’d just reached out to me? I don’t like the way you went over my head to make sure I would be here right now,” I said, refusing to drink wine with him as though we were two good buddies catching up after some time apart.

“This wouldn’t have been as fun, but Veronica, relax a little. I don’t bite and I’m not going to ask you to service me unless you ask me to. Remember, I paid a very large sum of money to have a great evening with you, so you must entertain me the way you see fit. I remember how feisty you were in the bedroom back when we were together. No wonder you’re Emperor’s biggest paid whore,” he pointed out.

I was ready to scratch his face with my nails.

There was no way I was going to fuck him, even for old time’s sake. He was vile, and there was no attraction between us.

“Fuck you. It’s none of your business what I do and how I make money these days. Remember, you nearly made me go bankrupt a few years ago,” I snapped, breathless.

He placed the glass of wine next to me and sipped from his slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. God, why did I ever go out with him in the first place?

“It was an investment that went wrong, Veronica. I never lied to you. I was upfront that there were going to be risks,” he said, lying through his teeth.

He hadn’t told me any of this. Rather, he’d begged me to get him the money and guaranteed that we’d both be rich. Fuck, he was so pathetic, and so was I because I’d believed in all his lies.

“Vincent, I’m tired of your games. Tell me why you had to lure me in here so I can leave?” I pressed.

All he had to do was tell me what he wanted from me. He wasn’t going to spoil my upcoming weekend, and I wasn’t as stupid as I’d been a few years ago. His old tricks weren’t going to work this time. Maybe Matthews could book me with another client since I wasn’t going to be busy tomorrow and Sunday.

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