Page 16 of Duplicity

Stress is your body shutting down because your lungs are being slowly suffocated.

It isnotfending off unwanted attention from society gold-diggers.

He closes his eyes briefly and presses his lips together in a weirdly earnest way, as if he’s carrying the weight of the world but is trying to be a big brave boy. If you remove the sex, this gig is sounding more and more like a nannying role. And I may not be an experienced EA, but Ihaveraised a child, albeit one with more problems and more resilience than this guy will ever have. Placating and enduring tantrums and making the pain go away are second nature to me. And if that’s what Brendan essentially wants, I’ll deliver it in spades.

I flick my hair back over my shoulder, and it jolts him out of his spontaneous little pity party. His handsome face turns predatory again as his gaze lingers on my hair.

‘You know,’ he says, his voice gruff, ‘you’re making it very difficult for me to keep this professional. If I had my way, we’d be moving onto Round Two right now.’

My smile turns coquettish, and my insides dance at his tone as much as his words.

Bring it.

It seems the terrified clutcher of pearls in Camille’s office is on her way out.

In her place?

A mama bear who’s just caught her first whiff of victory.

And boy, is it heady.

CHAPTER 8

Marlowe

‘Ithink I’m loving High Class Hooker Barbie even more than Sexy Secretary Barbie,’ Athena muses from somewhere near my knee as she rubs moisturiser with a hint of light-reflecting highlighter into my legs. Apparently, the trick is to use enough leg makeup to be alluring but not so much that it comes off on the bed in revolting pinky streaks.

On the bed.

Oh my sweet Jesus.

I’m at her palatial flat getting ready for Interview Round Two, AKA The Audition, AKA I Need To Actually Put Out For The First Time in Eight Years. It’s a relief in a whole host of ways. Not only is my “date” with Brendan over this side of town, but I definitely need Athena’s particular brand of moral support right now, and I didn’t want Tabs to see me getting tarted up.

I’ve left her with a sitter she loves—a young woman called Hattie from a specialist babysitting agency that only takes on paediatric nurses. There was no way I was leaving her with my parents, who’d smell a hell of a rat if I went out on a “date”, nor would I risk leaving her with a random sixteen-year-old who wouldn’t know how to call nine-nine-nine if anything happened.

Paediatric nurses as sitters don’t come cheap, but God knows no one would begrudge them making a few extra quid on the side of their relentless and underpaid day job. Besides, a cool twenty-five grand from Brendan is currently sitting in Seraph’s corporate bank account and will become mine tomorrow, as long as I put out tonight. The first thing I’ll do with my leisure time—after calling Athena to give her a lengthy and probably graphic debrief—will be to contact Duke Children’s Hospital and request an initial consultation. The enormity of the sum sends actual shivers down my spine. Even without the challenge of the months that lie aheadifI land this job, that money represents the single biggest stride I’ve made in years towards securing Tabby’s health for the future.Years.

I already know that I won’t lie back and think of England tonight, when this sexy, scary man is doing untold things to my body.

I’ll lie back and think of that particular corner of North Carolina. I just hope he’s into it enough not to notice when I go into full dissociation mode. Guys are pretty basic when it comes to sex, aren’t they? I’m fully aware that my success in this role—and this “audition”—will come down to more than spreading my legs for him.

I’ll have to feign enthusiasm and arousal and all the other shit. I’ll have to feed his ego, persuade him that the power of his mighty dick has shattered me into a million pieces. The performance of a lifetime awaits, because I promised him in yesterday’s interview that I’d fulfil all his needs.

I really hope he buys it.

At least I won’t have to fake the wholeinexperienced almost-virginthing I know he likes so much.

‘High Class Hooker Barbie had better not be all talk and no trousers,’ I mutter, more to myself than to her. There’s a very large part of me that worries I’ll totally freeze when Brendan getshis hands on me later. That I won’t be able to come up with the goods, or worse, that I’ll completely freak out and run for the door.

‘She won’t be,’ Athena assures me, rising elegantly to her feet so she can shoot me what should be a trademarked Athena Davenport Glare. ‘I know you, Marls. You’ll do anything for that little girl. Besides.’ She drops the glare and winks. ‘Don’t underestimate the mind-melting power of a good fuck. God knows, you need it. And Brendan may be the billionaire equivalent of a basic bitch, but you can’t deny he’s attractive.’ She sighs. ‘Those Sullivan boys have seriously excellent Irish genes. If they were studs, Mairead would breed the hell out of them and make a fortune.’

I giggle. Mairead is Gabe and Brendan’s sister and, by all accounts, not to be messed with. Apparently, she runs the stud farm attached to their parents’ stables. ‘Well, I will definitelynotbe breeding him. I love my daughter dearly, but a little Sullivan baby is not part of the plan.’ I cough meaningfully and give my friend a look. ‘For me, anyway.’

She rolls her eyes, which is an excellent sign that I’ve flustered the unflappable ice queen. I know my friend, and she so wants Gabe’s little dark-haired, blue-eyed babies it’s not even funny. ‘You are attracted to him, correct?’ she demands instead of gracing my little jibe with a reply.

‘He’s gorgeous, obviously. I mean, it’s not like he’s an acquired taste. I’m sure he’s everybody’s type. But that doesn’t mean I want to just show up and shag him. I’m terrified,’ I add softly, and she sighs and folds me into a hug.

‘I know you are, sweetie. I hope you know how proud I am of you. This is an amazing, amazing thing you’re doing for Tabs. Remember that. Now, let’s look at you.’

---