‘I can’t,’ he says, resolute and completely fixed. ‘It’s just not possible.’ His words fill me with pride, but then he collapses to his arse on a chair, revealing another person in the room.
A woman.
My spine lengthens.
‘What?’ she asks, her surprise evident.
‘Things have changed.’ He reaches up and drags his palm through his hair. ‘I’m sorry.’
I gulp. Is this it? Is this him officially quitting?
‘I won’t take no for an answer, Miller. I need you.’
‘You’ll have to find someone else.’
‘Excuse me!’ she laughs, flicking her eyes past Miller’s seated form and catching me at the doorway.
I jump back out of sight, like she hasn’t already seen me. She’s mature, but very attractive, her ash-blond, perfectly styled bob fixed in place and her fingers wrapped around a wine glass. She has long, red talons for nails. That’s about all I got a glimpse of before I stupidly hid and, feeling very foolish about it, I turn to make my way to the bedroom, trying in vain to steady my erratic heartbeat. He’s declining her. My intervention isn’t needed and I distinctively recall Miller saying the fewer people who know about me, the better. I hate it, but I have to follow his lead, given that I have no clue where we’re headed.
‘Well, well.’ I hear her smooth voice as I’m making my escape, my shoulders jumping up to meet my earlobes. I know she saw me, but a silly little part of me was hoping my stealthy movement removed my body from view before her beady eyes captured me.
Wrong.
Now I feel like a peeping Tom, when she’s the one who has invaded Miller’s apartment in the middle of the night. Is she going to hand me his card, too, and tell me to keep it safe? Is she going to offer a share? After everything, I might skin her alive.
‘What?’ Miller’s voice tenses my shoulders further.
‘You didn’t say you had company, darling.’
‘Company?’ He sounds confused and, knowing I’m completely rumbled, I back up and turn to face the music, showing my face just as Miller looks around to see what’s captured his guest’s attention. ‘Livy.’ His chair scrapes across the marble floor as he stands hastily.
I feel awkward and stupid, standing in a blanket with my hair all over my face and my bare feet shifting nervously.
Miller looks edgy, which isn’t surprising, but the woman in his kitchen looks interested as she relaxes back in her chair and holds her wine glass to her deep-red lips. ‘So we’re entertaining at home now?’ she purrs.
Miller ignores her question and approaches me quickly, turning me in his arms and pushing me gently from the kitchen. ‘Let me put you in bed,’ he whispers.
‘Is she one of them?’ I ask, letting him lead me away. I already know she is. I can tell by the air of superiority surrounding her confident persona and her designer clothes.
‘Yes,’ he answers tightly. ‘I’ll get rid of her and come and join you.’
‘Why is she here?’
‘Because she takes liberties.’
‘She has,’ I agree.
‘Darling!’ Her cocky, self-assured voice has the same effect as the last time one of Miller’s clients spoke. I tense under Miller’s hold, and he tenses, too. ‘Don’t hide her away for my benefit.’
‘I’m not hiding her,’ he spits over his shoulder, striding on. ‘I’ll be back in a minute, Sophia.’
‘I’ll look forward to it.’
It’s only at the mention of her name and the follow-up of her overconfident words that I realise she has an accent. European, definitely. It’s mild but detectable. She’s like the woman from Quaglino’s, except brasher and more confident, and I wouldn’t have thought that possible.
When I’ve been directed into his room, he pulls back the neat covers and lifts me into bed, gently laying me down and resting his lips on my forehead. ‘Go back to sleep.’
‘How long will you be?’ I ask, uncomfortable with him going back out to that woman. She’s arrogant. I don’t like her, and I definitely don’t like the potential of her drooling all over Miller.
‘You’re in my bed and you’re naked.’ He pushes my hair from my face and nuzzles into my cheek. ‘I want to have my thing with my habit. Please let me deal with this. I’ll be as quick as I can, I promise.’
‘Okay.’ I resist latching on to him with my arms because letting go when he leaves will be too hard. ‘Stay calm, please.’
He nods his acknowledgment. One more kiss on the lips and he slips out of the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving me with only the darkness and my thoughts – unwanted thoughts, thoughts that if I give too much time to will drive me positively insane.
Too late.
I’m tossing and turning, burying my head under the pillow, sitting up and listening for a commotion and deliberating returning to Miller, my anger bubbling. But when I hear the door handle shift, I’m lying back down again, pretending I haven’t just spent the last ten minutes driving myself nuts with thoughts of rules, restraints, hard cash and worrying about Miller’s temper.
Dusky light floods into the room and within only moments he’s pressed up against my back, moving my hair from my neck and saying hello with a wet lick up the column of my throat.
‘Hi,’ I whisper, shuffling over until I’m happy to have his face close to mine.
‘Hello.’ He kisses my nose tenderly and strokes my hair.