Two weeks had passed since Sofie stood last in the lobby of Club Elandra. This was how long it had taken to get another spot in Philip's busy calendar. While she would never have admitted it, she was anxiously waiting for this night to finally arrive. The anticipation, the jitters, it was so unlike her.
She was even nervous right now, watching the receptionist make the discrete call.
"Miss Carter is here for you."
It sounded utterly professional, utterly normal. But she felt anything but. Where her palms sweaty? There was no reason to be such a nervous wreck, she kept telling herself. She had been in difficult situations before. Even life threatening ones. And tonight felt similarly dangerous.
Not because she did not want to follow through with their indecent deal, but because she did. Because she could not wait. Because she would want more and would not be able to have it.
She was usually good at controlling herself. But with him, she did not trust herself anymore. Wanted to taste the forbidden fruit that was hailed at being better than anything she'd ever tasted before. She was Curious. Reckless. Risking being played. And right now she was ok with all of that.
She heard the familiar footsteps and her heart rate accelerated. He was wearing a similar suit and shirt as when they met last. Just like what he had been wearing in the fantasies that haunted her dreams. Where she would slide her hand between the buttons of his white shirt to feel the warmth of his skin.
He smiled at her.
"Welcome back to Club Elandra, Miss Carter." he said.
"Good to be back."
Her voice sounded normal. As if this was another Thursday night for her. Good! At least some parts of her body were still under her control.
"Shall we?"
She nodded avoiding eye contact. It was harder to keep her cool than she had expected. She had hoped her nerves would settle once the real man stood in front of her and had dispelled the version of him from her imagination, with whom she had done all sorts of wild things. But the real version was just as handsome, just as intriguing, just as capable of fulfilling her dreams in real life. She kept her glance firmly away from him. She needed the short walk to his room to acclimate to his presence. To the instant electricity. To that alluring scent of his.
Arriving at the bedroom suite felt like a deja-vu. Everything was as delectable and exclusive as she remembered it. The only thing different was that this time there was an ice bucket with champagne instead of scotch on the coffee table.
It was a safe choice. One might call it the boring choice.
"Champaign?" he said, not even offering alternatives. How negligent of him, if not for the infuriating fact that sparking wine was the only alcoholic drink she actually enjoyed. He could not have known that.
"Yes." she nodded, ignoring the excitement she felt from the pop of the freshly opened bottle.
"So you've decided to take me up on my offer."
His fingers slightly cupped hers as he handed her the champagne flute.
"What makes you say that? I might want to talk. I still have a third visit after all. And the details of our contract are still very unclear."
Now that she said all this, bailing did not sound like such a bad idea. She had worked herself into a nervous wreck over the past week. The Sofie sitting on the couch and absentmindedly rubbing the stem of her glass was a bundle of nerves and desire. A far cry from the cool and calculated journalist. She did not even recognize her. She certainly did not like her. Talking or, better yet, leaving sounded like the smarter option.
"I don't think you really want to talk," he smiled darkly, "you've made up your mind before coming here. You are wearing a different makeup than last time." He lightly brushed his index finger over her cheek bones. Leaning closer to breathe her in he added, "You put on perfume."
He let out a wicket deep laugh.
"You are also wearing different underwear. Laces if I'm not mistaken. And I cannot wait to see."
He traced two finders across the shoulder straps of her bra. Down and towards the middle of her chest, just where the bra ended and her skin began. Staying well clear of her breasts, where her nipples had formed hard aching buttons that tried to lure him in like dangerous sirens.
"But if you want to talk," he said stepping back, "then that's what we will do."
"No.", she heard herself say, catching his hand.
Glancing into his eyes a pure emotion reflected back an innocent and unbridled excitement. But it was there only for a fraction of a second before the sly mask of the seducer fell back in place.
"Excellent."
"But," she said, while dropping the hand she was still holding like a hot iron "I want to see the YubiKey first."
"And for a moment there, I thought we were finally done playing games." he commented impassively.
Sofie breathed a little sigh of relief. At least her facade was still intact, hiding the roaring fire within, which was rapidly cutting off her escape routes. No one needed to see the state she was really in, least of all Philip.
To accentuate the point she replied "I am never done playing, Philip. My work is too important."
"I see. Well, the key you are looking for is over here." He pointed to a stylish vitrine. Four glass walls formed a free standing multi-level tower, with small light sources highlighting the delicate objects within. Little ceramic figurines, medals in their celebratory casings, and wooden sculptures were displayed. They all looked unique, precious and likely irreplaceable. They probably should have been in a museum rather than hidden away in the room of a gigolo.
Sofie's eye fell on the YubiKey. Despite being a modern high-tech artefact it did not look out of place. And for all intents and purposes it was as valuable as the diamond crusted cup next to it. Perhaps more so.
"What are these? Gifts from your clients? Don't you think the horrendous prices they pay for their Club membership should be enough?"
His lips became thin, he did not like what she was implying.
"They are tokens of appreciation. This might be a foreign notion to you but some women enjoy sex."
She swallowed. He clearly saw his clients as more than just cash cows.
"I enjoy sex too." she finally said, glancing up at him. It was as close to an apology as she was willing to get.
With a fluid movement he closed the space between them and wrapped his arm around her waist. The other brushed gently across her cheek.
"Then show me." he breathed against her lips.
He was waiting for her to make the first move. To initiate the kiss, even though the restraint was costing him. His breathing had become shallow, matching hers, and there was a heat radiating from him that wasn't there before.
Sofie let her hand glide up his muscular arms; over the padded edges of his suit. As her fingertips made contact with the skin at the back of his neck, electricity flowed through her body. This was him.
She gently pulled his head closer and brushed her lips against his. The flow of electricity turned into a ripping current as she felt him kissing her back. His hand found its way to the back of her head, fisting her long brown hair as their kiss deepend. Desire swallowed Sofie and a small moan escaped from her throat as her hungry hands started to explore the rest of his body.
"Easy" he rasped. It wasn't clear whether he said it to her or to himself, because there was a dangerous fire burning in his eyes. This kiss had clearly affected him more than he had expected.
Stepping backwards she reached for her burning lips. Raw impulse had propelled her and she overstepped the mark. This was worse than what she had given herself concession for. This was a weakness she could not allow herself to have. It was mixing work and pleasure. A slippery slope she was not prepared to navigate. This cannot go further.
"You want out of the deal." he said.
An emotion resonating in his voice that she could not quite place. Unease? Frustration? Disappointment? Relief?
"You are very observant," she said evenly.
"It is my job to notice even the smallest detail. To use key principles from human psychology and deduct the likely outcome. Like, you preferring champaign over other alcoholic drinks. Or, that you still want the YubiKey. And that you think you can renegotiate the terms."
"That is impressive and yes, I have not given up. I still have a third visit left. I intend to make full use of it", she said even though she had not the faintest idea how to. What to offer him that would peak his interest in the same way as her body. At least not yet.