Sugar Daddies (25 page)

She was perplexed for a moment, trying to figure out what voodoo I was spouting. Trying to figure me out, her pretty mouth opening and closing as she wrestled with words.

“It’s part of the programme,” I said, pulling out onto the road. “Everyone sings for me, no exceptions.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“No.”

“The Rocky theme?”

“Yes.”

“You want me to sing the Rocky theme? Now?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

At least she asked. Most don’t. “Music changes state, music changes mood, it’s an anchor you can use for performance. Singing lowers inhibitions, makes those walls come down, pushes you out of your comfort zone. And that’s what’s needed, Katie, in a training schedule like ours. You need to be flexible, adaptable, confident, and immediate. Not afraid to push
through barriers.”

I didn’t rule out that she’d baulk and show off, like Verity. Fully expected her to hum a little, sing in a little mousey voice that I could barely hear, but as seemed to be the case more often than not, little blue-eyed Katie Serena surprised me.

She launched into song, loud and clear, and she wasn’t half bad.

She laughed when I joined in, and together we drowned out the stereo, and she was air punching, giggling through the vocals, and I air punched, too. One hand off the steering wheel, as other drivers stared in at us. I didn’t care.

She was breathless by the time we’d finished, relaxing into her seat with a smile on her face. Tension gone, at least for the time being.

“That was fun,” she said. “I love Rocky.”

“You do?”

“He’s the underdog, right? Rises up against the odds. Eye of the tiger.” She flicked her hair from her face. “Yeah, I love Rocky.”

“Did you hear the story about how Stallone wrote the script himself? Insisted on playing the lead
role and the movie company said no?”

She sat forward, angled her to face me. “Yeah, I heard about that. He was offered quarter of a million or something, but not the lead. He said no way and turned down all that money, and had to sell his dog, just to buy food.”

I nodded, smiling. “And then it came good, and he sold the script and got the part.”

“And went straight and bought his dog back, paid a fortune for it.”

“Yes.”

“Amazing story,” she said.

“One of my favourites.”

I felt her eyes on me. “Slick subject change.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you going to tell me what you really wanted?”

“Yes,” I said. “One day. When it’s time.”

Part of me wanted her to push it, insist that I stop the car and tell her what the fuck was going on with me, what was so important that I’d throw a few hundred grand at her, what the hell I wanted so badly that I’d veer the car off the road and stare at her like a wolf after prey.

But she didn’t. She let it go.

I pulled into the business park, and Katie sighed.

“I feel stupid,” she said. “Dressed like this.”

“Treat it as a lesson.” I pulled into my space, and a wall of glass reflected our car back at us. Our car? Katie peered up at the building. Five storeys of corporate hustle. “This is us,” I said. “At least for the next six months.”

She slipped from the Range and met me at the doors. I felt the strangest urge to take her hand, grip her dainty fingers in mine and parade her through the place. Parade her as mine. I put my hand in my pocket instead.

A sea of greetings. Afternoon, Mr Brooks. Afternoon, Carl. Hey, Carl, how’s it going?

She waited until we were in the lift heading up before she spoke. “So, you’re like the head honcho around here?”

“You could say that.”

“Neat.”

“Most of the time. Sometimes it’s stressful, busy, frustrating.” I smiled. “Sometimes it’s incredible. Often it sits around the middle.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said. “You love it all the time. It’s written all over you.”

“Tell me that when I’m having a bad day.”

She nodded, and her smile was beautiful. “I will. Don’t worry.”

And I wasn’t worried. I was strangely invigorated in her presence, her gentle manner both soothing and enlivening. Katie Serena was a strange and delicate little creature. A real beauty.

She took a breath as the lift pulled to a stop.

“Nervous?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Very.”

“Don’t be,” I said. “You’ll be fine. No pressure, just relax.”

“Last time you said that you broke my ovaries.”

My balls tightened at the memory. I laughed. “Yes, I did.”

The doors opened and the floor was busy, heaving
with people on headsets, people in glass-fronted meeting rooms, people everywhere, going about their business. Going about my business.

She followed with quick steps, nipping into my side as I weaved a path through the clusters of desks, and everyone looked at us, staring with nosey eyes. I pointed out a segment in the corner, away from the main floor. My power team, my group of nineteen, engaged in a presentation by our top telemarketer, Daniel Dawson. I stood to the rear once we approached, and Katie stood close. I could feel the heat from her, the press of her shoulder against my arm.

“So, that’s rapport 101, in a nutshell. Carl will be able to give you the rest. Perfect timing.” He smiled at me.

The heads turned, and my protégés looked at me, and then looked at Katie. I could practically hear the cogs whirring.

I stepped to the front and patted the speaker on the back. “Thanks, Dan. Great job.” I smiled at the faces. “Good afternoon, all, I trust that was useful?”

A murmur of agreement.

“Good.” I gestured towards the blue-eyed girl in tattered jeans, all so aware of the blush of her cheeks. “This is Katie Smith,” I said. “She’ll be joining the programme. I hope you’ll all make her very welcome.”

She waved and smiled and they waved back and said a motley collection of greetings. All except one.

Verity.

Her face looked like a slapped ass. Her shoulders were rigid and her eyes were glowering, her mouth paused somewhere between outrage and surprise.

I wasted no time in settling the group back to their places, paired up in call buddy teams while they listened to the more experienced callers on the main floor. I put Katie with Ryan, our most promising contender, the guy who’d stepped up and belted out the Rocky track on day one, and she fell into partnership with him easily. I watched her relax, her expression bright and friendly.

She’d do just fine. I could feel it in my gut.

I was happily walking amongst the group when a set of pincer fingers pinched my arm.

“A word,” Verity said. “Now, Carl.” Before I run to my daddy like a pathetic little baby.

She glowered at Katie some more, shooting her looks that could kill, even though Katie remained oblivious, lost in concentration with her headset on.

“If you insist,” I said. “Lead the way, Miss Faverley.”

A firm grip landed on my shoulder, and I pretended to be surprised, looking around as though he’d come from nowhere. Like my eyes hadn’t followed him everywhere, chasing after the man who’d bruised my cervix while he walked the room, the man who’d put three grand in my bank account and his monster dick all the way inside me.
The man I wanted.

He gave me shivers in this place, and they were good shivers. I’ve never had much of a boss thing going on, but maybe I’d never had the right boss. This one was already tickling my gut, that flood of butterflies that comes when you really want to fuck someone. Like you’re on a rollercoaster, dipping over the edge.

“We’re going,” he said.

“Now?” I looked around me at all the people still listening intently to their headsets.

“Now.”

I put my headset on the desk. “Where are we going?”

Carl didn’t answer, just started walking, and I shrugged and smiled at Ryan, who’d been so kind to me, who’d made me feel welcome. “See you tomorrow.”

He gave me the thumbs-up.

Carl didn’t answer me in the lift on the way down, nor on the way out through reception. He waited until we were back in the Range and out of the car park.

“Well?” I said. “Where are we going?”

“Town,” he said, simply.

“Town? Like Cheltenham town?”

“Yes. Via the house.” I looked at him clueless, and he looked right back at me, looked at the holes in my jeans. “What clothes do you have for the office? How many suits?”

I pretended to think about it, wondering if the old navy jacket in my wardrobe would still fit. “I have some blouses… a skirt or two… the trousers I waitress in…”

“Then we’re going to town. We’ll pick Rick up on the way.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “You want to take me shopping? Like something from
Pretty Woman
?” He didn’t laugh. “What are you going to do? Send me into one of those snooty boutiques with a handful of used banknotes?” I practised my Julia Roberts impression. “
Big mistake. Big.
”

That made him smile, just a little. “You need to dress the part to feel the part, Katie.”

I can’t say it was a sentiment I’d ever really bought into.

We pulled up outside the house and Rick was waiting ready to jump into the back seat. “Hey, pretty lady.” He ruffled my hair over the headrest. “Gonna get you all dolled up. Good job I’m coming as lead stylist.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Rick,” Carl said. “We want corporate, not
trendy
.”

“Trendy corporate,” Rick said. “We don’t want her looking like some power bitch from the 90s. Urgh. No.”

“
I
want her looking like she’s a serious sales candidate. No fucking polka dot, Rick. No neon-coloured beads and vintage cut-offs. I fucking mean it.”

“Ruin all the fun, why don’t you?” But Rick’s tone was light. It made me smile.

“I can shop for my own clothes,” I said. “You don’t need to do this.”

“I know,” Carl said, but he kept on driving.

The boutique made me more nervous than the office. Super pristine sales assistants in fancy little suits, and me, looking like I’d been dragged through a hedge backwards and then some. They had bright white smiles, but their eyes were cold, weighing me up and finding me lacking. I could feel it.

The guys seemed oblivious.

Carl took my hand in his and practically handed me over to a woman called Greta, and Greta led us through to the display rails, but spoke with Carl and not me, flashing him the doe eyes.

“You’re looking for daytime corporate or client-facing corporate?”

“Both.”

“Traditional or modern?”

“Whatever Katie likes.”

“And what kind of budget do you have in mind, sir?”

Rick laughed, guffawed a few steps behind.

Carl handed her his card. “Whatever it takes.”

I could’ve died, not least when I caught sight of a price tag on one of the jackets.

I leaned into him, pulled a face. “You don’t need to do this.”

His brows pitted. “I’m quite aware of that.”