NERTHUS

"He doesn't need an escort, babes."

Jenna laughs as my statement bubbles out of me as soon as she has picked up the phone. "Oh dear."

"I really don't know what his problem is. Maybe he hates the fact that women want to talk. But God, he was an amazing fuck."

Jenna lets out a screechy laugh and I can literally see her kick her legs at that. "Oh my, hearing you say such a thing is the surprise of the year! I never thought I would hear these words coming out of your mouth."

I take a bite of my chocolate bar and munch happily.

"I guess it is the fact that there are really no strings attached. Women can be so clingy and… Oh, my God. Even I am thinking about starting to stalk him." I take a deep breath, feigning dismay.

Jenna giggles. "This good, huh?"

"Oh, he filled every pore of me. You can't even imagine. I hope his budget is as high as he claims it to be as he will have to pay a few extra rounds."

"Extra rounds?"

"Uh-huh. He fucked me for hours. I entertained him in every thinkable position." I giggle as I add, "I had to have my appointments of today postponed or covered by someone else as I'm so sore. It's been a while since this happened."

"Oh, no. Girl, are you OK?" I can hear worry in her voice, but I reassure her with conviction.

"Yeah." I smile to myself, "It actually feels kind of good. That scares me."

Jenna laughs out loud. "There it is. The reason he takes escorts."

I laugh with her, and we grow silent. After a few seconds, she speaks again. "But just that you know… I talked to Helga the other day. She was his escort last time and she didn't have anything nice to say. I chose not to tell you to not make you feel anxious over something, but she really ranted to me about him. So, I'm really glad that it was a good night for you."

I take a sip of my steaming tea and sigh. "Yeah."

"What did she rant about?" I inquire nosily.

"Well… She said that he didn't speak if not to tell her what to do. And that she was out the door as soon as he had finished. She really felt like a piece of meat. Apparently, he wasn't that gentle with her. Just really self-centered."

I scoff, clutching my warm cup tight. "Ah, cute little Helga."

"Yeah, right?!" Jenna sighs deeply before she speaks again.

"I wonder who's gonna be next."

I fake a laugh while my heart squeezes.

Great! One gorgeous big dick and I'm a goner.

After ending our call, I access my vault to check on my engagement for tomorrow and confirm my appointment with my client for tomorrow evening.

Filling my freestanding bathtub, I shoot GiGi a text about how I was skipping our gym and Bubble Tea date as I was going to soak in my warm water for the next 8 hours.

I sigh happily as I immerse myself into the soothingly warm water and feel my body relax immediately. By activating the air bubbles, I muffle the sound of the doorbell. I groan, turning my head to the door as if I could see who it is. Annoyed by the interruption, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, deciding to actively ignore it.

Just as I have the impression that the disquieter has gone away, he starts to ring my doorbell incessantly, creating an annoying uninterrupted ringtone.

Argh. You can be serious.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, but my heart beats faster and faster. My anxiety risks reaching an unnerving high as the ringing stops. I take a deep breath relieved just to jump at my phone ringing next to my bathtub.

Damn thing.

I push myself partly out of the water to snatch my phone before I soak into it again, answering the call.

"Yes?" I shout annoyed.

"Ms. Rogers, I have a delivery here for you. The Sir, who wanted to deliver it to you, said you didn't open the door. I apologize for bothering you, but I just wanted to make sure that everything is alright."

"Is it a delivery of flowers?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

I sigh deeply, passing my hand over my face.

"No trouble at all, Timothy. Thank you for your concern. Tell him to just leave it with you or on my doormat. I'm not able to open the door at the moment."

"Sure, Ms. Rogers. Apologies again, have a good day, Ms. Rogers."

Disconnecting the call, I let my phone slip to the ground. As it reaches the tiled floor with a thud, I'm already relaxing again.

Unfortunately, not for long.

As my muscles start soothing thanks to the warm water streaming against my tired limbs, the ringing starts again.

You have to be kidding me.

After a few more rings, I get out of the bathtub and stomp to the door. I have barely wrapped my bathrobe around my body as I rip my door open.

Kyle stares at me wide-eyed as his jaw drops. Taking a deep breath, I smile at him, taking the flowers out of his frozen grip.

"Thank you, Kyle. Please don't interrupt my baths anymore."

He is still staring at me agape as he nods slowly.

"Your words, Kyle."

"Yes, Ms. Amber." He says, his voice coming out in a rasping sound. "My apologies, Ms. Amber."

"Good boy." I squint my eyes at him before I close the door into his face.

So much for a relaxing day.

After going to my kitchen to fetch me a glass of wine that I definitely deserve after this kind of trouble, I drown myself back in my heavenly tub.

I take a sip from my wine glass and lean back to soak, my muscles already relaxing again. I start the bubbles again and my thoughts wander to last night. Come to think of it, he was the same and totally different from what Helga said. Also, he made me break every rule I was given by his PA. I would think that she was a stuck-up bitch wanting to keep her boss from any interactions with his prostitutes. But no, that can't be it. All this set up just wouldn't make any sense. And as cute little Helga told Jenna, the rules applied very much to her. A shiver passes through me as I think back to him holding me to his firm body. I bite the tip of my thumb as I think that he even whispered that I felt amazing, once.

As my phone on the floor chimes, I roll my eyes before picking it up. Opening the encrypted message from my boss, I nearly choke on the wine I had just taken another sip of. She is writing to me about a client who booked me and there has clearly been some confusion. That can't be right.

You have to be kidding me.

I stare at my phone incredulously as I reread the text message from Luciana regarding another booking.

There must be a mistake.