Page 55 of Bid For Me
“I’ll come to you,” he says without hesitation.
“No! Wait,” I blurt out in a panicked rush. He pauses and I force myself to take a deep breath. The words out of my mouth taste like ash on my tongue, but I force myself to say them anyway. “Send over the contract and confirm our dinner reservation with your father for tomorrow. We – we can talk after.”
I cut the call before I can change my mind and race towards work. I need solace. Laura, one of my Saturday girls is working today, but I can do a stocktake, file invoices…anything to take my mind off what has to happen next.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Elle
Arriving home from work,drained, I’m surprised by the delivery waiting for me just outside my door. Boxes of Louboutins are meticulously arranged, filling the space with their opulent presence. Excitement bubbles within me, as I recognise this familiar gesture from one of my other godfathers, and start to bring them inside. Christian and Jimmy like to compete for my affection by sending me lavish gifts, which always makes me giggle.
Still, curiosity sparks in my mind – what could be the occasion this time? With a sense of anticipation, I carefully open the top box, revealing a pair of stunning red-bottomed stilettos, glistening under the room’s gentle light.
I frown and check the next box. And the next.
This is so weird.
Why would my godfather send me shoes I already own? I recognise every single pair – they’re all proudly displayed in my walk-in wardrobe. There must be some sort of mistake.
I quickly grab my phone from my bag and video call Christian.
“Sweetpea, how are you?” His smiling face fills the phone screen and I can’t help but beam back at him.
“I’m good thank you, I just wanted to thank you, and ask about the delivery?”
“What delivery?”
“The dozen boxes of shoes filling up my lounge!” I reply with a laugh.
“Sweetpea, I didn’t send you shoes.”
“Oh.” Well then, who did? Though it does make a little more sense. Christian would never send me duplicates. I should have known.
“Show me.”
I flip the phone’s camera around and show Christian the shoes. They’re all brand new, unworn, still in their original packaging but he hisses and tuts.
“I would never send you old stock. Only previews, Sweetpea. Besides, you have these already!”
“Of course, my apologies.”
“Tell your secret admirer to do better. My girl deserves the best. Not this season’s leftovers. Pah! I have to go, Sweetpea, give the family my love, and expect yournewdelivery next month.”
The line goes dead and I’m left wondering where the hell all these shoes came from, but my thoughts are interrupted by the buzzer going for the front door. I pad over to the intercom and press to speak.
“Hello?”
“Hey gorgeous.” I don’t know why Seb’s at my front door, but more alarming is the way my heart flutters at him calling me gorgeous. Ridiculous. “Can I come up?”
I glance around at the mess and sigh. I’ll never be able to clear it away quick enough.
“Ummm, sure. I just got in from work though and the place is a bit of a mess.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
With little choice, I buzz him in and leave the door to the apartment on the latch for him, then begin repacking the shoes back into their beautiful boxes.
It’s so silly, but I love the boxes almost as much as the shoes, but when Christian came round for drinks one Christmas and saw the boxes piled up in my closet, he declared me a travesty and insisted on refitting my entire third bedroom into a walk in closet for my clothes and appropriate storage.