The Birthday Present

by Lizzy Grey

  He laughed again. “I love you.”

  “And I love you.”

  In the morning, she went to the offices and found Colin already there.

  “I’ve rented two more laptops and telephones and office furniture,” he told her. “They’ll be here after lunch.”

  “Thanks, Colin.”

  “I’ve also taken ten bookings.”

  Her heart leapt. “Ten?”

  “Yep, and eight paid by credit card. There were a few time wasters but we’ll just have to get used to them.”

  “What kind of time wasters?” she asked curiously.

  “Well, one wanted to know if I was ‘S’ the boss. I said no. So he asked if ‘S’ was a woman and if she was, could he fuck her on her desk, that he’d always had a thing about fucking his boss and this would be the nearest he’d ever get.”

  Bloody hell. “And what did you say?”

  “I’m afraid I hung up, so he may ring again.”

  “Okay.” The phone rang, he answered, and she went into the office which would be hers. Her office. She couldn’t help but grin to herself.

  “Freya?” She jumped and turned around, she hadn’t heard Colin come in. “Who have you given the name Samantha Harrison to?”

  “The printing company for the business cards and the website designers. Why?”

  “Were you in Perfect Strangers the other night?”

  Her stomach began to churn. “Yes. Why?”

  “What happened there, Freya?”

  The thought of the bastard’s fingers in her panties made her squirm with disgust. “Why do you ask?”

  “That was someone called Sam. He says that if ‘S’ wants to wriggle with him again, then to call him.” She covered her face with her hands. “Freya, what happened?”

  She dragged her fingers down her face. “I went to Perfect Strangers hoping to see you there. I asked for ‘Sam’ – as in you – but the wrong ‘Sam’ showed up.”

  “What did he do to you?”

  “Pushed me into a storeroom and he—” Her face contorted. “He tried to rape me.”

  “What did he do to you?” Colin repeated softly.

  “He forced me up against the wall and opened my trousers. He covered my mouth with his hand and put his other hand into my panties. I think he wanted to put his fingers inside me. I bit him and we fought. I stamped on his feet with the heel of my boots, he ripped open my jacket and blouse, I kicked him in the shins and then I managed to get out of the storeroom.”

  “Was his prick inside you, Freya? Or in your mouth?”

  “No.”

  “Good, but he says he has your smartphone number.”

  “I’d asked him if he wanted to join the agency. I didn’t have any other number to give him.”

  Colin pulled an exasperated expression. “Oh, Freya, for God’s sake.”

  “I’ve learned my lesson, don’t you worry. He said his name was Sam Cooper. I have his number and he was the man who gave me yours.”

  “Mine?” Colin said sharply. “Let me see.”

  She went to her handbag and took out her smartphone. Accessing the number, she passed him the phone. He frowned at the number for a moment then reached for his own phone and scrolled down through the numbers.

  “Well?” she asked.

  “His name actually is Sam Cooper and he works for the Perfect Strangers Escort Agency. The owner is a scumbag.”

  “I know. I’ve met him. Will they try and ruin me and the agency now?” she added, cursing herself for being such a fool for going to the nightclub.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Is his name really Sam Cooper?”

  “Yes. We worked for the same agency a few years ago. Are you going to report him for sexual assault?”

  “He knows me as ‘S’, that is all, not Samantha Harrison. I’m not that stupid. No, I think the threat of it and you letting people know what he’s like, will be enough. Just promise me you’ll never tell Jamie?” she begged.

  “As long as you promise me you’ll never go to the Perfect Strangers nightclub ever again?”

  “I promise.”

  “Okay,” he relented. “I promise, too. Freya, ‘S’ and Samantha Harrison need to be an enigma, so be very careful who you give the name to.”

  “Well, I can hardly give them my own name, can I?”

  “No, but you need to be more careful. Ring your phone company and get your number changed.”

  “It’s a pay-as-you-go sim card. I’ll get another one.”

  “Good. Are you okay, Freya?” he asked gently.

  She nodded. “I’m sorry, I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

  “You see the good side of people but I’m afraid you mustn’t in this line of business.”

  “I won’t. How about we take an early lunch?” she suggested and he grinned.

  The office furniture, laptops, and telephones arrived that afternoon and she smiled when she surveyed the two offices.

  “’Looks great.” Colin rubbed his hands together. “Let’s hope we get more than ten calls today.”

  They received fifteen that day, eighteen the following day, and twenty-five the day after that. At the end of the first month, Colin gave her a grin. The agency was doing fantastically well. She authorised Colin to hire two more call handlers, rented an adjoining office for them, and told him to always be on the look-out for more escorts.

  On the Monday of the following week, Colin knocked at her office door.

  “Freya, I’ve just checked the emails. There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that Sam Cooper wants you – ‘S’ – to contact him.”

  She spat out a humourless laugh. “No way. I hope you deleted it and blocked him?”

  “I did. But I’ve been on a few message boards and he’s been boasting that he’s fucked the enigma that is ‘S’ on her desk.”

  “He certainly has a vivid imagination.”

  “Well, no-one believes him,” he assured her. “You really are seen as a mystery.”

  “Good.”

  “The good-ish news is that there’s another escort job application. It’s from Jamie.”

  Her heart pounded. “Oh, God.”

  “Do you want to hire him, Freya?”

  “Yes,” she replied at once. “But I can’t interview him.”

  “I’ll do it if that’s okay?”

  “And what if he questions you?” she asked.

  “Well, if it’s all right with you, I’ll tell him that I own and run the agency. I’m not sure how he’ll take it when he eventually finds out that he’s been working for you, though.”

  “I don’t want him working for anyone else,” she said firmly.” Imagine if he started working for the scumbags. No, it’s just a risk I’ll have to take.”

  “Okay, I’ll ring him.”

  “Thanks, Colin.”

  She accessed the agency emails and opened the one from Jamie. There was a beautiful photograph of him, which she saved to her desktop, and his CV was everything an escort agency could wish for.

  “Freya?” Colin put his head around the door a few minutes later. “I’ve spoken to Jamie and he’s going to be here in half an hour.”

  “Okay, I’ll make myself scarce for the rest of the day.”

  She didn’t want to go home, so she went to a nearby coffee shop for an Americano. Before leaving, she went to the toilets and left business cards in the advertising frames on the back of the doors in both the ladies and gents toilets. She may as well make good use of her free afternoon.

  She browsed and window-shopped in various central London department stores, leaving business cards in all their toilets, then decided to get something to eat before going home. She walked to The Pasta Palace, sat at the same table she had occupied before and ordered a spaghetti bolognaise with meatballs and a glass of orange juice. Her drink arrived quickly and she sipped it, wondering how Jamie’s interview had gone and stared at a man in a black suit across the street. He looked vaguely fami
liar and she wiped at the condensation on the window with her fingers. Her eyes widened. The man was Jamie.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Freya watched Jamie push up his sleeve and look at his watch before glancing at the restaurant. To her horror, he crossed the street and pushed open the door. She quickly looked down, allowing her hair to fall over her face, as he passed her and walked to a table in a corner.

  When her meal arrived she began to shovel it into her but when she almost choked on half a meatball, she had to slow down. She cleared her plate, tapped the waiter’s arm when he was at the next table, and asked for the bill. She paid in cash, got up and put her jacket on while stealing a glance towards Jamie. He was eating what looked like spaghetti bolognaise, too, twirling his fork into the pasta. He looked utterly dejected and it was all she could do not to run across the restaurant and throw herself into his arms.

  Opening the door, she stepped out onto the pavement, still watching him. Someone then pushed her against the window and tugged at her handbag. She spun around, grabbing the bag with both hands, and began a tug of war with a teenager in a hoodie.

  “Hey?” She heard a familiar voice and watched as Jamie took hold of the teenage boy by the scruff of his neck and pulled him away from her. “Let the bag go and fuck off you little shit.” The boy swore back at him but ran away down the street. Quickly making sure her bag hadn’t opened, she was about to turn away when Jamie caught her arm. “Are you all right?” he asked and she reluctantly raised her head. “Freya?” He stared at her in astonishment. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  “Were you in there?” she asked, feigning ignorance.

  “Yes, I was starving. Where were you?”

  “At the front table.”

  “What are you doing back in London? Christ, you look amazing.”

  “I was going nuts in Scotland so I came back on the train this afternoon. I was going to ring you when I got home and freshened up.”

  “Come back inside.” Taking her hand, he led her to his table and they sat down. “I had an interview—” He shook his head. “I’ll start again. London Introductions is gone so I’m doing escort calls again and I had an interview with an agency. It turned out that it’s owned and run by a friend so it turned into a long chat and by the end of it I was starving, so I decided to get something to eat. Are you okay? The boy didn’t hurt you?”

  “I’m fine. Believe it or not, no-one’s ever tried to mug me before. Thanks for seeing him off.”

  “No problem. You look amazing,” he told her and she blushed.

  “Well, now the divorce is underway, I thought it was time for a change.”

  “Are you going to stay in London?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I think the press is losing interest. There were only three photographers at the front of the Edinburgh house yesterday morning.”

  “Have you heard from your parents?”

  “No, nothing, they’ve completely disowned me. Do you have to be anywhere this evening?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” She smiled. “Suggest a hotel.”

  “Freya, I can’t afford—”

  “I can,” she interrupted softly. “And I’d like to reward my rescuer.”

  He moved uncomfortably and she frowned. “What’s wrong? Would you prefer to go back to your apartment?”

  “No, not yet.”

  Then, what was it, she wondered. “You don’t want me to pay for the room, is that it?”

  “I’m not used to it, no.”

  “I want to be with you,” she begged. “Please come to a hotel?”

  “All right. The Boutique Hotel.”

  They walked there hand-in-hand, she booked a room for them as Mr and Mrs Simon Harrison and paid in cash. Taking the key card from the receptionist, she turned and smiled.

  “Room 410 is ours for two hours, Mr Harrison.”

  “Okay. I need condoms, I won’t be long.”

  She went up to the fourth floor in the lift and let herself into the room. Making sure her handbag – which still had over a hundred business cards in it – was firmly zipped closed, she hung it on the hook on the back of the door, then hung her jacket over it. She got undressed and smiled when she heard a knock at the door.

  “It’s me,” Jamie told her.

  She let him in and as soon as the door closed, she took his face in her hands and kissed him.

  “It’s been a shitty week and I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered. “Wanking myself silly isn’t quite the same.”

  “I should think not,” she said, rubbing the palm of her hand firmly over his groin, making him groan. She undid his trousers, lowered the zip and pushed them down. “Put that shitty week out of your head,” she murmured, as his cock sprang to attention. “I’m all yours. What would you like?”

  “I want you to ride me.” He slid his hand between her legs and inserted his middle finger into her pussy. She tensed and he withdrew his finger. “Okay, fingers later. I’ll go and lie on the bed.” He tore open a condom package, rolled it on and climbed onto the bed. “Come and let me play with your breasts.”

  She followed him onto the bed, leant over him, and he took one of her nipples into his mouth. He licked and sucked, noisily showing his appreciation, before moving to the other.

  “Now sit on me,” he instructed and she lowered herself down onto him, groaning as his cock filled her pussy completely. “Fuck,” he hissed as she began bouncing up and down on him, her breasts bouncing almost painfully. “Oh, Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” His hands went up to her breasts, pressing the palms against her nipples, which hardened as his hands attempted to restrain them. “I fucking love your tits,” he laughed and let them go. He raised himself up and her breasts bounced into his face, making her moan, and felt herself coming. “I’m going to come. Come with me, Freya.” Grabbing her hips, he pulled her down hard onto him, and she felt his cock tense then twitch inside her. Her muscles clenched around him, her head fell back, and she exhaled a high-pitched moan as she came.

  He was still clasping her hips as she lowered her head. He was watching her breasts heave and she smiled.

  “Do you think you’ll have a black eye from my breasts?” she asked.

  He laughed. “No, but my cock might be bruised, the way your pussy was milking it.”

  “My pussy loves your cock.”

  “And my cock will be eternally grateful.” He let her hips go, she climbed off him, and he slid off the bed and went into the bathroom. The toilet flushed and he re-appeared at the door. “I know I keep saying it, but you look amazing.”

  “A new look for the new soon-to-be-divorced me. Four months and I’ll be free.”

  “Of Marcus, yes.”

  For a moment she considered telling him she owned the agency but it was far too early to get his hopes up. “I don’t know what else to do,” she said feebly. “But when I’m free and financially independent, there isn’t much more my parents can do to you or to me.”

  “You think? A week ago I had a successful agency. Now, I’m back to being arm candy for randy middle-aged women after being raided by the police. I’ve had my business name and my picture in the paper, and all my clients and escorts have deserted me.”

  “Arm candy?” she echoed.

  “Well, I was, and I hope I won’t be again. Which is why I went to the interview with this new agency. I’ve heard good things about it, so I hope it will be different.”

  “What agency is it?”

  “It’s called The S&S Agency,” he told her as he sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s fairly new but seems to be doing great business. I’ve met one half of the ‘S’s so far. The other seems to be a bit of a mystery.”

  “Really?” She frowned. “Is it a man or a woman?”

  “I’ve no idea and Sam wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Sam? That ‘Sam’?”

  “Yes. Well, his real name is Colin, but don’t tell anyone.”

  “I won’t.” She smiled. “Is his agency g
oing to take you on?”

  “He’s going to discuss it with the other ‘S’ and let me know tomorrow. But I am hopeful.”

  “Good.” She patted the bed. “Lie down with me. I want you to put your fingers inside me.”

  “It’s called finger-fucking.”

  I know. “Oh. Will you finger-fuck me, then, please?”

  “Lie on the bed and open your legs.” She did as she was told and he lay beside her, leaning on an elbow. He gently inserted a finger into her and she closed her eyes, telling herself to stay calm, that this was Jamie. “You’re very tense,” he murmured. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I’m just a bit tired. I tried to sleep on the train but it was uncomfortable and I couldn’t.”

  Shut up, she told herself, and concentrate on his fingers. He inserted a second finger and rubbed his thumb on her clit.

  “Your beautiful clit,” he whispered. “Your beautiful, beautiful clit.” He began to withdraw and thrust in his fingers slowly while rubbing his thumb over and around her clit. “You are so beautiful.”

  He began to increase the pace and she began to gasp and then moan, pressing down on his fingers and against his thumb.

  “I’m going to come,” she whimpered.

  “Good. Come for me, Freya. I love watching you come.” He held his fingers inside her and his thumb against her clit as she arched her back, jerking and shuddering through her climax before sinking back onto the bed gasping for breath. “You are so beautiful.” He kissed her lips and withdrew his fingers.

  “Thank you.” She clasped hold of his fingers, ensuring her own fingers got coated in her own juices. “Where is your cock?” She reached out for it and smiled. It was rock hard. She smoothed her fingers up and down it, felt it twitch, then began to pump it hard. He gasped and she laughed softly. “One good turn deserves another.” She pumped it until he began to groan and she felt him tense and he jerked against her spurting over her breasts.

  “Oh, fuck.” He rolled onto his back. “Oh, God.”

  “You’ve come over me instead of the sofa.” She laughed, as she sat up, and he opened his eyes. He watched as his semen began to trickle down her breasts and she smiled. “I’d better go and clean myself up.” She climbed off the bed and retrieved a towel from the ensuite bathroom. Returning to the door she let him watch her as she wiped her breasts clean. “Where can we meet again?” she asked as the telephone rang and her heart sank. It was reception. They needed to vacate the room. “We need to go,” she told him, as she put the handset down and he swung his legs off the bed. “I’ll see over the next few days how many photographers are still at the London townhouse.”