Sophia leans in, her dark eyes sparkling with the promise of salacious gossip as she swirls her martini. She’s been knocking them back since I got here, but I still can’t tell if she’s hammered or just being herself. ‘First week with the infamous Brendan Sullivan. Give us the uncensored version. I bet he put a lot of noses out of joint by making a beeline for you.’

I hesitate, glancing at Athena, who responds with a knowing smile. ‘It's just us, Marls. Safe space.’

‘I don't even know where to start,’ I admit, taking a fortifying sip of my drink. ‘It's been... intense.’

‘Details, darling. We need details,’ Sophia purrs. ‘Is he as demanding as Athena said he’d be? I don’t know the man from Adam, so your secrets are safe with me.’

I feel my cheeks heat. I’m sure that, for most women in their twenties, dissecting their sex lives over cocktails is totally standard, but I missed that stage entirely. I couldn’t even tell my friends at uni about Joe—not till he knocked me up and the cat was out of the bag, anyway. So this feels downright bizarre, even if these women are professionals when it comes to shagging. ‘He's... thorough.’

Athena laughs. ‘Look at you blushing! You weren't this coy when you called me after your interview.’

‘That was different,’ I protest. ‘That was just us.’

‘And this is just us, plus Soph, who has literally done things that would make a porn star blush,’ Athena counters.

Soph shrugs. ‘Facts. But seriously, how are you holding up? I feel responsible for your wellbeing given I was the one who put the idea in your head in the first place.’

I stare into my glass, finding the right words. ‘Physically? I'm sore in places I forgot existed. Emotionally? I swing between feeling like I've hit the jackpot and feeling completely out of my depth. I mean, it’s not Brendan. He’s gorgeous. It’s no hardship to let him do whatever he wants, you know? It’s just the whole… thing. It’s completely surreal.’

‘Welcome to the club,’ Sophia says, her voice softening. ‘That pendulum swing never fully goes away, but it does slow down. Sometimes the transactional aspect makes you question everything about yourself, and sometimes you eat it the fuck up. Am I right?’

‘So true,’ Athena observes.

‘What I wasn't prepared for,’ I confess, ‘was how much I'd... enjoy it.’ I’ve been wrestling with this since my interview, but the admission feels even more shameful to say aloud.

Athena reaches for my hand. ‘You think we don't all feel that? That weird guilt when you realise you're getting off on something that should be a transaction? But the straight-up exchange of sex for money gets confusing when you get money and orgasms into the bargain.’