‘Hey,’ I say, and she looks back at me. ‘You can tell me anything.’ God knows, Marlowe plays her cards close to her chest. If she wants to open up to me, I’m damn well going to make sure she feels safe to do so.

‘No other guy has ever made me come before,’ she gets out. ‘You’re the only one.’

She may be growing close to orgasm, but she also looks like she wants to sink through the floor with mortification. I can tell it’s the truth and I can tell what it’s cost her to share this with me.

I swear, I feel a hundred feet tall. In light of my little moment of insecurity just now, this is the greatest gift she could have given me.

‘You’re serious?’

She nods, her huge brown eyes fixed on me.

‘Well, I’m embarrassed for them. Not for you. Fuck’s sake.’

That gets me a glimmer of a smile, and I seize the opportunity to preen a little.

‘You come for me like a little champ, don’t you, love?’ I withdraw my fingers slowly and push them inside her, hard. ‘You come on my fingers.’ Pump. ‘And my tongue.’ Pump. ‘And my dick. You love coming on my dick, don’t you?’ Pump.

She flushes but nods. She’s such a good fucking girl. Comes off all innocent, but she’s so fucking responsive. To me, anyway. Fuck knows what all the other losers were doing.

‘Yeah, you do.’

‘It’s not just your body parts. It’s you.’

I swear I grow harder.

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah. You’re so, so gorgeous, Bren. I thought so from the second I met you.’ She gasps as I reward that endearment with another firm pump and a swirl of my thumb over her clit. Bren. ‘And you’re so dirty. It’s such a turn-on.’

‘You like me corrupting you?’ I lean in closer and let her have it with my fingers, thrusting and rubbing in a way I hope will give her maximum stimulation.

‘I love it.’

Her admission is a red rag to a bull. We may be enjoying what I strongly suspect is that nebulous concept of intimacy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t milk the sheer heat of this moment for all it’s worth. ‘Good girl. That’s so good. How does it feel to know I’m paying you a fortune to spread your legs for me in broad daylight and let me fuck you with my fingers so I can warm you up with my cock, hmm?’

‘Oh God,’ she moans, writhing in my arms. ‘It’s so good, I can’t bear it.’

‘That’s right.’ I dip my head, dropping my forehead to hers. ‘I can feel this greedy cunt sucking me in. So fucking needy. I want you to come as hard as you can for me.’