Quite the opposite. It flips a switch that has an ill-earned sense of power and entitlement coursing through my veins. If I’m completely honest with myself, a sense of ownership.

‘You’re on.’

Athena nods once, as if she expected nothing less, and caresses Mark’s head one more time before elegantly getting to her feet.

‘I’ll speak to the Alchemy team and I’ll get Camille from Seraph to email over a questionnaire and application form today. With me as a character reference, you can skip some of the due diligence. The paperwork is more about assessing your needs rather than your eligibility.’

My needs.

I began this meeting preparing to do battle with Athena.

I’m ending it wondering if this little firecracker is, in fact, my sexual fairy godmother.

She takes a step forward and slams her palms down on my desk, and I find myself cowering instinctively.

‘One more thing. You harm my friend, physically or emotionally, and I will take great pleasure in skinning your balls with a rusty butter knife. Do I make myself clear?’

I have no doubt she means every word.

Just as I have no plans to harm a hair on her beautiful friend’s head.

But if the lovely Marlowe wants to sell herself to me, body and soul, to fund her penchant for self-indulgence, she should understand that I expect my pound of flesh.

I’ll take exquisite pleasure in breaking her in and working her as hard as I can.

I hope she knows what she’s signing up for.

CHAPTER 5

Marlowe

It’s been five years since I’ve had to brave a job interview. While I wanted the job at the RA—badly, in fact—the stakes have never been this high.

I’m so close to taking Tabby’s health into my own hands and funding an operation that will change her life. I even have a potential new boss lined up. And while I’m nowhere near ready to let myself entertain what the daily reality of being a Seraph EA will entail, I’m damned if I’m going to fail at this final hurdle of getting past the gatekeeper.

Camille.

The worst of it is that, from what Athena’s told me, she’s far more likely to block my way because she perceives me to be ill-equipped to handle the role emotionally rather than due to any inadequacies—professional or aesthetic—on my part.

Which is why this has to be the performance of a lifetime.

On Athena’s instructions, I’ve borrowed a pair of her horrifyingly expensive heels and rented a sleek black shift dress that “shows off the goods” (her words) and makes me feel like an extra from Suits. She blow-dried my hair into long, sleek waves this morning and made me put on far more eye makeup than I ever would myself.