Good Girl. Christy McKellen

      ‘I’ll teach you anything you want to know about how to please a guy in bed. When I’m done, believe me, this guy Adam won’t be able to resist you.’

      I see her throat work as she swallows hard and a spike of disquiet pierces my chest.

      ‘My only caveat is no full sex,’ I add, to try and exonerate my guilt. ‘I’ll let him have that honour. You’ll be grateful to me later when you realise what a big emotional deal it is to lose your virginity to someone you care about.’

      She frowns, thinks about it, then asks, ‘Did you lose yours to someone you cared about?’

      ‘No,’ I grunt, unwilling to go any further with that line of conversation. ‘So I know what I’m talking about. There’s plenty of other stuff we can do, though,’ I murmur, giving her a teasing smile and moving my leg gently to press against hers. I’m rewarded with another full-face blush and, predictably, my cock springs to attention.

      ‘Why are you doing this for me?’ she asks, her voice sounding a little husky now. ‘Especially after the horrendous way I acted last night.’

      ‘Charity begins at home, right?’ I take another sip of my whisky then smile at her over the rim of the glass, feeling guilt gnaw at my insides. ‘And because I can’t resist a challenge like this, especially when it involves someone as pretty as you.’ I lean forward in my chair, ignoring the uncomfortable tension building in my chest. ‘It’ll be my absolute pleasure to help you out, Juno.’

      This, at least, is the God’s honest truth. I pause and take another sip of my drink to give myself a moment to refocus my thoughts on the issue at hand and stop them from wandering towards all the physical delights I’m going to take great satisfaction in introducing her to.

      ‘Just so we’re clear, it’ll just be for the time we’re in Florence. After that we’ll go our separate ways. You towards your lecturer guy and me back to the uncomplicated lifestyle I love.’

      From the look on her face, I can tell she’s seriously thinking it over.

      ‘I have a lot of work to do for my PhD, though. I can’t be away for too long,’ she says slowly, almost to herself.

      ‘Bring your laptop with you. You can work during the day and hang out with me in the evenings.’

      ‘Would that work? I need quiet to be able to concentrate.’

      ‘Sure. I can entertain myself when you’re busy,’ I say, trying not to think about how bored I’ll be sloping around the city on my own. I guess I should consider it karmic payback for losing my cool and punching that guy in the face.

      ‘My father’s mistress’s apartment, where we’ll be staying, is right in the centre of Florence and it has a study where you can work in the daytime without being distracted,’ I reassure her.

      She blinks at me, her eyes wide with astonishment. ‘You know about your father’s mistress? And you’re prepared to stay in her flat?’

      I shrug. ‘Of course. She’s a lovely woman. I get on really well with her. They’ve been together for years.’

      She shakes her head, looking utterly scandalised now.

      ‘Doesn’t your mother mind?’

      Again, I shrug. ‘I don’t think so. Their marriage was arranged for convenience so I don’t think they’ve ever really loved each other. They’re very fond of each other, though, and they work well together as a team, so I don’t think they’ll ever split up. Not when the family’s reputation is at stake. Reputation is everything to my father.’

      Her expression tells me she’s still completely baffled by the idea of that but I guess you have to live it to understand it.

      ‘So are you up for it, Juno?’ I press, wanting it absolutely confirmed.

      She nods, confidently this time. ‘Yes. I accept your conditions.’ She leaves a small pause before adding, ‘I’ve not had a holiday in ages because I’ve been so focussed on my work—which isn’t particularly healthy, I know—so I suppose it’ll be good for me to take a break away from London.’

      ‘Great. Then we’ll fly out tomorrow.’

      ‘Okay. Tomorrow.’

      I raise my glass, and when she does too I clink mine against it. ‘A nuove esperienze.’

      ‘To new experiences,’ she repeats.

      ‘You speak Italian?’ I ask, impressed.

      ‘Yes, some. Enough to avoid any embarrassing misunderstandings, I hope,’ she replies, grinning shyly for the first time since she arrived. She has a killer smile and the sight of it warms my chest.

      I don’t quite know how it’s happened, but I seem to have landed on my feet here. I now get to spend the next week in bed with this enigmatic woman and all in the name of doing the right thing.

      Yeah. This could actually turn out to be a lot of fun.