When it comes to business, I’m confident I’ve surpassed expectations. Hers, not mine. I’m just not sure she’d approve of the way I pursue my personal preferences.
I’m the queen of one-night stands, but believe me when I say the crown is heavy. Sex with strangers is rarely sublime. The satisfaction is minimal, but then again, so is the risk of getting hurt.
Is there something dead inside of me? It’s almost as if, when my parents died, a piece of me died too. The piece that falls in love like normal people. I thought I was in love with Ethan, but when he left, my pride was more wounded than my heart.
Prising open my sleep-filled eyes, I’m met with two eager, espresso-coloured ones.
‘Good morning, gorgeous.’ Tanned, thick fingers sweep across the underside of my jaw. I’ve suffered through enough romcoms with my sisters to realise it’s supposed to be sexy. To me, it’s suffocating.
Mark is gorgeous and kind, the same as every other guy I’ve been with. I just don’t feel anything for him past the physical.
‘Morning.’ Slipping from between the crisp cotton sheets, I stride naked and shameless towards my en-suite bathroom. With hazy flashbacks of last night’s alcohol-fuelled activities replaying like a slideshow through my brain, there’s zero point being shy now.
Mark’s company is one of the primary sponsors for a Formula One event my company organised. I shouldn’t have slept with him last night.
I blame the cocktails.
I need him to leave immediately so I can get back to my perfectly neat, regimented life.
I don’t do repeats.
Dinner, drinks, parties, fun? Absolutely. Anything more than that is a resounding no.
‘Chloe, what’s the rush? I thought perhaps we could…’
The en-suite door clicks behind me and I breathe a sigh of relief. Sex is one thing, but sharing a bed with someone you barely know is a whole different level of intimacy. One I usually avoid.
I step beneath cool cascading water and lather coconut shampoo through my thick chestnut hair, mentally running through the day ahead.
Launching a startlingly successful business at such a young age might be immensely rewarding, but staying in Dubai for more than three years was never part of my plan.
I may have carved out a luxurious life for myself, but there’s something missing, a hollowness in my chest that no amount of success has been able to plug.
Maybe I need to take Liberty Events Management to a global level. A second branch in another country. Perhaps that will give me the internal validation I’m searching for, if that’s what it even is. I try not to question it too much because even if I could somehow magic up the answer, I’m not sure I’m ready to hear it.
Fifteen glorious shower-soaked minutes later, I wedge a towel round my tanned torso and step back into the bedroom.
The bright morning sun blazes through the open balcony doors overlooking a glistening turquoise sea as it crashes against Jumeirah Beach, mere metres away.
October to May boast perfect balmy days in Dubai. After that, the humidity becomes insufferable. I’m Irish. I’m not designed for that level of heat.
Mark is thankfully dressed, wearing last night’s suit, which is slightly crumpled from where it lay discarded on the floor. His eyes rake from my head to my toes as he exhales a long, low wolf whistle.
‘Give over, will you.’ I shake my head and jovially throw a pillow at him.
His eyes twinkle. ‘Can’t blame a man for trying.’
I fling open my walk-in wardrobe and grab the first outfit my fingers find, a high-necked yellow pencil dress with elbow-length sleeves. It’s one thing to occasionally break Dubai’s decency laws in the privacy of my own villa, but I’d be a fool not to respect them in public. I’m not going to risk a spell in a Middle Eastern jail, no matter how draconian their laws.
‘Do you want me to call you a cab, Mark?’
His hand streaks across his chest as though he’s been shot. ‘Ouch. My heart bleeds.’
My eyes roll skywards. ‘Come on, you knew what you were signing up for. Don’t go all soft on me now.’
‘I wouldn’t say I’m soft exactly.’ He crosses the room, his hand brushing against my naked shoulder with a lascivious smile.
I gently brush him off and grab a pastel pink lace bra and matching thong from my top drawer. Everything has to coordinate. It’s one of my many quirks. ‘Mark! Seriously, we had fun. That’s it. Now go, before you miss your flight.’
