Mostly. We’ll circle back to that later. ‘Which is what?’
‘Making us into… you know, hot property.’
I laugh around a mouthful. ‘The Noughties called, they want their lingo back.’
She shakes her head in annoyance. ‘My exes wanted the partnership arguably even more than I did. They got a stronger reputation, better offers, better press. And I got… Yes, it’s a status thing.’
‘Iknewit!’ I take a victorious bite of pie. ‘Ok, so the using isn’t one-sided, but the romantic element complicates things, right? Do you sleep with them?’
‘Not always.’
‘Fascinating.’
‘There’s nothing fascinating about it. I have needs, same as everyone.’
‘Could’ve fooled me,’ I mutter.
Her look is withering. Good to see she’s back to full strength. It nurses protective instincts I didn’t know I had. Let’s unpack that never.
‘Whatever, sew your oats, girl. But here’s what I don’t get: somewhere along the way they fall in love with you. Sure, they’re not meant to, but?—’
‘They don’t fall in love with me.’ She uses her knife and fork to start eating for real. Who eats pizza like this?
‘Tell that to Logan Rogers. Last week, he sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ on a TikTok Live and dedicated it to you.’
Her eyes snap to mine. ‘How do you know that? Have you been stalking me?’
‘There was talk he was transferring to the Dolphins a couple years back so I followed him. Contrary to what you might think, not all sportsmen are obsessed with you.’
‘Logan was…’ She fiddles with her napkin. ‘I don’t really understand how it escalated in his mind. I always put contingencies in place.’
‘Likecontracts?’
‘No.’ She screws her face up like that would be crazy. Who would do such a thing? ‘I limit our time together, I have strict boundaries, I centre our relationship on him, I control the narrative… Things like that.’
And we’re back tomostly. ‘But Tom’s different. He’s analogue. He doesn’t know about this manipulation thing, does he.’ It’s not a question.
Jules tuts. ‘You make it sound so sordid.’
‘Doeshe,’ I press.
‘No, he doesn’t know I have an agenda. But by the time I realised that, it was too late. I didn’t have time to pick someone else, though if I’d known it would take this long…’
‘Why don’t you ask him out? This isn’t the fifties. What do you need me for?’
She gives me a long, tired look. ‘You clearly don’t understand your own gender.’
I return her look. ‘Not all men are trash, you know.’
She takes her biggest bite yet. ‘Aren’t they?’
Chapter 19
JULES
MONACO
Ithought there was one famous tunnel in the Monaco Grand Prix, but it turns out there’s a second – it runs beneath the pit lane connecting the paddock with the pit building. It’s significantly less cool but no less high octane, with crew scurrying through pushing tyre trolleys and hugging laptops.
