I looked from one dress to the other. One was expensive, hired from a dress agency at a cost of several thousand pounds. The other had come from a supermarket about twenty miles away. Both were green but where one shimmered and looked light as the air, the other was dull and heavy, shadowed where the first sparkled.

“What do you think?” I asked Gwyneth.

“I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation,” she replied. “It took a lot of work. Finding a designer piece that would fit her wasn’t easy. She will look perfect.”

“But isn’t it better that she’s seen in something cheap, remind everyone that she’s poor and I’m taking care of her? Let that trickle back to Tomlinson and we’re set. If she wears that, she’ll just look like the other rich women there.”

“Trust me, Sir, this is the way to go.”

“All right. You know fashion better than me. I just hope you know what you’re doing. Bring her through.”

I sat behind my desk and waited. Why was my heart beating so fast? Was I excited about seeing her again? I found myself picturing her in the designer gown. There was no point buying it, not when she was only wearing it for tonight. Gwyneth had ordered it. This way it could be returned and I would recoup some of the money.

Jodie appeared a minute later, a smile spreading across her face as she walked in with the dress over her arm. “Is this for me?” she asked. “Your secretary just gave it to me.”

“It is just gone five in the evening,” I said, glancing at my watch. “We are due at an art auction at eight. We leave here at half past seven. That gives you two and a half hours to get your hair and make up done and to get into that dress.”

“I didn’t bring any make up with me. I was told to come with nothing at all.”

“That has been accounted for. When we arrive at the auction I want you to act once again as you did for Tomlinson. I am your saviour. For all intents and purposes I have rescued you from the streets and am your only hope of survival. You are eternally grateful for the money and love I have lavished and bestowed upon you. Got that?”

“I tell everyone how great you are. Don’t worry, I think I can manage it.”

“Hold on. These aren’t your ordinary people tonight. You’ll be surrounded by the cream of society. If it’s one thing rich people can sniff out, it’s liars. You better not slip up. Your money is depending on it. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

That word again. Her calling me Sir, making my cock twitch. “Go and get ready. My people are waiting in your room for you. Be ready to leave at half past seven, not a second later.”

I watched her go, taking in the view of her ass again. Tonight was going to be the night. I would take her to the auction, show her off to the assembled masses, maybe get them to stop trying to get me married off to their daughters.

I’d bring her back afterward and if the dress got ripped off her and couldn’t be returned to the agency? Well, that was just the cost of doing business.

I thought about how she looked when I saw her naked in the pool. That body of hers. I’d only had a fleeting glimpse from a distance but it was enough to tell me what I needed to know. I had to have her and soon.

I picked up the phone. If the auction went as planned I wanted to hit the ground running. Word would get back to Tomlinson quickly. As soon as the paperwork was sorted I wanted to be on the land and have the oil rights ready to go. I didn’t want to miss a day.

I rang Richard. “Busy?” I asked when I got through.

“Lawyers are always busy,” he replied.

“Got time for me though?”

“Always. What can I do for you, Nick?”

“Are we good to go yet?”

“Pretty much. I need a couple of signatures from you on the pre-contract documents. Do you want me to courier them over to you?”

“No need. I’ve got a spare hour.”

“Will that be enough time for you to read them?”

“Do I need to read them? Have you read them?”

“Of course I have.”

“And the terms are reasonable?”

“Eminently.”

“Then I trust your judgment. You say they’re fine, that’s good enough for me. I’m on my way.”

I took the helicopter to his office, landing on the roof of the building and leaving the pilot waiting for me. It was the quickest way of getting in and out of the city without hitting traffic and I didn’t want to be late back after telling Jodie to make sure she was ready on time.

Richard was waiting for me in his office. “There you are,” he said as I walked in. Sign wherever is marked.”

I went through with my pen, signing with the usual flourish on each page that required it. “How’s it going with Jodie?” he asked as I passed the papers back to him.

“Better than I hoped.”

“I hope you’re watching your silver.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you’ll probably need to have the place fumigated after she’s gone.” He looked at me as if expecting a laugh.

“Don’t say things like that about her.”

“All right,” he said, his hands held up towards me. “I didn’t think you’d be so touchy about her. Anyone would think you’d taken a shine to the woman.”

“There’s no need to insult her, that’s all. Are we done here?”

“Looks like it.”

I got up and left without saying goodbye. I was irritated by what he’d said but I didn’t want it to show, not with the deal so delicately held in the balance. As a lawyer if he took offense to something I said, he could throw any number of spanners in the works. I had to keep him sweet but that didn’t mean laughing when he insulted Jodie.

I needed to concentrate on tonight anyway. As we flew back to the house, I thought about my plans, putting Richard’s insulting words behind me.

The art auction had been carefully chosen. My people had found out that a couple of the paintings had been donated to Tomlinson and he was auctioning them off to raise money for his foundation. One was a Flambert which was bound to get a lot of interest. Worth at least five million, maybe twice that.

My intention was simple. I would show up with Jodie on my arm, make a big song and dance about how much I was helping her, what a good person I was. I’d even bid on the Flambert. Not much, just enough to show that I was prepared to donate to a good cause.

Word would get back to Tomlinson and that should shake any doubts out of his mind. He’d sell me the land, I’d drill for the oil inside it and be two billion pounds richer by the end of the year..

It was a perfect plan apart from one tiny little flaw. I didn’t want Jodie to leave at the end of the week. I didn’t want her to leave at all. Something had changed in me and it had happened quickly and quietly.

Something about her had got under my skin. I wanted to own her, keep her in the house as mine alone. I no longer wanted to let her go. I couldn’t tell her that, it might ruin her ability to act, especially if the idea scared her. I’d tell her after the deal was done.

For now, it was get to the auction, make a big show. Then get her home again and get that naked body of hers moaning underneath me.

I just hoped I could keep it together long enough to get through the night. The wrong word might get back to Tomlinson if it looked like I was sleeping with her.

He’d think I’d only taken her in because of her beauty, not her poverty. He’d think all the usual things about me and my nature and that might be enough to make him think twice about the deal.

I had to play things carefully. That shouldn’t be too difficult. If I could handle multi-million pound deals before breakfast I could handle a date with Jodie.

The helicopter came into land in the grounds. I climbed out, ducking low under the slowing blades. Making my way to the house I looked at the time. Just gone six.