Idol. Carrie Duffy

her exquisite body, totally unselfconscious about being naked. ‘I don’t usually do this kind of thing.’

      ‘Have sex?’ Paul teased her, resting one arm behind his head to show off his impressive biceps. ‘Because you certainly didn’t seem like a beginner to me.’

      ‘Have sex with total strangers in hotel rooms,’ Sadie clarified, watching Paul’s face for his reaction. He leaned over and very slowly traced a finger between her breasts, down over her stomach to her navel. Sadie shivered in delight.

      ‘And I meant what I said. I don’t usually pick up random women in restaurants.’ He paused. ‘But you were so beautiful I simply couldn’t help myself.’

      In spite of herself, Sadie smiled. It was a corny line, but what the hell, it made her feel good. She could tell he was into her, and the sex had been amazing. She hadn’t been wrong about the chemistry between them. Even while Carla insisted she was crazy, Sadie had dialled the number on the business card he’d left her and had arranged to meet in the bar of the hotel. It was immediately obvious that they were there for more than a polite drink; the sexual tension between them was off the scale.

      ‘Every man in there wanted you, and that’s why I couldn’t let you get away. And do you know how I could tell you wanted me?’ Paul asked as Sadie shook her head. ‘When you looked at me your nipples went hard,’ he grinned. ‘Like tight little bullets through that sexy top of yours. Just like they’re doing now,’ he added, brushing his fingers lightly over her breasts.

      Sadie squirmed under his touch, desire filling her face as she looked up at him with flushed cheeks and wide pupils. Damn, this guy could get her so hot. He was clearly an arrogant bastard, but in her experience men like that could be a lot of fun. Just as long as you didn’t expect too much from them – romance, commitment, consideration; these were all things that a guy like this was never going to provide.

      ‘Are you married?’ she asked suddenly.

      Paul hesitated for a moment. ‘Yes. Does it bother you?’

      ‘Shouldn’t it bother you?’ Sadie shot back.

      Paul sighed, pulling his hand away from her. ‘I’m not going to bullshit you, Sadie. Yes, I’m married. We’ve got three kids – all boys. The eldest is eleven.’

      ‘Right.’ Sadie swallowed hard.

      ‘We haven’t had sex in months. It’s a marriage of convenience now – she’s got her shopping and her gym classes, I’ve got my work. But she throws great dinner parties and charms all of my colleagues. She’s given me three adorable boys and I want to be there for them. There’s no way I’m going to leave her.’

      ‘I wasn’t asking you to,’ Sadie said irritably. ‘This is just a fuck for me too, you know.’

      Paul laughed. ‘So I’m just a fuck to you, am I?’ he asked, his hands sliding over her buttocks and drifting tantalizingly along the inside of her thighs.

      ‘Yes,’ Sadie replied, fighting to keep control even though she knew her body was betraying her.

      ‘That’s a shame because I’d like to see you again. I think you and I could have a lot of fun together.’

      ‘If by fun you mean no-strings sex, then I’m all for it,’ Sadie retorted, determined to beat this bastard at his own game.

      Paul was impressed. ‘My kind of woman,’ he remarked, and she could see the desire written on his face. He’d lied when he said he and his wife no longer slept together, but after fifteen years of marriage and three children, it paled in comparison to the thrill of an illicit liaison with a woman half his age. Everyone he knew was at it – the stay-at-home wife to provide the kids and the beautiful home, then a hot, young thing on the side for a little light relief. Along with cars, boats and exotic holidays, a mistress was just another necessary accessory for rich and powerful men.

      Paul leaned towards her, his fingers tracing a line across her perfectly flat stomach. His touch was light, and Sadie shivered involuntarily. ‘Ah, sexy Sadie,’ he grinned. ‘You intrigue me. There aren’t many women who are so honest about what they want.’

      ‘What can I say?’ she said with a flirtatious shrug. ‘I’m just not like other women.’

      ‘Too true,’ Paul agreed. ‘So tell me about yourself. I want to get to know you – in more than just the biblical sense.’

      ‘What do you want to know?’ Sadie asked easily.

      ‘What do you do? Model?’ he guessed. ‘Personal trainer?’

      ‘I’m a dancer.’

      His eyes lit up immediately – the classic reaction. Men loved it when Sadie told them what she did for a living. They immediately pictured her contorted into some graphic sexual pose, imagining she could put her legs behind her head while they rammed into her, or envisaging sleek, toned thighs clasped tightly around them.

      ‘I love what I do and I’m very ambitious,’ she warned him, her face becoming steely as it always did when she talked about her career. ‘I’m going places. I’m just waiting for the right break, but I know I’ll make it.’

      ‘I’m sure you will,’ Paul agreed. ‘You’ve got the right attitude, a beautiful face, and’ – here he looked her up and down with barely concealed lust – ‘the hottest body I’ve seen in a very long time.’

      ‘Thanks,’ Sadie said coolly. She didn’t feel he was flattering her; his comments were pretty accurate as far as she was concerned. ‘What about you? How do you earn your millions?’

      ‘Oh please,’ Paul shook his head in mock deprecation. ‘I only make millions if it’s a particularly good year.’

      ‘Yes, I can see you’re practically on the breadline,’ Sadie teased, stretching luxuriously in the enormous bed.

      ‘I’m in finance,’ Paul explained. Sadie looked at him quizzically and he continued, ‘I work for a private equity firm in the City. I deal with clients who have more money than they know what to do with – and I make them even more. It’s about turning millionaires into billionaires,’ he boasted. ‘Increasingly I’m handling single clients, rather than corporations – high net-worth individuals who’ve made their money in business or in the entertainment world. We invest their money and take a percentage of the profits.’

      ‘Do you enjoy it?’ Sadie asked curiously.

      ‘I love it,’ Paul replied without hesitation. ‘It affords me a fantastic lifestyle, and I work damn hard for it. I play hard too,’ he added, with a wink.

      ‘I can tell. This room’s gorgeous,’ Sadie commented, looking around properly at her surroundings for the first time. They’d been in such a hurry to tear each other’s clothes off that she’d hardly even noticed where she was. Hell, she couldn’t even remember if they’d locked the door.

      ‘Oh, this is nothing,’ Paul said dismissively. ‘Rooms in Europe are tiny compared to those in the States. And I always say that a room’s not a room unless it comes with a hot tub,’ he grinned.

      Sadie smiled back, saying nothing. Her eyes flicked over the enormous armchairs, the deep pile carpets and the heavy wooden writing desk. Discreet Bang & Olufsen speakers were mounted on either side of the bed, and the whole place was decorated in a classic colour scheme of chocolate and cream. Sadie thought that if this was what Paul casually dismissed as ‘nothing’, she’d love to see his idea of luxury.

      ‘But it is very discreet,’ he explained as he moved towards her. His eyes were dancing, and Sadie knew exactly what was on his mind. Undoubtedly he was hot, and the things he did to her drove her wild. But there could be other advantages to this situation, she realized. This was the lifestyle she wanted – the expensive clothes, the hotels, the hot tubs. Yeah, she could definitely get used to this. Not that she wanted to become anyone’s wife – hell, no, she was still totally focused on her career, dead set on