The Annie Carter Series Books 1–4. Jessie Keane

with a haughty manner that certain men found appealing.

      ‘In bed?’ Mira wrinkled her exquisite nose. ‘He likes kinky boots. Nothing else. You have to be naked. No suspenders, no bra, no pants. Just the high-heeled boots – with dress spurs.’

      ‘What, during sex?’ laughed Jennifer, an elegant toffee-brown girl with an open, approachable demeanour.

      ‘Oh God yes,’ said Mira. ‘First he likes to be ridden around the bedroom on all fours, then when he gets down to it he likes you to dig the spurs into his back so that he yelps with pain.’

      ‘Men are very strange,’ sighed Jennifer. ‘My bank manager likes me to wear five bras and do a strip for him. He likes to shout out: “First bra off!” and so on, until I remove the last one. Then he tosses himself off. Pretty odd, wouldn’t you say?’

      ‘I can go one better,’ said Thelma. ‘One of my older clients doesn’t want sex, he just wants to lick me all over. And he has to take his teeth out first or they rattle all over the place. I tell you, I was getting serious bite marks. So I told him. No teeth out, no licky. So he takes them out. Last time he was here he got so overexcited he picked up his hankie from the side table and flushed it down the toilet with his dentures wrapped inside. Good job he’s widowed. How the hell would you explain that to your wife, I wonder?’

      Annie smiled. ‘Thank God men are weird, or we’d all be out of work. Come on, girls. Ten minutes to party time.’

      Annie was pleased with her little operation now. It had taken a while, but with Redmond’s cash input and some lively suggestions from her Limehouse colleagues she had come up with a very comprehensive programme of fun for her clients.

      A seventy-five-pound charge on the door ensured that every client was entitled to as much food and drink as he liked, a floor show from the lady of his choice, a sexy film from a small selection, plenty of fine music and laughter and cigars, the day’s best papers to read, and – of course – as many fucks as he felt able to accomplish. Ten or none, it didn’t matter. So long as he went away happy and came back in a hurry.

      It seemed to work well. She had a barman called Joshua – a Delaney man through and through – who was as smooth as silk. Joshua knew how to mix all the latest cocktails, he was non-judgemental and very discreet. He served food on silver platters to their elite clients with all the cool charm of a Savoy veteran.

      No doorman, though. Annie hadn’t considered that, in such a select area. She took the money at the door and Joshua stood there with her and gave every guest a welcoming glass of the best champagne. By half past midday she had ten gentlemen happily ensconced in the apartment and busy with her lovely girls. Then Kieron showed up and Annie wished she did have a doorman, after all.

      ‘Kieron,’ she said, ‘what are you doing here?’

      ‘I’ve come to talk to you,’ said Kieron, all floppy blond hair and pleading eyes.

      ‘It’s not convenient,’ said Annie. ‘As you can see, this is a private party.’

      ‘Oh sure. I can see people are paying you money to come in. Hardly a party, is it? More an orgy, really.’

      God, she was getting fed up with this.

      Joshua was looking nervous. He wasn’t up to any rough stuff. Joshua was gay, skinny and unaccustomed to dealing with trouble. Annie gave him a reassuring glance.

      ‘It’s okay, Josh, I’ll deal with this. You carry on here, take the cash, dole out the champagne, I’ll be back in two ticks.’

      Annie gave Kieron an angry look and led the way into her own bedroom, the only place unoccupied at present. She closed the doors behind them.

      ‘All right,’ she said. ‘You want to talk, so talk. I’m listening.’

      ‘Don’t talk to me as if I’m a naughty schoolboy,’ snapped Kieron.

      ‘Then why are you behaving like one?’ Annie hissed back. ‘Why won’t you take in what I’ve told you? I’m not interested in any sort of relationship with you.’

      ‘But you are with Max Carter.’

      ‘Look, what fucking business is that of yours? Anyway – that’s over.’

      ‘Sure it is. That’s why you left my exhibition to which you came as my guest, with that bastard.’

      ‘When are you going to let that drop?’ Annie asked. ‘I was protecting you from yourself, Kieron. Believe me, you do not want to upset Max.’

      ‘I don’t care whether I upset him or not,’ said Kieron passionately. ‘It’s you I want.’

      ‘Kieron, don’t be fucking stupid,’ sighed Annie.

      ‘What’s stupid about this?’ asked Kieron, grabbing her and kissing her hard.

      ‘For God’s sake,’ muttered Annie, pushing him away and wiping irritably at her mouth.

      ‘You know you want me too,’ said Kieron, storming in again and slipping his hand inside her dress to squeeze her breast.

      Annie recoiled, amazed and outraged at the same time.

      ‘For fuck’s sake, Kieron!’

      ‘I know I was stupid and I didn’t make a play for you when I should have,’ said Kieron in a rush, trying to get his hand back in there. ‘But I want you, Annie. I want you now.’

      He pressed himself to her frontage and Annie knew he wasn’t telling a lie. To her horror she felt him reaching down between them to unzip himself. This was getting beyond a joke.

      She hauled back and brought her knee up, but he had turned to the side and it didn’t connect where it should. She opened her mouth to speak, but his mouth quickly covered hers again. The feel of it disgusted her. To her alarm she realized that he was stronger than she had thought. She tried to get free, managed to get one arm away. She clawed at his face.

      ‘Bitch,’ Kieron cursed her, angry scratch marks emerging on his cheek. Then his hand was on her throat and she had really had enough.

      She brought her free arm round and punched him straight on the jaw. He reeled back, clutching his chin, his eyes registering almost comical surprise. Annie stood there glaring at him, panting, hands on hips.

      ‘Now listen to me, you little fucker,’ she hissed. ‘You and me are never going to happen. Get that through your thick skull.’

      ‘Yeah, because of that bastard Carter,’ yelled Kieron.

      ‘Keep your fucking voice down!’ said Annie. She didn’t want a public ruck, not with punters in.

      ‘Oh, you don’t want to hear the truth? Because it is, isn’t it. It’s only that fucking Max Carter standing in our way.’ Kieron straightened, wincing. There was blood at the side of his mouth where she’d struck him. ‘It’s me you really want, but you’re afraid of what he’d do if you gave in to it.’

      ‘You’re deluded, Kieron,’ said Annie coldly. She went to the door and opened it. ‘Just get the hell out of here, will you?’

      Josh came over instantly. ‘Is everything all right, Annie?’

      He glanced anxiously between the two of them, seeing Annie’s agitation and the blood streaming down Kieron’s chin.

      ‘Ah, you can tell your lapdog I’m off,’ sneered Kieron with an angry look at her and a sneer for Josh.

      ‘Piss off, Kieron,’ said Annie tiredly. She was sick of the sight of him now.

      ‘You really okay?’ asked Josh when Kieron had pushed past him and gone, slamming the door behind him.

      ‘Fine,’ said Annie, feeling suddenly shaky. ‘Take over for a little while, will you Josh?’

      Annie went back into her bedroom, closing the