Chapter 5

• The next morning I am woken up my my phone buzzing in the bed beside me, I haven't got classes this morning so I've allowed myself to sleep in. It's an unknown number.
• "Hello, Amelia speaking"
• "Amelia sweetheart it's Grace, how are you?" Graces voice purrs through the phone and I immediately bolt upright, completely awake suddenly.
• "H-hi Lory I'm fine, how are you?"
• "Very well, your profile has all been finished and I am very pleased to tell you that I have the perfect man for you. Are you available to come into the office to discuss?" My mouth dries up completely and I cough gently.
• "Uh yeah sure, I can be there in 2 hours?" I reply as I spring out of bed and hurry over to the bathroom.
• "Fantastic, I'll see you then" She ends the call and I immediately call Poppy.
• "Hmmmmm" Poppy groans into the other end of the phone as I begin to strip off my clothes ready to climb into the shower.
• "Lory says she has a match for me I need you to drive me to the office. I'm meeting her in two hours." I hurriedly tell her as I turn on the water to warm it up. I can hear rustling on the other end.
• "Okay I'll be there soon to get you ready, you owe me!" I roll my eyes and tell her goodbye before hanging up and immediately climbing into the shower. I nearly slip over and have to grip onto the shower curtain to stop my feet from disappearing beneath me.
• 45 minutes later and Poppy has finished applying my makeup and is raiding my wardrobe in search of an appropriate outfit.
• "So, she didn't give you any hint about who your match is?" Poppy asks as she holds up a blouse against my chest before shaking her head and placing it back into the wardrobe.
• "No, no clue. All she said was that she had the 'perfect man' for me" I reiterate Graces words while I look through my drawers.
• "Perfect man huh? Wonder what he's like" She replies dreamily. I know deep down that Lory probably hasn't found 'the one' for me, but if she thinks he's a good match then I'm eager to know why. "How're you feeling?" Poppy interjects my thoughts as she lays out a black summer dress on my bed and waits for my approval. The skirt is nice and floaty while the top half sits snug against my chest giving me a nice shape; not too revealing yet showing a little bit of skin, I nod my head approvingly.
• "I'm really nervous, I know I'm probably not meeting him today but still, Lory is kind of intimidating" I admit shyly as I pull the dress over my head and shimmy it down my body.
• "No way! Lory is so great, you just don't know her that well yet. Don't worry about trying to impress her you already did yesterday" I raise my eyebrow at her in the mirror as she stands behind me, smoothing out the back of my dress.
• "You think so?" I ask.
• "Yeah of course! She's looking out for you, she'll find you someone great. If you don't like him, tell her, when she's finding you your match she works for you. Now, what shall we do with your hair?" Upon further discussion, we decide to give it some loose curls to really lean into the 'summer look' we've gone for.
• With 15 minutes to spare Poppy has dropped me off at the offices and I ascend up in the elevator alone. Poppy was meeting some friends later and I didn't want to disrupt her entire day, I'll figure out a bus to get home after I meet with Grace. I announce my arrival quietly to the receptionist and no sooner have I sat down than I hear the familiar sound of high heels coming down the corridor.
• "Amelia darling, so nice to see you. Thank you for coming on such short notice" I stand up to greet her and she grins as she kisses me on both cheeks and ushers me down the hallway to her office."That's a wonderful outfit, so effortlessly chic" I am about to tell her that I feel very unelegant and unchic when I realise that will make me sound stupid, so instead I mumble my thanks and sit down in one of the armchairs across from her, the same one I was in yesterday.
• "Okay then, let's just get straight into it then shall we?" Lory asks as she walks around to her side of the desk. "I'm very excited about this, but if you don't agree then please tell me. So many girls say yes to the first man I put in front of them and then get mad when things go wrong. It's not a perfect system, as hard as I may try, but I do work very hard at making sure everyone involved is happy and comfortable. So, here:" She hands me a slim black folder and I flip it open as she talks.
• "His name is Rhodes Whitlock; he's thirty-three, never been married and is quite easy on the eyes, there's a photo in the inside pocket." I take out the polaroid photo and analyse it closely. There is a close up image of him against the same white background, the same photo set up that I did yesterday. A finely groomed mop of thick brown curls sits atop his head while his dark green eyes burn into the picture as though he's staring deep into my soul. He's cleanly shaven with clear tEloised skin, a full set of lips tilted into a half smirk revealing the faint outline of a dimple in his cheek. My insides churn within my stomach and I feel myself growing rather warm, he really is something.
• "He operates the chain of Arcadia Hotels, there are over a dozen of them all around the world, quite nice places to stay very luxurious." Lory continues. "Work keeps him busy, he's often travelling so he likes to have someone who is available to him when he is back here in London . He's driven, hardworking and knows what he wants and how to get it. Some people would say that he can be kind of intense, but that's just one side of him and I'm sure that's reserved for business. Now, you aren't exactly, his type" She pauses. I look back up at her and raise my eyebrow, well why the hell am I even here then?
• "He normally likes the girls who are a bit more out there, a little adventurous you could say. A man like him, he goes to a lot of parties and events and he wants someone who can keep up socially. But I think you two could be quite good together, in a way I believe you will balance one another out. I want him to have a sweet, kind, lovely girl like you who can soften him up a little, bring a bit of lightness to him. He's been all about work for so many years, it's time that he loosens up a little" I nod along as I listen to her, I know that this is a waste of time now. I'm not his type; this guy's usual type is probably model thin and celebrity gorgeous, and that is definitely not me.
• "I've shown him your profile, and your photo. He is quite curious to meet you if you want to meet him of course?" Lory asks as I look through the forms he has filled out. He's indicated that he has tattoo's, I wonder where and what of? My eyes find their own way back to the Polaroid, he stares back into mine with an almost uncomfortable intensity.
• "W-what would that mean, if we met? Like where would it happen and when?" Grace's lips form a smirk as she mistakes my nerves for excitement.
• "Eager huh? He's quite the looker, isn't he? The sooner the better, he's in town now and will certainly have to go to one of his other hotels soon. Shall I give him a call and see when he's available?" She doesn't wait for a response before she picks up the phone and begins to dial, checking her computer screen to ensure she has the right number.
• "Mr Whitlock?... Hello, this is Lory of the London Angel Club how are you?... I'm well thank you. I'm sitting here with Amelia and she is keen to meet you, when and where is suitable for you within the next while?" She pauses and nods along before removing the phone from her ear.
• "He can meet you tonight at his hotel" She giggles at my shocked expression and shakes her head. "Not like that sweetie; they have a bar where you two can meet and have a drink. You two can get up to all sorts of things after you've signed your contracts." She gives me a wink and I swallow a large lump in my throat, nodding in response.
• "Tonight is perfect...Thank you, Mr Whitlock have a good rest of the day...Goodbye" She puts down the phone with a grin and exhales. "All setup. You're meeting him in the lobby of his hotel at 7 pm however he will send a car to your address at 6:45 to pick you up and take you there. Do not be late, he is a very busy man and being late will be a bad first impression. And wear something young and sweet, perhaps with a little hint of sex appeal? You'll do great." Her grin does not convince me, why can't she do this part for me? I nod and thank her before she escorts me out of the room. In the elevator, I resist the urge to slide down the wall and slump into a ball on the cold hard ground, there is no way that this is going to go well.