Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 133034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
I nod.
“Of course. I would never give the details of The Agency to anyone, Orla. No way. Not a chance in hell. That’s a promise.”
“Fantastic. Then good luck with your endeavours, sweetheart, and have a fantastic Christmas with your fantastic proposals. The Agency commends you highly on everything you’ve achieved this year.”
“You, too. Have a great Christmas, and thanks for all your help.” I stare at the black screen, wishing I could see the woman on the other side of it. It was magic to know she was there at my founders’ proposal.
I’m ready to sign off for real when another slammer of an urge hits me. It comes like a bolt from the blue, and my mouth blurts on autopilot without so much as a thought.
“Um, Orla. Just a quick question. About clients.”
“Go on,” she says.
“I was just thinking. I mean, what would happen if a client didn’t want to be a client anymore? What if they removed their account?”
“If a client wasn’t involved with The Agency and you were still wanting business through them? Could you track them down, you mean? Ask them to return? The answer to that is no, Ella. That is the client’s choice alone, and you cannot seek their business outside of it.”
I shake my head. “No, no. I mean if they removed their account, but we still crossed paths, outside of The Agency. Would that cause loads of shit and jeopardise my account? Is that completely forbidden? I mean it could happen by coincidence even, couldn’t it? We could become… friends. Or something.”
Her silence practically kills me.
“It would be unorthodox. I can’t say it happens all that regularly, if at all. Clients are clients for a reason, and that’s primarily for the confidentiality of the no strings attached rule and the ability to indulge in their most forbidden fantasies. We aren’t exactly a dating site. If they wanted one of those with its own Naughty List, they’d be going through The Matchmaker.”
The Matchmaker. I’ve never heard of it.
I don’t let the confusion stop my flow.
“Yeah, I can imagine that would be unorthodox… but if it did happen. What would that mean? Would I get cancelled?”
Another pause. I can hardly breathe.
If Josh could hear this, he’d be staring at me in horror, shaking his head at the very thought I’d be doing this and bringing anything whatsoever about our situation to their radar.
“A client is always free to remove their account, Ella,” Orla says. “That is their call to make. Their account and history would be deleted, and they would have to reapply through The Agency if they were to change their mind, completely from scratch. Plenty of clients go dormant when they get into relationships, but their accounts remain active, and the rules still apply.”
I nod along.
“But if they did delete their account, and I did cross paths with them, what would happen then? Is that forbidden?”
“Do you want to elaborate?” she asks me. “Do you have something in particular on your mind? Your questions sound… directional. Is something happening to you?”
Oh my God, how I freak out! Josh would have his hands in his hair, going ballistic for raising their suspicions. I should never have said anything. Not a word.
“No, not really,” I say with a stupid grin.
“The regulations state that once you have signed up as an Agency entertainer, you can’t use that status to turn freelance. You do know that, yes? Once with The Agency, using the platform, you always have to offer your Naughty List services via The Agency and nowhere else. It’s exclusivity. You can’t set up as a do-it-yourself Entertainer.”
“I know that. Absolutely.”
“Hmm. Be honest with me, Ella. Are you thinking of hanging up your Agency crown and settling down in the outside world? With someone you know? You’re with Josh, right? Has anything changed?”
“No way would I stop being an entertainer,” I assure her. “That would be crazy. I wouldn’t consider it for a second.”
“Phew,” she says. “That’s good to hear.”
My heart is thumping in my chest. Running riot. I’m so fucking glad Josh is out tonight, so he doesn’t see me being this dumbass, but if he was here, I wouldn’t be being this dumbass.
Or this brave…
I can barely bring myself to look at the screen when I speak next, I’m so nervous.
“But if a client did delete their account, they could cross paths with me… as long as it wasn’t breaching Agency regulations?”
Orla takes her time. I hear her mouse clicking, and I hope she isn’t flagging anything. Please God, no!
“Forget it,” I say. “It’s only speculation… I was just thinking… aloud.”
“Yes, they could do that,” Orla says. “So long as you weren’t them charging for any services, and The Agency’s identity remained anonymous. But, Ella, the client would have to be extremely certain that was what they wanted to do. Because if they left on those terms, it’s extremely unlikely they’d pass the vetting process again. And if anything was brought to public attention, it could lead them to a whole host of problems. As you well know.”