Chapter 0004

"Next weekend he's taking me on his boat, I can't tell you the last time I was on a boat!" Lory grins as Poppy squeals with excitement, taking a drink of the tea brought in by her assistant.

"It's such a lovely time for it right now." Amelia, have you finished it yet?" I agree and pass Lory the forms, who scans them quickly before lifting her left eyebrow.

"You're still a virgin?" She inquires, puzzled. I nod, because it's never happened to me before. Guys don't seem to be interested in me; I'm almost invisible to them. Poppy beside me is astonished as well; I look at her and notice her gap mouthed expression. Lory is humming.

"That's a good thing Amelia, you'll make nearly double what other girls do because of it" Lory returns to the top page and glances at her computer monitor. "All that remains are your photos and measurements." "We might as well do them now while I have you here," she says, standing and motioning for me to do the same.

"Stand over there," she says, pointing to a space near the enormous window against a plain white wall, and I do so, hastily brushing my fingers through my hair. Lory pulls out a Polaroid camera and waits for me to stop moving before taking a picture; while waiting for it to print, she leads me further.

"Now smile," I say as I swallow the remaining lump in my throat and smile broadly. I've always been told I have a beautiful grin, but I'm still self-conscious about it. She takes a few steps back and takes another before placing the camera back in the drawer.

Lory takes out a string of measuring tape and crosses the floor to me, and I remain in the same position. Lory stands completely still as she extends the tape across various places of my body, noting figures on a paper as she goes.

"Perfect, we're finished. I'll put together your profile this afternoon and start looking for your match." Lory smiles as she replaces the tape in her drawer. Poppy claps her hands happily and stands up, squeezing my hand before heading around the table to hug Lory.

Lory envelops me in a soft hug and kisses me on both cheeks after they've finished hugging. "I'll be in touch soon, darling," I say as I gather my belongings and return down the corridor with Poppy to the elevator. Only then does the gravity of the situation sink in. What the fuck did I do?

"Cheers, to your new life!" Poppy beams as she raises her coffee mug full of red wine in the air to salute me. I gently grin and clink her cup with mine before taking a sip and scrunching up my face. Poppy insisted on celebrating my acceptance into the London Angel Club with takeaway and wine, but I'm still not a big drinker.

Poppy, on the other hand, is a seasoned pro, taking a long gulp and humming in delight.

"When you get your first round of funding, you really need to decorate this place," Poppy says from her seated posture on the floor of my living room.

I, too, gaze around my empty flat; I still have half-empty moving boxes from my move last month. I don't have a television, art, or furniture. I shrug, it's bare bones here.

"I suppose I could, but I have other things to do first." It all depends on how much money I get." I've always believed that you should perform all of the necessary tasks first, then have fun. If I have more pressing problems to deal with, such as bills or loans, I don't treat myself to anything, and lately I've just had bills and loans to deal with. As a result, I've been living on bread and pasta for the last two weeks; these are sad times.

"But you need to make this place cute if your fella comes around," my stomach churns; obviously, I hadn't considered that part. It's like a proper relationship in that he might want to stay the night or do something.

To avoid prolonging that talk, I eat another bite of fried rice. We decide to watch some movies before Poppy orders a taxi home; given that she drank 9/10 of the wine and I only had three sips, this is definitely the smartest choice.

That night, I was nearly restless in bed. When I close my eyes, I see an ugly older man with a malicious smile handing me a diamond necklace. It's rather haunting; I know it's simply my mind reflecting on my day and the events that occurred, but it would be fantastic if it would stop.

I'm woken up the next morning by my phone buzzing on the bed beside me; I don't have classes this morning, so I've allowed myself to sleep in. It's a fictitious number.

"Hello, Amelia speaking" "Amelia sweetheart it's Grace, how are you?" Grace's voice purrs through the phone, and I immediately bolt upright, wide awake.

"Hello, Lory." "I'm fine; how about you?"

"Well, your profile is complete, and I am delighted to inform you that I have found the ideal man for you." "Are you available to come into the office to talk about it?"

My mouth entirely drys out, and I lightly cough.

"Uh yeah sure, I can be there in 2 hours?" I respond as I jump out of bed and rush to the restroom.

"Fantastic, I'll see you then" She hangs up, and I quickly dial Poppy's number.

"Hmmmmm" Poppy groans into the phone as I begin to take off my clothing in preparation for a shower.

"Lory claims to have a match for me." I need you to drive me to work. I'll see her in two hours." I tell her quickly as I turn on the water to warm it up. On the other end, I can hear rustling.

"Okay I'll be there soon to get you ready, you owe me!" I roll my eyes and say goodbye before hanging up and jumping into the shower. I almost fall over and have to grab the shower curtain to keep my feet from slipping beneath me.