A Virgin Like Him

PROLOGUE

SIX MONTHS AGO

I rolled over and woke up to a pale, skinny red head next to me. Tray was the only guy I messed around with that had a double bed, so I wasn’t above sleeping with him, so I could sleep next to him instead of my crappy single bunk at home. And yes, his name was Tray, as opposed to Trey. His parents were about as educated as mine. Humming, he reached for me and pulled me closer to him. Allowing him, I held him for a moment and then sat straight up as I realised what today was.

“What the fu-” Tray muttered.

“The mail comes today,” I gasped, cutting him off.

“Yeah, every Wednesday. Since I was born. What makes today so special?” He asked, rolling over while rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“University acceptance letter should have come by now,” I told him, slipping off the bed and grabbing my cut off shorts.

“...or university not-acceptance letter,” Tray laughed and I threw his own used condom at him, that was on the floor next to my shirt. “Fucking gross,” He snapped as he jumped up from the bed and away from the soiled projectile.

“Then don’t leave it lying around, you fucking sicko. Bin that shit,” I laughed. After realising it hadn’t actually hit him, he grinned up at me as I pulled on my dirty what-used-to-be white canvas shoes that nearly had no grip on them at all anymore.

“If you get in, come around again and we’ll celebrate,” Tray smirked and I rolled my eyes.

“Celebrate me leaving you and this hell hole?” I asked, laughing again and Tray shrugged.

“If anyone was gunna get out of here, it’d be you babe,” he conceded, being one of only a few people who knew how much work I’d done to get to this point.

After all, I started spending so much time at his place, so I could do my homework without my parents bitter input, and had then lost my virginity to him because I was tired of homework one day and he told me he was also bored and wanted to kiss me. He was such a sleaze, now that I thought about it... and I was too easy back then. “That or we can celebrate the acceptance that you’ll die in this backwards speck on the map town, like the rest of us. We can announce our engagement tonight at the bar.”

“Awesome, I’ll bring the cyanide for that option,” I snorted, moving towards the door. Doing a quick once over to make sure my dark long ratty hair was at least half decent. My eyeliner from last night was smudged and I needed to wash my face, but I didn’t have time. My clothes hung off my slim body, but that wasn’t anything new. When you have no food in the fridge, you never need to worry about being on a diet. Shaking my head at my trashy appearance, I opened the door to Tray’s room and headed out, giving his mum a quick good bye on the way out of their tiny flat. Walking down their street that came off the main street in town, I moved quickly to get what I wanted.

Moments later, I held the piece of paper in my shaking hand as tears welled up in my eyes. I wasn’t even sure if it was happy or sad tears, but they were there. I’d been accepted into university. It had been a whim, that maybe my year twelve results were enough to gain entry into one of the toughest subjects available. Looking around the small section of the convenience store that doubled as the post office in this town, I needed to tell someone. Mel... I needed to tell my sister, she was after all the reason I had done this. Pulling out the phone she’d bought for me, I hit her number and she picked up on the second ring.

“Kathy, did you get the letter?” She asked in lieu of a greeting, and the tears sprang into my eyes again instantly.

“I’m in,” I spoke through the knot in my throat. She let out what seemed like a huge sigh of relief and laughed.

“I’m so fucking proud of you, little sister,” she told me and I grinned down at my shoes. “This is going to change your life.”

“The course is covered obviously, but how can I afford my personal expenses?” I asked, feeling out of my depth.

“The same way I did,” Mel spoke confidently. “You’re about to become a city girl, babe. You still dating eight people at the same time?”

“Mel,” I groaned. “Three, and I’m only sleeping with one of them,” I laughed. “You make me sound like drive thru vagina.”

“Its good practice for what you’ll have to do,” she laughed. “I’m going to buy you a bus ticket and you’ll tell mum and dad you’re spending the summer with me to prepare. I need to tell you something and explain a few things, but I don’t want to do it over the phone.”

“They’re going to go crazy,” I murmured, closing my eyes.

“Of course they are, but they’re not going to help you be able to juggle your coursework and still be able to afford to eat more than once a day. I had to do it, and now it’s your turn. It’s the only way to get out of that backwards hell hole,” Mel sighed. “It’s going to suck, but it’ll be worth it.”

“Promise?” I asked, with a small voice.

“Promise,” Mel laughed.

Climbing into our tiny little caravan, Mum sat at the tiny little table, staring the tiny little TV. Everything was tiny and little in our world. We didn’t have room for anything big and luxurious. Dressed in her grubby dressing gown, with a coffee mug in her hand, my mother looked twice her age. Her dark hair had strands of grey through it and it looked like it needs a years’ worth of conditioning treatments with the wiry frizz sticking out everywhere. Her skin had never seen a product other than soap and it showed in the deep wrinkles around her mouth and eyes.

“The government want to cut the pension by thirty dollars a month next year,” My mum snapped. “Already struggling and they want to take more off us.”

“That sucks,” I murmured. “Um, hey,” I started and she turned her glare to me. “I think I would like to go stay with Mel this summer,” I tried to sound casual.

“What would you want with that little uppity bitch?” Mum snapped and I swallowed my automatic groan.

“Well, I,” I started and stopped. Finding resolve I didn’t know I had, the words spewed out so I knew I couldn’t take them back. “I was accepted into university.” I held up the letter and waved it back and forth. Knowing they would, her eyes narrowed and her mouth set into a hard line as she nodded her head.

“So that’s what you’re up too?” She asked. “You think you can run off just like she did.”

“It’s a really good opportunity,” I shrugged. “I’m taking it and Mel has offered to help me.”

“She’s a fucking snob who thought she was too good for this town and she’s gotten to you too,” Mum snapped. “But go, run to your sister and you can both be stuck-up and too good for us mere mortals, together.” I studied my mother and not for the first time, wondered where the hostility came from. She hated any talk of the city, any talk of wanting more than the shitty sardine can we’d grown up in. I could still remember the fight she and Mel had, the night Mel left. We were ungrateful, and snobs. Everything that had been slaved over to give to us, wasn’t good enough. We were terrible people for wanting to further our education so we could work in a real job, in a real city and make a real difference. Mel hadn’t even applied for a hard subject; she took whatever she could get to get the hell out. I had told Mum I had applied for forensic science and she nearly fell off her chair, laughing. I was a fool to think I’d be accepted into a world class subject when I’d had a backwards education. Mum didn’t know that my teachers had been slipping me extra work since year seven. I wanted to learn, I wanted to be someone. I didn’t want kids before I was twenty and stay stuck in the same rut my parents were in. I didn’t want to live off government payments and benefits. Did that really make me such a terrible person? That I wanted something for myself? Apparently so.

“Well,” My mother sighed, and looked up at me. The set of her mouth told me she was about to get nasty. “Get your shit out and get on your way then. You want to be a big shot, important city girl, this can be your first lesson in how crap this world is on your own.” I stared at her for a moment, stunned and then resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t as surprised as I should have been. Everything I owned fitted into a backpack anyway. I only had to survive until the bus ticket was secured and then I was out of here, for good.

Heading out of the holiday park, I slung my bag on my shoulder and headed back to Tray’s. I opened the front door and walked in, knowing they would just ignore me if I knocked. Tray was in the kitchen filling a bowl with cereal in just his boxers.

“I’m back,” I murmured and he looked over his pale bare shoulder and grinned at me when he saw my bag.

“You’re in,” he grinned, forgetting the cereal and spinning on his heel. I grinned as tears sprung into my eyes again.

“Mel is organising a bus ticket for me to go spend the summer with her, but that won’t be for a couple of days and mum...” I trailed, not needing to say anything because Tray knew her.

“You need to crash here until you get your ticket to freedom?” He asked and I shrugged, trying to down play my excitement because it was, after all, leaving him too.

I arrived on Mel’s doorstep two days later, I felt like shit and needed a shower, but I was no longer a resident of Sandy Creek. I wasn’t a resident anywhere really, but I was not in that backwards squalor and that was all that mattered. The door opened to a beaming handsome man. He was tanned, lean, tall, gorgeous and friendly looking. His white collar shirt was open at the neck and his tie hung loosely over his shoulders. His dark hair was shaggy and in direct contrast of the well put together look his crisp shirt showed.

“Katherine?” He asked, the words slipping through straight white teeth. The hot dude knew me. How did I not know the hot dude? “You must be Katherine, you look just like Melanie.” Ah. There it was. She already had dibs. Bitch.

“Yeah, uh Kathy,” I offered my hand and he shook it. His hand was even fucking handsome to shake. Mel had scored big time with this bloke.

“My name is Nate, come on in. Mel is just in the kitchen.” We walked through the door and I stopped again. This place was magnificent. It had walls, and carpet and not a single bunk bed in any of the living areas.

I know I didn’t have high standards, coming from where I did and this was probably simple and nice to most folk. But it reminded me of a teacher’s house I’d once gone to, to get school work done so that my parents didn’t know just how much I was doing. The moment I’d walked through that door it had been my goal in life to have a four bedroom house. I wanted white walls, cream carpets, fucking real curtains. Mel had this, I wasn’t sure of the bedroom count, but this was a real house. She even had curtains that were real curtains.

“Is she here?” Mel called out from somewhere in the house.

“Is the guy that answered the door real?” I called back, giving Nate a smirk that he returned good-naturedly.

“Oh my god,” I heard her gasp and then footsteps through the house. She threw herself at me the moment she was in the room and I hugged her back, laughing. She looked amazing as she pulled back from me grinning. Her dark hair was styled and shorter than when I last saw here. It was glossy and looked well-maintained. Her figure had rounded out and she positively glowed as she beamed at me. She looked healthy and happy. “I’m so glad you’re here. And yes,” She smirked. “He’s real and taken.”

“Bummer,” I sighed. “Got a brother? Cousin? I’ll even take a grandfather at this point?” I glanced between the two of them and Mel laughed and slapped my shoulder.

“Come, dinner is almost ready and I’m so glad you’re here.”

Following them, we came into a kitchen that morphed into a dining area. I let out a low whistle.

“I know, huh?” Mel laughed. “You want something to drink?” She asked, opening the full sized fridge. We’d only ever had a bar sized fridge between the four of us back home.

“Anything that will get this kink out of my neck from bus sleeping,” I shrugged, sitting at the kitchen bench on one of her barstools.

“Would you like one?” Mel asked Nate and he nodded with a warm smile. When drinks were poured, Mel leaned towards me with her elbows on the bench. I took a sip of the wine and smiled at her. “I have to tell you something and you need to promise not to be mad,” Mel pinned me with a steady stare that told me she was serious. Her brown eyes that we both got from Dad were bright and that told me it was good news, at least.

“He’s not your boyfriend and you’re only saying he is because you don’t want me to have him,” I gestured towards Nate and he laughed.

“You wish, perv,” Mel muttered with a grin. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to say it over the phone, but,” She glanced up at Nate and then back to me. “I’m pregnant,” she announced, beaming at me.

“Ahh, that’s why you’re fat,” I joked and her smile turned to a glaring frown.

“You’re such a bitch,” she muttered. “But yes, I have extra padding and it isn’t because of pasta.” Her smile returned and I finally grinned at her.

“I’m so excited for you,” I laughed.

Not long after that, Nate made his apologies stating he needed to go back to work and left Mel and I to talk. I considered that weird because it was close to seven in the evening, who works that much?

“I also need to tell you the truth about what I’ve been doing since I left Sandy Creek,” Mel told me as we sat down to eat. “It’s also how I plan to get your ass through university without having you surrendering anything.” Her brown eyes levelled me again and this time it was more serious than her excitement at being pregnant. “When I first got to town, I lived in a hostel, and ate peanut butter for a week. Not even like in a sandwich. Just spoonful a couple times a day to get me through.”

“You stole the peanut butter from home?” I demanded. “Mum went completely psycho about that for a month!” I exclaimed, glaring at her. Mel laughed and shrugged.

“She shouldn’t have been such a bitch to me about school, then.”

“She did the same with me,” I murmured. “I stayed at Tray’s until I got the bus here.”

“I don’t get it, it’s like jealousy or something, that we made sure we got out of there before we got tied to some dead beat by children,” Mel murmured.

“Nate definitely ain’t a deadbeat,” I laughed and Mel grinned.

“He’s so ridiculously handsome, though, huh?” She asked and I rolled my eyes.

“I thought my vagina might literally explode when he opened that door. You need a medal for reeling him in,” I grinned at her.

“I’m glad you approve of his looks, it’s not like it’s what’s on the inside that counts or anything,” Mel snorted and I laughed again. “Back to Nate, when I got to town, I was basically homeless and hopeless but as I flicked through a newspaper, I found an ad.”

“For a super-hot dude that wanted to impregnate you?” I laughed and she rolled her eyes.

“Not exactly, it was for an agency that sets up busy professionals with...” she trailed off for a moment. “With friends.” Pulling back, I studied her seriously.

“Are you trying to fucking prostitute me out, Melanie?” I asked and she shook her head.

“No, it’s not escorting or prostituting, it’s different. I swear on my life I would not prostitute my baby sister out.”

“Then how did you wind up pregnant then, huh?” I crossed my arms, glaring at her.

“Look, these guys are busy and don’t have time for real girlfriends or wives. They want meaningful relationships, sure. But they want them on the complete knowledge that you may not see them for six weeks and then they have two days where they want to go somewhere cool and want some company to take with them.”

“So, rent-a-girlfriend?” I cocked an eyebrow, still not buying that this bitch wasn’t pimping me out. Mel sighed with her head in her hands.

“Sort of?” She groaned. “You make it sound so much worse than it is. These guys just want a fling that they know won’t turn into something needy and distracting, and they’re willing to pay as much as they would with a real gold digger girlfriend or wife to get it.”

“So this is how you met Nate?” I asked.

“He’s currently organising a merger of two of the biggest companies in the country and we weren’t actually meant to fall for each other,” She smirked. “He’s so lovely, though. It really was inevitable.”

“So he’s your sugar daddy that turned baby daddy?” I laughed and she shrugged.

“Something like that.”

“You want me to have a sugar daddy?” I asked and she bit her lip.

“Look, they’re really careful and it’s more like a network of men who want a fling and woman who are in your position. They’re also busy and doing their own thing. Some don’t even need the money; they just enjoy the unattached male company like the men do. I think I even once saw a cougar with a young hot toy boy at one of the parties. It’s so not as diabolical as it sounds, I swear,” Mel promised me and I stared at her long and hard.

“Parties?” I asked skeptically.

“They’re not wild orgies or anything, I promise. And no one is sharing anyone, like you won’t do anything you don’t want to do, it’s all legit. Just a cocktail party where people get to know each other, and see if there is chemistry. If you fit, you go off and start talking business. If you don’t, you move on.”

The longer I stared at her, sitting in her amazing kitchen in her beautiful house, the smaller my resolve got.

“One chance,” I murmured and she grinned.

“It will mean you don’t have to give up study for a traditional job and you may have to give up a night here or there, but I promise you this will fix everything for you,” Her eyes sparkled up at me and I knew what she was going to say before she said it. “It did for me.”

I sat in a bar I had no business being in, perched on the edge of a day bed that was probably once covered in a grandmas wet dream embroidered pattern. It was now a rich dark red velvet that stretched across its curves. I took my hand from my aperol spritz and ran it across the fabric. Feeling the fibers move under my hand to ground me. I was here to do a job. I was here to be the fun girlfriend this guy couldn’t afford to find himself. Hence this horrendous drink. I was here to skip formalities of actually getting to know one another and if any part of our personalities meshed, my job was to take that connection and grip it until my nails dug into my palm and bled to claw on to it, no matter what. No matter the cost. Because the end game was I didn’t have any debt at the end of my schooling career and i might have a chance at building a life that didn’t see me returning to my parents two bedroom, bathroom-less cabin at the caravan park of my home town. I had to make this work. I wasn’t about to return to the pits of hell to marry the first man that looked my way and pop out half a dozen kids who I would spend the next decade resenting, while waiting on the government to pay my rent each fortnight.

And look, this all seems fairly dark and scheming but it worked for my sister in the most pure way possible. The reason I was here awaiting Michael was her success at finding the literal love of her life doing exactly what I was doing. Dating rich men and swapping their money and connections for time... and the girlfriend experience.

“You don’t strike me as an aperol spritz kind of girl” a deep voice chuckled, bringing me back to the here and now. He was the handsome kind of old guy. Definitely a DILF. Things were looking up that I wouldn’t have to go down on a crusty old dude.

“You know what? I’m really not,” I laughed with him. But I wanted to be the aperol spritz girl for him. I imagined that’s the type of care free girl he wanted. Someone without much of an opinion on basically anything. He wouldn’t have time for me to have an opinion. Hence why she ordered this disgusting drink and can drink it. I smiled up at Michael, going for my best good little girl look I could. “What would you recommend?” I blinked what I hoped was doe eyed and prettily. He laughed again. The smile lines were well worn into his handsome face. He wasn’t buying a second of anything I was trying to accomplish. Well, shit Michael. Work with me here.

“Cut the shit. Don’t try that lost little girl thing on me, it makes me feel dirty. What do you really want to drink? I’m getting myself the twelve year Glenfiddich,” he told me bluntly and I dropped the act that was not going to get me anywhere.

“Neat? Make it two,” I replied, my voice dropping any of the feminine breathlessness I could muster. He nodded curtly and headed for the bar. I moved the untouched radioactive orange drink to the table next to me and studied Michael as he ordered. Executive in a Fortune 500 company, he looked the part. The suit looked expensive. The kind of expensive that doesn’t come with a well known label. It’s handmade because off the rack takes too much precious time. Grey starting to peak through at the temples but you don’t mind because it makes him look George Clooney-esqe distinguished. Kind eyes and smile that you know can turn in an instance because you don’t stay successful without being able to command and conquer when it’s required. The kind eyes were on me again now as he sunk into the seat in front of me and slid the whisky across the table.

“So what brings you into this situation?” Michael got straight to the point. I stared at him for a long moment deciding how much I tell him. I take too long and I see some of the command and conquer shift in his facial expression. “Did I not ask you to cut the shit?” He finally asked, a smile to ease the blunt delivery. “I’ve seen what you’re studying at university. I know where your hometown is. I don’t have time for you deciding what you think you can manipulate, to get where you want to go. In reality, I wouldn’t be here if i wasn’t willing to give you whatever you want, Katherine,-”

“Kathy,” I correct him quickly.

“Katherine will get you further in my world,” he shrugged, before leaning back and relaxing in his seat and taking a sip of the whisky. A Patek Phillippe flashing out from under his sleeve. 100k sitting on his wrist flashing at me in the bars dimmed lighting. Super casual.

“I don’t want to pay for my own education,” I finally answered him honestly.

“Clever girl,” he murmured, looking me over with warm eyes. “The last one I tried to do this with told me she deserved Chanel purses. You can imagine how long that conversation lasted.”

“They’re not a bad investment if you choose the right model,” I shrug, hiding my smirk behind my glass as I take a sip. His eyes twinkled as he watched me sip. “They keep their value.”

“They’re an even better investment if you’re not the one paying for them,” he joked along with me. “But back to you, I admire someone who can invest in their future in a real way. What do you do for fun, then?”

“Work,” I huffed in amusement. “Fun is for when I’m not at risk of having to go backwards in life.”

“That’s not fun. If work was fun I wouldn’t be following in my colleagues footsteps and embarrassing myself with dating services to meet women half my age,” he laughed good naturedly.

“It worked for Nate,” I replied with a shrug. “He and my sister are perfect for one another.”

“I don’t think there’s many like your sister around. I’ve already warned Nathaniel, that she won’t stay single for long if he messes up so he better keep her happy,” Michael grinned at the thought and I had to laugh.

“My sister is that insanely in love with Nate that he could have a basement full of literal dead bodies and she would probably forgive him for it.” And it’s true. My sister and her husband are so in love it literally makes me sick to my stomach. I haven’t been so over someone else’s happiness since Lucy and Taylor figured their shit out. ... or since Robbo met Lucy’s dad.

“The skeletons are in his closet. I don’t even think he has a basement,” Michael chuckled and I rolled my eyes at him.

“The dad jokes start now, huh?” I asked, starting to feel more comfortable.

“As long as they’re never daddy jokes,” Michael fired back.

“Not into the daddy lifestyle?” I laugh and he shook his head.

“Not even a little bit.”

“I’ll remember that for later,” I quipped and his smile lingered as he ran his eyes down my body.

“Please do. So are we doing this? You have decent taste in liquor, you have a brain in your head and I’m not at risk of going soft from you moaning daddy in my ear. I’m happy to tell Maggie that I like what I see. Will you be doing that same?” He asked and I held his gaze steady. Men like Michael didn’t appreciate lowered submissive gazes. They want an equal, some fun and to be left alone when work calls. I took a sip of the whisky and finally shrugged at him.

“I definitely like what I see,” I confirmed, before running my tongue along my bottom lip and let the taste of the whisky linger. He watched the action with a grin and nodded.

“It was great to meet you, Katherine. You have my number. Message me your address and I’ll send a car on Friday at 8. We can have dinner and discuss boundaries for our agreement,” Michael suggested and I nodded.

“Thank you for the drink,” I told him, raising the glass that I’d nearly emptied. It was delicious compared to the atrocious choice I made when I arrived at the bar.

“My pleasure, sweetheart.” He stood from his seat as his phone rang and he answered quickly. “Mick.” I heard murmuring on the other end of the phone. “Hmm,” he made a noise of confirmation. “No, I’ll be back in time for it.” His eyes shifted to look at me. “I was just investigating a potential investment.” I smirked at him. “She is a fine piece of art,” Michael told whoever is on the phone. “Very impressed with it. I can’t wait to take it home,” he murmured and I flushed under his gaze for the first time and it was a completely natural reaction. That was a good sign. “In good time. I’ll see you soon.” Michael ended the call and reached for me. Slipping my hand into his, he leaned and pressed his lips to my knuckles. “You look good with that warmth in your cheeks,” he smiled warmly at me and I felt myself flush again. “Please don’t forget to message me,” he reminded me and I nodded. He released my hand and backed away.

In a moment, he was gone completely and I took a deep breath. That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I thought it would feel cheap. ‘Hey dude, gimme money and I’ll spread my legs’ type of deal but Michael was genuinely handsome, interested in making a natural connection and didn’t want me drinking shitty alcohol. This could turn out okay.

On the way home, my sister called.

“Sooo...?” She drew out the word with an excited tone.

“He was handsome, kind, but blunt and direct,” I replied and she squeaked excitedly at me.

“Basically everything you need,” she laughed before continuing. “See, I told you it wasn’t weird.”

“Oh, no. Mel, are you crazy? This is literally so weird. I have no business trying to date a fifty year old,” I laughed and glanced over to the Uber drive who had raised their eyebrows without taking their eyes off the road. Judgmental, but remains professional. Good for him.

“Oh come on. If it wasn’t you, it would be some other young thing. These men lost their best years to their work, you’re just helping them live a life they never had time for before now.”

“Yeah, I know. But as long as my bills are paid, I’ll do what I have too. Could be worse, I could be swinging from a pole for who ever walks in the room that night,” I let out a huff of amusement at the thought. It’s not even shade being thrown at the girls who do make their money that way. I would be a terrible stripper. I would definitely fall off the stage. “At least I have the opportunity to get to know this guy before I get my kit off.”

“You know not every sugar daddy wants that,” Mel chided me and I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah okay. I’m sure all these men just want wholesome conversation and company. They never want these young girls to touch them. Everyone involved are perfect virgin angels. Sure thing,” I rolled my eyes to myself and Mel laughed in my ear.

“One day you’ll roll your eyes so far back they get stuck,” she sassed me and I laughed with her.

“Todays not the day so I live to roll them at your naivety for another day.”

“Just be open minded. Don’t over offer and over commit to this. Your plan relies on you being able to do this for a pretty long time,” Mel reminded me and I couldn’t disagree with her. I had a decade of school to go if everything goes well. Sure, I’ll be able to start working and building my life after this initial period but I don’t ever want to have to put myself in debt for my education. Right now my scholarship was paying some of my way but we had a while to go.

“How hard can it be to allow someone else to pay my bills for the next decade,” I laughed trying to turn this back to lighthearted.

“Kathy,” Mel chided me.

“Mel,” I replied in a mocking tone.