Page 95 of The Reboot
‘Shut up, then.’ He leaned in and kissed her again, and Ella forgot all her questions and doubts as his tongue slid into her mouth.
Ella had worried that sex would take too much out of her, but instead it seemed to give her more energy, and she felt invigorated in a way that she hadn’t in a long time.
‘Bella Ella,’ Roly murmured, stroking damp tendrils of hair away from her face as they collapsed on the bed beside each other. ‘Am I breaking some kind of landlord code of ethics by sleeping with my tenant?’
‘Landlords don’t have any ethics, remember? They’re evil bastards.’
‘Oh yeah. That’s okay, then.’
‘But maybe I’m just seducing you so you’ll let me off paying my rent. I bet you never thought of that.’
‘Ooh, kinky! Wanna role-play that?’ He sat up on one elbow.
‘Okay. You start.
‘Um … okay.’ He rubbed his hair and shook his head a few times as if getting into character. ‘Hello,’ he said in a weird deep voice. ‘I’ve come to collect the rent.’
‘Uh … you shouldn’t really start off in bed with me. Go out of the room and come back in.’
‘Oh, right, yeah.’ He leapt out of bed and went out, appearing again seconds later in the doorway.
‘Hello, Ella,’ he said again in his gruff voice. ‘I’m here to collect the rent.’
‘Oh, Mr Punch!’ she gasped in a high, breathy tone. ‘You’ve caught me unawares.’ She scrabbled under the duvet, pulling it up to her chin. ‘But … why are you naked?’ She giggled. ‘Did you drive over here like that?’
He frowned, trying to look severe and suppress his laughter. ‘Of course not. As you well know, I live upstairs. And … I’m a nudist!’
‘Oh yes, I forgot!’
‘Yes, I’m ready for action at all times. So … pay up, little lady and I’ll be out of your hair.’
‘Oh no! I’m afraid I’m a little short.’
‘Don’t give me that!’ He crossed the room and pulled back the duvet. ‘I’d say you’re five foot six if you’re an inch.’
‘Five foot five, actually.’
‘Well that’s no excuse. I want my money.’
‘Please don’t throw me out! I have nowhere else to go.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t want to put a pretty little thing like you out on the street.’ He sat down on the bed. ‘If you haven’t got the money, maybe we could come to some arrangement.’
She gasped. ‘You mean…’ She put the back of her hand to her forehead in a dramatic gesture of despair.
He put a hand around her neck, then slowly slid it down to cup her breast, his thumb flicking across her nipple. ‘If you don’t have the money, you’ll have to pay me some other way.’
‘You don’t mean … sex?’ She widened her eyes innocently.
‘Yes. I’ll have my wicked way with you. And a landlord’s ways are wickeder than most.’
‘I’ve heard,’ Ella said, swallowing a laugh.
‘I don’t do this for all my tenants, you know.’
‘I should hope not. You’d go out of business fast!’
‘But I like you, so I’ll make an exception.’ His hands were stroking her breasts, driving her wild. ‘So what do you say? Sex or the street?’
