"Right then, let's get started on the paperwork. We want to have you matched with someone as quickly as possible" Graces slender fingers slide the clipboard she had brought out earlier across the desk in front of us. I reach over and take the clipboard, clicking the pen attached to it before filling in the mandatory questions.

N A M E

D A T E  O F  B I R T H

A D D R E S S

H E I G H T

W E I G H T

O C C U P A T I O N

E Y E  C O L O U R

H A I R  C O L O U R

From there the questions get a little bit more personal:

Do you take any recreational drugs?

Tattoos/Piercings?

Number of sexual partners?

Have you lost your virginity?

Do you drink alcohol excessively?

I scribble my answers down on the form as Heather rejoices in telling Grace about her latest date with Brad. Apparently his next date sounds quite grand.

"Next weekend he's taking me on his boat, I can't tell you the last time I was on a boat!" Heather squeals with delight as Grace grins, taking a sip of her tea she had brought in by her assistant.

"It's such a beautiful time for it now. Have you finished with that yet Elena?" I nod my head and hand Grace back the forms, who gives them a quick scan before raising her left eyebrow.

"You're still a virgin?" She asks me quizzically. I nod my head, it's just never happened for me. Guys don't really take an interest in me, I'm sort of invisible to them. Even Heather beside me is surprised, I look at her and observe her open mouthed expression. Grace hums.

"That's a good thing Elena, you'll make nearly double what other girls do because of it" Grace flicks back over to the front page and looks at her computer monitor. "All that's left to do is your photos and your measurements. We might as well do them now while I have you here" she stands and gestures for me to stand too.

"Stand over there" she points to a spot by the large window against a plain white wall and I stand in front of it, quickly running my fingers through my hair. I watch as Grace takes out a Polaroid camera and waits for me to stop moving before she takes a photo; whilst waiting for it to print off she directs me further.

"Now smile" I swallow the residual lump that still resides in my throat and smile widely. I've always been told that I have a nice smile but I still feel self conscious about it. When that one prints she takes a few steps back and takes one more before putting the camera back in the drawer.

I stay in the same position as Grace takes out a string of measuring tape and crosses the floor over to me. Standing perfectly still as instructed as Grace stretches the tape across the different areas of my body, noting down numbers on a notepad as she goes.

"Perfect, we're all done. I'll put your profile together this afternoon and will start looking for your match" Grace places the tape back into her drawer and smiles. Heather claps her hands excitedly and stands up, giving my hand a squeeze before walking around the table to give Grace a hug.

When they've finished their hug, Grace envelops me in a gentle hug and kisses me on both cheeks. "I'll be in touch soon darling" I mumble my thanks to her and collect my things, wandering back down the hallway with Heather and into the elevator. It's only then that the situation completely dawns on me. What the fuck have I done?

"Cheers, to your new life!" Heather grins as she holds up her coffee mug filled with red wine in the air to toast to me. I grin gently and clink her cup with mine before taking a sip and immediately scrunching up my face. Heather insisted that we celebrate me signing up for the London angel club with takeout and wine, but I'm still not a heavy drinker yet. On the other hand; Heather is a well seasoned pro, taking a large sip and humming in appreciation.

"When you get your first round of money you need to seriously decorate this place" Heather comments from her seated position on the floor of my living room. I too look around my barren apartment, I still have moving boxes half-filled with things from my move last month. I have no TV, no art, no furnishings. It's bare bones here, I shrug.

"Yeah I could, but I have other things I need to do first. It all depends on how much I get" I've always held the philosophy that you do all the things that you need to do first, then you can have fun. I don't treat myself to anything if I have more pressing matters like bills or loans, and lately I've only had bills and loans to deal with. As a result, I've been living off of bread and pasta the last two weeks, these are dark times.

"But you need to make this place cute if your fella comes around" My stomach churns, I hadn't thought about that part obviously. It is like a proper relationship, he might want to stay the night, he might want to, you know, do stuff. I eat another mouthful of fried rice to avoid lengthening that conversation. We decide to watch some movies before Heather orders herself a taxi home; given that she polished off 9/10 of the wine and I had three sips that's probably the best idea.

I lay practically restless in bed that night. Every time I close my eyes I picture an ugly older man with a sinister smile presenting me with a diamond necklace. It's quite haunting, I know it's just my subconscious reflecting on the day I've had and the events that took place but it would be great if that stopped.

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, Elena speaking"

"Elena sweetheart it's Grace, how are you?" Graces voice purrs through the phone and I immediately bolt upright, completely awake suddenly.

"H-hi Grace 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 Heather.

"Hmmmmm" Heather groans into the other end of the phone as I begin to strip off my clothes ready to climb into the shower.

"Grace 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 Heather 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?" Heather 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 Grace 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?" Heather 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, Grace is kind of intimidating" I admit shyly as I pull the dress over my head and shimmy it down my body.

"No way! Grace 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 Heather has dropped me off at the offices and I ascend up in the elevator alone. Heather 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.

"Elena 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?" Grace 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 Harry Styles; 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 tanned 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." Grace 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?" Grace 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 Styles?... Hello, this is Grace of the London Angel Club how are you?... I'm well thank you. I'm sitting here with Elena 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 Styles 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.