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  He placed one hand upon my back. Then he took one of my hands in his other hand.

  “Just relax,” he whispered. “I’ll guide you through it.”

  He pushed forward and I moved my left foot back. He responded by stepping lightly on my foot. I jerked my foot back and he started to chuckle.

  “Your other right foot.”

  I tried to regain my composure again as I took the position. With one foot alternating and the next, I did my best not to look foolish. Thomas carried me and whisked me around the ballroom floor. As he did so, I started to become more and more familiar with the steps. He didn’t do anything fancy and I knew that I didn’t look like everybody else who was dancing. But I quickly grew accustomed to his moves and I found myself no longer focusing on trying to guess where next he was going to turn me.

  “Very good, Angel,” he said. “You follow very well.”

  “You lead very well, Mr. Livingston.”

  I locked my eyes upon him. His body pressed up closer to me. Through his tuxedo, I could feel the rigidness of his muscles against me. I found something inside of me making it more difficult for me to breathe.

  All of this was causing me to lose my focus on dancing and turn my attention to him. He was so handsome and the way he danced made him even more charming. Physically, I couldn’t ask for anything more and to have him so close to me felt like a prelude of things to come. The way he wrapped his arm around me and led me around the dance floor was like some kind of elegant foreplay. I found myself trying not to let my desire cause me to lose focus.

  This was what it was like. He held me in his arms and we danced without a care in the world. I remember just moments ago what it was like watching everybody dance. Now I was with Thomas and we had our own little cloud to glide around the sky with. The eyes that were upon me disappeared. The lights dimmed. We were alone. All I could see was the green in the darkness staring back at me. I was his.

  He started to slow down before he finally came to a stop at the edge of the dance floor. The song ended and I found myself no longer in his hypnotic gaze.

  “You’ve never danced before?” he asked me.

  “Not like this.”

  He nodded his head softly then leaned in and kissed me upon the cheek. I closed my eyes but before I could savor our moment, we were interrupted by our dinner guests.

  “Well done!” Anthony said, clapping loudly as he walked toward us. “And you said you had no clue what you were doing.”

  “You looked great out there, Angel,” Alina said to me.

  “Thanks…”

  I started to turn my head away in embarrassment, suddenly remembering that Thomas and I weren’t alone.

  “Now, Angel, if you’ll do me the honor,” Thomas said as he offered his hand to me. “We have much business to go over.”

  “Yes. Business,” Anthony smirked. “I’m sure you’ll get a lot of work done tonight.”

  “That’s the plan,” Thomas said to him. “Alina, always a pleasure. Angel, let’s be on our way.”

  I waved politely to the couple and made my way out of the grand ballroom with Thomas’s fingers intertwined with mine. As we left, the place looked the same as it did when I first entered.

  “You’re just going to leave like that?” I whispered to him. “There are still people here. Isn’t this your party?”

  “Yes,” Thomas said. “Don’t worry. Nobody ever notices I’m gone. Besides, tonight is a special night.”

  He again kissed me softly on the cheek. Together, we made our way back to his penthouse suite. After my brief experience with his lifestyle, I was more eager to see what else he had planned for me.

  Chapter 10

  I didn’t know what to expect. I was anxious, nervous. There was an odd feeling swimming around in my stomach full of alcohol and a gourmet meal. Even up to this point, Thomas had kept it a mystery as to what his specific intentions for me were. I only knew that I would be by his side until I got the money we agreed upon.

  I could hear music coming from inside of the suite as I cleaned myself up in the bathroom. I made sure that my makeup was perfect and the black dress I had spent so much on was the same. Taking one last look at what Thomas had spent so much money on, I exhaled a deep breath and walked back out to the living room of the penthouse suite.

  Thomas was standing next to the large window wall, looking out into the city. His back was turned to me and next to him was a table with a candle burning brightly upon it. The rest of the room was dim with a few sparse candles spread throughout. Most of the illumination came from the fireplace. The flames danced like they had every time I had seen them, the heat emanating from them a familiar feeling upon my skin. My heels clicked across the floor like knocks on a door to let him know that I was here and ready to do whatever he wanted of me.

  “I wish it wasn’t so cold,” he said.

  “Why’s that?”

  “I’d like to open the door to the balcony tonight. The night air is so refreshing, especially when you’re in a stuffy room like this all of the time.”

  “A penthouse suite is the last thing I’d call stuffy, Mr. Livingston.”

  “When you’ve spent as much time in here as I have, you would understand.”

  I moved closer to him. I stood by his side and watched him. His eyes were locked upon the city as he looked down upon it from his self-proclaimed ivory tower. The reflection of the lights burned in the retinas of his green eyes. He stood still and patient, a calm over him that was infectiously peaceful.

  “The room is warm,” I said to him. “The fire is burning. You have a coat. Just because the night is cold doesn’t mean you can’t handle it.”

  “Perhaps. But what would be the point of going outside if the only way to find comfort is to run back in?”

  “That’s quite the conflict, Mr. Livingston. The room is too stuffy, so you can’t stay. But outside it’s too cold, so you can’t leave. Your only option would be to choose the lesser of two evils.”

  “That’s one option.”

  “There’s another?”

  “Yes.”

  He turned and looked at me. He started to slowly move around me, pacing back and forth just behind me. Thomas eyeballed me up and down, doing more than just examining me with his eyes.

  “You learn,” he said. “You adjust. You adapt to it. You see, this room is only uncomfortable because I’ve grown so accustomed to it. But it was specifically optimized for me. I put every dollar I could to ensuring that. I could say the same for you and the cold of the night.”

  “Can you?”

  “Indeed. You see, Angel, I know that you’ve worked nights. Cold nights when you didn’t want to be out there. A desperate young woman trying to make a living by revealing herself to the world despite common human sense. It’s a sacrifice you made. You’ve adapted to life in the city, real life in the city, unlike someone who spends most of his time in climate-controlled penthouse suites.”

  “That must be why I’m more comfortable in this room than you are, Mr. Livingston.”

  “Now you see,” he smirked. “I yearn for what you have. That toughness. That thick skin…”

  He moved closer to me and gently trailed a finger down my arm.

  “So delicate and yet so strong. You’re like a rose who has grown thorns to protect herself.”

  “We all have thorns, Mr. Livingston. It’s just sometimes you’re too focused on the petals to notice them.”

  He looked into my eyes and stared at me for a moment. His hand moved slowly up my arm and along my shoulder. I closed my eyes and remembered the feeling. The way he touched me the other night as his hand gripped my throat. The vibrations slowly emanated through the rest of my body as his hand moved around my neck. I tried not to swallow as he lifted his hand up, applying only enough pressure to let me know that he was there.

  “Yes, we all have thorns, Angel. And I should warn you that mine are particularly sharper than anyone you’ve ever met.”

 
“I’ve bleed before. I will bleed again. And I am no worse off because of it.”

  “It’s more than just losing blood, Angel. I cut deep. I leave scars.”

  “Scars I can handle.”

  I opened my eyes again and Thomas was once again staring hard at me. I wanted to ask him what he was getting at but this was his game. We were in his suite and I agreed to do his bidding. He was the one that was in control and I was doing everything I could to accommodate the man that just threatened to cut me.

  He sighed and walked away from me, making his way toward the bar. I watched him open a bottle of wine while I stood next to the window wall.

  “On the table, you’ll find a contract,” he said to me. “Please review it and look it over. Then we can make our arrangement official.”

  “I told you I didn’t need a contract, Mr. Livingston. Your word is enough for me.”

  “I know that, Angel. The contract is for me.”

  He half-smiled at me as he poured two glasses of wine. I turned my attention to the contract on the table. Underneath the candle light, I saw the single sheet of paper with the text upon it. I inspected the contract closer to see what he was talking about.

  There was no legalese about our specific arrangement. There were no dollar amounts. There were no numbers. There was nothing in regards to how long I would need to be in his service. There were only things about what we would do and how they were to be kept private.

  “What is this?”

  “It’s a non-disclosure agreement.”

  “W-why would you need this? Your secret is safe with me.”

  “I believe you, Angel. I really do. I suppose it is a bit of a formality. But for my own peace of mind, I’d prefer to have it in writing.”

  “But this paper doesn’t mean anything. I could still tell. Would you sue me? I have no money.”

  “Angel, when this is all over, you’ll have ten thousand dollars.”

  Once again Thomas reiterated that he was serious about paying me the money that I had asked for. He walked over to me with the two glasses of wine in his hand and a grin on his face. He placed a glass on the table next to the contract and looked down at me.

  “There are no guarantees in life, Angel. But I will compensate you as I’ve promised.”

  I looked up at him as he took a sip of his wine. My eyes narrowed as I stared at him. There was something he wasn’t telling me. He was protecting himself because he didn’t want the truth to get out but what did he want to hide.

  “The money isn’t important to you,” I said to him. “But this is. Why? Why must this be a secret?”

  Thomas sighed as he placed his glass down next to mine. He paced back over to the window and looked out into the city before he answered my question.

  “I have a reputation, Angel. One that must remain intact, otherwise, this, all of this, could be gone in an instant.”

  “Is it really that out of the ordinary for a man with your wealth to hire a hooker?”

  He jerked his head to me. His eyes widened.

  “You think I’m ashamed of you?”

  “Well, aren’t you? That’s what I am. I’m a prostitute.”

  “No, no, no. That’s not it, Angel. I merely… I’d prefer to keep this a secret… Because…”

  He suddenly became flustered for a reason that I didn’t understand. He made his way back to the glass of wine and gulped the rest of it before walking back to the bar to pour himself another glass.

  “Mr. Livingston, what would you have me do? What would you expect of me?”

  Thomas rested his palms on the bar and held himself up after taking another sip of wine.

  “Thorns, Angel. My thorns are hidden beneath this expensive suit, these lavish parties and this luxurious suite. You will see them, Angel. No one else must know. That is why I need this, Angel. And that is what I expect of you. You will bleed. But you will be rich.”

  I stared at him for a second then back down at the contract. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Seeing my hesitation, Thomas made his way back over to the painting and removed it. I watched him open the safe and take out stacks of money like he did just the other night. It was such a huge amount that I could never get used to it. I already had more than enough to last me for so long. This was extra.

  “Your next payment, Angel.”

  He slowly made his way toward me and I watched him the entire way. He stood at the table next to me and leaned in close to me. I closed my eyes once again as I felt his mouth fall upon my neck. His lips pressed against my flesh, touching and teasing me in a way that stimulated my entire body. I let out a silent moan as my mouth slowly fell open.

  His scent was intoxicating. He pressed himself closer to me and I quickly became overwhelmed by a passion that had seemingly come from nowhere. I didn’t know what it was exactly but I felt powerless to my desire in moments like this. Even if Thomas had not agreed to pay me in advance, I was still enraptured by everything he was doing.

  He trailed his mouth up the side of my neck, along my chin then across my cheek. One of his hands groped my midsection and I inhaled sharply from his firm but gentle touch.

  “Sign the contract,” he whispered. “Be mine, Angel. I will give you everything you want and more.”

  “What more could you possibly give me?” I said, half-moaning from the increasing pressure of his hand against my body.

  “It’s inside of you. There’s something that desperately needs to be awakened. You are holding back. Let me unleash it. Just sign the contract and you can have it…”

  Thomas was doing everything he could to seduce me. It was like he had some power over me. I was so used to being in control with other men but he was different. This was about more than just sex. Thomas had the money to buy me and make me unavailable to any other man who tried to make an offer. But there was more than that. I found myself wanting him.

  My body longer for his touch and he gave me no respite. My eyes were sealed shut from the pleasure he was trying to force through me. His lips moved around my chin and along my neck, ever so closely to my own lips but never quite making it. He worked his hand down my stomach and across one of my thighs. I felt him flip the expensive silk to the side as he rubbed the inside of my thigh. The arousal I felt vibrated to my core and I found my opening aching for his creeping touch.

  He slipped his hand up the inside of my thigh and my legs instinctively parted to make way for him. The pressure from his hand pressed up against me, my panties the only thing stopping him from making contact. A drop of wetness leaked from me. My legs moved farther away from one another.

  “Do you want this, Angel?”

  “Yes…”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes…”

  “Not until…”

  He moved his hand away, down my leg and across my knee. My body jerked as if to bring him back but his fingers were gone. I opened my eyes as he pulled his head away from me. My breath was heavy as he stared at me. He didn’t need to say anything more. The way he looked at me told me that the desire was there but he was holding back. There was a restraint and I knew what that chain was.

  He turned to the contract on the table and I looked back at it. It seemed so ominous. It was as if the words on the paper were foreshadowing something much more sinister that I was unprepared for. The way Thomas looked at me made it seem like I was signing to keep more than just a secret.

  But there was no way I could resist. How could I? There was too much money on the table, literally. He was too handsome, too charming and too… perfect. He had already given me his word but this would make it official.

  This wasn’t just about making a deal. This was about satisfying a carnal craving that Thomas had so expertly negotiated. He left me hanging on the brink of sexual pleasure. And that was what I wanted more than anything.

  I took the pen into my hand and pressed it down on the line. I moved the pen around as I wrote the scribbled signature I hadn’t used in years. When t
he pen fell back onto the table, Thomas stared back at me with an impish smile. The deal was done. Now all there was left to do was fulfill both of our wishes.

  “We will be together,” he whispered to me. “You will accompany me when I see fit. If anybody asks, you are Angel, my assistant. They can assume what they want. They probably will. Those assumptions that you are more than my assistant are fine. The clues will be obvious.

  “But what position I have you in exactly will remain between us. To them, you are my assistant. But behind closed doors, you are simply… mine.”

  “And what position will you have me in tonight, Mr. Livingston?”

  I gave him a devilish smile as I raised one of my eyebrows. Thomas fought his own smile off as he offered his hand to me. He kissed me softly on the mouth before turning me to the large window wall.

  “Look out into the city,” he said to me.

  I turned my back to him and felt his hand upon the center of my back as he slowly bent me over. I pushed my palms against the table as Thomas stood behind me. I did what I was told, watching the lights from all of the skyscrapers staring back at me. At the same time, I felt the skirt of my dress slowly beginning to rise up my legs and over my ass. I could feel the warmth of the flames against my tender flesh but it was no match for the heat emanating from his pants.

  He pressed against me and the thickness of his cock was more than apparent. I closed my eyes and shuddered from his touch.

  “No,” he said as he grabbed my chin. “Open your eyes. Watch the city.”

  I did as I was told. I could see a faint reflection of the two of us in the glass of the window. I was bent over the table and Thomas stood just behind me and over me.

  “No one will ever know how I fuck you. Say it.”

  “No one will ever know how you fuck me.”

  “Good.”

  His thumbs reached into the sides of my panties and he pulled them down my legs to my ankles. I stepped out of them and spread my legs for him. I could feel how much I was already dripping as the heat from the fireplace seemed to be growing more intense. The passion inside of me was burning. My center ached for him. The sound of him unzipping himself was music to my ears. It was music that made me instinctively spread my legs even wider for him.