by Rhea Wilde
“No. It tastes like chicken but... different. Not like anything I've had. Usually I just end up eating at the local Chinese place down the street or some other fast food restaurant in the area.”
“I see…”
Thomas looked at me inquisitively. I accidentally spilled the details of where it was I lived even though it wasn’t really a secret. William had picked me up in the same area twice but I still felt embarrassed at even being in that part of town.
“But maybe I should ask them to start serving this,” I said. “It’s not too bad. What is it?”
“Frog legs.”
“What?”
“They butcher frogs and fry the legs. They're fried in a special batter and served as appetizers. In this case, the chef might have cooked them a little too thoroughly.”
I swallowed the rest of the piece down and looked down at the unique delicacies in front of me. Thomas didn’t seem to mind that I was a little uneasy about a new experience, even though I had enjoyed it. In fact, there was a growing smile on his face shortly followed by an uncontrolled fit of laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I asked him.
“Nothing, it’s just… I’m sorry to have deceived you. I assumed you already knew what it was. My apologies, Angel.”
“There’s no need for that. It’s good… I’m just not used to it, that's all.”
Thomas nodded to me and gave me a reassuring smile to let me know that he was genuinely apologetic. I proceeded to sample the rest of the food in front of me and Thomas was more than eager to explain what it was. But he didn’t just tell me what was on the plate. He described it in more detail than was necessary. He made everything more palatable than it already was. He even shared stories about the first time he ever tried any of this food. I quickly got lost in the conversation and found myself eagerly anticipating everything next he might say.
By the time I tasted everything available, the waitress returned and placed several entrees in front of me. Cuts of steak, pieces of chicken prepared several different ways, a variety of fish. All of this along with sides of vegetables, potatoes and even more things I didn’t recognize. It was another buffet except there were only two of us.
“You don’t expect me to eat all of this, do you, Mr. Livingston?”
“No, Angel. But I do intend for you to be completely satisfied. Is it wrong of me to have everything available to you?”
“It’s not that. It’s just…”
“Yes?”
“It’s…”
I wasn’t sure if this was the right time to tell him. This was more food than I ate in a week and even more expensive. It all seemed so wasteful. I’d rather he didn’t order any of this food and just gave me what it cost in a dollar amount. As I struggled to answer him, Thomas looked at me and I could see the understanding in his eyes. Then he closed them and shook his head.
“I’m… I’m such a fool.”
“Mr. Livingston?”
“You’re right, Angel. This is a bit… excessive. But rest assured that none of this will go to waste.”
“Mr. Livingston, you don’t have to go out of your way on my behalf. I’m here for you. There’s no need for anything more than your company.”
“Right…”
I felt awful that Thomas had gone to all of this trouble just for me to criticize him. I had to learn to keep these things to myself. I started to think about the last time a man had even offered to buy me dinner and I couldn’t remember it. Thomas was already unlike any man I’d ever met but the task of getting him to see me as something more than just his prostitute had different stumbling blocks from the ones I was expecting.
I did my best to bite my tongue. Occasionally, I would tell him how delicious the food was and it was true. I never had the opportunity to eat anything that was prepared by a gourmet chef. Now I was sitting in front of a man who was paying me to do it. This is the life that I had wanted. This is the man that I had been looking for. It all seemed too perfect.
Despite my expectations, Thomas didn’t bore me with talk about his business meetings. True to his word, he kept his mouth shut about the long day that he had claimed to have. Tonight, we were just two people enjoying one another’s company while we had dinner. I felt my guard slipping as he gave me his charming smile to remind me that he enjoyed having me here with him and at the end of dinner, I found myself completely relaxed and not focused on trying to impress him in one way or another.
“Did you enjoy yourself, Angel?”
“Yes, it was all wonderful, Mr. Livingston.”
“Would you like something for dessert?”
“I…”
Before I finished I looked into his eyes and gave him a devilish grin. Just as I forgot what he had paid me for, the way he stared at me reminded me that he was just a man and his desires were no different. Even from across the table, I could feel the heat throbbing between his legs.
“How is the dessert here, Mr. Livingston?”
“It can be satisfying if you’re in the mood.”
“I’m in the mood, Mr. Livingston. But dessert isn’t any fun when there isn’t someone to share it with. Will you be having dessert with me, Mr. Livingston?”
“Perhaps. What do you say we get out of here and find another place to indulge this sweet tooth we have in common?”
“Lead the way, Mr. Livingston.”
As we exited the restaurant, I noticed that all of the other restaurant patrons were staring at us. It was odd. I understood why it was happening in the neighborhood that I lived in but here, it didn’t make any sense. They were all wealthy and better off. Thomas was not an exception. But they looked at me with a bit of disdain that said that I wasn’t one of them. Even with Thomas, I felt like I didn’t belong here. The feeling went away as we quickly made our exit into the limo.
Taking a seat next to Thomas, I got comfortable as he asked me where we would be heading next.
“I don’t know,” I said to him. “Do you plan on retiring early tonight?”
“Actually, you and I have a lot of business to discuss. Shall we head to The Exquisite to talk about it?”
“Yes, let’s.”
I winked at him then leaned in close to kiss him on the cheek. As the limo zoomed into the night, I could see the city falling behind us through the tinted windows. I closed my eyes to forget about everything else and moved my lips to his. I focused on providing Thomas the one pleasure I knew I could and suddenly, every other thought in my head was gone.
Chapter 7
The taste of garlic and frogs lingered in my mouth. I stood in front of the bathroom sink and washed and rinsed out the flavors as best I could. Thomas didn’t seem to mind but I assumed he was just being polite as he always was. After brushing my teeth and reapplying my lipstick, I made my way out to the living room of the suite I thought I would never see again.
There was Thomas, already relaxed and comfortable. His jacket laid across one of the sofas to the side and his tie was loose around his neck. I could see the reflection of the fireplace in his eyes as he stared at it. A glass of white wine sat in one hand and when he finally noticed me, he turned and offered me a glass of my own.
I was getting accustomed to being in Thomas’s presence. Too accustomed. Even though the nature of our relationship was obvious, as we had discussed it several times, I was growing more and more attached to how comfortable a permanent life like this might be. It could all disappear if he simply snapped his fingers. I shuddered at the thought of waking from the dream I was currently living in.
I took a seat next to Thomas and leaned in close to him. I rested my head upon the upper part of his chest and his hard pectorals served as a comfortable pillow. I closed my eyes and I could feel his heart beating. I could easily spend the rest of the night like this. It would be the easiest money I ever made.
“After I graduated college, I was out on the streets.”
I sat up and looked at him confused.
“What?”
/> “I had taken out a student loan,” he continued. “Nothing different from most college students. When I finally graduated, I had to deal with paying off those debts. I didn’t find a job immediately. I wanted to move back home with my parents but something stopped me. Foolish pride, I suppose.”
I listened intently as he told his spontaneous story. The entire time, his eyes were locked upon the flames.
“I ended up meeting a man named Anthony Westmore. He wasn’t that much older than me. Less than a decade. He was looking for people fresh out of college to help him with his start-up business. It was something with computers. I didn’t know what it was exactly but frankly, it was the best opportunity I had.
“I ended up working for him and guess what? The company exploded. The technology sector sky-rocketed and since I had managed to get in on the ground floor, I went flying along with it. Then it wasn’t just about paying off my student loans. I ended up making more money than I knew what to do with. It was all just needlessly piling up in the bank.
“It didn’t stop there. All of that money was invested and came back to me tenfold. I was able to take care of my parents and then some. Now I wonder what it is exactly that keeps me going. I’m on top. I can’t go any higher. And whenever I try to jump to see what’s up there, I’m left with either an empty feeling or one that’s all too familiar. Do you know what that’s like, Angel?”
Thomas finally turned his attention to me. I swallowed nervously as I shook my head. I looked into his eyes and I saw something strange. In front of the reflection of the fire, I could see a glaze slowly building over his eyes.
“You’re so beautiful, Angel. When I look at you, I’m reminded of what it’s like to live again. Just when I thought that there was nothing else to look forward to, I saw you.”
He took a sip of his wine to clear his throat. Then he took a deep breath.
“I must ask you something, Angel. It’s not something you should take lightly.”
“Okay…”
“I mean it now. I… I want to be completely honest with you so that you know what you’re getting into.”
What could he possibly be talking about? I was growing more suspicious about everything he was telling me.
“Why-why did you tell me that story?” I asked him. “Why did you tell me about how you made all of your money?”
“Isn’t that what this is about? Ha. There’s no need to sugarcoat it. I’m a client. A target. A mark. Whatever you want to call me. I pay you to do a job for me.”
“Mr. Livingston—”
“You don’t even call me by my first name. It’s all right. Frankly, I don’t care what you call me. I just want you to understand that this is a business arrangement.”
“Of course.”
The way he said it made it seem so cold. It’s not like I saw it any differently. But it felt odd to hear it from his perspective. It was like he was acknowledging that we were both characters in a play.
“I will compensate you, Angel. Whatever it is you want, you will be paid. But I must ask something else of you.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what it’s like to feel anymore. The only time I feel anything is when I’m in the company of someone like you. It takes an orgasm to wake me from this vegetative state I’m in when I make my way through my days. Sex is the only thing that keeps me going. I’m asking that of you, Angel.”
“I don’t mind that. That’s my job.”
“But would you be willing to go a step further?”
“What do you mean?”
Thomas stood up from his seat and started pacing in front of me. He anxiously took a sip of his wine then placed the glass down on the table.
“I’ve discovered something when I was with another woman not too long ago,” he started. “I’ve had sex many times before. Pleasure is something that never gets old. But I accidentally found myself placing my hands upon her in ways that she requested. It was the heat of the moment. I lost myself. I didn’t stop though. She begged for more even though her body didn’t seem like it could take it.
“I realized that that was the next level I had been searching for. I requested to keep going with her but she refused…”
“And now you want me to take her place, Mr. Livingston?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He stared at me with a disturbing seriousness in his eyes that forced me to turn my attention to my glass of wine. I still couldn’t figure out what he was asking of me. I was more than reluctant to continue hearing any more but Thomas kept speaking the magic words that kept me interested. It seemed that he knew me better than I knew myself.
“You will be compensated,” he said to me. “We’ll draw up a contract that’s tailored exactly to you.”
He quickly sat down next to me and grabbed my glass from me. He took my hands into his and stared at me like he was trying to hypnotize me.
“You’ll have it in writing but more importantly, you’ll have my word, Angel. It’s a selfish request, I know. I’m asking so much of you. But so many women want to sleep with me. I need someone who’s willing to go further. I need someone to stay behind closed doors with me and not flinch at anything that may happen. That can be you, right, Angel?”
“Mr. Livingston…”
I was growing more anxious at his request. This entire day I had agonized over whether or not I was good-looking enough for him. Now it turned out that he wanted to use me as a plaything in an almost literal sense. I never imagined that I would be sitting in front of him and actually wondering whether or not I would accept his offer.
“Anything you want, Angel. It’s yours. You need only ask. All I ask is that you indulge in this pleasure of mine along with me.”
“What exactly are you offering me?”
“Name your price.”
I thought about it. There were numbers floating around in my head but I didn’t know exactly what to say. I worked in a market that was always flexible. I could name any price I wanted and most of the time, men would pay it. But the price I was about to put out there was more important than any request I had ever made before.
I still doubted whether or not William was serious about the estimates most people had put Thomas at. There was a big difference between being rich and being a billionaire. When I looked into his eyes, something devilish came across my mind. It was clear he was serious, almost desperate, for me to agree to his terms. So I was going to up the stakes.
“Ten thousand dollars.”
I said the words without flinching. Thomas stared back at me without moving a muscle. The only thing I could see was his jaw clenching as he stared back at me. Then he started to walk toward the side of the room. I dropped my head down and muttered to myself silently, wondering if I had overstepped my bounds. When I looked back up, Thomas was standing in front of a painting on his wall.
“Do you know what this is, Angel? It’s one of my favorite pieces. It’s just a man in a coffee shop, having dinner with a pretty girl. It’s a very simple painting and it’s well done. There’s an artistry to it. But that’s not why I enjoy it so much. If you look closely, you can infer all sorts of different things from the both of them. What are they talking about? What are they discussing? Is he smiling? Is he laughing? Is it a serious conversation or are they just having some fun with one another?”
Thomas paused for a moment as he stopped to laugh a bit to himself. Then he grabbed the painting.
“Nobody ever really listens to me when I explain why I love this painting so much nor should they. But that’s the most important thing about this painting. You know why it’s important, Angel? Because it houses what’s really important. You should know that better than anybody.”
He pulled it off of the wall and dropped it down onto the ground. In place of where the painting hung, there was a combination lock on what looked like a safe. Thomas spun the lock and pressed his fingers upon it and it popped open. I stared closely at the seemingly endless stacks of money
that were piled on top of one another. My eyes widened at the sight of so much cash.
Thomas grabbed two stacks of the money then slammed the safe shut. He walked back over to me with his hands full of the cash and then counted it out as he threw it onto the table.
“Ten days. You don’t need to be by my side at all times. But you will be at my beck and call until your time is up. You’ll get the rest of your money every night.”
Thomas paid me two thousand dollars last night. Another thousand laid in front of me.
“I’ll have someone draw up the necessary paperwork—”
“No,” I interrupted him. “No paperwork.”
“Are you sure, Angel? It’s a lot of money and I’m sure you want every cent we agree upon.”
“No, your word will be enough. I expect you to honor it, Mr. Livingston.”
I had never seen so much money in my life. This would be more than enough for me to relax upon for a long time. I couldn’t fathom that there was even more of it waiting just behind it.
I stood up from my seat and walked forward. I reached my hand out to make sure that it was real.
“I don’t think this is going to fit in my purse,” I chuckled softly at him.
“I’ll have someone buy you a larger purse and bring it here before you leave.”
I grabbed the stack then flipped the bills with my thumb. It was a fraction of a fraction of what he was worth but it still seemed unbelievable that he was giving it to me.
“So, do we have a deal, Angel?”
I looked up at him as he slowly started to walk toward me. As he did so, I couldn’t fight the grin that was beginning to creep its way onto my face. This was a business deal and I was trying my best not to seem too giddy.
“We have a deal, Mr. Livingston.”
“I promise you that you won’t regret this. You have my word on that.”
“I assure you, Mr. Livingston. With your generous compensation, I will do whatever it takes to please you.”
“And do I have your word on that?”
“Yes…”
My words trailed off as he brought his lips closer to mine. He breathed upon my mouth but when I reached out to kiss him, he pulled them away, just out of reach.
