Nobody's (22 page)

It was the final night of our agreement. I had decided that tonight I would make every attempt to convince him to use me in the way I was expecting. I looked through the wardrobe to search for the last dress to wear. I flipped through each outfit more than once but wasn’t satisfied with what I saw. Frustrated, I pushed all of the clothes to the side. Something finally caught my eye. I looked at the back of the closet and hanging there was the tight black minidress. It was the first outfit I had worn when I first met him.

I scoffed at it for a second. It was such a drastic change from everything else I had worn. Then a devious thought came across my mind. Shaking my head, I squeezed into the dress. I looked at the mirror and saw the reflection of a woman I hadn’t seen in so long. The only difference was that I wasn’t sporting a wig. After tonight, things would go back to the way I was used to. It was only appropriate that I remind Thomas of that fact.

I waited for Thomas in the living room of the suite. Earlier that afternoon, he explained that he had something else planned for me.

The front door opened and I was there to greet him. He looked me up and down for a second and I waited for him to voice his complaints. But a smile came across his face and I couldn’t help but smirk back at him.

“Just as beautiful as the first time,” he said.

“You are too kind, Mr. Livingston.”

I leaned in close and kissed him upon the cheek. For a second, I thought that he had pulled away from me but removed the thought from my head all the same.

“We’ll be dining in here tonight. Privately.”

“All right.”

“We won’t be completely alone though.”

The door slowly opened and Anthony and Alina stepped through the door. I had to hold back the look of surprise on my face when I first saw the beautiful couple.

“Angel,” Anthony said. “You look… different.”

“Yes, but still beautiful,” Alina said.

I was reminded of my own outfit when I saw the expensive dress she was wearing. If that wasn’t enough, Anthony and Thomas were decked-out in custom-tailored suits as usual. Never had I felt more out of place despite all of them doing their best not to point it out to me.

“Let’s enjoy the night,” Thomas said, trying to ease some of the tension I was feeling. “Dinner is on its way. How about a drink everybody?”

Thomas made his way over to the bar and opened a bottle for all of us to share. I didn’t say much as I listened to Alina’s latest gossip about the wives and girlfriends of Thomas’s other associates. Thomas and Anthony continued to have their genial conversation off to the side. I thought it was a strange way for Thomas to spend his last night with me but I wasn’t about to question it.

Dinner arrived and we all took a seat at the table. One of the hotel staff members lifted up the dish plate cover and I saw a plate of fried frogs legs in front of me. I glanced at Thomas and saw a smirk on his face for a moment. While I enjoyed my last meal in the suite, everybody else continued their conversations about the usual things they discussed. Suddenly, Anthony turned to me.

“Well, Angel. It seems like your services with Thomas end tonight. How would you describe your experience?”

“Mr. Livingston is the best boss I've ever had,” I said. “It’s an experience I won’t soon forget.”

“I can imagine,” he said. “But now that you’re no longer bound by contractual obligations, I should remind you that my offer is still on the table. Alina and I are interested to see how well you performed for Thomas.”

“Well, I still have one night left working for Mr. Livingston,” I said. “I won’t make any considerations until after tonight.”

“I don’t think you need to wait to make any considerations,” Thomas interrupted. “I’m grateful for your services but I think it’s time for you to finally move on.”

He winked at me and I had an odd feeling in my stomach. There was no question that I had to accept Anthony and Alina’s offer. But I couldn’t say that I was going to jump on it. Not right now. Not in front of Thomas. For some reason, it felt somewhat bittersweet. It was distracting that I was considering Thomas’s feelings in all of this. Still, I had made more than I had expected to with Thomas and there was significantly more waiting for me.

I thought that I would be spending the rest of the evening with them but when dinner ended, Anthony and Alina excused themselves. Thomas and I said our goodbyes and just before he left, Anthony handed me his card.

“Any time you want to call me,” he said. “The money is ready for you.”

I nodded in understanding and the two of them left the suite. The door clicked closed and I felt a sigh of relief. I turned to Thomas and he was smiling at me.

“If I’d have known we were having company, I would’ve dressed for the occasion.”

“That’s my favorite dress of yours.”

“I got this on the bargain rack at a thrift shop.”

“So you got it for less money than everything else in your closet. That just makes me like it even more.”

I laughed at his comment and we walked our way back into the suite.

“Would you like another glass of wine?” he asked me.

“No thanks. I’ve had enough. And I remember the last time I had too much to drink.”

“So you do admit that you had too much to drink that night?”

“Admitting that I had too much to drink that night isn’t the point. What matters is that I remember.”

We shared another laugh as Thomas poured himself another drink. I took a seat on the couch and looked at the fireplace, where the flames seemed like they were forever burning. Even from inside, I could see how cold it was in the city. I almost dreaded having to go back out there but knowing that I had so much money coming to me made it a little easier.

I watched Thomas remove the painting on his wall and make his way into the safe. He grabbed a small stack of bills and placed it on the table in front of me like he always did before taking a seat next to me.

“Ten thousand dollars, Angel. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll take a vacation for a bit.”

“You deserve it. After ten days with me, you need to take a break.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

I playfully pushed him and some of the wine spilled out of his glass and onto his suit.

“Oh my gosh! Mr. Livingston—”

“It’s all right. Angel, if you wanted me out of my clothes, you know that all you had to do was ask.”

He winked at me as he removed his shirt and tie after throwing his jacket to the side. His body was just as hard and defined as it always was. It stirred some kind of arousal inside of me but not one that I could act on until he told me to do so. But lately, he hadn’t told me to do anything.

“Mr. Livingston, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You haven’t slept with me in a few days. Is there something wrong?”

“Why do you assume that something is wrong because we haven’t slept together?”

“I don’t know. Most men usually take advantage of me.”

“I’m not most men, Angel.”

“Yes, you’ve made that very clear. But I assumed that you would at least want to have some intimacy with me after our initial encounters. Was I not up to your standard?”

Thomas stared at me without responding. His deep green eyes were locked upon me and I swallowed nervously, wondering if I had said the wrong thing.

“My body is yours,” I said. “Those are the words you asked me to say.”

“Yes, I did ask that of you.”

“Then what changed? Am I out of line for asking, Mr. Livingston?”

He scoffed then took a sip of his wine. His eyes shifted to the side as he looked into the burning flames near us.

“Are there other women?” I asked him.

“There were. But not anymore.”

“And what makes me so different?”

I watched the reflection of the flames in the pupils of his eyes. The fire danced in the green like some kind of organic work of art. I could see the thought in his eyes as he tried to figure out what to say to me.

“I think you’re a little tired of hearing about Gabrielle at this point,” he said.

“Marcus said that she was an excellent dancer. What could I possibly have to offer that she couldn’t?”

“...I met Gabrielle at one of the many social functions you attended. She wasn’t a great dancer but she immediately caught my eye. I asked her if she wanted to learn and she did. She went through the motions and she was by my side. But she left.”

“Why did she leave?”

“Some things are just not meant to be, Angel.”

He turned to me and I felt uncomfortable as I looked into his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Livingston. I didn’t mean to pry—”

“Honesty, Angel. That’s what makes you different from everyone else. That was clear to me when I saw you walking along the street the night I met you. And over the past ten days, I’ve seen something in your eyes that tells me nothing but the truth. You want my money. I want your body. Every other woman I’ve met brings along with her a bunch of needless complications that I haven’t been able to figure out even with all of the money in the world.”

“You don’t have all of the money in the world.”

“I’m trying to get it, Angel. I’m trying real hard.”

Thomas turned his attention back to the empty void of the flames as he took another sip of his wine. Even though he told me that I was being honest with him, it still felt like I was holding something back from him. It was apparent to both of us that the reason I was here was because of the money. So why was I so conflicted? Why was I even considering not taking Anthony’s offer? Why were Thomas’s feelings suddenly a consideration?

The silence in the suite didn’t offer me any relief from what I was feeling inside of me. I didn’t want to spend my last night with him like this. I didn’t want to say goodbye by doing nothing at all.

“It’s our last night together,” I said. “Will you be taking advantage of this opportunity, Mr. Livingston?”

I stood up in front of him, blocking his vision from the fireplace he seemed so captivated with. I closed my eyes and started to move my body in front of him. There was no music and no sound. There was only a rhythm beating inside of my head that motivated me to try and get Thomas to do something to me.

I had never tried to seduce a man just for the sake of having him. And that’s when I realized it. This wasn’t just about the money. I couldn’t deny it any longer. I was falling for him. It was convenient that he happened to be the richest man I’d ever met. But this wasn’t an attempt to try to get deeper into his pockets. He was different. And it stirred feelings inside of me that made me desperate for him to want me.

When I opened my eyes, I could no longer dance so seductively. I couldn’t look at him to try and entice him like so many men before. I didn’t want him to have his way with me so that he could get his money’s worth. I just wanted him.

Thomas looked up at me and took one of my hands. Slowly, he pulled me down and I took a seat next to him.

“Thank you for your services, Angel,” he whispered to me. “But I won’t be requiring them from you any longer.”

I felt my insides wringing inside of me. I did my best to hide the emotion from appearing on my face. I didn’t know if he could sense my disappointment but I wasn’t even sure if he even cared at this point. Just as intrigued as I was by Thomas, he was just as confusing. When I first met him, we were having sex in the back of his limo. After less than two weeks, we were doing nothing but laying quietly next to one another.

With my contract now seemingly fulfilled, this was how it would end. I could think of nothing else to do to try and convince Thomas to sleep with me. Not even on our last night together. I gave up. Unable to think of anything else to do or say, I simply nodded to him and leaned next to him, and enjoyed the peace of the penthouse suite I would now have to leave.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Livingston.”

Chapter 20

I woke up early the next morning. It took me a few seconds to stop myself from getting ready for a dance lesson. Now it was time to move out. I enjoyed breakfast and the view from above one last time. I stuffed the last payment Thomas had given to me into the briefcase. I wondered how I would remove my wardrobe from Thomas’s closet when there was a knock at the door.

“Good morning, Miss Angel,” William greeted me. “Mr. Livingston informed me that you will be leaving us.”

“Yes, that’s right, William. I’m having a little trouble with my things and—”

“Mr. Livingston provided you with some luggage as a going away present. If you’d like I could assist you and—”

“No thanks, William. Just give me a moment and I’ll be on my way.”

I took the luggage set Mr. Livingston had provided me with and proceeded to pack my things. I couldn’t deny how heartbroken I was. There were so many things running through my head. I didn’t know what it was exactly but I didn’t want to leave. I was so accustomed to everything but I couldn’t figure out what exactly I was going to miss most. I took one last view of the morning skyline through the window and sighed. I looked at my apartment in the distance in the slums and whispered to myself.

“Time to go home.”

William helped me with my things and we were on our way back to the apartment where my real life was waiting for me. Knowing that I didn’t need to worry about rent for a long time certainly made it easier to return. I didn’t have much time to savor riding around in the limo. Before I knew it, we were back in the unsavory part of the slums that seemed so distant.

I stood in front of my apartment building as William helped me with my things.

“Well, I suppose this is goodbye,” I said.

“It was my pleasure, Miss Angel.”

I looked up at the calmness in his face and smiled. I leaned into him and hugged him, wrapping my arms around him tightly. I had to do my best to stop my emotions from pouring out of me but even then, my eyes started to well up. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to Thomas. This would be the closest I would get.

William’s limo drove away and I felt the eyes of everybody fall upon me as I worked my way to my apartment. Immediately there to greet me was my landlord, who I could finally pay the rent I owed him.