Nobody's (23 page)

My apartment was different from how I remembered it. After living in a penthouse suite, it was a lot more cramped than I remembered. I didn’t even think there was room for me to fit my clothes in the closet. But it was an adjustment that I was going to have to make. At least, for the time being.

The business card Anthony had given me was burning a hole in my purse. I contemplated when would be the right time to contact him and I hesitated even though he told me that he would always be available. But something else was holding me back. I was still thinking about Thomas.

I sat in my apartment for the rest of the day. Pizza delivery wasn’t as glamorous as room service but it satisfied me just the same. Only a few hours back in my apartment and already I felt like my body was letting go.

Anthony’s business card was sitting on a table next to my cell phone. Night had finally come. There was no need for me to go back out onto the street. There was also no party for me to attend. I laughed as I thought about how my talents on the dance floor were now useless. But I only did it because deep down, I missed doing something that I enjoyed.

There was no point in waiting any longer. I picked my phone up and slowly dialed the number. I hesitated for a second before putting the call through. I swallowed as I placed the phone against my ear and waited for a response.

Someone picked up but there was only silence. I swallowed, nervously waiting for a voice.

“Yes?”

“Anthony. Anthony Westgate.”

“Can I help you?”

“T-this is Angel.”

“Angel…” he paused before he continued. “What can I do for you?”

“Your offer… I accept.”

“Very good, Angel. I’ll make arrangements with my driver and have him pick you up.”

“That won’t be necessary. Just tell me where you are and I’ll be there.”

I was slightly embarrassed about another limo coming out to this part of the city. Taking a taxi to wherever he was would spare me the shame of revealing where I actually lived at.

“Very well, Angel. You know where to find me.”

“I do?”

“I’m at The Exquisite, Angel. Where else would I be?”

“Of course. I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”

“Take your time. Alina and I will be waiting.”

The call ended and I slowly lowered the phone from my face. It was time to get ready for the last two clients I would ever serve.

I wasn’t sure what they were expecting from me. It was clear that I was more than just Thomas’s personal assistant, even though it wasn’t stated explicitly. But that was the keyword. How explicit they intended on being tonight, I wasn’t sure. This was an opportunity that I couldn’t mess up.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror at what I had become. I had been doing this for so long. At least, that’s what it felt like. I never imagined I would be given a bundle of cash and the chance to finally walk away. The money Thomas had given me would last a long time but not forever like the money Anthony was proposing.

There was something off about the woman I saw in the mirror. Gone was the innocent young girl just trying to make a living. In her place was a woman, an ordinary brunette, that was apparently more special and luckier than other average women like me. I finally noticed what was different. I was changed because of my experience with Thomas. I had gotten the opportunity to meet a wonderful man and make more money than ever. I had learned to do something I enjoyed. It was a quiet confidence. An enthusiastic happiness that was resonating from me.

As I applied my makeup, I started thinking about my time with Thomas. It was simple. I missed him. After spending ten days with him, he was more than just a client. But I couldn’t let my feelings complicate things. Not when I had so much to focus on tonight.

I put on a black dress that Thomas’s money had purchased. Knowing that I would never be able to look like I was worth a million dollars, I finally took a cab back to The Exquisite for my date with destiny.

It was strange not pulling up to the extravagant hotel in a limo. But as soon as I exited, it didn’t take long for the hotel staff to treat me like some kind of royalty. They must have been informed of my arrival and they were familiar with me after spending so much time with Thomas.

“Mr. Westgate is awaiting you in his suite,” the concierge said to me. “Shall I take you to him?”

I nodded my head and was quickly escorted through the hotel to Anthony’s suite. We took the elevator. It was in the exact same direction as Thomas’s. The only difference is that it stopped one floor short. When we got to the door, the concierge left me and I was standing there alone. I rang the doorbell of the suite and anxiously waited for someone to answer. The door moved open and standing there was the familiar beautiful redhead.

“Hello, Angel.”

Alina winked at me as she stood there in a stunning red number. I was so used to seeing her in such elegant dresses. Tonight, she was wearing a red minidress that accentuated her body from head to toe.

“Please, come in. Anthony and I are glad you could make it.”

“Of course.”

I nodded my head as I stepped into their suite. It was just as excessive as Thomas’s but not exactly the same. Thomas’s suite had a warmth to it that I couldn’t describe. In here, the wood panels on the walls and floors had a darker finish. There was no fireplace and the lights seemed dim. Even the view didn’t look the same, as if we were on a completely different side of the building.

I watched as Alina made her way to the bar. Then I turned and noticed Anthony walk into the room.

“Angel. I’m very excited to see you.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

I nodded my head and Anthony started to laugh.

“Please, Angel,” he said. “You don’t work for Thomas anymore. Alina and I will have none of those unnecessary polite formalities. That’s not what we’re paying you for. Speaking of which…”

I noticed the suit Anthony was wearing but not what he was holding in his hand. A titanium briefcase was attached to his hand and I watched as he placed it on a nearby table.

“Just in case you’re still skeptical,” he said.

He clicked the briefcase open and it was like a radiant light emanated from inside, illuminating the room. I had never seen so much money in my life. Anthony didn’t waste any time in taking out the stacks of cash by the handful. He placed each stack on the table neatly next to one another. Just when I thought any more money couldn’t fit inside, Anthony would dig his hands back in and pull some more out. It was like the inside of the briefcase was connected to some bottomless money pit.

When he finally finished, the money on the table looked comical. It was a gigantic brick of green staring back at me.

“And you can have the briefcase as well,” he said as he winked at me.

I had to stop my mouth from hanging open at the sight of all of the cash. What I had made from my time with Thomas was barely just a sliver of the mound of money staring back at me. And this, all of this, would be mine.

“Would you like something to drink, Angel?”

Alina interrupted the trance the money had put me in. I shook my head and looked up at Anthony, still not sure of what I was seeing. Alina made her way next to me as she sipped a glass of red wine. Anthony took a step closer to me and looked me up and down.

“I have a confession to make,” he said. “I know that you were more than just Thomas’s personal assistant. Let’s not insult our intelligence. It was clear that you had some type of intimate relationship. Is it wrong to assume that, Angel?”

“No. No, it isn’t,” I said, curious as to what exactly Thomas had said to them about the nature of my work.

“For some strange reason, Thomas decided not to rehire you. I can’t figure out why. But that doesn’t matter any longer. What does matter is what you’re willing to do for Alina and I…”

He took another step closer and trailed a hand along my neck. I shuddered as I felt his fingers lightly press against my flesh.

“I’m almost embarrassed to tell you why Alina and I were so interested in hiring you,” he said. “I don’t want to offend you.”

“You won’t offend me,” I said to him.

“Then I won’t waste any time then. One night. You do whatever Alina and I ask of you. You belong to us. In the morning, you can walk away with the briefcase and the money. Do we have a deal, Angel?”

“Yes.”

“You know… I am in the mood for some kind of formality. Call me Mr. Westgate.”

“As you wish, Mr. Westgate.”

“Uh,” Alina sighed. “Taking advantage of the poor girl. Angel, pay no mind to his ego.”

“I’m sure Angel is willing to work a little harder for her payment. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes… Mr. Westgate.”

A smile came across his face as he moved in closer to me.

“I’m not like your last boss. I don’t believe in the need for excessive paperwork. So, let’s start with a kiss, Angel. Yes, that seems appropriate. We’ll seal the deal with a kiss and you can forget all about your last boss.”

Anthony’s face crept closer to mine. There was something strange about the last thing he said to me. He kept mentioning Thomas. It was understandable that he would bring up the man that introduced me to him. But the way he said it rang a bell in my head.

I was still thinking about Thomas. It was stupid. He was just a client. But I couldn’t get my mind off of him, even with so much money staring back at me. The feelings I didn’t want to believe I had were still there. And with Anthony now moving closer to me, I felt a feeling building in the pit of my stomach that made me unwilling to continue.

“What’s the matter, dear?” Alina said. “Is Anthony’s breath unpleasant? That happens more often than you would think.”

“Is something wrong, Angel?” Anthony chimed in. “You look like you’re under the weather.”

“I… I don’t know,” I said.

“Are you not up to it tonight?” Anthony said.

“No,” I said, unsure of what I was saying exactly. “I can’t do this.”

“This is an offer for one night only,” Anthony said. “We won’t offer you this chance again.”

I looked at the money on the table but even that ungodly sight couldn’t change the feeling I had in my stomach. I didn’t want to kiss Anthony or Alina. If I couldn’t do that, there was no way I would be able to go any further.

“It’s a million dollars, Angel. You’d be hard-pressed to see that much money again.”

He was right. It was stupid. Even the voices inside of my head were asking me what I was doing. But my body was having trouble doing something so simple.

“Kiss me, Angel.”

Anthony repeated his command to me and with it, the offer of all of the money on the table. But I couldn’t deny what I was feeling inside and against my better judgment, I shook my head and sighed.

“No. I can’t.”

I looked at Anthony as he took a few steps away from me.

“It’s no secret you had a physical relationship with Thomas,” he said. “But now you seem unwilling to continue with me.”

“It’s… him. I’d just like to see him again. I need to speak to him and… I just need to talk to him. Is there any way I could get in contact with him.”

There was a strange look on Anthony’s face. His lips were curved into half of a smile as he stared at me. Alina made her way back to the bar where she poured another drink.

“He’s in his suite at the moment,” Anthony said. “I’m sure you know how to find it.”

“Thank you.”

I turned around and quickly made my way toward the exit.

“Angel,” Anthony stopped me. “Are you really going to just walk away from the money?”

I looked at it one last time. It was a million dollars. Even just saying it in my head sounded ridiculous.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Anthony. I just can’t be here. I know how stupid it sounds but—”

“Just go, Angel,” Alina interrupted me.

For some reason, she wasn’t upset. And neither was Anthony. In fact, both of them had smiles on their faces as she told me to leave. They were practically kicking me out of their suite. Maybe they understood what I was thinking. Whatever the reasons, it didn’t matter. I just knew that I had to see Thomas again. When I stepped into the elevator, I suddenly became more nervous than I had ever been on a trip to the top floor.

Chapter 21

I didn’t know what I was going to say to him. I just knew that I had to speak to him. There wasn’t any eloquent way to put it. But I couldn’t worry about that right now. The first thing I had to do was make sure that Thomas would even want to speak to me.

I wasn’t used to having to knock after having a key to the suite. As if someone had been waiting for me, the door opened as soon as I rang the bell.

Thomas was standing at the entrance in a platinum suit that made him look as perfect as he always did. There was an air about him that I didn’t notice after all of this time. Now he wasn’t my boss. He was just a man that I had fallen for.

“Angel. It’s… good to see you. Is there something I can help you with?”

“May I come in? I’d like to speak to you.”

“Of course.”

I followed Thomas into the suite, more nervous than I had ever been from just being near him.

“I wasn’t interrupting anything was I?” I asked him.

“I would hope not. The only thing that occupies my time is my work and I’m not about to bring it back to the place I spend my leisure time.”

He smiled at me as he made his way over to the large window wall of his suite. He turned his back to me, looking out into the city.

“What is it you wanted to speak to me about?” he asked. “Did I short you on your last payment?”

“No… I got every dollar you promised. That’s not what this is about.”

Thomas remained silent as he continued to stare out of the window.

“I just… I wanted to tell you something.”

I laughed nervously, trying to find the words to say even though I knew there was no best way to put it. I never imagined I would be dealing with feelings like this before. They were something I didn’t have any need for. They complicated things and blinded me from the entire point of all this. And they just made me walk away from a million dollars.