Nobody's (19 page)

"And I hired you. Are you saying you don't have any good ideas, Angel?"

"I do. But you've already seen all of them."

We looked at each other for a moment before we started to giggle.

I had never felt so comfortable with a client before. Leaning up against Thomas, the warmth of the fireplace shielded us from the cold outside. The carpet was soft against my bare skin, like floating on a fluffy cloud. But it was more than just the amenities of the penthouse suite.

I didn't have to think anymore when I was in Thomas's company. I didn't have to pretend that I was interested in what he was talking about. I didn't have to lie about him being special compared to other men. I didn't have to pretend to be someone I wasn't.

But just when I was getting too comfortable, the money was always there, literally sitting on the table in front of me and staring back. It was a constant reminder that I was his employee. It was the reason I was here. It was the only reason.

"Do you require any additional services tonight, Mr. Livingston?"

"Only your company, Angel."

"As you wish."

We sat there on his carpet at the base of his couch, in a seemingly unending moment of bliss. He was silent. The sound of the flames seemed to grow louder but not loud enough to drown out the beating of his heart underneath my ear.

"How good was she? The last one. Did she dance well?"

Thomas's chest rose and pressed against my head as he sighed. I slowly pushed myself up and looked at him. His deep green eyes always stood out, even in the darkness of the open flames.

"She was good. Maybe the best. I didn't dance with her for very long but I did manage to enjoy myself with her."

"Why did you stop dancing with her?"

"You would have to ask her. I don't know her exact answer. I can only assume she grew bored of me."

"Bored?"

"Sometimes you get tired of dancing with the same person over and over."

"Or maybe you just weren't any good and you couldn't keep up with her."

"Maybe. But she chose to dance with someone else. Marcus is an excellent instructor. Hopefully his lessons will rub off on you before your contract with me ends."

"What makes you think it will end so soon?"

"Because there's a better offer on the table. And you would be an idiot not to take it."

Thomas and I danced around one another in more than one way. I could appreciate the subtlety with which he spoke to me. It was like a fun little game.

Anthony's offer was more money than I could ever dream of making. The look in Thomas's eyes told me that he was right. It was only a matter of time before I would finally be able to retire.

"You'll have a chance to speak to Anthony tomorrow night," Thomas said to me. "You'll also get the opportunity to show off what Marcus has taught you."

"But it's only been two days. I'm not that much improved from the last time I danced with you."

"Then you should probably squeeze in as much time with Marcus as you can. You have an early appointment tomorrow."

"What?"

We both started to laugh. I waited for Thomas to tell me that he was joking but I started to realize that he was laughing at me and not with me.

“You’re not serious, Mr. Livingston. Please tell me you’re not serious.”

“Nobody said this job would be easy, Angel. But it is your job.”

“...It is,” I sighed.

“Don’t worry. Someone will wake you up when it’s time.”

“...Didn’t you say that you were planning on taking some time off?”

“I took a day…”

He thought about it for a second then half-scoffed at the thought.

“That’s more time than I usually take off.”

I kissed him upon the cheek, trying to convince him that my lessons tomorrow could wait until later in the afternoon but he only returned my kiss with a smirk. Reluctantly, I made my way back into the bedroom and laid down. For the first time in a long time, I would have to get up as the same time as the sun.

Chapter 17

I heard the sounds of birds chirping. I ignored them, trying to return to the slumber that they had interrupted. But it was useless. I could still hear them, which meant that I was awake. Slowly, opening my eyes and returning to the real world, I finally took the time to realize what I was listening to. Birds were chirping. Except I was in the room of our suite.

Sitting up and gathering my senses, I looked to the side and noticed Thomas’s side of the bed had already been made. Even at this ungodly hour he was already awake.

The melodic sound of the birds in company with the morning sun continued to drone on. I still couldn’t hate it even though I wanted nothing more than to lay in the comfort of Thomas’s overpriced mattress. But my curiosity more than anything finally awoke me. I made my way into the living room of the suite in search of where the sound was coming from. As I made my way closer to the sound of the birds, there were none to be found.

I looked around the room like I was crazy, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Maybe I really was going insane. But at the last moment, I finally noticed something on the wall. A red flashing light next to a control panel. I stepped toward it and read the display panel. It was the suite’s stereo sound system. Thomas must have set it before he left. I clicked the panel off and the noise stopped.

With silence returning to the room, I pondered returning to my bed. Would Thomas really be upset with me if I didn’t do as I was told? I turned to the coffee table in the middle of the room and noticed that my payment from last night was sitting there. My better judgment got the best of me and I sighed before preparing to get ready for my dancing lessons. Thomas had plans for me. He wanted me to be a little more than the streetwalker I already was.

I prepared for the morning by trying to wash away the sleep. He didn’t tell me exactly what time my lesson was at but I figured he was the one who had woke me up. I tried to look for something to dance in but my wardrobe consisted of nothing but expensive dresses and other outfits that were much too elegant. The only thing I had that was appropriate were the shoes Thomas had given me last night. I ate the usual breakfast spread in nothing but a towel as I tried to figure out what it was I was going to wear. I finally decided on a floral skirt and a white long-sleeve blouse that was some combination of sexy and conservative.

William was there to greet me when I stepped out of the suite.

“You look lovely this morning, Miss Angel.”

“William, not even flattery will cheer me up. Please don’t remind me how early it is.”

I could see him fighting the smile on his face as he quickly turned around and accompanied me down to the limo. As William drove through the city, I looked out of the window and tried to get myself in the mindset that I was trying to learn. It was like waking up early and getting driven to school. I was a child all over again and William was the bus driver.

When we got to the studio, William opened the door for me and tipped his hat.

“I’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready to leave,” he said.

“I’m ready to leave now.”

“As you wish,” he said. “However, I should point out that Mr. Livingston instructed me to tell you that you won’t be receiving today’s payment for your services if you leave before Marcus’s instruction is over.”

“He said that?”

“Yes.”

I sighed as I remembered that I was still under contract. This wasn’t just some task he was asking me to do.

“Okay,” I said. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

William again tipped his hat to me and took a seat back in the limo. Even sitting in the driver’s seat looked more comfortable. Holding a box of dancing shoes, I reluctantly made my way back into the studio where Marcus would inevitably be waiting for me.

I tried to psych myself up but it was no use. My body was craving just a few more hours of sleep. It simply wasn’t used to being up at this time in the morning.

There was already music playing. The gray-haired Marcus was standing in front of the mirror and stretching himself out. In nothing but a pair of black slacks and a black tank-top, he looked like he had already been up for hours. I took a few more steps forward and he saw me in the reflection of the mirror.

“Angel,” he said turning around. “Lovely to see you this morning.”

“Hello, Marcus,” I said, unable to match the same enthusiasm he had.

He continued to try and draw it out of me, approaching me with a smile that beamed across his face.

“I see Mr. Livingston has provided you with the appropriate footwear,” he winked at me. “They should serve you well.”

“You know, I think I got all of the steps. I know how to waltz pretty well now.”

“One lesson and you’re an expert, you say?”

“I didn’t say I was an expert. I just know enough.”

“Okay, Angel. Show me.”

He looked at me, a bit of skepticism on his face. I placed the dance shoes to the side then held my arms up. Marcus wrapped his right arm around me but that was it. My own right arm was sticking out there and Marcus didn’t want to grab it.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

“You know enough. Just follow my lead. And make sure you style it properly.”

“Wait, what do you—”

“Close your eyes.”

“But—”

“I said close your eyes.”

I sighed and did what I was told. I could feel Marcus’s half-embrace as he held me in one arm. Underneath the sound of the music, I could hear the faint sound of him breathing. Slowly, he started to move me around the dance floor. I tried to move with him. I placed my feet in the wrong direction, taking the wrong steps, and Marcus corrected me. I didn’t know which way to turn my head. I was losing the timing of the music. And my feet were already beginning to swell. Before Marcus could continue, I stopped in my tracks and opened my eyes.

“Look, it’s not that I don’t want to learn. I do. This is all… It’s great. But—”

“But what, Angel?”

“I’m just… I’m trying to temper my expectations here. I’d like to be a great dancer. Not just for me but for Thomas, too. But I don’t think I’m ever going to get to that point.”

“What point?”

“Being a great dancer. I mean, how many lessons is that going to take? I’m only going to be working for Thomas for a few days longer. How much could I possibly learn by then?”

Marcus started to nod his head as he thought about what I had just said to him. The entire situation was already odd enough. I never had a client like Thomas who wanted so much of my time. But he wasn’t even using me like I had expected him to. He wasn’t even in the same room. He was on the other side of the city. It’s like I really was working for him. In a way, it was just strange that this is what he wanted from me.

“Every student is different,” Marcus said. “What you get from our lessons together is entirely up to you. The only restriction is, as you mentioned, time. I should mention that my lessons aren’t cheap and this is an opportunity. You should take advantage of this while you still can.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I know… I’m… I’m not going anywhere. But can I at least take a quick nap first?”

“You can sleep when I’m finished with you, Angel. You’ll have plenty of time for that.”

“All right. Just let me get my shoes on at least.”

Marcus nodded to me with a smile on his face. It still wasn’t infectious. I shoved the pair of dance shoes on and reluctantly met Marcus back on the middle of the dance floor as the slow waltz continued to blare in the background.

“Yesterday I showed you the steps,” he explained. “But today we’re going to do something a little different. Dancing is more than just knowing the steps. In this case, the steps are probably the least important thing.”

“You should’ve told me that before you decided to beat my feet up.”

“That doesn’t mean you won’t be using them. But your feet are merely an extension of what your body should be doing naturally when you’re dancing. What I just did with you… Close your eyes.”

I did as I was told and felt him wrap his arm around me once again.

“Listen to the music. Let your body move to the beat of the waltz. When your body moves, your feet will have no choice but to follow.”

He started to move me around the dance floor and I tried my best to follow him with my eyes closed.

“Just move your body where you feel it should be. Don’t fight it. Let your feet do what they may.”

I was doing my best to try and make sense of everything he was saying to me but it all sounded like meaningless rhetoric. Over and over, I would constantly step in the wrong direction. I moved one way only to be pulled or pushed the other way. Marcus’s grip was tight on me but I couldn’t tell exactly where he wanted me to go. The only consolation I had was that the shoes were significantly more comfortable than any pair of pumps I owned.

“Wait,” I said as I started to get frustrated. “I’m not getting it. I remember most of the steps you taught me but I don’t know when I’m supposed to use them. Why can’t I just do this with my eyes open?”

“Because, Angel, if you do that, then you’ll be missing the point.”

“There’s a point to this? I thought it was just to enjoy yourself.”

“Yes, Angel. It is. But what is dancing specifically? It’s more than just two people enjoying themselves. It’s about a union between two people. They’re moving in unison and reading the body of the other. You’ve made love to a man before, haven’t you?”

“I wouldn't call it love..."

Marcus ignored the fact that I was beginning to blush from the brashness of his question and continued to try and explain his point to me.

“You move your body in rhythm with them but you don’t think about it. Your body just does what it does because it comes naturally. Dancing is no different. The steps are there only to provide structure but they’re a result of the natural tendencies your body will automatically have. So it’s not about knowing the steps. It’s about being able to let your body know how to react so it knows where to step.”

He looked at me and slowly I started to nod my head in a vague understanding of what he just said.