Depths of Depravity (19 page)

Luther stared at me with an intensity that made it hard for me to look back at him
. I looked around to try and take my attention away from him. The club was alive all around us. The music was thumping. The women were dancing, flirting and giggling. The men were throwing money on stage and enjoying the company of the girls surrounding them. All around me, there was nothing but people indulging themselves. And I knew that it was all just a prelude to something greater outside of the club.

“
You can walk away whenever you want,” he said to me. “Do you know why it’s so hard for you to do that? It’s not because I’m making you. It’s because you have some desire for me. And if it’s even an ounce of the desire I have for you, then that’s reason enough for me to no longer need to come to this club.”

“
What? Wait… What are you saying?”

“
What else am I saying? There’s no reason for you to work here any longer. There’s no other man for you here. And there’s no other woman for me.”

Everything Luther said to me was an attempt just to get through to me. He was saying everything I wanted to hear. But I stil
l found myself unable to fall completely for him.

“
Do you still have your mask?” he asked me.

“
What?”

“
The mask. From the party you attended last night.”

“
Yes. Why does that matter?”

“
In two days, Landon is hosting another party.”

“
Luther, I can’t—”

“
Please. Just attend. I promise you that you’ll have a good time. Last time I let you leave without incident. This time will be no different. I want to tell you something.”

“
Tell it to me now.”

“
I can’t tell it to you here. Just… Please, Harley. I know that you don’t want to go but I know that there’s a part of you that will at least give me a chance.”

I looked at him then sighed. I reluctantly nodded my head.

“Okay,” I said. “But I’m not guaranteeing anything is going to happen.”

“
I’m only asking you because I want to see you again.”

“
I know.”

As I leaned against the bar, I thought about everything he just said to me. I eventually took a seat and Luther took the place next to me. The two of us sat there in each other
’s company, not exchanging very many words. In our silence, I finally remembered that I was here to learn more about the business behind Platinum. But I decided that I had learned enough for tonight. For now, I just wanted to spend my time here… with him.

Chapter 19

“I need you to do this for me. Just stick around for a few hours. Make sure you get there early. You remember what Schrader looks like, right? Snap a couple more photos of him while he’s heading into Platinum. It shouldn’t take that long.”

“
Is there anything else you needed, Victoria?”

“
Yeah. Do you remember where his mansion is?”

“
Of course. What about it?”

“
I need you to head out there tomorrow night. Make sure you head out there earlier than when we went there.”

“
What is it I’m looking for exactly?”

“
Just take photos of everybody that stops by.”

“
But it’s gated.”

“
Fine. Snap some photos of the limos that come up to the gate. Whatever you can get.”

“
All right. That sounds simple enough.”

“
And make sure you leave before nine. It’s really important that you’re not there.”

“
Is there a reason for that?”

“
Look, Roy. Just trust me on this, okay?”

“
All right. I don’t know how much good it will do you though. These photos aren’t going to be very good.”

“
Roy, you know better than anybody that you take thousands of photos just to find the right one. I’m almost done with this story. There isn’t much time for you to find the perfect photo.”

“
Okay, Victoria. I got it. Is there anything else you need?”

“
That’s it. And Roy…”

“
Yeah?”

“
Thanks.”

“
Any time, Victoria.”

I hung the phone up then sighed. I was almost finished. Mr. Kelsey had given me a month to come up with another feature story. It would only take me a week to get this story to him. It helped that very few people were willing to talk to me but that
didn’t matter. The only voice that really mattered was my own. That had to be enough to tell the story I wanted to tell.

I sat in front of my computer after an uneventful night working at Platinum. I was refreshed and energized from the experience. It wasn
’t that I managed to get a good night’s sleep. I managed to find some peace in knowing that I had dug deep enough to find the facts that I was looking for. It was too obvious. The clientele at Platinum was so exclusive that it raised a red flag I would have to be blind not to notice.

I sorted through all of my notes so that I could get all of my facts straight. I needed to make it clear about what was happening under the table at Platinum. It was also necessary that I describe, without going into explicit d
etail, what happens inside of Landon Schrader’s mansion.

As I started to type, my intercom buzzed. I wasn
’t expecting anybody. I figured it was some telemarketer so I ignored it. There was another buzz. I sighed and got up out of my seat.

“
Yes?” I said into the intercom.

“
Harley, can I come up?”

“…
Luther.”

“
Yeah, sure. I’ll be right down.”

I looked around frantically at my loft. The place was a mess. Luther had already seen it before but I was still embarrassed about it. As bad as my apartment was, I looked even worse. I had barely done anything since I rolled out of bed that morning. I was
n’t wearing anything except a pair of pajama pants and a sweatshirt. I ran into my closet and jumped into a pair of jeans before running toward the door. When I got to the door, I realized that I couldn’t let him know what I was doing. I rushed back to my computer and shut it off. I shoved my recorder into my drawer and hid all of my notes under another stack of papers.

Luther was waiting outside of the entrance to my building dressed in another one of his perfectly tailored suits. It only made me more embar
rassed about the outfit I was wearing.

“
Hey,” I greeted him, out of breath and slightly sweating. “What are you doing here?”

“
I thought I’d stop by and say hello. Are you busy?”

“
No, not at the moment. Why do you ask?”

“
I was thinking… I still owe you for that latte you bought me. Maybe you might want to have some lunch with me.”

“
I… I would. I really would. But look at me. I’m not exactly dressed for a day out to wherever you would take me.”

“
What are you talking about, Harley? You look fine to me.”

“
That’s nice of you to say but I know what I look like.”

“
Okay. Fine. You don’t believe me. But I’d still like to spend some time with you and take you out. Is there a place that we can go that’s appropriate for what you’re wearing?”

“
Um…”

L
uther looked at me, a polite smile on his face. I couldn’t say no to him. The truth was that I wanted to spend some time with him, too. But around here, there was nothing suitable for a man like him.

“
There’s nothing remarkable in this part of the city,” I said to him. “If you’re looking for some place special—”

“
I’m not. It was a latte. That’s all I’m trying to pay you back for.”

“
Right,” I laughed. “There’s a small restaurant down the street. It’s run by a local—”

“
Sounds perfect.”

He smiled at me in the
same charming way he always did. I looked down at the ground in a failed attempt to hide my blushing face. The two of us walked side by side down the street and headed toward our destination.

“
You don’t have any important business meetings today?” I asked him.

“
I do. But I figured this was more important.”

“
So what’s going to happen? Are you going to get in trouble?”

“
I’m sure a few people are upset. When I take time off like this, it puts us back. But I’m not the only one in charge. I have people, Harley. They’re capable of handling things without me. It’s one of the benefits of being on top. Besides, what are they going to do? Fire me? I have more than enough money to take care of myself.”

“
Yeah, I… I guess it was a stupid question.”

“
It was.”

I looked at
him as he started to laugh at me. I thought it was strange he was being so candid with me but I began to laugh along with him. After spending so much time with him yesterday, in my apartment and at the club, I was already growing so accustomed to him. I didn’t want it to be like this but there was no use in fighting it any longer. Besides, he was a source. Any more information I could get from him would only help my story.

I sat across from him in the restaurant. Every time I looked at him, I would begin to
blush as he smiled at me. He was so gorgeous. And every time I realized what I was doing, I would feel so obnoxious about it. I was acting like a schoolgirl around him.

You
’re a grown woman, Victoria. Act like one.

“
So a man like you can afford to take time off from work.”

“
That’s right.”

“
What do you do with your free time? I mean, besides going to strip clubs and taking the performers out to lunch.”

I winked at him. Luther nodded with a smile on his face.

“I like to cook,” he said.

“
You? Cook?”

“
Yes. Does that surprise you?”

“
Well, yeah. I mean, you can afford any chef in the city. Why would you waste your time cooking?”

“
I didn’t say I was good at it. I just enjoy the process. When I first started making money, money to actually afford someone to cook for me, I hired a chef. I watched her work in my kitchen. It was the most fascinating thing to me. The way she was able to make something from simple ingredients was amazing. Sure, I enjoy eating just as much as anybody but there’s a certain artistry that made me want to try my hand at it.”

There was an enthusiasm in Luther I never noticed before as he told his story. His hands were in the air, mimicking the cooking motions of the chef he was talking about. His eyes were wide and there was enthusiasm
on his face. Even his voice was different. It was still as seductive as it always was but it was enthralling me for different reasons this time.

“
You should have told me you were a chef. I would have invited you inside and you could have cooked for me there.”

“
I still need a lot of practice before I need to get where I need to be.”

“
And where is it you need to be exactly?”

“
I need to be able to cook for someone and have them enjoy it.”

“
I’m sure I’d enjoy whatever it is you made for me. What’s your specialty?”

“
I haven’t advanced far enough to have a specialty,” he laughed.

“
Well, maybe I should be the one cooking for you then.”

“
Are you a chef, Harley?”

“
No. But I enjoy seeing someone enjoy the meal I prepared for them.”

“
Is that an offer?”

“
Yes, it is.”

“
Then I accept. When the time comes. I will have to pay you back though.”

“
Good. You can take me to a fancy restaurant in the city. When I have the appropriate attire.”

“
Of course.”

He winked at me then we both started to laugh. I almost forgot why we were here in the first place. I thought about asking him more questions about Platinum and the business he did there but thought better of it.

We sat there and waited for our food to arrive. I turned toward the window of the restaurant and watched as the city passed us by. I wasn’t thinking about anything at the moment. I suddenly felt his hands against one of mine. I turned to him and saw him reaching across the table. There was no expression on his face. I looked down and saw my hand resting in his. For a moment, I thought about pulling my hand away. But as he squeezed it gently, I found myself unable to do so. It was a feeling I couldn’t describe exactly. All I knew was that I enjoyed it. I raised my other hand up and reached back toward him. He smiled as he held my hands across the small table.

“
What about you?” he asked.

“
What about me?”

“
Yeah. What do you do all day? Do you have any hobbies?”

“
No,” I laughed. “I’m not interesting. And I don’t do anything interesting. Not as interesting as you.”

“
Me? I sit in meetings all day with a bunch of old men talking about how to spend money.”

“
Like I said, you’re more interesting than me.”

“
Come on,” he chuckled. “You don’t just sit around in your apartment all day, do you? Even if you did, that’s certainly more interesting than some of the things that I have to listen to.”

“
Luther, I’m sure you meet a lot of people in your line of work.”

“
Yes, that’s right.”

“
Not just in a business setting. I’m sure you have to attend company dinners and fundraisers and award ceremonies.”

“
Okay,” he nodded. “You’re still right.”

“
Have you ever met someone who’s really open with themselves? Someone who’s really outgoing and energetic? Someone who’s always trying new things and traveling to new places?”

“
Yes. Yes, I have.”

“
I’m not one of those people.”

Luther closed his eyes and started to chuckle at me.

“That’s not what I was expecting,” he said, shaking his head.

“
It’s just the truth,” I said. “I do what I need to do. I’m just trying to make ends meet. I’m comfortable where I’m at now. If things were different, maybe. But I’m not going to complain about how things are. That’s just… That’s who I am, Luther. I’m just… plain. I’m ordinary.”

Luth
er stared at me then sighed a deep breath. He nodded in understanding. When I looked into his eyes, I couldn’t help but feel a calm washing over me. I felt so peaceful being here with him that I had unknowingly let my guard down completely.

“
That explains a lot,” he said.

“
What do you mean?”

“
Do you remember what I told you before? About you seeing your own reflection? You don’t know what other people see. You’ll never be able to. You say that you’re plain and ordinary. That’s not what I see.”