Her Dark Protector

Chapter 3

Velvet woke up to a message from Thomas. She never wanted to have this kind of arrangement, but he made the offer to the club, and they felt it was a good move for her. She watched a couple of the other girls go through these arrangements and end up getting hurt. Cherry was going down the rabbit hole now and Velvet could see her falling for that man knowing he would just end up going back to his wife. At least she knew she was going in with eyes open with Thomas and that she had no attraction to him at all.

He was sweet, but that’s how these always started according to the other girls. He was hoping to take her out for lunch today and would send a car to her apartment at 1pm to pick her up. It also mentioned he was sending something for her to wear as well. It was pretty standard. Her biggest stipulation was that he not get her an apartment. She was happy for him to pay her bills, but not an entire apartment or a car. She didn’t need them, and she didn’t want to completely give up her independence. For now, he was okay with the arrangement.

The outfit arrived an hour later. It wasn’t over the time; it was a simple black velvet dress and a pair of simple black Manolo Blahnik heels. Both were exquisite and unsurprisingly fit perfectly. She had to admit that the man had taste.

She took a photo of herself in the outfit and sent it to him. All he wrote back was wow. She smiled, that was all she wanted. She took off the outfit and changed into her workout gear. There were a few hours before the car arrived, and she wanted to get a dance class in today. She needed to sweat and not think about Thomas and his expectations. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, he was attractive and seemed like a sweet guy, but he was married, and the ethical side of her brain was at war with her.

So, she danced it all out. She felt so free when she was dancing. Her mind was clear, her body fluid. No judgement, no fear, nothing but the music and her body.

‘Girl, I wish you would come back to teach her. We miss you. I just hope you aren’t wasting your talents.’

‘No, Grace, I am not wasting my talents.’ She had been dancing with Grace since she moved to the city, but since working at the club, she no longer had to teach at the dance school, instead only returning for classes now and then. Grace usually took her aside and had the same talk each time she visited. But she never told Grace what she did. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed, Velvet was who she truly was now, Elise long forgotten.

But it always ended. The class finished and now for her to go home and face the reality that was hers now. She showered and changed and spent an hour doing her hair and make-up. She was used to doing it partly when she danced, but this was different. It couldn’t be stage make up, but she still needed to look like a beautiful, sophisticated woman, without looking like a hooker. Which she was pretty sure she probably would anyway. Even if Thomas was only 42, she still had a feeling everyone would know she was being paid for.

Velvet looked at herself in the mirror, she was stunning. She knew she already had the looks, but this enhanced her best features. It would do. Her hair hung below her shoulders in soft curls. Just a few sprays of her perfume and she was ready. In time for the doorbell to ring. The driver was here. She took a deep breath and left her apartment.

It was a sleek black town car, and the driver opened the door for her. There was no conversation on the way to the restaurant. The driver was obviously well trained to not interact with their passenger. Velvet was fine with that. She was contemplating how the lunch would go. Thankfully Thomas was easy to talk to, she was more worried about the location. They were headed to one of the most expensive places in the city. It was somewhere she had dreamed of eating. A very upmarket fusion Japanese restaurant. It was good she was a seafood fan, considering he hadn’t asked her about her eating habits. But she pretty much ate everything.

When they pulled up to the restaurant her nerves kicked in. She took a deep breath as the driver opened her door and held out his hand to help her from the car. It was an elegant climb from the car, her long legs folding out as she stood on the pavement. She smiled and nodded to the driver. Though he barely acknowledged her. Moving to the door, it was opened by a tall man in a black suit. She looked up.

‘Thank you.’ As she glanced at him, there was something she recognised. His dark hair and beard caught her eye. It was definitely a look she had usually gone for in men before. He looked the quintessential bad boy. And the smile, slightly raised to one side. Her heart skipped for a moment.

‘You’re welcome.’ His voice was deep and sultry, and her breath caught in her throat as she turned back to look in the restaurant. She was about to have a meal with a man who had spent more on her outfit than she earned in a week. But there was something to that man, she must have seen him at the club. She got the impression it was somewhere he would visit.

As the doors closed to the restaurant, she could breathe normally again. When she looked up, she was greeted by the hostess.

‘Hi, I am meeting Thomas Suitor for lunch.’ The woman’s eyes lit up when Velvet spoke the name.

‘Of course, please follow me.’ Velvet followed the woman to the back of the restaurant to a small area with only a couple of tables. It was a space for more privacy and hidden away from the main floor of the restaurant. A good place for a secret lunch.

Thomas was already at the table and stood up to greet her. He kissed both cheeks.

‘Hello Velvet, you look stunning.’ She twirled for him.

‘Thank you, Thomas. This dress is just beautiful.’

‘You are more than welcome, please sit.’ He helped her with her chair and pushed it in.

The hostess gave them their menus. There was already water on the table and Thomas had ordered some kind of brown liquor. Not her favourite.

‘Would you like anything to drink madam?’

‘She’ll have a pinot grigio please, the New Zealand one.’

The hostess nodded, ‘Of course sir.’ Velvet smiled, not wanting to argue that she would prefer a sauvignon blanc. She wasn’t really a big drinker and would drink mostly water. She didn’t want to lose control of her senses over lunch.

When the waiter took their order, again Thomas ordered for her. She wasn’t a fan of having food ordered for her. But at least he ordered things that she would like. Sashimi, edamame, miso fish and a few other things. She just smiled; she wasn’t going to rock the boat. This was their first lunch, she could only hope things would improve.

The rest of the lunch though was easy. She let him talk more and she asked him questions to keep him moving. She didn’t give away much of her past. Just talking about her ballet days, her parents and university. The easiest things for her to talk about.

He talked about his work. Apparently, he worked in finance, as an investment banker. It was a large firm, many of his colleagues, including the boss frequented the club where she danced. He didn’t talk much about his colleagues and never once mentioned his wife, and Velvet never asked.

The food was amazing, and she enjoyed it all. The annoyance of him ordering disappeared after eating. With each mouthful she could taste each element and let herself just sit back and enjoy the moment.

The lunch went for almost two hours, but she didn’t notice the time. He didn’t ask for anything more than just lunch and when they were finished, he ordered her a car to take her home. The same driver as earlier and just as quiet. She was happy to be home and take a long hot shower to get ready for the night.