His Obsession, My Ruin

Velvet Room

Chapter 2

Melanie's POV

The next morning, he was gone.

By the time my eyes peeled open and I reached out to the other side of the bed, it was empty.

He didn't even wake me up, just a note. Maybe he was actually being thoughtful; maybe I was just being paranoid.

I forced myself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. I was late, but then again, I was permitted to be late. Who was going to fire me? My dad?

I was halfway there when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. I paused, my head tilting.

It was his suit jacket, the one I'd taken off him last night. The one I’d sniffed like a lunatic, hoping to catch someone else’s perfume, but instead found proof that he was probably smoking again.

He must’ve left in a rush. Maybe to get ahead of traffic, or maybe he just wanted to avoid me. Hopefully it was just to get to work early and dodge another lecture.

I walked to the jacket instead and picked it up. The feeling of exhaustion from last night tugged at my sleeves.

There was just so much on my mind; it felt like my world was slowly cracking, and I didn't know where to patch.

Without thinking, my arms slid into the sleeves. I ignored the smell of smoke and imagined Idris holding me instead, his rough hand sliding just over the swell of my breast as he told me how much he wanted to break me beautifully.

I slid my hands into the pockets. My fingers brushed against a crumpled paper.

I pulled it out and straightened it.

The Velvet Room

The name printed in bold at the top of the paper.

Exclusive access for Mr. Idris Maddock.

What kind of room charged four hundred dollars for "exclusive access"?

My heart sank as my mind cleared.

Okay, what the f**k is going on?

I felt something in me snap.

The receipt had to be one of the most plain pieces of documents I'd ever seen. There was nothing but the business's name, Idris' fee printed on it, a little barcode in a corner, and a time stamp.

Hours before the arrest.

So this was where he was when he stood me up. A velvet room. If that didn't scream suspicion, I didn't know what did.

I rushed to get my phone, ignoring the cold air hitting my bare thighs and the steady rising pace of my heartbeat.

I pulled up my scanner app, my fingers slightly trembling, and scanned the code.

It took what felt like an eternity and only to bring up...

Nothing.

It brought me to a page that asked for a membership access code.

Membership code?

What was this? A gambler's den or a stripper's club. I hated that my mind went there, but it didn't seem so far-fetched now.

I felt something in me crack. The kind that echoed through you.

Enough guessing, I needed answers. But first I needed to get to work.

***

"Good morning, Mel," Lucas, my dad's secretary, said when he spotted me approaching.

"Morning. Is he in?" I flashed him my usual smile.

"Yeah, lucky you, he's in a good mood too," he answered and bent his head back to his desk.

I tapped the door gently with my knuckles, let out a sigh as I pushed the morning’s chaos to the back of my mind, and walked in.

"Hi Dad," I cooed.

"There's my favorite daughter," he teased as I took a seat.

"I'm your only daughter and only child. There's not much competition," I smiled.

"How's Mum?" I added.

"She's good; you would know if you visited us more often." He said.

That was his silent jab at my decision to get an apartment with Idris. He didn't approve of anything that involved Idris and me, so I was used to it by now.

"Tell her I'll stop by for dinner with Idris later," I said.

I saw the disapproval in his eyes, but he didn't say anything, something I was grateful for. I could use just one day without his constant criticism.

"Lorraine told me what happened," he said flatly.

My peace was out like a candle. Here it comes.

"Told you what?" I feigned ignorance. Hopefully Lorraine hadn't been a complete tattletale.

"Stop it, Melanie. His behavior was reckless and irresponsible." He wasn't smiling.

So Lorraine had ratted him out. Great.

"It was a mistake," I said.

"Your association with him is a mistake." He added.

"It's not that serious, Dad. He got drunk, made one mistake, and I took him home."

Well, he also said something I couldn't understand and had a receipt for somewhere shady, but my father didn't need more ammunition for his "Idris is incompetent" fan club.

"I knew you wouldn't listen," he sighed.

"I got that from you...or was it Mum?" I laughed.

"Definitely your mother," he said.

He still looked upset, but at least he wasn't giving me an earful over it.

I set the file I came to deliver on his desk and gave him a hug. "It won't happen again."

He didn’t believe me. I didn’t believe myself. But we both let it go.

***

I headed for Idris' office next, the receipt folded in my hand. My brain scanned for ways to ask him without seeming like I was accusing him of something. I knew Idris, and he wouldn't take it well if he felt accused.

I made it there just in time to see him walking out, phone glued to his ear.

"Yes. That’s the amount stated in the contract," he said, voice polished and professional, like last night had never happened.

He saw me, gave a tight smile, mouthed “I’m busy,” and kept walking.

Just like that.

My fingers tightened around the receipt in my purse. I turned and walked away, each step heavier than the last.

Since I couldn't get any information about the establishment, I decided to search the hashtag online.

There were a lot of unrelated and honestly vile things that popped up, but there was a post from one of my mutuals.

It was her in a place that looked like your typical high-end restaurant. The caption read.

"Fancy date, fancy place."

It was dated a couple weeks back.

I wasn't so close to her, but since I didn't really have an alternative, I texted her.

I'd half expected her to not reply since we'd only ever spoken a couple times, but she replied almost right away.

"Hey," Charlotte replied.

"I need to ask something: what do you know about The Velvet Room?"

I stared at my text for a while. It felt weird even to me, but I sent it anyway.

"What do you mean?"

"I just want to know what kind of place it is," I asked.

More like I wanted to make sure it wasn't a stripping club or something along those lines.

"Why is it so expensive, yet I can't find anything about it online?" I asked.

"Because the owners think secrecy equals luxury," she texted, adding an eye-roll emoji. Like that explained anything.

"Why did you ask?" she added.

I hesitated for a bit. Did I really want to explain this to someone who was basically a stranger to me?

"I just want to make sure someone I care about isn't doing anything shady."

That wasn't a lie; I cared about Idris, and I sure as hell didn't want him doing something stupid.

"Oh, normally people don't go there unless they're trying to stay discreet. I could ask around for you. See what your someone has been up to." She offered.

Ask around?

She was being too helpful… or maybe I was just paranoid.

"Thanks, but there's no need," I said.

I didn't want her in Idris' business.

If I was wrong, I’d be breaking trust over nothing. If I was right… I didn’t want to think about what that meant.

I locked my phone and leaned back in my chair. The receipt still sat in my purse, like a loaded gun. I couldn’t shake Idris' words from last night.

What didn't you have a choice in, Idris?