EIGHT

“Now, now Fabian. I’ve sent you Amber, so please remove the scowl from that handsome face of yours,” Madam Cecil teased, pushing Amber towards Fabian who remained seated on the sofa.

Amber felt like a piece of property and did not appreciate it.

“Madam Cecil, I’m only here for waitressing works,” she said exasperatedly, suddenly wondering if she should be wary of Fabian Williams. Did a sleazy beast lay beneath the facade of this handsome man? She could feel her heart beating faster.

Fabian waved his hand at Madam Cecil, “You may leave us now.”

Amber shot Cecil an anxious look and to which the older woman replied, “Amber my dear girl, Fabian is one of our most well-behaved customers here. You’re in good hands.”

With that, the head hostess turned around and strode out of the room – her hips swaying against her insanely tight pencil skirt and heels digging into the soft carpeted floor with every step before she finally closed the door behind her with a click.

Fabian looked at Amber with an amused look on his face, his mood had turned 180 degrees at the sight of her.

“You’re scared of me.”

“Am not,” Amber shot back defensively. She was lying and he knew it. He laughed and boy was his laughter deep and seductive. Funny how she hadn’t noticed it last night but Fabian Williams was a very attractive man. He had dimples too!

His eyes met hers and he smiled, “Come, sit with me.”

She should have felt frightened, but instead, her pulse began to race again and it definitely was not from fear. She cleared her throat and started to walk over in her impossibly high heels but tripped just before she reached the sofa, landing awkwardly in front of Fabian William’s extremely long legs.

Oof. That was graceful.

She looked up, their eyes locked and for a moment it seemed as if time stood still. Then as if on cue, they both grinned and broke into laughter. Amber had never laughed so much in her life.

When the laughter finally died down, Fabian extended his hand and Amber took it, allowing him to pull her up. The touch of his warm lean hands melted the fear within her and she realized that she had nothing to worry about. Fabian Williams would not harm her in any way.

“You’re not very good with heels are you?” he looked at her feet, bent over and lifted them, resting her feet on his leg. Gently, he slid the heels off her and placed them back on the floor.

He frowned when he saw the blisters at the back of her feet, “You shouldn’t be wearing them. They’re too tight for you.”

Amber shrugged, embarrassed that he saw them. “They didn’t have my size,” she mumbled.

She tried to put her feet back down but Fabian’s grip was firm. To her surprise, he started massaging her feet - her feet looked so tiny in his hands. His touch was deliciously electrifying and as he gently rubbed at her soles, the throbbing pain that she felt earlier began to fade away.

She closed her eyes, savouring the moment and without realizing it, she started to relax and lean back against the sofa. As the minutes ticked by, her breath evened out and she dozed off, exhausted from the lack of sleep. She had only an hour’s sleep that day.

***

Fabian had his back towards Amber as he massaged her feet and only realized that she had fallen into slumber when he was done with the massage. Her head was drooped slightly to one side and she did not stir when he called out her name.

She must be tired.

She looked beautiful, even in her sleep – her chest heaved up and down in a gentle rhythm and a few strands of hair had fallen over her face. He had to resist the urge to run his fingers through her hair.

Quietly, he placed her feet back onto the carpeted floor before taking off his light grey blazer. He remembered how uncomfortable she was in her uniform which they did nothing to hide her curves. The design team at La Fire had specifically created the uniforms to draw the lust in men and while he had enjoyed the ample delicious views the uniforms presented him in the past, he realized that Amber did not enjoy being stared at by men at all. So gently, he covered her with his jacket, before easing himself next to her.

In the quietness of the room, Fabian studied her face. Her features were well defined, she had neatly shaped eyebrows with long thick lashes - her eyelids fluttered a little. He wondered if she was dreaming. Her lips had a light rosy tint that looked so soft and inviting. Her skin was flawless even without makeup and she smelt heavenly. Was it her shampoo? A light and floral scent was coming from her hair, making him want her even more. Not to mention those long tanned limbs of hers which stuck out from under his jacket.  

But Fabian Williams was a gentleman. He never took a woman against her will. Instead, he let her sleep, resting her head on his shoulders as he stared out of the massive window of his room to admire the twinkling of stars that shone like diamonds in the blackened sky.

Not far away, in a dark and hidden alleyway, the big burly man who assaulted Amber the night before fell crumpling onto the muddy pavement face down. His body jerked involuntarily in spasms as he gagged and choked in his own blood before finally breathing his last. Lying next to him was a young man, alive but unconscious. A black Bugatti Chiron which was parked nearby began to slowly roll away.

A street cleaner would come the next day to find a stiff and lifeless body of the man with a bloodied knife stabbed into the back of his chest.