Indulgence

~

Sunlight seeped through the corner of the curtains in her hotel room, bathing Farah in its warm glow. Groggily, she was awakened by it, shielding her eyes from the sudden intensity of the light. Her head was swimming slightly, so she opted to keep it rested on her pillow while she gathered her senses. Blindly, she reached for her phone, frowning as her probing produced no results. She usually kept it on the nightstand so where the hell was it? Through great effort, she managed to get herself into an upright position. Even with her eyes closed, it felt as if the world was being turned upside down. Squinting, she turned her head to check the time on the alarm clock. It read 11:47am.

Groaning, she rolled out of the bed and dragged her feet to the bathroom. Splashing cold water on her face served to sharpen her senses, though the bass still thumped through her skull. Her eyes shot open. The bass. Her mind was racing now, memories coalescing to form a hurried rough sketch of events from the evening prior. The red mansion...and the couple. Goosebumps rose on her skin from the chill she felt when she remembered the couple. They had taken her, again and again. Suddenly, her legs didn't feel so sturdy. She sat down on the side of the bathtub, head in her hands. God, what an experience. And it was all because of him: Nicholas, her secret employer turned pimp. 'No, not a pimp,' she reminded herself. Then what, exactly? She had been too caught up to ask the critical questions at dinner, not that it mattered at this point. He had left the room and she hadn't seen him again that evening, at least not that she could remember. But then, how had she gotten back here?

Farah's head snapped to the entrance of the bathroom as she heard the sound of her suite door being unlocked. Fucking room service. They never did know when the go the hell away. She looked down at her bare body. She hadn't worn anything under her dress last night. Thankfully, a robe was hanging from the back of the bathroom door.

"No room service, please!" she called out as she quickly went over and grabbed it, covering herself hastily. The door opened before she could cross the room. In place of housekeeping, however, Nicholas entered the room, closing the door behind him. He was dressed casually in a cashmere sweater and slacks. 'Well he seems well enough,' Farah thought to herself. He was holding a large brown paper bag.

"Good morning," he said brightly. "I figured that food was a necessity since you missed dinner. Please forgive that oversight. The coffee should help with your head."

"How thoughtful," Farah replied, eyebrow raised.

He sat down at a table and began to remove the contents of the bag. Fruit, croissants and two large cups of coffee. "So did you enjoy yourself?" he asked, helping himself to a croissant.

Farah felt herself reddening. "You would know better than I. Why did you leave me?"

"I make it a habit not to engage sexually when alcohol is present," he responded after taking a bite. "It allows me to retain control over the situation."

"Oh, the situation," Farah said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "So it's okay for me to get fucked by two strangers, but..." She stopped herself short.

"It's not okay for me to fuck you?" he finished, before placing his half-eaten croissant on the table. He stood from the chair and walked towards her. Farah took a half-step back, fighting her body's urge to move towards him. He quickly closed the gap between them, opening her robe when he reached her. "That is precisely what I am saying, yes."

She kept her eyes on him while he rubbed her, his hands coming to rest on the curvature of her hips. "And what about now?"

"Now," he repeated. His fingers began to dig into the softness of her flesh before he abruptly let her go. "Now, you must eat and wash. You have an interview with Dr. Murphy today, yes? Your payment is predicated on the completion of your assignment."

Farah couldn't believe her ears. She watched in stunned silenced as he returned to the table and collected his coffee and croissant. Valentine's Day was one thing, but this was a completely different matter. Farah Ammad did not get turned down. She got what she wanted, by any means. Regardless of the assuredness of her thoughts, however, he was moving towards the door and she was unable to formulate words.

"Wait!" she called out finally, his hand on the door knob. "Just...why? Why last night? Why did you hire me? Why any of this?"

"Why not?" he asked simply. Then, he opened the door and left the room.

Deafening silence followed his departure. Farah felt her heartbeat slow to its resting pace. Finally, she let herself fall backwards onto her bed, sighing.

After a moment, she smiled mischievously, thinking back on the exploits of what was undoubtedly her most memorable Valentine's Day to date.

"Why the fuck not, indeed." Farah said aloud to the empty room.