The Devil's Untainted Angel

Chapter 40

Sun rays streamed through her bedroom windows, pulling her out of sleep. Her eyes opened reluctantly and squinted, both from the intruding sun and from the exorbitant headache that pounced her. Hangover, it was called. Today would be a dull day and she had to meet Mr Forbidden.

The very intervention of the unwelcoming thought as soon as she got up disturbed her day. Slipping out of bed, she dragged herself to the bathroom to freshen up. Her reflection of a horror show, stared back at her in the mirror. The mascara she had put on was everywhere around the eyes, presenting her like a witch in those fairy tale movies. Her lipstick was not on her lips but at all places on her face. In short she looked like death.

Deciding on a long, hot shower, she stripped and hopped under the steaming stream. Almost instantly, her muscles relax but destiny doesn't seem to decide the same.

Ten minutes later she got a call from the doctor who was treating her mom. Hastily she combed her chocolate brown wild hair that refused to get tamed by the comb and rushed to the hospital.

The doctor gave her not so pleasant news that she has to arrange for funds really fast because apart from her heart, the nerves supplying blood to her mother's brain are causing issues and the problem needs to be corrected fast before it gives rise to hemorrhage.

Anastasia reached the bed of the old lady she called her mother but unfortunately who failed to recognize her not even once since last almost three years. Her hair is gray with streaks of black here and there. Eyes looked lifeless, staring at her trying to decipher every time she came upon who she was.

Anastasia forced a smile. "Mom, how are you?" She held her fragile cold hand in her warm one and lightly squeezed it. Over the years she had learned to lie easily. "Mom you are improving, your health is going to perfection and I am soon going to take you home. The doctor just informed me about the good news."

Her eyes were threatening wetness but she forced her tears inside and tried to speak without shivering to her mother. Unless a miracle happens she would not be able to save her mother. She cannot afford so much money for her surgery and above all she now lost her job too.

After lunch with her mother Anastasia left the hospital. Joseph called and informed her to meet him the next day. Strange, he was the one who removed her from the job and he was also the one to call her again. Surely he needed her but Anastasia wanted to know why. She had already refused to dance with Mr Forbidden.

****

The nights were busy in the hookah bar. She spent the night only with the billionaires, who bid the highest amount to sleep with her.

Ana's biggest asset was her body with perfect curves. It is said that when God takes away something he gives something else in return.

Anastasia preferred high quality customers who could bathe her with money and then all the funds she earned went to Apollo heart care and trauma center where her mother Aria was getting treated.

It was new year's time. The hookah bar was busy. She wondered why Joseph called her when he had already retrenched her from the job. She looked around the bar, sweating bodies rubbing to each other half drunk. She threw a disgusting look because she was sober but it's because of people like them she earned.

"Anastasia, today I need your best dance performance as a famous billionaire is going to arrive here. You need to lure the man with your steps and curves, make him our permanent customer. Then I will give you double the pay than what I am giving today for each of your performances." Joseph, who was invisible to her till then suddenly met her in the dressing room and gave her the information.

Anastasia lit a cigarette and puffed out smoke. "I promise you it is a deal. The man would be mine from today but my pay is not double, it should be tripled." Joseph raised his brows in surprise but eventually agreed. Ana was his most prized possession and he could not afford to ruffle her feathers. Half of the customers at the bar come there only because of her.

Ana sat on the small stool before the dressing mirror and started applying make-up to her face. She just could not help but thank the man who was coming today to watch her dance. He was surely her ticket to happiness and she will do her best to paralyze his orbs on her.

******

A handsome man dressed in a brown jacket and black pants arrived. Like a tail of birds behind, men in black coats followed him. The bar suddenly turned into pin drop silence watching Apollo walk into the club in dominant and strict strides. Humanity watched him in awe like he was the power dressed to kill. Girls looked at him with their jaw hung open like an Eros (God of sex) about to worship the land he walked upon and men noted him with envy.

The curtain went down after waiting for his arrival. The stage lit in lights. Spinning her waist like a top Anastasia pirouetted making seductive steps towards the center. Her face was covered in a black lacy veil and body enveloped in luring attire only in the right places made of red satin material that escalated her leaps.

A golden chain with several pendants went around her waist. As she danced the chain sizzled with her moves. Her lips in cherry red color were an attraction to disturb the men even in their dreams. They hovered around her like bees attracted to honey and the bodyguards working around pulled them away as she bopped, hoofed her head while shaking a leg.

Jacob was sitting in one of the bar stools watching her without a blink of the eye while having his drink. He noted the ease at which she carried herself on the stage and played her moves, performing effortlessly on the aisle.

After the dance he tipped his finger up to one of his bodyguards and the club manager pensively came racing to him. "I need to talk to the girl." His tone husked in supremacy and rule.

"Yes sir." The manager nodded professionally and guided him into a dimly lit corridor where many of the youth were making out half drunk. Jacob shook his head in distaste, tuning his eyes ahead but from viewing anyone and knocked at the brown door. He nodded to the manager who was standing besides him in dismissal.

"Who is it?" A soft voice reached the ears and his heart skipped a beat sending titillation to his nerves.

"I am Jacob Taylor, the person for whom you performed today." His voice sizzled in Ana's ears. An intuition of knowing someone very familiar....very close took over her. There was an unknown exultation occupying her kernel, like she was going to meet someone near and dear to her.

Curiosity provoked her, maybe he was one of the clients she was previously involved with. Generally she doesn't entertain men on Thursday evenings because she visits her mother at the hospital. But there was an unfathomable pull about this man in her as soon as his speech reached her ears.

"Yeah come in." She softly called. Jacob sat in one of the chairs of the room as he observed her. His eyes were watching her every move like she was a project he was to study and pass his comments on to his next business meeting.

"I need a quick fuck and the price goes double today because I need to go and meet my mother at the hospital. If you think it's high, you can leave and come tomorrow. For an hour it is ten thousand dollars." Though she wanted the man to leave on one side, another part wanted him to stay for reasons she has no answers for.

It wasn't her first statement that bothered him unlike many but it was surely the second. The liveliness of his face was replaced with a sullen expression. He was disturbed she had turned….the world had turned her heartless and materialistic, replacing the innocent girl of pure crystal blue eyes to an insensitive virago.

When there was no movement from him, Anastasia was to make sure he was sober and pay her. Because every minute on Thursday evening was precious for her.

After all, she was postponing her visit to her mom because of this man. "Hello sir" she flicked her fingers before him to bring him back to the world. "Money first on the table and then the deed."

As if he just came out of the dream, Jacob blinked twice looking at her in appreciation. His kernel screamed pleading with him to ask her what happened to her mom but it was too early to ask her such private questions. He was only meeting her for the first time.

Jacob scribbled the number she wanted on the cheque and placed it on the dressing table where she was sitting earlier, removing her make-up.

"You are naturally beautiful, why do you want to do so much make-up?" He asked her.

Anastasia laughed. "To which world do you belong, sir? All men here want women with overly done makeup but with no clothes." She lit a cigarette and began to open the buttons of her shirt.

She had hardly removed one and Jacob splashed his arm forward restricting his eyes to the floor as if he received a shock. "I am not here to do the..." He was hesitant even to say the word. "I only want to talk to you." He breathed when she finally closed her button.

Ana narrowed her eyes, looking at the billionaire doubtfully. She was now confused if the cheque he gave her was real. She turned back and examined the little piece of paper with her complete attention. "No refund or return of the payment whether you fuck or do not fuck me."

"Agreed." The billionaire gave out not even taking a second of thought and with a full blown smile.

"I'm glad you are ready to talk to me."