Between the Shadows.

It was all that Samantha knew, for far longer than she cared to admit. She didn't want to tell anyone what she did to pay her rent and her bills but it always managed to come out. One way or another and she was left with people she thought were her friends judging her and thinking she was an awful person. Sam had been tricked into it, she had been promised that her connection was a talent manager and would help her break into the modelling scene. That just happened to be the exact opposite of what happened. Being young and in a brand new city, Sam had no other choice but to do as she was told.

That had happened nearly ten years ago, she was just shy of turning 28 but she had managed to make it up in the world. It was strange to Sam, how life had worked out but it was still better than nothing. She had more or less been sold to someone who worked with higher end clients, clients who knew exactly what they liked and were willing to pay a chunk of change for it.

Sam never did get told about her clients beforehand, it was always a be ready at ____ and Sam, just like clockwork, would be ready to go when she was told to. The few times that she had made the mistake of not being ready were enough to insure she would do anything within her power to avoid that sort of punishment. She needed the money she made, her wages garnished were the last thing she wanted. That coupled with the physical punishments? No. Sam found herself dressed up with her hair pinned back. She had only been given instruction to wear one of her best outfits and with that in mind, she headed to the restaurant she had been told to meet her client at. All she had to go off was a description. Older, tall, muscular, would likely be wearing glasses.

Smoothing out the skirt of her dress once she had made it into the restaurant, Sam frowned when she didn't spot the man or anyone who could even fit his description. One of the hostesses approached her and after giving her the best description she could, the hostess' eyes widened a bit and she nodded before rushing off to lead Sam to a private room in the back of the restaurant. It was just a smaller dining room, more intimate and at the head of the table, her client sat.

Even if she wasn't technically late, Sam still felt the need to apologize to the man. She made her way toward him, inching up the skirt on her dress. What was the point in waiting? Most of her clients wanted to jump right into business and a table in the middle of a private room was one of the tamest places she had ever... worked. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, mister," she purred, leaning forward to give him a better view of her assets. Sam stepped back, confused when the man beckoned for her to sit. "S-Sir?"

Negan watched as the pretty blonde entered the private room in the back of the restaurant and he wasn't all to surprised when she began to flaunt her body around like it was all she knew how to do. It most likely was, but that wasn't how Negan played this game. She was gorgeous, but all the girls through this agency were. She was more heavily tattooed than any other he had been sent, he liked it. It made her appear sluttier and that was a good thing in his book. Her pinned back hairstyle and fancy dress tried to combat it, but it was obvious what she was, no amount of fancy dressing up could get rid of that.

"Sit down." Negan smiled, enough to show a row of teeth as he beckoned to a seat next to him.

"S-sir?" The young lady just questioned him and he furrowed his brow. He was used to people doing what he said when he said it.

He pointed the chair next to him at the table, and repeated the word: "Sit." He stood and pulled out the chair, and once she sat down, Negan ran his hands up her arms, up her neck and into her hair, pulling out the two pins that held her curled blonde mane in place. "That looks better." He smiled as he took his seat, tossing the pins in the trash can. "We're here at a restaurant, tonight, dear, you don't fuck in a restuarant, do you?" His words were brash, and he knew it was causing her to panic a little, become worried, maybe fearful. Of course, sex was on the menu, but that was for later in the evening, back at his penthouse. "Haven't you ever heard of being wined and dined, first?" He laughed.

The waiter came back over with a basket full of steaming bread and menus. She placed them down in front of the two and asked what they would be drinking. "Bring me a scotch, and a bottle of your finest wine for the lady." Negan winked.

Negan was used to being feared, he after all was practically a mob boss, one of the most prestigous clients Sam's company had, that frequented them. They knew not to upset him or send him a girl that wouldn't pleasure him the way he wanted to be pleased. Every higher up in the company knew what would happen if Negan wasn't happy by the end of his date. Negan was used to having blood on his hands, or rather, sending his henchmen to do the dirty work for him, but either way, it wouldn't be pretty for whoever he got his hands on.

Sam felt heart stomach turn as she watched Negan stand. She hesitated for just a moment longer before stepping forward, lowering herself to the seat that he had pulled out for her. She opened her mouth to thank him, only for her breath to be taken away when his hand travelled up her arm. She tilted her head to the side, on instinct alone, to provide better access to her neck. Sam prepared herself, fully expecting him to wrap a hand around her throat. She hoped that he wouldn't hurt her too much but no wasn't part of her vocabulary, she had learned that the hard way a long time ago.

She breathed a sigh of relief when all Negan did was undo her hair. Sam gave an immediate nod of her head when he mentioned that this looked better to him. She made a mental note so that if she was ever to see Negan again, that she wouldn't put her hair up. Sam was used to letting it down by the end of the night, men seemed to like pulling it during sex and playing with it if they decided that they wanted to cuddle after. Sam usually hated when they did because it left her feeling even more useless. It was worse to her, because she wanted that sort of relationship with someone but she didn't see that happening ever.

Negan's comment caused her cheeks to flush as she looked down to her lap. She smoothed out the material of her skirt, shrugging her shoulders as she bit down on her lip. As used to comments like that she was, it never made it easier for her to take. "No but I just... thought.." Sam trailed off with a shrug, relieved when the waitress walked over. This wasn't what Sam was used. She was used to when she barely caught their name before she was either shoved to her knees or her dress torn down her body and this guy wanted to have supper?

Sam was confused when Negan ordered wine for her, looking up to him with a small frown. She went to ask him why but decided against it. She was almost a bit disappointed because she was sure that Negan would end up billing her company and it would come out of the money she took home. It never took away from the company, only her.

Clearing her throat once the waitress disappeared back through the door, Sam hesitated for a moment before she finally looked up to Negan. His gaze was intense, something that she couldn't quite place but it wasn't her right to ask him and she wasn't about to. "Is there anything that you want to try out tonight? Anything specific you want me to do or not do?" She figured it was the easiest topic to start out with, thinking that would be the only real thing they would talk about. What else would they discuss? After all, she was just a whore and he was a man well off.

The waitress had barely left the table, let alone the room, as the questions slipped out of Sam's mouth. Negan let his tongue poke out from his mouth, wetting his bottom lip as he figured out the best way to try and clue her in on what kind of client he was.

"Do you talk like that at the dinner table when you're with your family?" He smiled, his eyes twinkling in the dim room. He didn't give her any time to answer before speaking again, "Didn't think so. You leave that stuff for when we get to my room, okay? I know the kind of men you deal with usually on these forays, but I'm not them. We're going to have a nice dinner, you're going to tell me about things you like to do when you're not working, and then when we get to my penthouse, then you can get down on those pretty little knees, got it?"

He knew the look on her face: completely and utter shock. Most men on these nights didn't give her two seconds to introduce herself, they immediately had her face down, fucking the shit out of her, or had her face slammed down on their cocks, done with her in about an hour. Negan didn't play that game. He liked to keep one woman from this company, and unfortunately, the last one, had pissed him off a little to much. She was fired. Sam was the fourth girl he had gone through trying to find a suitable replacement, he thought it was going pretty well. Any new girl was going to need to go through this awkward patch of readjusting to him.

However, if he did like her, that would do well on her part. From then on, she would only be allowed to service him, he didn't like sloppy seconds and she would be paid far better.

The waitress returned with his drink and Sam's wine and he wasted no time pouring her a glass.

Sam jerked away from Negan, her eyes widening a bit as Negan spoke. She opened her mouth to ask him what his end game here was. If he wasn't going to use her, if he wasn't planning on doing what they met for, then why was she here? Sam listened as he spoke, huffing as she decided to close her mouth. She knew that he was paying for her to be here but there was something unnerving about this meet up. While she didn't have a whole lot of experience when it came to her current company, she had enough experience with clients in general to understand that there was something off about Negan. She couldn't place it but she was already deciding that she hoped she wouldn't be sent to him again.

Deciding that it was best to keep her mouth shut, Sam looked down to her lap. Each time hat she had tried to speak, it hadn't gone too well so she thought it best to not speak unless Negan directly asked her a question.

Giving the waitress a small smile when the woman appeared, she watched skeptically as Negan poured her wine. She reached out for a piece of the bread that had been brought over, dipping it into the provided oils. Sam looked up when she noticed that Negan wasn't moving. She stopped with the bread halfway to her mouth, her eyes widening a bit as she all but threw the piece of bread down. "I'm sorry, I should have waited," Sam apologized before she even realized what she was doing.

Sam reached for her glass of wine, taking a small sip of it. She set it back down, setting her hands in her lap. Her face scrunched a bit as she looked up, still trying to figure out what Negan could possibly want from her. "Was there anything specific you wanted to know about me?"

boop!

"No, no, go ahead." Negan's solemn face had a small smile break out on it. "I was just admiring your beauty." His words, however sweet that seemed on the surface had a small bit of malice underneath of them, misplaced or not. Of course Negan wanted her for what every other one of her clients wanted from her, he just preferred to get to know his escort. Negan didn't have the pleasure of actually meeting women in his line of work, if you could call it that. The escorts he managed to get from Sam's company was the closest thing he got to dates, so he liked to take full advantage of it.

Her question seemed to perk interest in him, he completely sat up straight and clasped his hands over the table. "I'm glad you offered that up. I'd love to get to know you." His eyes seemed to shine under the dim lights of the restaurant. "Tell me what ever you feel comfortable telling me, anything about you outside of the realm of your work. I want to know you on a more personal level." Negan scooped his small glass of wine up and took a sip of it, savoring the sweet berry flavor as he let his eyes wander down Sam's face. He could tell how uncomfortable she was, she wasn't used to this in the slightest. All she knew was used to was immediately being slammed over a table, a man she barely knew the name of climbing on top of her. The thought left Negan's mind as soon as it entered it, he didn't want to think of another man on her, especially since she might become his main girl.

Sam timidly tore a chunk of bread off of her piece, slowly eating it. By no standard was she used to eating in such fancy restaurants, nor was she used to being wined and dined before a client took what they payed for. Her eyes dropped, watching her own movements as she ate small pieces of the bread. Sam's head snapped up, her brows pulling together in confusion at Negan's comment. There was something off about it and she couldn't quite place it. She decided that it had to be because she wasn't used to such genuine compliments and she was going to leave it at that.

Shifting around in her seat, Sam decided that the one piece of bread was more than enough for her. She reached down, smoothing down the material of her skirt. Confused by Negan's request to learn more about her, Sam honestly had to take a minute before she figured out was even appropriate to say to him.

"I want to go back to school to become a veterinary tech one day..." Sam trailed off, a blissful smile gracing her lips before it disappeared, just as quickly as it appeared. She shrugged her shoulders, crossing one leg over the other. "I live in a small, one bedroom apartment. I mean, it's not much but it's mine and it's home. I guess I'm proud of it," she answered quietly. She had the opportunity to live somewhere nicer but she was more interested in saving up money to begin going to school. It was going to be a rough few years because school and work would leave her with little to no sleep.

Clearing her throat, Sam reached to take a small sip of her wine. "What... what about you?"

A whore with aspirations... was the first thing to cross Negan's mind before he could even control it. "It's good to have goals." A smile spread across his face. He honestly doubted she would actually ever go, even if she was able to save up the money and get accepted into a school. Leaving this line of work she was in... was a lot harder than one might think. They didn't just let girl's quit.

Negan picked up his glass of wine and took a sip before swirling it around in the cup. She was asking about him now and that was almost enough to make him laugh. He vividly let memories whisk by behind his eyes, all the people he's killed, had robbed, all the drugs he's had pushed into the large city they lived in. Now days though, Negan was the boss man, he had others do the killing and drug pushing for him and he just lived it up in the lap of luxury.

He just let his evil smile play on his face as he looked back over to Sam, "Oh, trust me, you don't want to know what I do." If the night kept going right though, she would learn soon enough.

Sam felt the colour drain from her face as Negan answered her question. She swallowed around the lump in her throat, nodding slowly as she lowered her gaze. She fiddled with her hands in her lap, suddenly realizing that she didn't really want to eat the bread that was sitting on her plate, she had no appetite. Negan hadn't threatened her by any means but she was left feeling like Negan would hurt her if she stepped out of line tonight. She knew where not listening could end up putting her and she certainly didn't want to upset her company when she had just started working for them. They paid better.

Knowing what drinking would end up doing to her, Sam was also pretty sure that Negan had ordered it with the sole intention of getting Sam drunk. She wondered briefly if she should just not drink and still go along with whatever Negan wanted from her tonight but she also knew better than to refuse. Reaching out with a shaking hand, Sam took a deep breathe in an attempt to calm herself as she lifted up her glass. She took a small sip, staring down at the small plate of bread in front of her.

Setting the glass down, Sam tore off another small chunk of it and pressed it between her lips. She chewed it slowly, thoroughly unsure of what to even say to Negan now. Every attempt that she had made at some sort of mutual conversation hadn't gone well. Squirming in her seat, Sam glanced up, only to drop her head back down when she made eye contact with Negan. She cleared her throat, still refusing to look up from her lap. "I-I'm sorry, I guess that I'm just a bit more nervous than usual. You're right, I'm just not used to things like this. I... I promise I'll make it up to you." Sam knew her words had the potential to upset Negan but she didn't want him to end up regretting their evening together. A bad review would do no good for her.

Negan couldn't help the laugh that erupted from deep within his chest. It wasn't a bellowing laugh, it was on the smaller end of the scale, but it was still enough to probably make Sam worry. "There's no need to be nervous, darlin'. Just be yourself."

He was sure Sam would try to read between the lines his words were written on, try to decipher whether or not Negan meant it, or if there was something sinister lurking behind them. Negan didn't really care about whatever Sam decided on. A waitress came back to the table to check on the pair, wondering if they were ready to order.

"I don't know if Sam here has even had a chance to peruse your menu. Just give us a few more minutes." Negan held a finger up to the waitress, but kept a smile on his face. He always liked to come across as a happy, collected guy. The waitress smiled and walked away, giving Negan a second glance. When she was out of earshot, Negan turned his attention back to Sam. "Well-" He gestured to the menu, "You can order whatever you like."

Sam's eyes widened a bit at Negan's sudden laugh. It wasn't dark, almost light and inviting. If Negan hadn't admitted that she likely wouldn't want to know what he did for a living, she would have been enthralled with him. He was playing the part of a perfect gentleman and inside, it killed Sam. She had met her fair share of people that got their hands dirty in crime, she could only imagine what Negan did. And maybe if she wasn't a hired on whore, things would have been different between the two of them.

A swell of emotion grew in her throat and she took a moment to look down, her cheeks flushing a few shades darker as Negan spoke to the waitress. She cleared her throat, shifting to cross her right leg over the left. Sam drew in a deep breathe, looking back up long enough to scan the menu. She didn't want to order something too extravagant, particularly knowing what they would end up doing in a few hours at most.

Settling on a salad just as the waitress returned, Sam offered a small smile. "I'll have the peanut chicken salad, please," she ordered her food, deciding that a salad was a good option. There was meat involved so she hoped that it wasn't something that would end up irritating Negan for one reason or another. She didn't want him to be upset with her. Biting down on the inside of her lip, Sam glanced up long enough to catch Negan's gaze before it dropped back down.

"I had a bigger breakfast than usual," Sam explained in a quiet voice, giving a shrug of her shoulders. It was routine when it came to the days that she knew she was going to be working later. It wasn't as if she could ask her client to stop long enough for her to eat if she ended up hungry. She opened her mouth to explain that to him before she shut it abruptly, remembering how Negan didn't care to discoss those things at the table.

Negan couldn't help but chuckle, shift in his seat and rest his shoulders back completely. It was funny to him, how much Sam was just like every other girl on the planet, but still there was something about her that intrigued him.

Every girl was the same when meeting a man at first. From how little they ate to how polite they tried to be, how feminine they tried to come off. He was used to it, it usually annoyed the flying fuck out of him, but coming from Sam it was cute. Probably because Negan could sense there was something different lying below the surface.

"You're fine, darlin'." He completely ignored the waiter as he handed his menu back after ordering a large steak with a baked potato. His eyes stayed trained on Sam, he didn't miss a single thing she did. He thought about what she was thinking about, probably pondering on the kind of work he did. He wondered that if she did know, would she label him a murder too? Even though his own hands hadn't been red in years. He let all the little men under him do the dirty work now. He just gave out orders. He wondered if it would excite her. "So, you're trying to pay for college, is that what you said? You said a veterinarian?"

Plans were already beginning to be made in the recesses of Negan's mind. If he ended up liking Sam, well, it would be her lucky day.

Sam was a bit unnerved when she noticed the way that Negan had more or less ignored the waitress after ordering. He was watching her like a hawk, like he was trying to dissect her every move. Swallowing around the lump that had formed in her throat, Sam gave a nervous smile before looking back down to her lap. She ran her hand down the skirt of her dress, trying to calm her nerves. There was something about Negan that intrigued her more than it probably should have but she was sure she wouldn't see him often after this. Her life would return to the routine that she had gotten used to.

Nodding her head at the questions, Sam seemed to relax a bit. She couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips. She was pretty sure that she had never had a client care enough about her to ask about her schooling. "A vet tech, but yeah. It's basically like a nurse for animals. Pay is decent enough and the schooling is a lot cheaper than veterinary schooling. A lot shorter too," Sam attempted to explain about her schooling.

She sat back in her chair, reaching for her glass of wine. Sam took a sip before placing it back down on the table. "I guess I would like to own my own home, too," Sam commented, her face scrunching as she thought about the idea. "White picket fence, the whole nine yards. But who knows about the future. Could hold just about anything, huh?"

Negan couldn't help but hold back a small laugh at Sam's optimism, "You're right. It could hold anything." His words almost sounded ominous.

It wasn't long before the waitress returned with their food, she sat it down carefully to not drop or ruin anything, and then smoothed out the table cloth's fabric. She straightened up and clasped her hands together, as if she knew, too, who Negan was and how she better make sure everything was absolutely perfect. "Is your steak cooked to your liking?" She questioned as she watched the man take a quick slice into it.

A smile rose to his face and the poor waitress almost slumped her shoulders with relief. "It's perfect, dear. What about you, Sam? Is yours okay? Need anything?" Negan began to salt and pepper his vegetables, excited that their little dinner was already half way through. He couldn't wait for dessert. "I could use some steak sauce, hon." He picked up a piece of the rare steak on his fork and spun it around in his fingers as he talked to the waitress.

He was almost to giddy to take Sam back to his place, to see how in shock she would look when she saw his abode. Negan knew the types of men Sam's company serviced, all living well above their means, but Negan was their number one client, he was top dog, he wasn't sure if she knew that or not.

Sam picked up on the hinting that Negan made on the future. It made her nervous enough that a lump formed in her throat and she had to take a moment to swallow before nodding her head. "I would honestly love to be able to help animals," she spoke quietly admitting to it for the first time ever. Of course it was the obvious answer to wanting to be a vet tech but she had always had a special place in her heart for animals of all variety.

She smiled a bit nervously, looking up from her plate when Negan turned the question around to her. Sam frowned slightly, still slightly confused for her opinion to even be considered. She wasn't the one paying for the meal, Negan was. Negan was the one paying for her services, if he had wanted her to order something else, she gladly would have. To be pampered like this before going home with Negan, it was all but unheard of to her but she was going to appreciate it as much as she could.

Quiet as she ate, Sam could feel herself getting more nervous. It was rare because she had been doing this long enough that if she wasn't capable, she wouldn't be alive. But there was something unnerving about Negan that she couldn't quite place just yet. "I've never been to a restaurant this fancy," Sam admitted after a few tense moments, hoping that her comment wasn't outside of the realm of acceptable to Negan. "Thank you for bringing me here," she added, hoping it would calm any possible disappointment or frustration that he felt.

Negan couldn't help but sit back and ponder on where other men took her. Possibly nowhere, possibly just back a dingy motel room, or just their car. It made him absolutely sick to his stomach, which was a hard thing to do considering his occupation, but he had always been taught to treat a lady a certain way. The phrase 'wine and dine her first' came to mind.

"Well, if I happen to like you, you'll be seeing a lot more fancy restaurants." He couldn't help the snicker that hid behind his teeth.

After their meal, Negan wrapped her up in her jacket for her and led her out to his car. It was the nicest car in the whole lot, a 1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. Negan liked his vintage cars, especially his Silver Ghost. Only about 7,000 had ever been made, who knows how many were still riding around today. He kept his in pristine condition. He opened the glossy black passenger side door and ushered her to get in, shutting the door behind her, making sure not to catch her jacket. He strode around to the driver side and slipped in. "She's a beauty, isn't she? Listen to her pur." He started the engine and kicked her into drive.

"Well, I hope I can please you," Sam commented, dipping her chin down a bit. Whether she genuinely thought she wanted to please him or not was irrelevant. At the end of the day, all that really mattered was what would make her client happy and playing like pleasing Negan would make her happy would do that. So long as she was a good actress, Sam thought she may keep Negan happy with her. She had no clue what that entailed, just that he was one of the highest paying clients her company had and she was sure that if she upset him, she'd be in some deep trouble.

Sam felt her heart flutter in a way that it hadn't in a long time as Negan helped her slip her jacket on. The man was acting a true gentleman and it turned her stomach because it was the sort of relationship she had always secretly craved. That she would never pursue because who would want a whore? But still, she could pretend for tonight and then it would all be over again.

As Negan made it clear which car belonged to him, Sam's eyes widened and she moved a bit faster. Brushing her fingers over the door, she looked up, only to blush and step out of the way when she realized Negan was watching her expectantly. "Sorry," she apologized quietly, climbing in with a quick 'thank you'. Sam didn't have a large attachment to all things vintage but she could still appreciate how much love that Negan likely put into the car. It was still interesting to see, even if it wasn't her cup of tea.

Sam looked over and always a small smile to grace her features. She gave a small nod of her head, looking around the vehicle to see what was different about an older vehicle. After a few minutes, Sam cleared her throat, glancing over to Negan. "Do you have many vintage cars or just this one?" She asked, wanting to break the silence between them.

Negan blissfully glanced over at Sam, watching as her eyes examined the detailing of the car. He returned his gaze to the road and a dominant smirk tugged at his lips. Tonight was going well so far, Sam had personality, unlike a lot of the other whores her company churned out and tried to peddle to him. "A whole garage full." Negan answered her question, "I'll have to show you when we arrive."

The drive wasn't long to Negan's penthouse. It was placed stories above where most of his gang dealt with business behind the charade of a hotel/restaurant. It was an elegant thirty story skyscraper, with the top five stories being Negan's residence. He drove to the back of the building and parked his car in his underground garage. He buzzed his bodyguard to unlock the gate and drove inside, pasting by multiple older, glossier vintage cars. There was at least fifteen being stored here.

Negan parked and got out of the car hastily, rounding the vehicle to Sam's side and opening the door for her. He was sure Sam wasn't expecting all of this, he had half a mind thinking that all other men ever did was bring her to a three star hotel and leave it at that. He usually didn't bring women to his penthouse on the first night, but he had a good feeling about Sam.

"C'mon, Beautiful, we're gonna bypass the restaurant with the private elevator." He smirked, a twinkle glinting in his eye. He took her hand to help her out the car and then wrapped his arm around her waist, grabbing her ass as he pulled her to his side.