Between the Shadows.

Sam frowned when she looked up front her food, noticing the tension that crossed Negan's features. She could hardly say that she knew him at all but she didn't like the troubled look on his face. She pushed her plate away, slipping off of her stool wordlessly as she moved to meet him at the end of the table. She gave a soft smile at the kiss, leaning up to press a light kiss of her own to his cheek. "I'll see you tonight. Just give me an hour's notice before you want me here," she murmured before turning to gather her things and head out.

---

Having the day to relax and just do as she wanted to, Sam hadn't known what to do with herself. She was used to getting ready for her work to begin in the early afternoon and being out of the apartment until the late hours of the night. When Negan texted her by 7:30, Sam had jumped up from lounging around on her couch and started her usual routine. She showered and dressed, only bothering to dry her hair. Remembering that Negan liked it down, she figured there wasn't a reason to do it. Sam settled on a neutral makeup, wearing a skirt and a revealing v-neck shirt with a pair of gold stilettos.

Sam arrived right on time to Negan's hotel and restaurant. It wasn't until she stepped inside that she realized she didn't really have a game plan after that since she didn't know how to get up to Negan's apartment from the restaurant. Groaning at the sudden realization, Sam started for the main desk of the hotel, figuring that the receptionist could certainly point her in the right direction.

Negan never liked it when he had to deal with problems personally, but sometimes when you needed something done right you had to do it yourself. After Sam left, Negan pulled on his leather jacket and gloves, zipping his jacket up to his neck. He took the elevator down to his restaurant and greeted a few customers, told a couple of them their drinks were on the house and made his way to the back.

"Where is he?" Negan's smile immediately fell from his face once the doors to his kitchen shut behind him. The man he was talking to was named Ellis and he was one of Negan's most trusted men. He had Ellis put on a facade of being a chef, but really he was just another pair of eyes. Ellis lifted up his butcher's knife and just pointed back to the freezer room. Pulling his collar up, Negan headed back to the deep freeze, making sure to shut the heavy steel door behind him.

In the middle of the icy room, tied to a wooden chair, sat a man who had been giving Negan a lot of problems on his own turf. "Where's my money, Johnny?" Negan smiled, picking up his bat wrapped with barbwire that one of his men had so thoughtfully placed inside the freezer next to the door. Swinging it around by it's hilt, Negan wasn't quick to ask the same question twice. "You think you and a couple of your street rat friends can just waltz up in my business and hold my men and gun point and take millions of my hard earned money?" His smile dropped from his face once more and he swung his bat with a heavy hand, colliding the side of it with Johnny's right ear. A loud pop noise could be heard and when Negan pulled his bat back, a gob of Johnny's hair was left attached to the barbwire. Blood was pouring down the side of his head and it was already caved in. Tsking, Negan chuckled, "Can't even take one hit, can you?" He teased before finishing up his job.

Coming back out of the freezer, Negan looked up to Ellis. "Get my bat cleaned off and find my fucking money."

---

That night, when 8:30pm rolled around and Sam still wasn't in Negan's penthouse, he decided to come down to the restaurant, thinking maybe she just hadn't been able to remember her way back up. Walking to the front of his business, he was correct in his thinking, he saw Sam arguing with the receptionist.

"Ma'am, do you know how many women I see come through her daily claiming to know Negan?" She scoffed. "And you're not even really his taste." She eyed Sam up and down and went back to ignoring her, looking down at her books for the night.

Coming up behind Sam, Negan laid a hand on her shoulder and eyed the receptionist with an icy glare. "Do we have a problem here, Georgia?" He chuckled, licking his top lip. He knew Georgia was a little rude bitch, and that was fine, except for when it came to Sam. "Why don't you go on home, huh?" He suggested.

Sam was usually quiet and kind to others simply because she didn't see the purpose in being rude to others. But knowing that she was going to end up late to her time with Negan had her on edge. That coupled with the way that Georgia was speaking to her had her mouth opening and a nasty retort on the tip of her tongue as she fixed the woman with a hard glare. She was only thankful she hadn't spoken because she saw Negan approaching out of the corner of her eye. Shutting her mouth tight, Sam tilted her head to the side as a small smirk settled on her features as the realization dawned on Georgia's face.

Georgia's eyes widened as she started to shake her head, setting down her pen as she straightened up. "Sir, my apologies. I wasn't aware you were expecting a guest today... and you've got to understand plenty of girls come claiming to be with you. If I sent every one up to you, I wouldn't have a job any longer."

Sam ground her teeth together, looking down to her feet. When Georgia eventually relented, she was more than a bit relieved to wrap her arm around Negan's arm and to allow him to lead her toward the elevator. "I am sorry," she started, chewing on the inside of her lip. She could feel the frustration rolling off of Negan in waves, from the way his jaw clenched to the way his arm tensed under her touch.

"I just didn't remember the way up to your penthouse from the front," Sam attempted to explain once they were in the elevator, alone. She wanted to press herself up against him and show how sorry she was but she wasn't so sure that would make Negan as happy as it would have made another man. "For what it's worth, I'll remember it from now on after a stint like that."

Negan held on to Sam tightly, even though he was getting so frustrated. "Georgia, I said go home." Was all Negan replied as he turned away and pulled Sam along with her. After the day he had he didn't want to have to deal with
a squabble between two girls. He also just wasn't going to let some nobody get away with talking to his girl like that.

Holding on to Sam's hip, Negan shook his head and kissed her temple. "Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong." Leading her through his restaurant, he looked around at all of his happy customers, operating under the facade that all his business was was this five star luxurious restaurant. He gave them all a smile as he passed, leading Sam to the back.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, gesturing to his place of business. "We can have dinner here, or we can go out. Wherever you like." He smirked, letting his eyes move up and down her body. After the stressful day he had, he couldn't wait to unwind and feel her body on his.

Sam realized just a bit at when Negan assured her that she hadn't done anything wrong. She wasn't so sure that she believed him but she would roll with it and make it up to him once they were alone. She was quiet as they moved through the restaurant, perking up at the sight of a customer's risotto. It wasn't until Negan offered for them to eat down here that she had even entertained the idea and she was quick to nod her head, hoping that it wasn't too much to ask of him.

"Oh, we don't have to head out. Here is perfectly fine, mister," she exclaimed, leaning up to press an appreciative kiss to his jaw. Once Negan had picked out a table for them, she reached to pull her hair around to the side. Sam leaned forward, careful to keep her elbows off of the table as she crossed her ankles.

"How was your day?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow as she relaxed a bit. She wasn't so sure it was the right question to ask but she thought that it was best to start some sort of conversation with him and she didn't know what else to ask.

Negan couldn't help the laugh that came out of his mouth at the thought of his day. "I'm just glad it's heading to a close." He smirked and looked across the table at her. "You look mighty fine today, did you enjoy your day?" He knew how her line of work went. Other women had told him how they hardly ever had time to themselves because they had to service a different man every night so most of their alone time went to sleeping or making themselves presentable. But now that her focus was on one man it would be easier for her to spend some time on herself.

Sam took Negan's answer as something had happened that either he didn't want to talk about or that he couldn't, particularly in his restaurant. She smiled a bit at his question, letting out a small laugh. "I was actually lost. I didn't know what to do for most of the day because I didn't have to get ready quite as early as I normally would. It was nice," she commented softly, thanking the waitress when she appeared with Negan's usual drink and a bottle of wine for Sam. She assumed that Negan usually stuck to some sort of routine.

Sitting up a bit straighter, Sam let her eyes roam a bit too much on his features before her eyes caught his again. "So where'd you grow up? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

Negan sat back in his chair, smirking a little across the table. "Not far from here. Grew up dirt poor, didn't even finish high school, but I worked hard." He looked around his own restaurant. Worked hard... even if it was illegal work it was still hard work. "What about you? What about your past?" He smiled, trying to keep the light on her. Negan was a private man, he didn't like talking about himself much, but he also didn't mind the questions.

"You look lovely, by the way. I see you noted that I like your hair let down." He continued to smirk.

Sam looked almost startled by Negan's compliment but it wasn't so much that as the fact that he pointed out she had left her hair down. Of course she had, he had made it clear he preferred it that way. Would another girl have done something else? She didn't know and she didn't think it was her place to ask but it was still a strange thought to her. It took a moment before she smiled, lifting her glass to her lips to take a sip of her wine. "Thank you, it felt a bit strange to not dress up as nicely but if you prefer me to, of course I will from now on." Sam had worn an outfit she considered a bit more relaxed than the day before but if Negan preferred her dressed up, she would certainly follow through with that after today.

"I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvannia. Nowhere special, always wanted to be an actress," Sam explained with a bitter sounding laugh. She took a longer sip of her wine this time, almost looking regretful. If she had never fallen for her boss' tricks, she would have never found herself here. She would have never been a prostitute and she would have never met Negan. Were any of those things bad? She wasn't so sure. "But circumstances change, people change, right?" Sam bit back a sigh, not wanting to ruin the evening for Negan.

Negan smiled and placed his hands on the table, clasped together tightly. "You definitely don't strike me as a Pennsylvania lass." He chuckled, "But you're right, circumstances change all the time-" His voice came out smooth like honey, his words dripping off his mouth as if he was trying to offer Sam something. He was, almost. If things worked out with Sam, she wouldn't be an escort for much longer. But Negan had to test drive her first, make sure it would work out. So far, it hadn't with any other girl.

The waitress came back with a glass of bourbon on ice for Negan and she smiled sweetly, looking from him to Sam. "Have you guys decided what you want? Or need a few more minutes?"

Negan, knowing the menu like the back of his hand, just told the waitress to get him usual. A fat steak with grilled onions and potatoes, then he eyed Sam, not even sure she had a minute to look at the menu, "But we may need a few minutes." He chuckled.

Sam was drawn into Negan, she couldn't quite place why she felt so safe and comfortable in Negan's presence. Despite him just being a client to her, he was kind to her in a way that no one had been. She bit the inside of her lip, leaning forward a bit. If she did, subconsciously, she thought that might hear Negan a bit better. It was comforting to be in Negan's presence because he was always so in control, no one would dare to tell him no.

When the waitress appeared, Sam looked up hurriedly. She pulled open the menu, scanning the menu while Negan spoke to the waitress. She looked up, waving her hand quickly. "No, I'm okay. I'll have the stuffed chicken supreme with um," she paused, glancing at the available sides for just a moment. "Asparagus and risotto, please." Sam closed the menu and handed it over to the waitress, thanking her before she turned back to Negan.

"I honestly don't think I could ever get used to the food here. It all smells so delicious that if it tastes anything like it smells, I'm done for," Sam said, making an attempt at a joke. She didn't think that Negan would take her too seriously so she thought it was safe enough. Since Negan seemed to be a bit more forgiving than she was used to, she thought that her ordered meal was okay despite it not being as light as it normally would have been before her date with a client.

Negan smiled as he handed their menus to the waitress who promptly turned on her heel and headed back to the kitchen. No doubt she was going straight to the back to let them know who the order belonged to; they'd have their plates in no time.

"It tastes even better, I can assure you." Even though his restaurant wasn't his real business, he didn't cut any corners. His restaurant was what made a name for him in this town among the regular citizens. He had employed only the finest chefs to work his kitchen to make sure his food was never less than spectacular.

Picking up his glass, he swirled the liquid inside around a few times before taking a sip. "So, is it nice have a lot more free time on your hands now that you only see one person?" Negan smirked, letting his gaze drift over Sam.

Sam took a sip of her drink, looking up to Negan with a smile. She hesitated for a moment before she answered Negan, not wanting to end up rubbing him the wrong way. "It's... strange, I have to admit. I had some extra time to pamper myself earlier so that was nice. Being able to lounge around was actually amazing. I even got to do a bit of reading," Sam explained, grinning at the idea. It wasn't very often that she had enough free time to read but she was more than thankful that she had been able to earlier today.

Leaning back in her seat, Sam regarded Negan silently. The way he was looking at her made her blush, she wasn't able to ignore how intense his gaze was. She welcomed it though because it was a change. She didn't even consider how dangerous it was because she would eventually grow attached to him and she knew that if it continued down that path, she would end up far too emotionally involved with Negan. She was nothing more than a prostitute to warm his bed and keep him company, she was the one that would lose out on this deal but she wasn't going to turn Negan away either. In part because she had some clue of what he was capable of and in part because she could only imagine would happen to her if she ended up pissing him off and her boss got word of it.

Clearing her throat, Sam dropped her gaze to the table between them. "If you could go anywhere in the world, tomorrow," Sam started, realizing all too late how silly her question was. Negan could go anywhere that he wanted, whenever he wanted. "Where would you go?"

Negan was a little taken aback by her question, he didn't necessarily think it was silly, but he had never thought about it. He wasn't big on travel and he never really wanted for anything. He had never desired to leave his city. He sat back in his seat and cocked his jaw to one side, thinking about it. "Never really thought about it, Sammy." He teased her, "Maybe Peru? Peru sounds like a nice place." He chuckled, as the waitress came up behind him carrying both of their meals; one in each hand.

"Stuffed chicken for you-" She placed Sam's plate down in front of her first, and then Negan's steak down in front of him, along with an unmarked bottle of steak sauce. "Can I get you anything else?" The waitress clasped her hands in front of her, locking her fingers together.

Negan shook his head and shooed her away, picking up his glass again to take another sip. "What about you? Where would you like to visit?"

Sam's eyes widened slightly at Negan's nickname for her, unable to hide the blush it caused on her cheeks. She cleared her throat, looking down to her lap in a half attempt to hide it. Her face scrunched at Negan's answer, not quite having remembered much of anything about Peru. But if that was where Negan would go if he could, there was no real judgment that Sam felt like she could pass. Instead, Sam smiled as she looked up from her lap as the food was placed in front of them.

Taking the first bite of food, Sam couldn't contain a groan as she leaned back in her seat. While she had been expecting something delicious, she hadn't expected that level of food either. It took a moment for Sam to even realize Negan had spoken to her. She cleared her throat as she considered her options.

"Ireland, I think. It's just so beautiful over there, from pictures I've seen. I would love to see somewhere that free," Sam commented quietly, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Not to mention, I bet the history it neat to learn about." It wasn't too much longer before Sam finished off her meal and she sat back, happy that she had managed to finish before Negan. It meant that she had a bit of time to digest her food before they headed upstairs and while she did have a bit of room for dessert, she didn't want to end up too full either.

Negan was used to how delicious the food in his restaurant was, but it was nice to see Sam so taken aback by it. "Ireland would be a nice place to visit, I agree." He smiled as he continued to tear and rip apart at his steak. Once he was finished, He wiped his mouth off with his napkin and laid it down on his plate. "Would you like to order something sweet or skip ahead to my room and just grab a glass of wine?" He smiled, a little twinkle showing up in his eye.

Part of Negan was really growing to like Sam, a little too much and the same part of him was also worried for her to find what he really did to garner so much wealth. How long would he put up a front that he was just a well off business man with a five star restaurant and hotel? Would he ever let her in on the secret that he actually led the top mafia in this city? On this side of the country? Probably not. Especially if he really started to like her, he was worried it might scare her off. And on the other hand, if they didn't work out, and he told her, she wouldn't be allowed to live.

Standing up and scooting his chair in towards the table, he held out his hand to her and smirked. "C'mon."

Sam wondered what the desserts would be like here when Negan asked but she decided that it could wait. After all, Negan's desires were why she was here to begin with. She didn't need to consider her own desires every time, Negan had pleasured her enough the night before and provided plenty for her. Sam smiled as she shook her head, setting down her napkin beside her plate. "Why don't we retire up to your room? I'm sure that if we really want dessert later, we can get room service. I don't imagine it would be too hard for you to get such service," she teased quietly, hoping she hadn't overstepped too much.

Taking Negan's hand, Sam stood quickly. She smoothed down the material of her pants before she looked up to him with a small grin. "Besides. Who says I don't have dessert ready for you?" Sam teased, keeping her voice low enough that she was sure Negan would be the only one to hear her words as she leaned up to him. Catching his eye for a moment, Sam turned and started to lead them toward the elevator confidently this time around. While at the end of the day, Negan was in charge she thought it might be a nice change of pace for him if she took a bit of the control away from him. For just a bit.

Negan licked his bottom lip, watching and admiring how assertive Sam was being in that moment. "You have dessert ready for me?" He asked, looking her up and down as he let her guide him by the hand to the elevator. "I can only wonder what it could be." He smirked, as they entered the elevator and he pressed the button to the top floor. He pinned her against the wall and slid a hand up her shirt, feeling her smooth skin as he leaned down to kiss her.

He was more than happy that she was coming out of her shell and becoming more comfortable around him. Not that he didn't like how bashful and innocent she could be, he thought that was adorable. But seeing this different side of her made him all kinds of flustered.

The elevator doors opened up into his living room and he let her lead him out, watching as she kicked off her heels by the door and dropped her bag on the floor by the couch. He couldn't help but whistle, closing in on her and pulling her dress down her body.

Sam didn't bat an eye as other patrons and employees of Negan's restaurant watched them navigate toward the elevator. She held her head up high, used to getting strange looks when she was working. She was here to focus on Negan's happiness and pleasure, not her own sense of pride. Grinning as she was shoved against the wall, Sam gave a roll of her hips as she deepened the kiss. She didn't bother to say anything, lifting her leg and wrapping it around his waist just as the elevator dinged, signaling that they had arrived to Negan's apartment.

Kicking off her shoes, Sam was quick to discard her purse as she turned her attention back on Negan. "Somebody's a bit eager," she commented, biting at her bottom lip as Negan undressed her. She grinned, reaching forward to begin unbuttoning Negan's shirt before pushing it from his shoulders. She would never admit to the excitement that grew in the pit of her stomach as she grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the bedroom that she vaguely remembered the path to.

Dropping down onto the bed, Sam started to undo his belt. Letting out a soft moan as she pushed the material of his pants down his hips, Sam looked up to him with wide, hungry eyes. "Take what's yours, mister," she purred, laying back and pulling him down by his hand. A moment of silence passed, her heart skipping a beat. "Please."

Negan shivered, watching as she gracefully dropped back on the bed, begging for him to take her. He smirked, hovering over her, his hand laid next to her head on the bed, keeping him up. He licked his top lip, looking down her body, admiring the art laying before him. "Oh, I will." He smirked. He pulled himself up just a bit to straddle her and pulled his cock out of his boxers and giving it a few pumps, not like it needed it though. He was fully at attention with this beautiful women laying before him.

He used his tip to push the material of her lacy panties out of the way as he dipped inside of her, feeling how wet she was. This was a lot different than the first night he had taken her. Sure she had enjoyed it then, but he could tell she had been nervous and apprehensive, and she definitely hadn't been this wet.

Pushing into her, he groaned, feeling her tight cunt wrap around his dick. "Fuck, Sam." He moaned, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders and hovering over her body a little more as he thrust his hips in and out at a relaxing pace.