You Adore Me

•A Gentleman•

Exploring the Westward wasn't as fun as I had imagined at first. Every hallway was painted with the same powder blue, each door a dark wood with the corresponding golden numbers haphazardly nailed to the front.

As the elevator doors opened again, I noticed that flocks of people had begun to arrive. Looking down at my wrist, I noticed that it was eight o'clock. I had been wandering for hours, grimacing, I headed back to the front desk. Penelope was nowhere to be seen. In her place, was a very tall individual with blonde hair in resting in neat curls on their forehead. I coughed, earning a look of acknowledgement from them. Their makeup was perfect, as though everything on their face was painted by an artist, I was secretly jealous of them.

"Good evening." They said, their voice was deep. I still wasn't making any assumptions about them.

"What happened to Penelope? I was with her earlier on." I asked, scratching my head, watching as a red smile spread across their face. They certainly knew who I was, and I was somewhat glad to be known.

"I'm her fun, quirky night-time alternative. My name is Tallulah- well, that's the name I use in here, anyway. During the day, I go by Richard. I'm unhappily married with four children, and this place allows me to be me." They said with loud sigh at the end, I nodded politely. "I'm a he, honey, I'm all man." He added, I laughed with relief. My confusion had laid itself to rest, allowing my curiosity to take its place.

"How long have you been working here?" I asked, placing my elbow on the front desk, resting my chin in the palm of my hand. Tallulah drummed her fingers against the desk, looking up at the ceiling, deep in thought. It took him a few moments to reply, he stopped tapping.

"A little over five years. Thaddeus saw my unhappiness, he knew that bringing me here and showing me acceptance would make my life a lot more- enjoyable, let's say." He smiled, flashing his pearly-white teeth. I sighed internally. Everybody had been talking about this Thaddeus character- I wanted to meet him, I wanted to know what made him so mysterious. I was sure that Talulah could see my thoughts floating around in my eyes, as he frowned in that parental way. "Honey, he's a good man. But I wouldn't want you around him. He's an amazing guy, alright, but he'll become infatuated with you. He'll want to own you- you're much too young to be involved in anything like that." He said, cupping my cheek. I shrugged, forcing a smile.

I didn't really care about what I was told about Thaddeus, all that I did care about was meeting him. I assumed that it was him that hired me, and I wanted to thank him personally - well, I would certainly try. Either way, I wanted to know who exactly I was working for. Whether he was a controlling predator, or a sweet young man- I didn't care, as long as I set my eyes on him once. "I wouldn't think about him, if I were you. He has a strange habit of appearing out of nowhere as soon as the thought of him crosses your mind. You won't want to fuel the boy's ego. It's potent enough on its own." He said, raising an eyebrow, grimacing slightly. "If you're dead set on meeting him, I'll make sure that it's quick. You don't want him to get in your head. He likes to control the pretty boys, the ones like you."

"I-I'm not into guys. He's not going to have much of an effect on me, I'll be fine." I lied, tucking my hands into my pockets, looking down at the ground. That earned a tut from Tallulah, as he left the front desk. I hadn't noticed his ruby-red heels, and how slender they made him look. For an older gentleman, he was perfect. His body was thin, yet toned- which was something that I aspired to achieve.

"You're only fooling yourself baby, you're only fooling yourself." He chuckled, linking my arm, his heels clicking against the marble floor.

We followed the glitter, like Hansel and Gretel in the old fairy-tale; I felt as though I was in a fairy-tale. The music pounded in my ears, and it was somewhat familiar. Thaddeus was young, I knew it. The air smelt strongly of roses, alcohol, and pheromones. I could barely control myself as excitement bathed me like a tsunami. My breathing got quicker, as we entered a huge hall. The women were dancing, men sipping from their expensive glasses. I smiled in amazement, taking a moment to look around like an excited child, my mouth lying ajar, as I hadn't been anywhere this thought-provoking before.

"You've never been to a party like this, have you dear?" Tallulah asked, an eyebrow raised, mouth curled into a smile. I shook my head, my mouth still slightly ajar. I was in awe. Everything was how I expected it to be - dancing women, neat men, expensive alcohol and glitter covering every surface. I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from squealing in excitement. I slicked my blonde hair back, spinning around on my heel; I wanted to throw myself onto the floor and roll in the glitter, to sip drinks at the bar, to wear a dress that made me look as beautiful as the women surrounding me. I felt a tap on my shoulder, as Talulah tried to grab my attention, spinning me around in the direction of somebody.

There he was. Never had I seen somebody so perfect. His eyes were a beautiful shade of pastel green, his skin porcelain- as if he was a ceramic doll. His hair was dark brown, making it look as if it was enclosing his pale skin in a delectable darkness. I watched as he gnawed on the neck of a young boy, visibly squeezing the boy's neck with his teeth. He squealed in delight, eagerly holding onto his teasing peer. I tucked my hands into my pockets, feeling completely jealous of the boy. Thaddeus looked completely inhuman, untouchable, something from my wildest fantasies; Tallulah cleared his throat, causing Thaddeus to stop in his tracks. He pulled away from the boy, turning his head to face Talulah, his face straight and full of seriousness.

"Here, is your new employee. You didn't bother to greet him when he got here some five hours ago. I insisted on him waiting behind, seeing as you are a pest when it comes to the male staff." Tallulah said, tapping his foot as if he was his disappointed father. Thaddeus looked me up and down, there was suddenly something different in his eyes. They had changed somewhat, as if they were full of enquiry.

"What's your name?" He called to me, his voice gruff, the sound scraping against his throat as it fought its way out of his mouth.

"Jacob." I said, trying not to gulp out of terror of this attractive man. Thaddeus smiled, probably picturing me doing something utterly inappropriate. He cocked his head to the side, wiping his mouth, his little boy-toy resting his head on his shoulder.

"Welcome to the Westward. Enjoy your time here. I don't know what you want me to say, Tallulah." His words fell from his mouth like water from Niagara Falls, they bathed me in a warmth that completely and utterly confused me. I shuffled uncomfortably where I stood, my hands searching for the depths of my pockets to bury themselves into.

"Such a charming boy. A shame that your father isn't here to put you back into your place." Talulah hissed, spreading a smile across Thaddeus' face. He grabbed hold of my arm, dragging me away, his grip firm.

"Goodnight, little mouse." I heard him purr at me, the boy still attached to his arm. He was looking me up and down, as if I was to be ashamed of myself for not being attached to Thaddeus. I shivered at the thought of him, his patronising words echoing inside my head like a bullet ricocheting off the inside of my skull. He intrigued me. I wanted to know everything there was to know about him. 

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Song Of The Chapter- Is This What You Wanted? by The Last Shadow Puppets

A.N
Ahhhhh, long time no update!!! I have the amazing opportunity to try and develop this story into a screenplay for my film studies coursework (I start Film Studies in September.)

Anyway, I love this story and I have a great ending for it. Just need to get it more publicity now, I think it kinda deserves it.. I dunno...

Don't forget to comment and vote, it really helps me out <3