Indulge [h.s.]

Chapter Eleven

I spent the past two days googling "Things to do in Paris." It's the only thing that's been consistently on my mind. Under the fifty layers of anxiety, I was genuinely excited about the trip. It's under strange circumstances with the contract and all, but still, it's Paris. My first time leaving the country, my first time leaving the continent, yet it wasn't with my best friend how I had imagined. I've always envisioned my life with her. She's always been the only one to stick by my side. The only one that never made me feel like too much or too little. Maybe things are changing, I don't know. I don't have time to think about that right now. Right now, I need to finish getting dressed.

I added soft waves into my hair for a change and made my makeup slightly heavier than usual. Harry texted me yesterday, offering to take me out to get new clothes, but I declined. In all honesty, I don't need any more new clothes. I usually just did it because it made the guys feel better about fucking me. Like they did something nice for me, and now they deserved a reward. But I don't have to worry about that with Harry. We don't have sex, and we won't.

I slipped into a cherry red silk dress that reached halfway down my thighs and paired it with a dainty set of black heels.

As I glared into the mirror, checking my appearance, I was interrupted by a knock at the door. I made my way through the apartment and opened the door to reveal a familiar, dapper-looking Harry.

A slight smirk played on my lips, "Is this going to become a regular thing?"

The corner of his lip tugged upwards. As he went to say something, his eyes traveled down my figure, causing no sound to come out.

I held back a laugh by pursing my lips together, "Ready to go?"

He cleared his throat while diverting his eyes into the hallway and stepped away from the door, "Yeah, Yeah. Ready."

I let out a short, breathy laugh before grabbing my purse and joining him in the walk down to the car.

"Is that new?" He spoke.

I looked down at my waist while walking, "The dress?" He hummed in response, "No, not really. Just never had the chance to wear it."

A small smile washed over his face as he lifted his head to look at me, "It looks nice. Very pretty."

I reciprocated the smile, "Thank you. You look quite pretty as well."

He chuckled, causing a domino effect of my own laughter.

When we arrived at his car, he did his usual ritual of opening the door for me. We made small talk as he drove us to the casino. I shared with him that I'd never gambled before, and he was surprised by this information. I explained that it wasn't because I never had the opportunity but that it never interested me. I've had men take me to various casinos before, but they usually preferred that I stood idle by their sides and cheered them on as they threw away their money.

The drive took about twenty minutes to get to the casino. When we arrived, Harry put the car in park and got out to open the door for me. He offered his hand for guidance, which I happily accepted. As I stepped out into the sweltering air, Harry relocated his hand to my waist, holding me firmly by his side. He exchanged his keys with the valet before promptly guiding me inside the building.

It was one of the most pristine and luxurious casinos I had ever been to. The ceilings were endless, dazzling lights sparkled throughout the interior, and polished machines welcomed us. The sound of slot machines drowned out the music that played over the speakers. There were tables clustered in the center for card games and other various ways to gamble your money away. The further we went in, the larger the building seemed to grow. Surely, we had passed at least two bars already—an assortment of people crowded around them. A group of girls having a night out. A lonely man drinking away his sorrows. An array of men lusting over the unaccompanied women.