House of Glass | Complete ✔

Chapter 1

*Flashbacks in bold*

Mumbai

The hotel lobby smelled like freshly picked lilies. There weren't any flowers around so she assumed it was the air-freshener that did the job so well. Expensive hotels and their little nitty-gritties. Keep everything clean on the outside so no one can bother to actually take a look at what happens inside. She'd been to enough hotels in the past year to know how they work.

It was 8 in the evening and she had been waiting for almost an hour. But she didn't have a choice either. Clients are king, as Jankee kept saying. Of course to her, they were always the king because if she did not give in to their demands how would her business run?

Tara lifted her gaze from the magazine when she heard footsteps approaching. It was Jankee. Again.

"I've been here the whole time okay? There's no way I could've missed him."

"I know," she chuckled. "He just texted me. He's entering the hotel in a few minutes."

Jankee took a seat beside her on the couch.

"Listen carefully, he is a very important client, and you are one of my best. I know that you never disappoint but this time you need to be extra careful."

She glanced down at her figure and prodded her on her upper arm.

"You've lost weight. What do you do with the salary that I give you? Squander it all on your brother? Eat properly. Nobody likes a thin, frail escort."

Tara shifted in her seat and pulled the shawl over her shoulders. It was all going to come off in a while anyway. She might as well keep herself covered in public.

A while later when they saw the client enter the lobby, both of them stood up. Jankee leaned in to whisper,

"Going by his looks, it seems like you've won a lottery."

Tara did not react. She just stood there waiting for him to walk over so they can go to the room and she can get rid of her bothersome procuress. Jankee Mishra was a well-known woman in the social circle of the upper-class men in Mumbai. She knew how to manipulate and use young girls from good families in her dirty business. Tara Solanki was just one of her many preys.

"Jankee Mishra?"

The man asked as he walked towards them.

"Yes, you must be Jamal." Jankee shook his hands flashing a blinding smile. "And this is Tarannum, your escort for tonight."

He didn't pause to look at her.

"Let's go, I'm on a schedule." He took off instantly and Tara silently followed. They took the lift to the fifth floor. The rooms of that five-star sea-facing hotel were nothing short of luxurious. Apparently, her client for the night paid Jankee a hefty amount in exchange for just three hours. Not even a full night. As they entered the designated room, she wondered what she was in for. She was curious, but not worried. Nothing could scare her anymore.

"Sit down for a while." His voice was deep but his tone was not authoritative. Quiet unusual for her. She did as he said while he took out his phone from the pocket of his jeans and began typing something. On top of the jeans that were framing his curves, he was wearing a black sweatshirt hoodie. Again, an unusual sight in Mumbai's weather.