poison • thomas shelby

seventeen.

THAILIANA WILKINSON

"You showed me up, back there at the races. Why don't you teach me how to dance properly?"

Thailiana turned from her spot at the races, gasping as she was pulled into Billy Kimber's chest. He'd put on some music and the brunette tried to remove herself from his grasp.

"The music is too slow, put on a Charleston." She let him sway them from side to side, although she desperately wanted to go home.

"But then we'd be far away, I want to dance like this. Come on, you weren't so stiff back there, were you?" He buried his face into her hair and Thailiana refrained from gagging in disgust. "You ever been in a house this big?" Kimber played with her hands, looking all over her body and the brunette regretted wearing such a skin-tight dress. He ran his hands through her brown locks, caressing her neck with his fingers. "Look at you, you look like a bloody film star."

The man kissed her neck aggressively and Thailiana had had enough, pushing him away from her roughly.

"I need a cigarette."

Billy fidgeted, he didn't handle rejection well. He walked over to the tray that held the glasses and alcohol, grabbing a glass and holding it in the air, letting it collapse on the ground.

"Oh, look, I've dropped something. Pick it up." He ordered, obnoxiously staring at the woman.

"Pick it up yourself."

"You're a fucking barmaid. If I drop a glass on the floor, you pick it up. I want to watch you pick it up."

"I will do no such thing." Thailiana stood shakily, not making any move to collect the pieces of broken glass from off the floor. She glared at the man before her, her hatred for Thomas growing as she realised he'd been the one to put her in this situation.

As Billy began walking over to her, she turned to find something sharp in her purse. She wished she'd had enough sense to bring a gun. Arms wrapped around her body and she was forced to bend over the pool table, Kimber's hands crawling down her leg to lift up her dress.

"If I drop a glass on the floor, you bend over and fucking pick up the glass. Okay?" The door opened, Tommy pushing past the butler who tried to stop him. "What are you doing here? I've got another hour!"

Thailiana stood, fixing her dress and her hair as she held back the tears that threatened to fall. She hurriedly grabbed her purse as she moved away from the man who'd attempted to take advantage of her.

"Just wait, listen to me. Just listen to me." Thomas ordered, holding his hand up in front of him. "I was going to let you go through with it, but in the end, my conscience got the better of me. She looks good on the outside," He pointed at the brunette, who harshly glared at him as he spoke. She was smart enough to know exactly what he was about to say. "But she has the clap. Yeah, Syphilis. When you took a shine to her, I thought to use her. Someone told me she had the syph, I thought, "What the hell!". Call it my better nature, she's a whore."

Thailiana tightened her grip on her purse before rushing out of the large room, ignoring Tommy who tried to tell her to wait in the car.

-

"Start of the day, I was Lady Sarah of Connemara. By the end, I was a whore with the clap." Thailiana spoke up, after a few minutes of deadly silence in the car as they drove back to Small Heath. "You're a fucking bastard, offering me like that." She insulted him, and it had the wanted affect, Tommy clenched his jaw at the violent words. "But then you changed your mind. Why did you change your mind, Thomas?"

He didn't have an answer he was willing to admit out loud, at least not at that moment when he knew she'd find him absolutely ridiculous. He'd changed his mind because he couldn't bare the thought of Billy Kimber doing more than merely touching her hand.

"I care about you."

He'd admitted to it in the end, remembering the woman's words she'd said before they went their separate ways. I have no intention of associating anything in my life to you any longer. Those words had hurt him, mostly because they were truthful and she seemed to truly mean them. Thomas understood the anger, he knew he deserved it after he'd given her up for his personal benefit and now he very much regretted his choice. Seeing Billy Kimber pressed up against the terrified woman's body with her skirt hiked up to her waist, his hands touching her inappropriately and forcefully, it disgusted him. He realised, as he watched the beautiful brunette struggle underneath the man, that he never wanted to see her in such a fragile state again.

"You have an odd way of showing it!"

"I know." Tommy admitted, glancing over at her face, her skin glowed from the wetness of the tears and her eyes were void of emotion. "I never intended for it to go this far."

"Yes, you did." Thailiana laughed coldly, her attention focused on the landscapes through the window. "You knew what he wanted to do. In fact, you were determined to get me alone with him because it would help you."

"Thailiana-"

"You're a selfish man, Thomas Shelby."

"I could've left you for the full two hours!" He exclaimed, he'd never enjoyed being insulted wether he deserved it or not. "But I didn't. No, because I care about you and I didn't want another man touching your body in the same way that I should."

"That doesn't change the fact that you offered my body in exchange for business. I am no whore, Tommy, yet you treated me like one and I don't appreciate that." Thailiana frowned, letting all her thoughts flow through her lips. "Although, I appreciate you coming to help, even if I shouldn't have been in that position in the first place. God knows what would've happened if you hadn't showed up, so thank you."

Thomas couldn't think of a reply, at least not one good enough that she'd forgive him. The words I'm sorry were at the tip of his tongue and he opened and closed his mouth in hopes that his vocals cords would let him say them. No sound came out and he simply let out a sigh, his hand reached out to grab the brunette's that rested on her lap. He slipped his hand in between her clasped ones, intertwining their fingers. Tommy had expected her to push him away, but squeezed his hand as if to say she understood. His actions were his way of apologising and Thailiana couldn't help but forgive him.

Despite how betrayed she may have felt before, she was grateful he managed to get her out before it was too late. She also couldn't resist him, his blue eyes pierced through the side of her face as he tried to gain her attention and her anger was replaced with a giddy feeling she couldn't describe.