Elara
I had thought working at the bar would be simple.
Serve drinks.
Smile when necessary.
Maybe carry trays or clean tables.
Something temporary that would help me pay off what I owed and get out before it became anything more complicated.
I realized within an hour that I had been completely wrong.
Then my gaze drifted across the room and my heart nearly stopped.
Damian.
For a split second, I could only stare at him.
Of all the places in the city, of all the nights, why did it have to be here?
Heat rushed to my face as I remembered exactly what I was wearing.
I wanted to disappear before he noticed me.
But when our eyes met briefly, I knew he already had.
I quickly looked away, wishing the floor would open beneath my feet.
It didn’t help that Caleb was talking to me.
In the first few minutes since I sat down, I thought he was just being friendly.
That illusion didn’t last, but I tried to ignore it.
Then he started testing limits.
At first, it was small comments.
Compliments that felt too direct.
A hand that wandered too close to mine when he spoke.
The worst part was knowing Damian was somewhere behind him.
Every teasing remark made me more aware of the revealing outfit Sasha had convinced me to wear.
Every time Caleb leaned closer, I had the uncomfortable feeling that Damian could see all of it.
“I can make this worth your time,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded stack of cash.
He placed it on the table between us without hesitation.
“If you spend the night with me.”
For a second, I didn’t understand what I was looking at.
But when it did, something in me went cold.
“I’m sorry,” I said slowly, as if mishearing would make it less real.
“What did you just say?”
Caleb leaned back, completely unbothered.
“Relax.
It’s not complicated.
You look like you could use the money.
I’m offering a simple arrangement.”
My fingers tightened around the edge of my skirt.
“You think I’m… what?
For sale?”
He chuckled softly.
“Don’t take it personally.
It’s just how this place works sometimes.
People here understand exchange.”
”I don’t,” I said.
Caleb chuckled and casually slipped an arm around my shoulders.
“You will,” he said.
“Or someone else will explain it better.”
I went rigid the moment his arm made contact with my skin.
For one humiliating second, my eyes instinctively searched across the room.
Damian was still there.
I couldn’t tell what expression he was wearing from this distance, but the thought that he might be watching made my face burn even hotter.
“Please don’t,” I said quickly, my voice strained as I tried to lean away without making a scene.
Caleb only laughed, as if my discomfort was part of the game.
“Chill, babe,” he said and squeezed my bare arm.
“I’m not doing anything wrong.”
That gesture was my last straw and pushed his arm off me.
“I said don’t!”
Then, something inside me snapped.
Before I could think better of it, I stood up and slapped him.
The sound cracked through the room sharper than anything else that night.
Silence followed immediately.
My hand stung, but I didn’t care.
My chest was rising too fast, my breathing uneven, my entire body shaking with something between anger and humiliation.
I didn’t dare look toward Damian.
I couldn’t bear to know whether he had witnessed everything.
Caleb didn’t move at first.
His head tilted slightly as if processing what had just happened.
Then he smiled.
That made it worse.
I didn’t wait for anything else.
I turned and walked out before anyone could stop me.
My steps were fast, unsteady.
I could feel heat in my face, in my throat, everywhere.
A kind of feeling that made me want to leave my own skin behind.
By the time I reached the restroom, my chest was still heaving.
I gripped the edge of the sink and stared at my reflection.
“I shouldn’t have come here,” I whispered.
After a few slow breaths, my thoughts finally settled.
I was going to quit.
No amount of money was worth feeling humiliated.
I would find another job, even if it took longer to pay off my debt.
As I walked down the hallway, familiar voices drifted through a half-open door.
“She’s not that special,” Sasha said with a laugh.
“I only brought her because you needed more girls.”
The manager answered.
“You knew she’d attract attention.”
”Of course.
I wanted the referral bonus,” Sasha admitted.
“Besides, it was satisfying.
She always acts like she’s better than everyone.
I wanted to knock her down a little.”
I froze.
Every smile, every reassurance, every promise that this job was harmless had been a lie.
She hadn’t helped me.
She had used me.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned away from the door and headed for the exit.
When I stepped back into the hallway, voices ahead made me stop again.
Caleb stood there with a few others, obviously waiting for me.
His expression changed the moment he saw me.
“Oh,” he said, rubbing his jaw lightly.
“You.”
My stomach tightened immediately.
He stepped forward slightly.
“You’re going to apologize.”
I stared at him.
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Excuse me?”
”I said no,” I repeated, calmer this time.
“I don’t think I did anything wrong.”
One of the men beside him spoke up.
“Come on, man.
Let it go.
It’s not that serious.”
But Caleb didn’t move his gaze from me.
“It is to me.”
The air shifted slightly.
I felt my pulse rise again, but this time it wasn’t just anger.
It was the realization that this wasn’t over yet.
He took another step forward.
“Who do you think you are—”
”Enough.”
Everything stopped.
Damian stepped into the hallway, his presence immediately changing the weight of the room.
Caleb glanced at him.
“This doesn’t concern you, man.”
Damian didn’t look at him at first.
His eyes were focused on me.
“It does now,” he said evenly to Caleb.
“I’m interested in her.”
Caleb gave a short laugh.
“You’re joking.”
”I’m not,” Damian replied, glancing at me.
My heart suddenly beat fast at what he said.
Before I could say something, his gaze shifted to Caleb.
“Back off,” he added quietly.
“She’s not part of your entertainment.”