CORINNE
That got my attention.
I reached up and peeled the mask off my face, suddenly trying to run through everything I’d done tonight.
“Me?” I asked.
“What’s wrong?”
”Nothing bad,” Jake said, then shook his head.
“There’s a client asking for you.
In the dark room.”
Benny shook his head hard.
“Absolutely not,” he said flatly, stepping away from Jake before I could respond.
Jake sighed as though he’d been expecting that.
The dark room is reserved for special clients who want a show all to themselves.
Yeah, some of these rich assholes are that fucked up.
The kind who don’t want society knowing they like half-naked women in their laps once the sun goes down.
One-on-one.
No audience.
Just a dancer and a locked door.
But privacy buys discretion, and discretion costs a fortune.
It’s been a while since anyone even asked for it though.
“Why?” I asked Jake instead, ignoring Benny’s glare for the moment.
“Fuck me if I know,” he said with a shrug.
“He won’t take anyone else.
Turned down three dancers already.”
Benny scoffed.
“That alone is a red flag.”
”I told him you weren’t obligated, that you could reject the offer.”
”And?” I asked.
“And he didn’t push,” Jake said.
“He just upped the offer.”
“Triple the rate.”
”Triple?” Benny and I said at the same time.
I ran the maths over in my head—it’s almost a hundred thousand.
Jake nodded.
“That’s ridiculous,” Benny muttered.
“Nobody pays that much for a dance and drink unless they’re hiding something.”
”Or unless they really want her,” Jake replied evenly.
I crossed my arms, thinking.
I hadn’t planned on agreeing.
Not after dealing with one asshole already.
I was tired and irritated and ready to go home.
But curiosity crept in anyways.
Who is willing to throw that much money?
For what?
And why must it be me?
The hallway went quiet as I weighed it.
Logic said walk away.
My gut, annoyingly, said there was more to this than money.
“I’ll freshen up and head over,” I said finally.
“Cor…” Benny’s voice dipped, worry written all over his face.
I reached out and squeezed his hand.
“I’ll be fine.
I can handle my own.
You know that.”
Jake met my eyes.
“Security will be right outside the door.”
”Good,” I said, already stepping away.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”
Benny still didn’t look convinced, but he stepped aside as I moved toward the dressing room.
I freshened up quickly, splashing cool water on my face and grounding myself before pulling off my costume. The source of this chapter is g.com.
I swapped it for something far more provocative with higher cuts and lower dips.
I adjusted my mask last, the familiar weight settling over my face like armor.
By the time I made it down the hall, my nerves had sharpened into something focused.
Vans stood guard outside the dark room, he straightened when he saw me and handed me a small remote with a single button.
“Press this if you need an out,” he said.
I nodded.
“Thanks.”
He pushed the door open and stepped aside.
The door shut behind me with a soft, final click.
My heart kicked hard against my ribs as I stood there, waiting for my eyes to adjust.
This was my first time accepting a dark room request.
The mask helped, sure, but it wasn’t foolproof.
It never had been.
My past had a way of slipping through cracks, and if anyone recognized me in here…
The room was bathed in dim red light, low and intimate, shadows clinging to the corners.
It took me a second too long to really see him.
A broad-built man sat on the couch, relaxed, one ankle crossed over the other like he owned the space.
Like he’d always owned it.
His presence filled the room without him needing to move an inch.
That was until he spoke.
“Well,” he drawled out in a low voice.
“If it isn’t my fiery kitten.”
Everything in me went still.
Fuck me seven ways to hell.
That voice…
What the hell is Lucian Delacroix doing here?!