Novels by J. C. Sterling

“One, Two, Three.” Noah murmured under his breath before taking a leap. His slender body rose into a familiar arc, muscle and memory working together without thought. One hand held on tightly to the pole and the other stretched out in the air, as if defying gravity. The music in the club blared. The lights were low, and the crowd half-hidden in shadows, cheered in excitement.Not only was he a master of his craft, it was moments like this he lived for. Moments where the noise in his head quietened. Moments where he felt confident. Desired. In control. The air rushed past his ears, a soothing humming drowning out the room until his rotation brought the crowd back into clear focus again. Then, the rhythm broke.Staring into the crowd, Noah’s jaw dropped. His face, white as a ghost. His hand slipped off the pole but with a little luck he regained balance. There, in the front row under the dim golden glow, a perfect posture with hands folded loosely. No drink was in front of him and

Elliott did not leave immediately. This was his first time in Black Halo. He had wandered in out of sheer curiosity but stayed not because he enjoyed clubs but because there was just something about Noah that glued him to his seat. He remained seated after Noah’s performance, even after the applause faded. There was something about Noah Ola. Something buried deep within the perfect smiles and flawless steps. Something that he was scared of letting the world see. This was something he had always noticed in class and here again, Elliott could see through him. Elliott read him like a book. He could tell Noah wasn’t reckless. Which meant he was desperate. For what? Money? Attention? He wanted to know. He wanted to stay back and find out but he knew leverage when he saw it and knew when to use it. So, he left without acknowledgement. Right now, silence was more powerful than confrontation. *************************************************** The lecture hall felt smaller than

Black Halo was swarmed up the way it always did every night. Yet it didn’t smell like the typical bar. It smelled of expensive sandalwood mixed with rich tobacco. On the stage, a woman moved with the slow, liquid grace of a predator. Her skin shimmered under the golden spotlight. The music was a deep rhythmic pulse. She commanded the attention of the men in the room. Men who commanded multi billion dollars companies and empires. Elliott was here and this time it was not by accident. He told himself it was curiosity but even he did not believe that. There was something about the performance that made him stayed the previous night and that same thing has brought him to Black Halo again. He sat in the same shadowed section as before. He did not order immediately but watched.Something was amiss. Elliott could tell. He didn’t feel the same way he did the last time. He struggled to enjoy the performance and ambience that when it ended, he contemplated leaving.Then...Noah appeared.

Elliott did not look at Noah once during the lecture. There was no form of lingering gaze or pointed questions or subtle acknowledgment of any kind. He lectured freely, professionally on economic determinism as if nothing had happened between them.“As long as survival is tied to resources,” Elliott paced slowly on the podium. “Freedom remains theoretical.”The class had an extreme quietness about it except for the scribbling sounds of the student’s pen as they jot down notes. Noah wasn’t writing. He was seated on the very edge of his seat, his legs kept vibrating and he forced a neutral expression on his face. Elliot’s words had stabbed through him like a knife, twisting until the air in the room felt too heavy to breathe. He stole a glance at Elliott and his mind flashed to the offer. Elliott’s words echoed in his head: “I find you difficult to ignore.” “I’m offering a private arrangement. You become unavailable to others.” “My offer.”Noah shook his head, then put a hand on his

Noah didn’t sleep that night.His room was a small cubicle at the end of the hallway. It could only fit in his bed and a reading table. The small window high on the wall was half opened yet the room was a furnace. Noah was stretched out on his student-sized mattress with eyes to the ceiling. Exhaustion sat behind those eyes like bruising.He had spent the entire night awake thinking of his debts. He calculated the numbers over and over again in the dark, as if they might somehow rearrange themselves out of mercy. The loud bang on the door wasn’t a wakeup call but a call to reality for Noah. He didn't move until the knock came a second time. It was Max, the building manager. Noah wasn’t surprised. Neither did he have the strength to plead.“I have been patient with you,” Max said, ignoring his tired looks.Noah just stared on.“Noah?” Noah staggered back. “I have it already. I will bring it to your room tonight when I get back.” Max weighed him for a bit, unsure if to believe or n

The sound of Noah's phone beeping alerted him. He stretched his hand to the bedside drawer, throwing down a few items as he blindly searched for the phone.Noah stared at the screen longer than necessary. It was a payment notification from Elliott just as they had agreed. What this meant for him was that rent was no longer a threat, tuition could be cleared, and working hours at Black Halo would no longer extend into midnights.Noah knew his life was about to become easier and he should have felt some relief but he didn't. Instead, he felt like something had shifted under his skin.His phone beeped again. This time it was a message from Elliott.Car will arrive at 7:30 p.m. Wear something simple.There was no greeting, no unnecessary words, just instruction. Elliott was clearly trying to show control.Noah read it twice then locked his phone.***By 7:00pm, Noah was dressed in a striped shirt over denim trousers and timberlands. That was the best outfit he could combine. Elliott had