6

SKYLAR DUVAL

My steps slowed as I neared the entrance of the club. The words La Haven were in large gold letters across the wall, and a red carpet led up to the door where a bouncer was standing guard.

I sucked in a deep breath, as I stepped out of the car. I'd intentionally ditched Lev and Ivan at the penthouse. I needed to do this alone, to escape the prison I'd been trapped in my head. Maybe then, I'd finally realize this freedom wasn't a mirage. And Tymon was dead. There was no one coming for me. There was no one watching me.

“Evening ma'am,” I stopped a safe distance from the bouncer. I could barely fight the shudder that ran through me as his eyes swept through me.

Soon, my earlier nervousness returned, and I wondered if I was dressed way too formally in a long black dress that covered every inch of my body.

“Name please?”

“Skylar D,” I muttered, glancing behind my shoulders to take a quick scan of my surroundings, a habit I was used to before my eyes came back on the bouncer.

“Welcome Miss D, seeing it's your first time here, one of our staff members will escort you in,” He said with a smile, gesturing inside, and thankfully, a woman wearing a frightening skeletal face mask approached us.

I'd researched this place before even paying the membership f*e. From what I understood, the masks were worn to protect the identities of the staff, which was okay by me; I just wished they had chosen something less frightening.

After her warm welcome, she led me through the bar. “This is a safe space, Miss D. We want to assure you that your privacy comes first. And the rules we have on your data would be strictly implemented. You requested to have a conversation with someone right?”

The last thing I was looking for was anything sexual, I just wanted to be paired with someone almost like me, just in need of someone to talk to. Sometimes, it felt much easier to open up to a stranger.

I nodded and she continued.

“You didn't give any requirements for age, personality or gender,” 

I nodded, suddenly feeling this might be a bad idea in the first place. “It doesn't matter, as long as it's someone that wants to talk. Nothing sexual,”

“Whatever you want,” She led us through the stairs into another bar section. We stopped at the booth at a corner of the bar. “Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

I glanced around at the guests in the bar and the servers that moved between the tables and couches. The atmosphere felt professional and it helped ease my apprehensiveness a little.

“Water would be just fine for now,” I sat down on the black leather couch and placed my bag on my lap while the woman asked a server to bring water over.

“Please feel at ease. There are cameras everywhere, and we have zero tolerance policy should a member break the rules the other party has put in place,”

I nodded again, and after ensuring I was comfortable enough, she excused herself while I waited for whoever my partner would be.

Instead of entertaining the negative thoughts swirling loose in my head, I took a proper look at the people in the bar. I had expected a raunchy vibe but the place was pretty decent.

I glanced at the sides and my eyes locked with one of the staff members who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at me for a minute before he walked away. There was something familiar about how he moved, but then all my thoughts halted as someone approached me.

“Hi, I'm Richard,” 

At the sound of the male voice, I took a deep inhale. I hadn't required a specific gender, but deep down, a part of me had hoped my first appointment wouldn't be with a woman instead.

I braced myself with a little courage, lifting my head to glance at the man standing in front of me. He looked a good number of years older than me. Maybe in his early thirties. He had a warm smile and looked almost friendly. But I knew better that looks could be deceptive. Tymon Mazur and Salvatore Russo were a perfect example.

I shook my head, fighting back the unwanted memories and reminding myself of the real reason I was here.

“Hi, I'm Skylar,” I said, ignoring his stretched hand. Aside from engaging in nothing sexual, I'd also requested no form of touching. “Nice to meet you,”

“The pleasure is all mine,” He settled in the chair opposite mine, and for a second we just stared at each other in silence.

I cleared my throat when the silence became unbearable. “Is this your first time coming here?”

“No, I've been here a few times. And you?”

“It's my first time,” I struggle to fight for calm. For some kind of normalcy in this conversation. Even though I hated every second of being here with this man, I needed it. It was a way of pushing myself to face the reality of my freedom and be able, to some degree, to feel comfortable around men. Elena was right, I needed to take control and beat the fear and memories that still haunted me.

“This feels a little awkward; why don't we take a stroll to the balcony? There's a great view there, maybe it'll help lighten the mood,”

Involuntarily, I glanced at the camera closest to our table, and Richard followed my gaze.

“There's nothing to worry about, there's also a camera there,” He said with a small smile.

My initial thought was to decline, but in the end, I followed him through one of the hallways that led to the balcony. I moved up ahead, my hands gripping the railings while I stared down at the traffic. Richard was right, the view up here was beautiful.

“It's beautiful,” I muttered.

“You're right, the view from right here is beautiful,” Richards's voice drifted over my shoulders, and I felt the hairs on my skin stand in apprehension.

Slowly, I turned around just in time to watch him click the glass doors of the balcony shut. And his eyes slowly flicked up and down my body, sending a rush of deja vu down my spine.

“You're truly beautiful, Skylar. I'm sure God created that body of yours to drive men crazy,”

I remained rooted in my position, fighting the panic attack that was almost consuming me. I sent a glance at the camera hanging close by.

“I requested only a conversation with someone, nothing sexual,” My hands tightened around my waist, and all of a sudden, I couldn't move. I wasn't in control of my body. I couldn't scream for help. I had no idea how I'd reduced myself to this helpless state. I felt like I was a shadow of my own self. Even back in Montenegro, I had much more fight within me, but now I wallow in my fears and self-pity.

A tear slipped down my cheek and the panic attack I had been fighting consumed me in full force.

“Let's spice this up,” Richard inched closer to me as he reached for the zipper of his pants and pulled everything down. Standing completely naked before me.

I refused to look down as my breaths sped up until they were sawing over my lips. Before he could take any step closer, the glass doors burst open, and a few staff wearing skeletal face masks rushed in.

“Get the fucker out of here,” A distorted voice barked the order, and while Richard was tackled to the floor, I was led out of the balcony and taken to one of the rooms on the first floor by one of the staff members. 

My breaths kept bursting over my eyes locked with the staff member's worried eyes. There was something familiar about the man and when I finally managed to calm down, I recognized him as the man from earlier at the bar.

“Take your time,” He murmured, his tone soft. “Just know that you're safe. No one's going to hurt you. I won't allow it,”

I nodded, and strangely, his distorted voice somehow calmed me.

“Do you feel better?” He asked, his tone filled with concern.

Weirdly, I did. There was just something about this man that made me feel safe. And I didn't feel any sense of discomfort around him. And unlike Richard, he wasn't undressing me with his eyes.

“Yes, thank you,” I nodded.

He shook his head. “No need to thank me. I apologize for what happened with Mr Calton,”

I nodded again before taking a much-needed deep breath.

He regarded me quietly for a few minutes before he asked again. “Do you feel better?”

“Yeah. I just didn't expect…” I swallowed, shaking my head. “... that to happen tonight,”

“Again, I apologize,”

I nodded and shut my eyes, focused on filling my lungs with deep breaths of air. Silence filled the air, and this time it wasn't uncomfortable. 

“You're doing well, Skylar,” He praised me, and my eyes forced open to stare at him.

“Yeah,” I almost scoffed, because it felt like the opposite. 

“Yeah,”

I shook my head. “I knew this was a bad idea from the start,”

“What part?” He settled comfortably on the edge of the bed.

“Being here,” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “For a second, I was stupid enough to think I could do it. Find some sort of normalcy in my life. Go out like every other normal person and meet people without any fear, but I was wrong to believe my life could be normal,”

“From what I've witnessed tonight, you're brave enough for just trying. And trust me, you aren't stupid for wanting to get better, to take control of your life and move past the horrors of your past,”

His reply made me snap my eyes back on him. “You think I'm brave?” 

Still staring at me he nodded. I didn't know a single thing about this man but his words meant a lot to me.

“You won't get in trouble for sitting with me, right?”

He shook his head. “Not at all,”

Again, I was struck with the weird sensation that I'd met him before. “So the next time I make an appointment, can I request that you join me?” I paused as he continued to stare at me intensely. “A conversation here and there would be nice,”

“I'm sure it can be arranged,”

“Thank you, I'd appreciate that,” I muttered with a sense of relief.And for the second time in seven months, I felt a warm sensation spread through my chest, and once again, I was reminded of him. My savior.