My Alter Ego

"Hey Zosha," Ben the club manager popped his head. "Big crowd tonight..." then he lowered his voice. "Word just got in that some big shot Alpha is here... so go do your magic."

I stared at him through the mirror, remembering how he told me fat people couldn't work the pole and how no one would ever want to see a fat woman dance the first day I came.

"Sure thing."

Now I am his money maker. Men trooped in their numbers, paying thousands of dollars just to book a seat in my private room. A booking that almost sells out the moment the slots are open.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror bordered by blinding vanity lights. Zosha, the exhausted single mother who worried about grocery bills and preschool tuition, disappeared the moment I picked up the mask and tied the silk ribbons behind my head.

Out there, in the real world, my plus-sized curves made me invisible to the upper crust of society. But down here? Down in the underground depths of The Labyrinth? I was royalty. The one and only Lilith.

I took one last look at my outfit, pushed through the curtains and stepped out onto the elevated stage.

The scent of different fragrances of oud hit my nose almost immediately mixed with the scent of cigar smoke, and imported aged wine.

I moved to the music, letting the beat dictate my steps. i swayed to the right, then to the left, before wrapping my legs around the pole and flipping backwards so I was upside down letting them look, letting them crave what they could never touch.

"Damn she's hot," I heard one of them say to his friends. "Do you know when next she'll agree to a private dance? I want those..." he gestured to my bossoms that were straining against the tiny top and currently on display "on me."

"I don't know man," his friend replied. "The manager said he'd let us know as soon as she agreed."

I came down the stage, my eyes scanning who my partner for the night was going to be. it was a trick that fetched me lots of tips in the past and I was hoping tonight wouldn't be different

Among the screaming men, someone caught my attention. He was seated far back, whiskey in hand and eyes on me.

"Hey handsome," I said as I straddled him.

He chuckled "There are so many Alphas here so why choose me?"

"I don't know," I whispered, grinding my hips slowly against him while he rested his arms on the head of the sofa.

"Mind if we take it to the private room?" he asked before letting out a deep groan admits the cheering of other patrons.

"I don't do private dances," I pressed my head against his, feeling his breath on my skin and him hardening underneath me.

Why was my body reacting to him? I have done this dance more times than I can count and no man has ever made me feel this way.

"Why?" he pressed and to punish him, I loosened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt and ran my hands through his well built chest all while still grinding him. I could feel every line and every time my fingers moved, he twitched underneath me.

"Because I'm not interested," I gasped and even I couldn't believe myself. I took the drink from him and took a sip.

Against my better judgment I brought his head forward and kissed him, transferring the liquid down his throat. The room erupted in cheers and applause with a few grumbles from those who never got this kind of performance.

"Are you sure?" he whispered against my mouth. "Because your body seems to be saying a different thing."

i could feel him as hard as a rock, yet his hand remained on the head of the sofa, despite him twitching and groaning, he wouldn't touch me.

For a moment, nothing else mattered as I melted into him, feeling every hard line on his body, not until Julian words re echoed in my head and brought me back to my senses.

"I'm so sorry," I said as I stood up so fast I nearly stumbled over.

I turned and walked off the stage, my heart hammering against my ribs. I needed to get to the manager’s office to collect my cut of the stage tips.

"You fool," I slapped my forehead as I walked briskly to the office. "What was that?" I asked my wolf.

"He's our mate," my wolf replied.

"You've got to be kidding me," I fumed. "I can't possibly have a mate after having another man's child."

She didn't respond. But her silence wasn't my problem because just before I reached the office, I stopped in my tracks.

He was standing there.

The man I just straddled was leaning casually against the wall, blocking my path. Up close, he was devastating. Dangerously handsome, with a sharp jawline, black hair slightly swept back, and he had buttoned up.

"You're in a restricted area," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I bought the bouncers," he replied. And pushed off the wall, taking a slow step toward me that made my breath hitch.

"I want to book Room Seven," he said, stopping just a foot away from me. "Name your price."

I forced myself to stand tall, refusing to let him see how much him being this close was affecting me. "I don't do private rooms. Ever. Stage performances only."

He tilted his head slightly, his icy blue eyes dragging down the pink corset before slowly returning to my masked face. His pupils dilated, the edges flashing a faint gold. His wolf was highly agitated, pushing against the surface, desperate to close the distance between us. But the man himself remained perfectly and infuriatingly in control.

"Everyone has a rule until the right number is written down," he murmured.

He took one more step, and I had to tilt my head back just to look at him, his scent filling my nose. For the first time in five years, I didn't feel like a broken, abandoned wife. I felt deeply, overwhelmingly desired.

He reached out, brushed the back of his knuckles against my jawline, tracing the underside of my mask. The touch was agonizingly gentle, sending a jolt of electricity straight down my spine.

"You smell incredible," he said, his voice dropping to a low, rough whisper. "Vanilla. And something else. Something I can't quite place."

I should have pushed him away. I should have told him to back off. But my body betrayed me. I leaned into his touch for a second, my chest rising and falling heavily against my corset.

"I'm not for sale," I finally managed to whisper, stepping back. The sudden loss of his heat left me shivering. "My rule stands. No private dances."

A slow, highly attractive smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. He wasn't deterred in the slightest. He found my resistance amusing.

"Fair enough, Lilith." He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a thick, banded stack of hundred-dollar bills.

Before I could process what he was doing, he reached forward and smoothly slid the stack of cash into the tight gap between my corset and my cleavage. The brush of his fingers against my bare skin made my breath catch loudly in my

throat.

"Consider that a down payment for your time," he said, his gaze dropping to my lips. "I am a very patient man. And I always get what I want."

He didn't wait for my response. He stepped around me and walked back, leaving me completely speechless.

I leaned against wall, my heart about to burst as I pulled the stack of cash from my corset.

It was thick. Easily ten thousand dollars.

He gave me ten grand just for existing in the same room as him.

Combined with my meager savings, I had enough for the lawyer’s retainer f*e. Relief washed over me, so intense it brought tears to my eyes. I could hire the best defense attorney in the city tomorrow morning.

Then I heard those words again.

Julian was right. A lawyer could only delay the Council. To actually win the custody battle, I needed more than cash. I needed an Alpha’s name on a marriage certificate. An Alpha so utterly terrifying and untouchable that the Council

wouldn't dare question him.

I looked at the stack of cash on the table, my mind making a terrifyingly desperate decision.

Tomorrow morning, I wasn't going to a law firm. I was going to walk straight into Maddox Industries. And sell my freedom to Alpha Maddox, the most

ruthless trillionaire in the city.

I just prayed to God that Alpha Maddox was nothing like the dangerous, intoxicating man I had just met.