LOGINLOU*Come to the club.* I read the text Jason sent at exactly 6pm. Three minutes ago, if I wasn't mistaken.I stared at the message for several long seconds before locking my phone and dropping it onto the bed beside me.For a week, I had managed to avoid going there, ever since Miami, and Jaxon didn't seem to bother until now.Our mistakes aside, he is my boss and I his employee, skipping work just to avoid him seems way out of line for me, letting our personal problems get into the profession.Letting out a slow breath I got off my bed and walked toward my wardrobe.My hands moved automatically, pulling out a pair of jeans and a loose sweater to wear. Every movement I made felt mechanical, like my body had memorized a routine my heart wanted nothing to do with.I caught my reflection in the mirror. The dark circles beneath my eyes had become impossible to ignore. Sleep was a luxury for a guilty soul like mine, and also a mother of an energetic 4-year-old.I grabbed my bag, slipped
LOU*No…**No, no, no.*This isn't supposed to happen, especially not now.I opened my mouth to speak, but shut it close, seeing as everyone was smiling, waiting for me to react, when all I could hear was the pounding of my own heartbeat.My gaze darted across the apartment, over the guests, decorative balloons, flowers, searching for the one my heart greatly yearned for."Riley?" His name slipped from my lips before I even realized I had spoken."Mommy!" His tiny voice cut through the silence.Before I could even turn completely, a small figure emerged from the crowd, running towards me."Mommy!"Riley squealed, launching himself at me, I instinctively caught him, wrapping both arms tightly around his little body, even as his energetic force nearly knocked me backward.A sob escaped me before I could stop it."Hey baby…” I whispered shakily, burying my face in his hair.He smelled just as I always did, like baby shampoo and crayons, this was my home, right in my arms."I missed you!"
LOUOne minute I was falling, and the next, everything else from my head vanished. I felt and saw nothing, except for the warmth of Jaxon's lips against mine, stealing the air from my lungs.Suddenly I was 17 again, standing in the rain with Jaxon, our foreheads resting against each other's, lips locked the same way.Then another memory.His hand tangled in my hair when I let him give me my very first kiss after weeks of being his girlfriend.Every beautiful lie came rushing back in, making my heart pound uncontrollably. My chest tightened and I could barely hold it.I could barely hold back the memory of that hallway trying to creep back in.Reality crashed over me like ice water and I snapped back to my senses.I pulled away immediately, slapping his hand off my face, I bounced off of him, landing hard on my butt due to how quickly I moved.My hands shot to my lips, rubbing at them frantically, as though I could erase the feeling of his mouth from my skin.My stomach twisted, as a w
JAXONRegret and guilt were understatements of how I was feeling at the moment. The look of betrayal in Lou's eyes once again came to taunt me.Even after five years, it remained the same. And what exactly did I do this time around?The same scenario, Tiffany revealing to Lou what I couldn't find the courage to tell her.Tiffany had demanded a stripper for her father's Gala, but I had turned down the offer when she strictly chose only Lou. I had made it clear to her that Lou was off limits, and when she wouldn't budge, I canceled the deal.I brought Lou along to Miami only for the modeling gig, because she was truly perfect for the position. Tiffany’s gala was a last-minute call, only because I thought I owed my presence to her father.If only I had thought this through, I would have shown up alone and just stayed back at the hotel.And now once again, I had brought upon myself a greater misunderstanding, hurting Lou's feelings because of my stupidity.Watching her dance on that stage
LOUNothing looked charming anymore, my shoulders felt right. Uncomfortable was a mild word for how I was feeling.I wanted to be out of here, but the reason Jaxon had brought me here settled heavily on my shoulder, pushing all of my cheerfulness down.Even as beautiful masterpieces of sets were being displayed, I couldn't join in the applause; I couldn't fire them.I sat on my chair like a log of wood, no emotion radiated off me. I could feel Jaxon's eyes on me, but my gaze remained ahead, fixed on the podium where the smartly dressed host held the program together.All I saw was myself, in a stripper costume, dancing against the long silver pole, while the crowd gawked; Men who couldn't hide their lust, women who showed me with disgusted looks.Ignoring the hateful comments that would fly my way, preparing to defend myself from that one man who's self control is as dead as a door nail.Suffocating. That's what it felt like, my vision, the ceremony, Jaxon's gaze, even Tiffany's mocki
LOUThe ride with Jaxon was painfully quiet. I sat stiffly in my seat, my hands folded neatly in my lap.My neck was starting to ache from staring at the tinted window, gazing at the city lights as the car glided through the evening traffic, their reflection colliding with my dress.Across from me, Jaxon barely acknowledged my existence.His attention remained fixed on his phone, his thumb lazily scrolling through whatever seemed important to him on there.That's exactly what I needed, space from him. Yet I had a dozen questions trapped in my mind.*Where are we going?**Why all of this?**What else does he want me to be?*But I didn't even dare part my lips, after last night, speaking to him felt... Stupid, kind of.I pissed him away, just as he deserved, speaking to him now could send the wrong message, even though my reasons are very valid.I would rather stick to my pride than ask, besides, I don't believe Jaxon will try to kill me. He already destroyed my heart, what more damage
LOUFor a second, I honestly thought I misheard him.“Excuse me?” My brows furrowed even further, “That isn't possible.” I argued, but Jaxon's smile simply brightened.“It is indeed possible. You are now my personal stripper, you belong to me alone, and no one else.” He said, sounding weirdly posse
LOUI pushed through the glass doors of the hospital just before the sun began to dip.My grip tightened around the strap of my bag as I headed toward the elevators, knowing the exact floor to find her. Showing up here every day of my life for the past year, the steps had already been implanted in
Lou’s POVThe moment I clicked the door shut behind me, every instinct in my body screamed at me to run down the hallway, past the stairs, through the back exit, out into the cold night air, and to just keep going until New York became a blur behind me.But I didn't, because running is what the old
Jaxon’s POVThe bass in The Gilded Lily didn’t just play, no, it breathed. It was a living, pulsing beast of engineered acoustics designed to make people feel expensive and untethered. But as I sat in the center of the owner’s suite, the king of a kingdom built on neon and sin, all I felt was a hol







