Prologue

“And for our next performer... the one and only, the sexiest, the stripping hot… RAVEN!”

I pushed onto the stage with my head held high as I watched men gawk beneath my feet. Their eyes followed my every movement, salivating. Cash rained down on stage, some itching for just a taste.

This was my life. This was my reality.

“You're so sexy! Show us your face! Come on, baby.” They all laughed.

A masked stripper. A strip tease.

“Show us some tits! Flash them, baby!”

I pulled down the front of my corset, just enough to tease them with a little show of my areolas.

Unlike some girls who shied away from this, I loved it. I loved the chase. I loved the hunger I saw in these men's eyes every day.

My hands gripped the pole as I danced, splitting my legs and then wrapping them tightly around it. I sprayed some jelly on my shoulder and slowly licked it off seductively.

They gawked. They screamed. They paid, and the praises kept rolling in—except for one who sat there, looking.

Assessing me like I was some kind of code to crack. His eyes, dark—I could tell, even under the mask.

It was him. The same man every night. The one I couldn't have.

But this night would be different. I was going to get him. No. Matter. What.

“That's enough show for today, boys.” I blew some air kisses and got off the stage.

“Oh, come on. Just twenty more minutes, Raven!”

“I promise next time,” I winked as I approached the mystery man.

I hated these men. Sickos who were old enough to be my grandpa, who never cared for their wives. Yet they frequented the underground club every night and spent ridiculous amounts to see what they didn't have access to.

Disgusting.

I slid into the leather beside him, thigh brushing his.

“Hi, handsome.” Up close, his mask hid half his face, but those eyes stripped me bare, calculating.

“Hm, I guess you aren't really the talking type.” I placed a hand on his shoulder, but he barely responded, taking a sip of his whiskey.

“Enjoying the show? Or do you need a more private one?” I purred, fingers trailing his black body-hugging shirt that clung to him, revealing every ridge of muscle.

A leather strap crisscrossed his chest. There was definitely a gun in there.

He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear.

“The show’s not over until I say it is.”

A shiver ran down my spine as I tried to keep my composure. It wasn't fear, but it certainly made me feel hot all over. No one had ever spoken to me like that.

“Good then,” I smiled. “Then buy an encore. Private room. Name your price.”

He laughed. It was low, dangerous, with a certain rumble to it.

“I don't pay for what's already watching me. Get in line, princess.”

My pulse hammered.

Watching him? Every night for three weeks, yeah, but how did he—

“Those men think that you focus on them when in reality, you can't seem to keep those legs closed. You love the chase, the attention they give you.”

My breath hitched. I could barely hear the background noise anymore. Goosebumps flooded my skin as I listened.

“Then why can't I get your attention?”

Stupid line, girl. So stupid.

He scoffed, a smirk spreading lazily across his lips. “Do you want my attention?”

I went silent without realizing it, then muttered a “maybe.”

His hands reached for my thighs, squeezing them as they slid toward my inner thighs. I shivered, my tongue darting out to wet my red lips.

He shifted closer, and I closed my eyes. I had never kissed a regular before. But in his case? I wanted it. Somehow, I craved his touch.

Just a brush of his lips.

Just… anything.

“I like mine untouched.” He stood up swiftly, and in the next second, he was headed toward the door. My eyes shot open as I stared in confusion.

Before he dashed out, he took a long look at me, and I feared… I never remained the same after that.