Think about my offer

The moment I shut the door behind me, it was as if the world had suddenly shrunk.

The VIP room was designed to feel intimate. Dim blue light lit up the room. There was a leather couch by the side of the wall and an expensive glass table in front of it.

Then, my eyes caught him in the dim light.

He was sitting on the couch with his arms proudly draped on the chair arms like a man who owned the place.

Then, he was holding a cigarette, and smoke curled out of his lips as he puffed it.

I just stood there like I couldn’t move.

“Closer,” he instructed, and I listened as I carefully walked towards him.

Then, his eyes lifted to mine. Those dark eyes, and I saw his face clearly this time.

My jaw nearly dropped as recognition dawned on me.

Holy shit. He was the same guy from the club. But that was not all. He was Kayden Devereaux.

He still looked as hot as he did back in high school, only now he looked like a man carved from sin itself. His face was more mature but more sexy. I was sure most women would swoon over him.

How the fuck was he my client?

Hatred curled deep in my chest as I stared at him. Why, of all people on earth, did it have to be him? Why couldn’t he just be someone else?

He was the boy who had made my high school days a living hell. The golden boy with a surname that made teachers and students tremble. The same boy who had turned my senior year into a public execution.

My lips parted to say a word, but nothing came out. Nothing would have prepared me for this visit.

He leaned back slowly and dragged his gaze over me in a way that made me feel hot even though the AC in the room was working perfectly fine.

“Well,” he said in a low voice as he drew on his cigar.

“What took you so long, Dolly?” The way he even said my stage name felt like a mockery. I quickly yanked off my silver mask, and he didn’t even look surprised.

How did he even know I worked here?

“Ashley,” he murmured as he threw the cigarette into the ashtray.

“Kayden.” I finally found my voice. “So you’re the mysterious client.”

“I didn’t know you worked here,” he said, adjusting in his chair like he was getting ready for me.

My hands balled into fists. The sarcasm in his voice only made my chest tighten even more.

“What the hell do you want from me?” I growled, my skin flushing red.

He tilted his head. “Is that how you greet a paying client?” he taunted as his voice went deeper.

“Oh please. Don’t pretend this is normal,” I snapped, and the bastard laughed like I was saying something funny or even stupid.

“You think this is funny?” I stepped closer, wishing I could just choke him to death.

His jaw tightened, but the smug smirk was still on his face.

“Yes,” he replied, the one word.

The person I hated the most was my mom, but seeing Kayden just made me see that there was someone I hated even more.

If he thought I was still the same dorky virgin he bullied back in high school, he was in for a different show.

“Are you here because you ran out of girls to torment?” I spat, venom dripping with every word.

He crossed his leg and placed his hand on his chin, obviously enjoying watching me.

“I didn’t come here to torment you,” he gritted out.

“Then why?” I demanded, not budging.

“I’ve seen you dance,” he explained, stroking his chin. “And I want to make a deal with you.”

“What deal?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

He took out an envelope from his pocket and placed it in front of me.

I looked down at it, wondering what it was.

“Go on,” he tilted his head toward the envelope.

I picked it up and opened it. I pulled out the sheet of paper and started to read the printed words.

It was a contract agreement between the two of us, saying I’d do whatever he wanted me to do for a whole month, and in return I’d get two hundred thousand dollars. Also, I'd have to quit stripping and any disobedience would lead to punishment. The kind of punishment wasn't stated in the contract.

My eyes nearly popped out at the amount. Who on earth would give such an amount just for a month of what? Sex? Stripping?

I didn’t just want the money. I needed it.

Quitting stripping was not a big deal for me. In fact it was what I wanted. But the question was why did he suddenly appear out of nowhere, offer me the money and decide I'd quit if I accepted?

I accepted in my heart, but I didn’t want to look desperate in his eyes. So I slammed the paper down on the table and spelled it out.

“Why do you want me to quit?” I asked.

His jaw tightened.

“Because one month of your time belongs to me alone. I'm not the type that likes my things being misused.”

My face squeezed into a frown. Did he just call me a thing? What did he see me as? A property he could claim anytime?

“First, I'm not a thing.” I said through gritted teeth. “Secondly, I don’t want your money. Find someone else.”

“You already agreed, Dolly,” he sat upright. “You walked in here, so you belong to me now,” he added, jutting his head toward the envelope again.

“I didn’t know it was you,” I said defensively.

“And if you had?”

I hesitated, and that was all he seemed to need to rise to his feet.

God, he still looked tall and imposing. With him, it felt like he was the tree and I was just an ordinary flower.

He stepped closer to me until I could perceive the smell of his strong cologne. My pulse spiked.

Our hands brushed as he leaned forward toward my ear.

“You look at me like I ruined you,” he said quietly. “Yet you don’t even know the full story.”

Anger burned through my veins as I remembered what he had done to me in high school.

“Save it,” I said coldly. “You spread those pictures. You let everyone believe I was…”

“I didn’t,” he cut in sharply. “But you decided I did.”

I let out a short bitter laugh. Even after all these years, he still had the nerve to lie to me. How shameless.

“You never asked,” he said, taking advantage of my silence. “You just looked at me like I was dirt and walked away.”

Something flickered in his face. Whether anger or regret, I couldn't tell which.

My chest rose and fell too fast. I didn’t want to start settling old scores in a strip club. What had happened had already happened. It couldn’t be changed.

“Fuck it,” I said, wanting him to see how much I still hated him. “Let’s get into business.”

He leaned back forward and his gaze dropped to my breasts. The half-cut I wore dipped so low that if I dragged it down, my nipples would come into full view.

“You know, you still have that sexy body,” I saw the way his gaze darkened, and my heart fluttered. My breathing suddenly grew shallow, and goosebumps prickled across my body.

“Are you telling me you don’t want me to touch you like this?” he asked in the most sexy voice as his hand moved up my arm slowly. I should have pushed him away, but I just couldn’t.

His hand slid down my stomach.

Heat flashed through me before I could stop it.

He stopped at the top part of my mini skirt and looked at my face.

“I haven’t even touched you, and you already want me to do more,” he muttered with a smirk.

And it was that smirk that always made me angry.

“What? No… me… never…” I cleared my throat. “I've survived worse men than you.”

“Accept my offer, Dolly,” he said as he slowly began to trace his fingers around my waist all the way to the back, and when he got there, he drew me closer to himself.

“And if I don’t?” I asked, my eyes dropping to his lips. I had always dreamt of kissing them before he decided to start picking on me.

“You will,” he said confidently as his hand stroked my bare back.

He was right. I needed the money. That was my only reason. If not, I’d never accept to do business with someone like him.

“What do you really want from me, Kayden?” I asked, trying to figure out what he stood to gain.

“One month.” He answered without hesitation. “You do everything I tell you to…” He paused and pushed a stray strand of my hair back. “Even if I tell you to f*ck yourself. Whenever I want, however I want.”

My pulse pounded in my ears and my hands trembled slightly.

But the money was huge enough to help me in college and even wipe my mother’s fifty thousand dollars debt.

“Just say yes, Dolly,” he persuaded. “If you didn’t need the money, you wouldn’t be working in this dump.”

He studied my face like he was memorizing every emotion behind it.

“I won’t touch you without permission,” he added. “If that’s what you’re thinking. But just know if you sign that contract, your body is mine.”

"Keep your money." I threw the contract back at him. "I'd rather stay broke than belong to you.”

He huffed a chuckle like he had been expecting my answer. Then, he picked up the piece of paper that had fallen to the floor and placed it on a table.

“You'll sign."

"How can you be so sure?"

He looked at the contract, then at me.

"Because people only refuse things they can afford to lose.”

“Hey,” I turned to him. “You paid for tonight.”

He stopped and looked at me over his shoulder.

“I only paid for your audience, Dolly,” he replied. “Think about my offer.”