Chapter 1 – The Bachelor: Phoenix Ramirez

Chapter 1 – The Bachelor: Phoenix Ramirez

*foreshadowing*

The night club was packed with men, just like every night. I did my work and gripped the pole in front of me. I swayed my hips to the music and the men drinking alcohol let out another cheer. Thirty more minutes and I am done. But then my boss called me from the side. She gestured me to go closer and so I did. The next lady already walked up the stage and did her things, dancing.

“Ma’am, I still have thirty minutes, why is she up there now?” I asked.

“You are done there already, sweety. Mr. Ramirez was asking for you, you should give him your thirty minutes instead.” Madame Wanda said and my eyes flew again to the usual spot of Sir Phoenix Ramirez on the bar.

“Why ma’am? You know I am not giving a sort of service—“

“No, no, sweety. You know Mr. Ramirez is a nice guy, and he just wants to talk to you.” Madame said and I nodded.

With my high heels on, I walked up to Sir Phoenix.

“What is it, Sir?” I asked.

His gaze was boring into me, sending chills in my spine, just like what he always do when he is watching me from the distance.

He drank the crystal brown liquid of rum on his glass before he spoke.

“Get your things and follow me.” he ordered.

“Sir, I can’t. I still have one more turn after this.”

“Would you listen to me for once?” He said sternly, that made me obey like a dog due to the dominance in his voice.

When I came out from the dressing room, with my casual clothes on already, I walked back to him with my bag on my hand.

He silently walked out of the club and I just followed behind him until we reached the dark parking lot of the club. Then he stopped in front of his car and turned to me, so I abruptly stopped, avoiding the collision of my head on his chest.

He took a step forward closer to me, a step after another until I was no longer able to take a step forward as my back hit another car parked beside his. He is too close that I can even smell his expensive perfume lingering under my nose. I wanted to close my eyes and inhale it more but I stopped myself because that would be embarrassing.

“Stop it. Quit your job already.” He uttered putting his both hands inside his pockets. He had always told me to stop already but I can’t because I have a family to support, my mother and brother need me.

“Sir, we are not going to discuss about this again.” I replied.

“You are smart… I have planned to build a hotel in Singapore, originally, there are ten architects who are going to present us their proposal and compete who will get the project. But due to a medical emergency, one architect was not able to participate. This opportunity was only give to a few. There are nine taken slots already and one vacant left. I will give it to you. I know that you are smart enough to at least make a presentation. If you succeed in getting the approval of my company’s board of directors, then this is going to be your breakthrough. I will not be helping you in getting the bacon, it will all depends on your output and presentation. It is all up to you if you will let yourself fail or not.” He said without letting me interrupt him.

With this news, I could think that it is a great opportunity indeed, but the chances of winning the project is very slim for me. I would be going up against well-known architects in the country, who have more experience than me who is just a fresh graduate and was never hired and had an official and formal architectural job.

“That is impossible, Sir. They are more experienced and knowledgeable than me.” I chuckled in disbelief.

“So you would choose to stick in this line of work instead? Are you going to take it or not?” He raised an eyebrow at me, looking for answers in my eyes. And I slowly nodded and replied,

“I… I will try my best, sir.”

“Do not try, do it.” he uttered.

And to my surprise, he leaned forward, closer, with his face an inch away from mine. I have nowhere to move back as he just stared at my eyes, burning me with his hot gaze. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I felt his warm and minty breath fanning the tip of my nose.

His eyes moved down to my lips and stared there for a second before he moved to my ears,

“But this opportunity I am giving you is not free. Whether you win the project or not, you will still have to pay me back, do you understand?” he whispered and grazed his lips at the helix of my ears before he moved his head back in front of me, looking at me directly in the eyes with burning gazes from his stunning orbs.

I was about to protest because I have no money to pay him back for this chance he gave me, but he then spoke first even before I could utter a sound.

“You already agreed, there is no turning back, Kiara.” He uttered with a smirk and glanced again at my lips before he turned around and walked to the driver’s seat after gesturing me to enter the car.

Da-mn it. Where would I get the money to pay him if I could not win the project?

And Phoenix Van Ramirez, why would he need more money? he is already wealthy enough.

*end of foreshadowing*

Kiara’s POV

I dressed up in my hoodie and tight denim jeans and wore my sneakers before shoving my killer high heels in to my bag. I just finished my task and about to go home since I still have classes tomorrow.

As I walked in the pavement, refusing to ride the taxi due to the expensive fare, I had decided to just walk a kilometer instead to reach the nearest bus stop that would lead me to the street where I live with my mother and little brother, I gave a thought about my life.

Kiara Stones, 22 years old and an architecture student of Himalaya University, a quiet and timid person during day, but a very different person during the night. And yes, I am a stripper at Desire Night Club. Yes I dance and strip but not totally to the point that I am totally naked. I and the other girls wear seductive and revealing dresses and pieces of cloth but we do not totally strip down for the clients, we just dance to entertain them, and no, we do not offer s-xual services and if ever there are clients who would harassed and forced us into something we do not want, our boss would intervene because it is against the rules of the club and it is not a part of our job.

Why am I in this kind of job? Obviously, it is because of money.

I only have my mother and my six year old brother now, our father left us and our relatives, they already abandoned us. I need to work and acquire a lot of money for my and my brother’s schooling, and for my mother’s hospital bills and treatment for her chronic kidney disease which needs a regular dialysis. And my salary plus the tips I am getting from the clients can somehow covered all these expenses including our rent and food budget. During my high school until Year 1 of architecture studies, I worked multiple jobs just to help in the expenses at home, mom was still able to at least work minimal jobs before, until on the mid year of my first year of college, mom’s condition worsen and I was left to do all the job and money acquiring alone.

I do not know if it is lucky or not but, before my Year 2, I was offered a job in the Desire Night Club when I went there looking for a waitress work, but the boss noticed my physical features and deemed that I was fit to be one of the strippers and the salary for them is higher than a waitress and besides there was no guarantee that time that I would be hired as a waitress anyway, so after thinking about it for days, considering my family’s condition, I accepted it. At first, it was hard to adjust, I was not used to wearing revealing clothes, it was so not me. But I had to swallow it and do the job.

I was able to cover up all my and my brother’s school fees and other monthly bills and mom was then able to have her dialysis on time.

After a few years of working there, I got used to it and made friends with the other girls who also helped me in adjusting myself in the new environment.

And since I was bringing home a huge amount of money and was able to pay the bills, mom got suspicious one time, and she thought that I was selling and dealing illegal drugs to acquire such amount but no, I was not. And I did not have the guts to tell her that I am a stripper because she will just going to blame herself for not being able to support us, so, I lied to her and told her that I was being a waitress in a bar and the tips were really good and the bosses are very nice. I am not sure if she believed it or not but she eventually let it go.

No one in school knows about my job either, and I would prefer it that way because I know that they will just judge me and call me names.

Ah da-mn, speaking of school, I have to go there early because we have a business seminar, especially that I am the vice president of Internal Affairs of the University Student Council and we helped in arranging the event.

And oh… right.

The 26 year old hot, rich, and one of the most eligible bachelor in the country, owning local and international chains of hotels… Mr. Phoenix Van Ramirez… he would be one of our guest and speaker. Ladies would go wild again. I doubt if the lecture would go well without a lot of screaming, and hopefully, the ladies would still have the power to focus on the lectures and not to drool over Mr. Phoenix Van Ramirez.