Heat and taboo

**Sadie’s POV**

I’m not sure how long I stood there with nerves after filling my cart when Mona told me about the VVIP clients who had called for me. No one but me!

Feeling nerves climbing my skin, my grip tightened on the tray as I neared the elevator. Jo appeared back at my side.

From her features to her now swollen pink lips, the red lip gloss she had put on before was barely visible. Her face flushed, showing that she might have done more than dancing.

But Molly-Jo looked happy and free. A part of me was envious of that.

Envious that she could take men to her bed without any feelings, yet I was still stuck on my feelings back in Italy.

Her eyes worried for me, she patted my shoulder. “Anything wrong?” she said, finally cutting through my thoughts as I shook my head.

“No, I just—” I sighed as I looked over to her. “It’s my school.” Turns out I don’t have college funds saved.

I explained to Jo, and the school had not returned my message on the scholarship program that I entered, as all hope seemed so far away.

Stafford was already a hard school to enroll in. It was my mom’s alma mater when she was back in Italy.

And I would do anything to get into her program, knowing she had fully supported my dreams of design and art.

I had given up for the past few months. Every night as I slept, the equipment under my bed and my pencils felt like torture, like they were calling out to me to continue.

But I had no time, no strength, or money to do so, and this was my last chance at getting into Stafford College.

I could see sympathy in Molly-Jo’s features, but I could also see kindness. Jo knew that I didn’t, in fact, want to be a sex worker in this club.

Although the first time I had ignored her suggestion of joining a sugar baby community of the Rainbow club’s underground VIP clients.

But now, I was really thinking about it. The elevator dinged open, and both of us stepped in. Just as Jo leaned over, her neck craned to the side.

“You know I can help, right?” she said.

And I shook my head. I didn’t want to borrow or be in debt; no matter how close Jo was, I didn’t want to be a liability.

“Okay… Look,” she said, taking my phone from the little pouch by my skirt and typing in a few numbers before putting it back in my hand.

“It’s just a little community of very, very secretive and private VVIP clients. Most times, they just need an escort; they just need someone to sit down and listen to them bitch about their lives and look pretty, Okay,” she assured.

“And pay big money. I’m only doing this because you’re a good and nice girl,” Jo said. “I would explain what it is to you.”

“There are perverts there. The shy ones. Big spenders. Most of them obsess over newbies and newcomers.

And they will be all over you. But I swear, it’s very protective. And you get what you want if you work smartly,” she continued.

“Most times, they are very generous, and I swear you can get your down payment for school in like a month. Okay, so you can think about it again.” She said.

I felt the weight of people’s eyes on me as I held on to my phone.

“No, thank you, Jo,” I said in a whisper, and she shrugged as I put my phone back into my skirt pocket and rolled my trolley across the open space of the top floor.

The familiar maroon carpets and navy blue room doors held gold numbers. It was a welcome sign that I was on the right floor.

And once again, the sound of moans echoed through the space as I passed the door with Mona, who stared at me with an annoyed gaze.

“Don’t worry about her. I heard that the VVIPs in room 320 had pursued her and asked for you instead. That’s crazy; it means they like you! You didn’t tell me you had regulars—VVIPs at that.”

Jo said with a smile as she patted my shoulders. But even I was confused and more than happy that my name had gotten out as a good bottle girl.

“I don’t really; even I am surprised,” I said truthfully as Jo shrugged before she gave me a wave as I watched.

Jo walked back toward her client’s room; I was headed to 320. I didn’t know why I stopped firmly at the door.

My hands felt too heavy to even knock, but after a shaky breath, I let out a short knock on the door. I put on my best smile, as always, just as they opened it.

I walked into the dark and moon-red-lit room, swaying my hips just as Jo taught me if I wanted to get more clients to buy my drinks.

But I was more distracted by a familiar scent of cedar wood and musk that made my heart skip a beat.

I knew for sure it was a scent from Italy, as only the slow beats of music played through the walls while my eyes scanned the space.

Strange, I thought.

Just then my body froze as I turned toward the sitting area.

I felt every bone in my body turn rigid as my eyes went wide open to see four pairs of eyes looking at me, and I knew those eyes anywhere—the Rossi brothers.

All staring at me with dark eyes, as I watched Marcel stand up, his dark, stern eyes looking at me.

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t run, and couldn’t even think as I watched Marcel stand.

The other three still sat watching me like I was their very own prey, while my hands gripped numbly at my sides.

I should have known they were in this room. I should have known those eyes would undress me as I bared my presence to them.

Just as I tried to sputter out words, no words came out of my mouth.

“It’s good to see you again,” he said, and I didn’t know what to do as I stared at my four stepbrothers!

And what I felt wasn’t fear, but a familiar taboo heat that climbed through my core as I stared—a heat that held craving for them.

And oh god, this is the reason I ran away from them! Ran way from my forbidden need for the Rossi brothers!.

Yet, why does it look like they’d rather devour me?