Jax I was not supposed to be here tonight. That thought kept repeating in my head as I stepped into the club anyway, hood up out of habit even though half the room already knew who I was without the mask. The bass rolled through my chest like it always did but it felt muted somehow like my body remembered the rhythm but my mind had moved on to something else. Ever since Arianna. Ever since that night that should not have happened but did. Stripping used to quiet the noise inside me. Used to give me control and make the emptiness manageable. Now it felt like an echo of something that no longer fit. I loved stripping. I still did. The fact that what I earned was mine and not tied to a crown or a future I never asked for. But tonight the pull was weaker. The hunger was different for the first time. I scanned the room without thinking and then I saw her. She was behind the bar, sleeves rolled up and hair pulled back in that careless way that made my chest ache. She looked lo
Last Updated : 2026-01-16 Read more