Chapter 6
Seraphina
Back in the dressing room, after the main floor pole dance, I pour a healthy dose of scotch into an empty shot glass and toss it back, enjoying the burn down my throat. The sear awakens me like a new beginning, where I feel again, letting the numbness thaw me from the inside out.
Looking in the vanity’s mirror, I wipe away my red lipstick with a tissue and throw my hair into a messy ponytail. I pull a black T-shirt out of my backpack, along with skinny jeans and a pair of panties, then slip them on over my body and glance in the mirror, finally resembling the girl I used to know.
Turning away on an exhale, I stuff the wads of cash from my dance into my backpack and prepare to head out into the warm afternoon sun.
“Angel,” Sal calls to me, and I lift my head to find him standing at the door. He has a frown on his usually friendly face. I scrunch my brows at him in confusion. “Robert wants to see you in his office. Now.”
I jump at the way Sal emphasizes his last word as fear hits me. Robert never asks to see the girls unless there’s been trouble. I replay the events of my shift. I left the private with a man completely blissed out. No issues there. The public dance netted over three thousand—an unbelievable amount for two songs.
“Did he tell you why?” I ask, like I’m begging for the truth.
“Yes, but I don’t know whether it’s good or bad.” Sal’s face looks even sadder.
What does that even mean? I stand on weak legs and throw my backpack over my shoulder. “Okay. I’ll go now.”
As I approach the door, Sal moves to the side, making room for me to pass. Before I walk by him, he gently grabs my arm. My eyes meet his, and I find them watering with tears.
“You’re better than this place, Angel. I’ve known that from the second I met you. Whatever happens today, and in the future, remember that.”
My eyes blur, beginning to match his. Overwhelmed, I throw my arms around his thin body and hug my friend. I have a feeling this will be the last time I see him. My fate seems sealed and his words feel final.
“Thanks, Sal.”
I pull away from him and enter the dark corridor, turning toward Robert’s office. One of his goons stands guard outside the door. It’s the same one who’s begged me for a private. He doesn’t seem to care that such interactions are discouraged amongst the staff. But I draw the line with people who see me like I am now—the real me without the masks and persona.
“Angel. Angel,” he says in a sexy tone as I approach him. “What I wouldn’t have given to have tasted you.” He reaches out to touch my face, but I step out of his grasp. He laughs. “Too good for me?”
I laugh back at him. He has it all wrong. Today, a stranger paid five grand to suck on my nipples while I rubbed my pussy over his hard cock until he came. I’ve fallen into the humanity’s gutter of selling sin. Can one go any lower?
“Tell Robert I’m here.” I stand at the door, looking at the dark polished wood grain. The shine is nothing more than a façade.
“Go on in,” the guard says. “He’s waiting for you.”
I take a deep breath. When I turn the knob, it feels like the beginning of the end.
“Angel.” Robert looks up from his desk as I enter his room. “Have a seat.” My legs tremble as I make my way to the chair across from him.
“I am sure you’re wondering why I’ve called you into my office today.” He smiles at me, and I worry even more. What the hell have I done?
“I am.” I have to push the words out as fear seizes my throat.
How will I exist now? Forget helping my mother get better. I could always give him the one thing I’ve saved for love. I bow my head in defeat before looking back at Robert, praying he’ll spare me the worst.
“Well, today is your lucky day,” Robert proclaims with a smile, like he’s telling me I won the damn lottery. I stare back at him in confusion. “A man just paid one million dollars for me to fire you. It’s already in your account.”
“You’ve what?” My ears ring. My eyes sting. “Don’t kid me like this.”
Frustrated with how he’s playing me, tears begin to fall.
“No kidding. It’s all done. Pull your account up on your phone. I’ll wait.” Robert pushes back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest.
I wipe my cheeks and dig my phone out of my backpack. Opening the screen, I touch the app for my bank and wait for it to show. A couple swipes later, I drop my phone into my lap, my eyes blinking and mouth open wide.
“I don’t understand,” I whisper, shaking my head. This doesn’t make sense. And worse, I can’t accept this. It’s too much.
“The answer waits for you outside the back door. Hell, you don’t belong here, Seraphina,” he utters my real name against his own code. “Of all the girls I’ve seen walk through my door, I’ve never been this sad and equally happy to see one leave before.”
Diverting his eyes from mine, Robert picks up his phone. He presses his finger against the screen and places the phone against his ear. “She’s on her way out.”
My brows furrow. “Who the hell is he?” I demand, knowing he’s talking to the man who gave him the money. I stand up from the chair and face Robert. My entire body shakes as adrenaline mixed with fear and rage shoots through me. “And what does he want from me?”
My fear turns into full-blown terror as I imagine the deeds I need to perform for the man who bought me.
“He was a former associate of your father and saw you here today. Funny thing, though, he asked for nothing in return. Fools and their money.” I shake my head at Robert in disbelief. “It makes no sense to me either. Now, get the hell out of here before the crazy fucker changes his mind. He’s waiting for you, but the choice to find out who he is will be yours.”
Robert lowers his head and begins to write on a legal pad. He’s dismissing me. For a couple seconds, I don’t move as I contemplate what I should do next.
My choices are like a fork in the road. I either rush out the front door, avoiding the man, or face him and an unknown fate. One is a limited freedom until my mother blows through the money, and the other a curious temptation, but both likely spell my ruin.
As I exit the office, I turn to Robert’s guard. “Do you know who he is?”
“An idiot,” he says before breaking eye contact and tilting his chin up.
Hundreds of men at The Exchange have offered to buy my virginity, and I worry this man just paid Robert for it. Even though the club owner knows it isn’t for sale and said he didn’t, lies mix with the truth behind the walls of The Exchange.
Then … what if Mr. Edmonds can’t free up my trust fund? I’ll have nothing, and my mother will break away from reality even further. I walk down the hall to the back door. A million dollars solves so many problems.
Another bouncer guards the door standing between me and my fate. “Please open it for me?” I ask.
The linebacker-sized man does my bidding, and the outside light blinds me. After blinking a few times, my eyes adjust—or do they?
I blink again, not believing what I’m seeing. The beautiful Mr. Edmonds is leaning against a black town car. Pushing off the metal, he strides toward me wearing dark sunglass, hiding whether his eyes are full of pity or disgust.
I turn back toward the club, ready to run away from him. I can’t face the shame of him knowing what I’ve become.
“Seraphina,” he says my name like a prayer. My hand on the door handle, I freeze. Tears I’ve kept hidden away for so long come to the surface, and I begin to sob.
He touches my shoulder, and I surrender. My fight is gone. I have nothing left to hide. Scooping me up into his arms, I lace my arms around his neck and bury my face against his navy suit.
It smells just like him, and I cry some more. This beautiful, kind man knows I’m a whore.