CHAPTER 1
CHLOE’S POV
The music was loud enough to drown guilt.
The lights were bright enough to hide shame.
But nothing could hide the way he was watching me.
“Hey, girl. That man over there calls for you.”
The club worker pointed toward the VIP section, where the real money sat in leather chairs and expensive suits.
I took a slow sip of my drink before turning.
“Me?”
“Yes. You.”
My stomach tightened. It was my first time being called to the VIP section. Curiosity pushed me forward before fear could stop me.
When I reached the table, I saw him.
He was older, much older. Thick gold watch, Heavy rings. The kind of man who didn’t need to raise his voice to be obeyed.
“Hey, baby girl,” he said, gripping my waist and pulling me closer.
My breath caught for a second, but I didn’t pull away.
I had learned not to.
Everything about him screamed money. The watch,the rings.
Even the way he sat felt expensive.
Being called to his table wasn’t just attention, it was opportunity.
I wasn’t stupid enough to waste that.
I didn’t like the way his hand rested on my waist.
But this wasn’t about what I liked.
It was about survival.
Yes, I strip.
Stripping had been my only way forward since my parents died. It paid my tuition. It kept food on my table. It kept me alive.
He smiled at me,I forced myself to smile back.
I hadn’t expected someone like him.
“Sit over here,” he said, patting his lap, a glass of dark liquor balanced in his other hand.
I nodded and sat.
“What do you need, baby girl?” he murmured, his eyes dipping lower lingering at the curve of my dress.
I gave him the smile I had perfected over the years.
The one that never reached my eyes.
“You look so good” he said, staring at me without blinking.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
A few minutes later, he lifted two fingers trying to signal to the attendant.
“Get her another drink.” He said.
The attendant moved immediately, with no delay or questions.
This time, the drink was darker and stronger than the one he was taking.
He took the glass from the attendant and handed it to me himself.
“Have it.”
“Uh… me?” I blinked, pretending I wasn’t sure.
He raised a brow.
“Yes You.” He said looking straight into my eye without blinking.
I wrapped my fingers around the glass and began sipping slowly. It burned deeper going down.
Before I could take another sip, his hand moved sliding across my chest with no fear. He moved his hand slowly like this wasn’t his first time of meeting me.
I gasped softly.
The glass tilted in my hand, and suddenly the drink spilled down the front of my dress.
Cold liquid soaking through the fabric.
For a second, everything froze. “I’m so sorry” I muttered quickly standing up.
My heart was pounding as I hurried toward the restroom.
“Oh my God, what did I just do?” I whispered under my breath.
Inside the mirror, I stared at myself. I dabbed at the stain, trying to calm my breathing.
This was work, men touched, expect anything that comes .
I couldn’t afford to react like it mattered.
I adjusted my dress, fixed my hair, and practiced my smile again.
Then I stepped back out.
From across the VIP section, he lifted his hand calling me back.
My throat tightened, i didn’t have a choice.
He is a VIP. And tonight could be one of the luckiest nights of my life in this stripping job.
As I walked toward him, I noticed the way he sprayed bundles of dollars on the other girls. Not drunkenly, but carefully like he enjoyed being watched.
Money controlled the room, he knew it.
Every other stripper in the club tried so hard to draft his attention towards them. They weren’t dancing for the crowd anymore,they were dancing for him. Laughing louder,moving slower when he looked their way. I watched one of them moved closer than she needed to,hoping he would notice her instead of me. But he didn’t. His eyes stayed on me.
And for the first time that night, I realized something.
He wasn’t just spending money.
He was choosing.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” I said softly when I reached him.
He smiled.
“Nah, it’s fine, baby girl.”
But his eyes lingered on me longer this time, then he stood.
“Come.”
He didn’t explain why he told me to, he didn’t ask ,he commanded.
He turned and walked toward the private hallway behind VIP seats.
I followed.
The music faded as the door behind us closed.
The room was dimmer and quieter. A long couch, table and another bottle waiting.
He removed his jacket slowly and placed it aside, then he reached into his pocket.
And pulled out a thick folded and heavy bundle of cash. He held it loosely between his fingers like it meant nothing.
My eyes betrayed me, they followed the money.
He noticed.
A small smile curved his lips. “You like that?” he asked.
“I’m here to work,” I replied.
He chuckled softly. He stepped closer and placed the bundle on the table.
“This is just the beginning,” he said.
My stomach dropped.
Just the beginning?
My mind began calculating without permission. That bundle alone could cover months of rent. It could clear the fees I had been pretending weren’t due yet, It could buy me time and time was something I was always running out of.
I told myself not to stare.
But money like that was hard to ignore.
Especially when it was sitting there because of me.
He picked up the money again, tapping it lightly against his palm.
“You’ve done this before.”
“Yes” I replied
“But not like this.”
He dropped the bundle onto the table, the sound it made was solid.
Then he looked at me, no smile this time.
Just expectation.
“Take it off.” He said just two words simple and direct.
The room suddenly felt smaller,this wasn’t the loud chaos of the club anymore this was quiet, private and real.
My fingers lingered at the hem of my dress. For a second I thought about walking out but then I looked at the money again.
And I knew
I wasn’t leaving.
