Chapter 3 – The Man with the Green Eyes

Juliet Pierce

The night had actually been... calm.

People here barely drank. Samy and I were slowly getting used to the scenes unfolding around us, even if my feet were screaming from the stilettos. These were definitely not shoes made for waitressing.

But him.

The man with the green eyes.

Every few minutes I felt his stare burning into me. He never interacted with anyone except the blond guy beside him (Caio had whispered they were the owners).

Whenever their table ordered something, I begged Samy to take it. My heart raced just from him looking at me across the room. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if I got close.

Atlas was always nearby, quietly making it clear to any Dom who lingered too long that "they're not into it." That was enough. Here, they were called Doms, and one sharp word from Atlas sent them moving.

A submissive girl who'd befriended us at the bar explained there were far more Doms looking for partners than submissives willing to play. That's why they kept circling us like sharks.

I was leaning against the bar catching my breath when Caio waved me over.

"Ju, I need you to take a tray to room twelve."

"Room?" I blinked. "There are rooms?"

He grinned. "Some scenes aren't for public viewing. Certain Doms value their privacy."

"Okay... where is it?"

He nodded toward the main stage. "Corridor beside the stage. Private wing. Knock, wait for them to open, don't step inside until invited, and whatever you see-eyes down, mouth shut. Got it?"

I nodded, forcing a smile, but my stomach flipped. My eyes had adjusted to what happened on the main floor... but behind closed doors?

I followed his directions. My hands shook-not fear exactly, more like anxious anticipation of what waited on the other side.

Room 12.

I knocked twice. Nothing.

I remembered Caio's words: wait for them to open. So I waited.

A couple appeared in the hallway. The man's gaze crawled over me like he was already undressing me. The woman on his arm didn't appreciate it.

I knocked again.

This time the door opened.

It was the same man I'd seen on my very first night-the one circling the blindfolded woman on the stage. He didn't speak, just tilted his head for me to enter.

"Excuse me, sir..."

I hurried to the side table, set the tray down, and tried not to look.

I failed.

A woman knelt on the floor, naked except for a thick leather collar around her throat. The leash was wrapped loosely around his fist. When he realized I was staring, he smiled-slow, predatory.

"Thank you, sir," I mumbled and practically ran out, pulling the door shut behind me.

My heart was a full samba parade. I leaned against the wall, eyes closed, trying to breathe.

A hand landed on my waist.

"Hello, darling..."

My eyes snapped open.

It was the man from the hallway-the one who'd been eye-fucking me minutes ago.

"Good evening, sir. Can I help you?" I tried to sound steady. Failed.

"Yes. You can walk with me to my room."

Instant red alert.

I tried to step away; his grip tightened.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm just a waitress."

"That's exactly why I need your services." He squeezed. My entire body started shaking. "My room's full of empty glasses and bottles. I need them cleared."

I nodded, terrified, and let him lead me. The second we crossed the threshold I saw the lie: the table was spotless.

The lock clicked behind me.

"You said there were things to pick up."

"My mistake." He stepped closer.

"Then I have nothing to do here." I moved for the door.

His hand clamped around my arm like a vice.

"I didn't say you could leave."

I yanked-nothing. For one horrifying second George flashed in my mind: the same grip, the same rage, the same ending in bruises and blood.

"Please, sir. Like I said-I'm just the waitress."

He jerked me against him. I twisted. His mouth came down on mine.

I bit him. Hard.

The slap cracked across my face like lightning. I stumbled in the heels and hit the floor. Before I could scramble up he was on me, knees pinning my thighs.

He buried his nose in my neck, inhaling like an animal.

"You're going to obey me, little mouse," he growled, biting my earlobe hard enough to draw blood. "Or I'll punish you."

"Please-I'm not part of this. I'm not one of the girls."

He tried to kiss me again. I turned my face.

"Please let me go."

"That's it, mouse. Beg for me."

I fought, but he was huge. His hand slid under my skirt, fingers forcing their way between my legs. I remembered Atlas's voice like a lifeline.

"I don't want this!" Tears spilled over. "You can't force me-Mr. Atlas said!"

"Atlas is a fucking idiot, and right now you're my pretty little mouse..."

"NO!" I screamed. "STOP! STOP! STOP!"

Useless. George flooded my mind again-all the nights he took whatever he wanted while I cried.

Atlas's words echoed through the panic.

"If you hear 'Red,' everything stops. No questions."

I sucked in a desperate breath.

"RED! RED! RED!"

He laughed, pinning both my wrists above my head with one hand while the other shoved higher under my skirt, stroking me through the thin fabric.

Tears blurred everything. Sobs choked me. I felt him hard against my hip.

I closed my eyes and screamed with everything left in me.

"REEEED!"

The door exploded off its hinges.

And through the splintered frame stepped...

The man with the green eyes.

Chapter 4 – I'm Certain

Noah Blake

Another night I didn't want to be here.

But my partner and best friend, Declan Reed, insisted. Said I'd been hiding long enough.

Ever since I ended my last contract, I hadn't touched anyone. The available subs who drifted through the club weren't my type. Too eager. Too practiced. Too... easy.

The second we walked in, Atlas came straight over with that damn smirk.

"Two new waitresses tonight," he said. "Complete vanilla. First time in a place like this."

Reed raised an eyebrow. "You hired vanilla?"

"They're competent. Glowing references. And after the mess with the last girls... a little innocence might actually be good for business."

From my seat I had a perfect view of them.

The brunette was pretty.

The blonde?

She demanded attention without trying.

"I'm telling you," Atlas went on, "they're magnets. Especially the blonde. Juliet."

"Which one's Juliet?" Reed asked.

"The blonde." Atlas's grin widened. "Polite. Obedient. 'Sir' rolls off her tongue like she was born saying it."

Reed laughed. "I could use one of those. My last one had a mouth on her."

"You say that like you didn't love it," Atlas shot back.

I didn't join the banter. I was already watching her move through the room like she didn't belong in it, yet somehow owned every inch she walked across.

I stood without a word and cut her off mid-stride. Our first collision was brief, but it was enough. Something ignited low in my gut.

When I sat back down, Atlas shook his head.

"Not to be a buzzkill, Blake, but that one? Impossible."

I took a slow sip of my whiskey.

"I love a challenge."

She avoided my table all night. Sent her friend every time. But every time I looked up, her eyes were already on me.

Then I saw her disappear down the private corridor with a tray.

"Why the hell did Caio send the new girl back there?" I asked.

Atlas followed my gaze and frowned. He was halfway to the bar to ask when I stood.

"Blake-"

"Rooms. Now. You're with me."

Reed didn't argue. Atlas caught up as we hit the hallway.

"Which room?" I demanded.

"Dominic."

I pounded once. Dominic opened, confused.

"Problem?"

"The girl?"

"She delivered and left."

Then we heard it. Muffled at first.

"NO! STOP! STOP!"

Atlas froze beside me.

We moved fast, tracking the sound.

"REEEED!"

The scream was pure terror.

One kick and the door splintered off its hinges.

The sight in front of me unleashed something feral.

Juliet was on the floor, mask crooked, blue eyes wide with panic. Calton was on top of her, pinning her wrists above her head, one hand shoved under her skirt.

I didn't think.

I just acted.

I ripped him off her and drove my fist into his face. Again. Again. Every punch carried six years of rage I'd kept locked down.

"Blake-listen-" he gurgled through blood.

I didn't want to hear it.

I'd banned this piece of shit months ago. He didn't understand what being a Dom meant. Consent wasn't a suggestion to him; it was an inconvenience.

I only stopped when he went limp. I let him drop like the trash he was.

"Wolf." The mountain appeared in the doorway. "Get this garbage out of my club. Permanent ban. Tell Ambrose and the others what he did."

I crouched, grabbed Calton by the hair, and got in his face.

"You are never stepping foot in another club again."

One last kick for good measure.

When I turned, Juliet was curled into herself, arms wrapped around her knees. Atlas was murmuring something, rubbing her back. Reed stood nearby, looking ready to commit murder.

We are Doms.

Everything we do is consensual. Mutual pleasure. Power exchange. Never force. Never violence outside negotiated scenes.

I knelt beside her.

"Hey. Can you stand? Want to sit on the bed? Chair?"

She lifted her head. Those crystal-blue eyes locked on mine through the mask.

"Thank you, sir..." Her voice was small, shattered glass. My whole body reacted to the sound. "If it's okay... I just want to go home. You don't have to pay me for tonight." She turned away. "I just want to leave."

Samy-her friend-burst in and threw her arms around her.

Atlas handed over an ice pack. "Mask off, sweetheart. Ice on the cheek before it bruises."

"Thank you, Mr. Atlas... but I really just want to go."

"Pay them and get them home safe," I ordered.

Atlas nodded.

Juliet stood with Samy's help. At the door she paused, looked back at me one last time.

"Thank you, sir."

Our eyes held for three endless seconds.

Then she was gone.

Reed came up beside me.

"You've never gone for the fragile ones."

"She's not fragile." I didn't take my eyes off the empty doorway. "Her eyes say she's a fucking warrior."

"If you say so." He shrugged.

"Make them permanent," I told Atlas when he returned. "Both of them. Every weekend. Starting now."

Reed snorted. "You really think she'll come back after tonight?"

A slow smile curved my mouth.

"I don't think.

I'm certain."

Just like I was certain of one more thing.

Juliet Pierce was going to be mine.

Chapter 5 – I'm In

Juliet Pierce

When that man attacked me, the world didn't just crumble. It shattered into a thousand pieces, dragging every nightmare I'd ever lived through George right back to the surface.

Mr. Atlas was incredibly kind. He paid us triple what we were promised, even though we hadn't finished the night. Wolf (terrifying mountain of a man) walked us to the car and stood there until our taillights disappeared.

Everyone except Wolf had been gentle, attentive, protective. Nothing like what I expected from a place like Paradise.

I asked Samy to drive. In our panic to leave we'd grabbed our bags but never changed. We were still wearing the uniforms.

Atlas slipped me his personal number. "Call if you need anything. Anytime."

"I'm texting Atlas," I said, fingers already flying. "Tell him we'll wash and return the outfits tomorrow."

Samy just nodded, eyes on the road.

I typed:

"Sorry we couldn't finish the night as planned. Promise I'll launder everything and bring them back to you, sir."

Sent. I closed my eyes, leaned my head against the cool window, and tried to breathe.

My phone buzzed almost instantly.

Atlas: "Relax, sweetheart. The night's over. Keep the outfits. Wear them tomorrow-if you're coming back. We'd like to offer you both weekends. Permanent."

My pulse jumped.

Did I want to go back?

Yes, one monster had attacked me. But every single other person had treated me with respect. More than respect-care.

"What is it?" Samy asked.

"Mr. Atlas wants us permanent. Every weekend."

"Shut up!" She nearly swerved. "What did you say?"

"Nothing yet..."

"You don't want to?" She sounded worried.

I stared at the message. Money. Real money. The kind that could give my kids stability.

And if I was honest... something else pulled at me too.

We were already parked in front of our building. Samy unbuckled and turned to me.

"I only say yes if you're in. I can't face those gorgeous men eating me alive without backup."

I laughed despite everything. God, I loved this woman.

"Thank you."

"We're not just friends, Ju. We're soul sisters. I'll never push you into anything that scares you." She squeezed my hand. "Whatever you decide, I'm good."

We hugged like we were the only two people left on earth.

She went to shower at her place and promised to come back to sleep over.

I let myself into my apartment, went straight to the bathroom, and finally looked in the mirror.

Still wearing the damn mask.

I peeled it off, stripped out of the uniform, and stepped into the shower. Hot water has always been my therapy. I stayed under the spray until my fingers pruned and the steam blurred everything.

When I got out, wrapped in my old soft pajamas, I caught my reflection again.

A faint red mark on my cheek. A souvenir from tonight. A flashback to every slap George ever gave me.

I sighed, bone-tired, and crawled into bed.

The front door clicked. Samy slipped in carrying something behind her back and wearing the wickedest grin.

"What are you up to?"

She did a dramatic slow reveal.

"Tadaaa!"

A bottle of the Sauvignon Eduardo had gifted us.

I shook my head, laughing.

"What? Since we didn't get to finish the night with actual Greek gods, we're ending it with a delicious Frenchman." She winked.

"Honestly? I could use it."

We settled on my bed like teenagers. She poured two very generous glasses.

"Do Frenchmen taste this good?" she asked, swirling hers.

"No clue. Never kissed one."

We both cracked up.

"So what do the Doms taste like?"

"Samy!" Heat flooded my cheeks.

I'd thought about the green-eyed man all night. Every time his gaze had pinned me in place...

"Why are you blushing like that?"

"Wine!" I said too quickly.

"Uh-huh. Wine. Or a certain brown-haired, green-eyed god?"

"Stop..." I shoved her shoulder.

"What's the problem, Ju? You're gorgeous. Single-"

"Divorced. Two kids."

"Stop sabotaging yourself."

"It's not sabotage. It's reality." I took a long sip. "Besides, men like him don't go for women like me. You saw the kind of women they play with."

"Caio said that's just bedroom stuff. Half those guys have totally vanilla wives at home. Some are even married to their submissives."

"I still don't get how any of it works."

"Well..." Samy's grin turned devilish. "Maybe we need to go back and find out."

I rolled my eyes, but my stomach flipped.

"So... the offer from Atlas. Have you decided?"

I stared into my glass for a long moment.

"I think I'm going to say yes."

Samy literally bounced on her knees. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

I laughed at her excitement.

"If you wanted it so bad, why didn't you just say so?"

"Because we're soul sisters, Ju. I'd never pressure you." She flopped back down beside me. "But holy shit I'm happy."

"I can tell."

"Don't judge. The money is insane, and I didn't go to college like you. I need this job." She paused, then smirked. "Plus the eye candy is a very nice perk."

We both dissolved into giggles.

Then she got serious.

"No jokes now. Are you sure?"

I looked at my best friend-this chaotic, loyal, incredible woman who would give up everything if it kept me safe.

I took her hands and gave her the warmest, most honest smile I had left.

"I'm sure."