Adrian's Pov

"Fuck," I groaned as the sunlight sliced through the curtains like punishment .

The room smelled of sex and the faintest trace of something sweet, 'peach' soft and lingering against my skin.

I reached out without thinking, hand brushing the spot where she had been. My fingertips hit nothing but rumpled sheets.

My stomach dropped.

"Angel?" I sat up slowly and scanned the room. My clothes were scattered, the used condom on the floor but no Angel.

No note.

My chest tightened not with panic, not even with confusion, just something heavier.

I climbed off the bed, throwing the blanket to the floor, my back aching from her scratches.

"She left." I laughed bitterly, "I always leave, not the other way around."

Sex was just sex. That's what it had always been.

But last night?

Last night wrecked me.

There was something about the way she touched me. Like I mattered, not as a billionaire and definitely not as a one night stand.

I would've been quite keen on a good morning fuck or at least a conversation about last night.

"Get a grip on yourself, Adrian. She was just a good night fuck."

I grabbed my clothes and hurriedly put them on trying to rein in my disappointment.

A part of me, a small, dangerous part wanted to find her. "Who the hell does she think she is?"

My fingers paused mid button as my eyes fell on the bed again.

Blood.

"What the-" I strode closer to the bed, pulse quickening. The crimson stain is more visible on the sheets. My heart sank.

"Did I hurt her?"

Is that why she left?" My jaw ticked, unsettled by that thought.

Before I could process it further, the door slammed open, my eyes jerked towards it expecting her. But a pot bellied man staggered in, cigar on his lips.

"You are still here." He said with a smug grin. His eyes scanned the room. "I take it that she was a good fuck. Lucky you."

"Who the fuck are you?"

He took the cigar off his lips and wiped his hand on his shirt. "I'm Smith, the owner of this fine establishment." He stretched out his calloused hand for a handshake. I didn't take it.

"Where is she?"

He looked disappointed but covered it up with a smile. "Her shift is over. What she does after is none of my business."

I ran a hand through my hair, pacing the room like a caged animal.

"Is everything okay?"

I stopped pacing and glared at him. "I would like to know why there is blood on the sheets!"

He stared at me as if I had grown two heads before accessing the bed. I should have felt awkward but my despair was greater.

He chuckled, his whole body shaking in unrestrained amusement. "I was scared for a second."

"And?"

He shrugged, "I thought she was lying but I guess she was a virgin. Didn't you notice when you were screwing her?" He chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive way.

I guess she was a virgin.

A virgin?

The words hit me like cold water.

Then it all made sense.

The way she trembled, the way she grabbed onto me like her life depended on it. The way she looked so helpless yet determined. Her screams.

How tight she was.

Was I so blinded by pleasure that I forgot to be careful?

"You gave me a virgin," I said slowly, dangerously. "Without telling me."

He raised a brow. "So?"

My voice dropped to a growl. "So you think I'm the kind of man who buys innocence?"

Smith scoffed.

I stepped forward, and he stopped grinning. "That girl dances semi-naked for money, Mr. Marks. Don't act like you deflowered the Virgin Mary."

Rage coiled in my chest. I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall so hard his cigar dropped to the floor.

"You set me up." I yelled. "You exploited her. I should bury this club to the fucking ground."

His face paled. "W-wait. Your friend paid! I just delivered her as agreed."

He talked about her like she was a product on a shelf.

I let him go, disgust curling in my throat. He fell to the floor, fixing his crumpled collar, too shaken now to look smug.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out with one hand, still staring him down.

Sandra, my Assistant.

"Sir, I've been trying to reach you for hours. Urgent board meeting. Contract leak in London division. They need you in twenty."

I nearly laughed. Of course.

I just took advantage of a girl and now I was supposed to walk into a boardroom and pretend to give a damn about contract leaks.

I looked at Smith one last time. "If I find out you pressured her into anything. I'll make sure Club 99 is destroyed. Understand?"

He nodded too quickly, sweat glistening at his temple.

I walked past him without another word.

---

The boardroom felt like a graveyard.

The spreadsheets looked like a puzzle. The projector blurred as voices droned like flies in the room. I had never been so distracted before.

Sandra leaned close to whisper, "Sir, are you feeling alright?"

That snapped me back to reality.

I wasn't alright.

Because I kept hearing her cries, the way her nails dragged down my back. The way she just felt.

She gave me her all for What? Money? Was that all it was worth to her?

I lasted ten minutes before I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved my chair back, stood up and announced, "Meeting adjourned till further notice."

I ignored the shocked stares and dashed out of the board room and headed towards my office.

"Sir, Sir!" Sandra's voice halted me in my steps. She finally caught up to me, panting.

"What?"

"Miss Victoria is in your office."

I blinked.

Victoria!

My go to booty call. Always ready. Always willing.

She always came when I needed to let out my frustrations. She was convenient. An Acquaintance.

"Okay, you can go. Clear my schedule for the day." I said flatly.

"Yes boss."

By the time I entered my office, she was already seated in my chair, scrolling on her phone.

"Vicky,"

She looked up at the mention of her name and came over fast, always did. Red lips, green dress fitted to her skin, vanilla scent.

"You haven't called me in months." She pouted, wrapping her hands around me.

"I was busy."

"And now?"

I shrugged.

She kissed me. I let her.

She was warm, familiar, and perfect.

But I only felt dirty.

I pulled back to meet her disappointed gaze. "Not here, not right now."

She rolled her eyes and walked to the sofa at the edge of the office. "I've forgotten your rules. No sex at work."

"Go home Vicky. I will call you when I need you."

She knew better than to argue. She rolled her eyes and slammed the door behind her.

I ignored her and headed for the bathroom, ripping off my tie.

Staring into the mirror, I looked like a mess. I had never been so disorganized. My hair was messy, my shirt wrinkled. I smelled like sweat and peach. No one dared to point it out.

I took a quick shower, bracing my hands against the wall. I winced every time the cold water hit my back. A reminder of her, of last night.

I fisted my cock, jerking off hard and fast to the thought of a certain dancer whose pussy had clenched so tight around me that it hurt.

As I stood and watched the cum dripping down the tiles of my shower, all I could think about was how fucked up I was.

I quickly wore my spare suit and walked back into my office. To my relief, Vicky was nowhere in sight.

I plopped on my chair feeling like a man with blood on his hands.

My phone rang twice before I gave in and picked it up.

Leo.

"How was she?" Leo's excited voice made me hiss.

So much for trying to forget.

"She was a virgin." The words ripped out of me before I could stop them.

Silence. Then a disbelieving laugh. "No shit? Damn. Guess you hit the jackpot."

"This isn't funny."

"Why not, she was worth more than the price."

"I feel like I... I violated her or something." My throat tightened. "I fucked her like a slut. I didn't even-"

"Because that's what she is, a slut."

"But-"

"She sold it, Adrian. That's what they do. You paid, she played. End of story."

I gripped the edge of my desk until my knuckles turned white.

It didn't feel like that. Not for one second.

But I didn't say that out loud.

Leo kept going, his tone exasperated. "You're overthinking it. Forget the girl."

"I can't get her out of my head!" I snapped.

"Was she that good?"

I hung up, unable to take it anymore.

He was right. She's nothing.

Just a girl in a mask who sold herself for money.

So why the hell do I feel like I'm the one who lost something?

Sabrina's Pov

Yesterday, at exactly this time. My life was normal.

Wake up. Go to class. Pull a double shift. Dance at the club. Sleep. Repeat.

Hard but normal.

Now?

My whole body ached. My thighs hurt. I couldn't walk without feeling the ache between my legs.

Yet I couldn't skip class. Not when attendance counted for half my grade and my scholarship was already hanging by a thread. So I dragged myself after a gruesome shower to class.

"Remember to do your assignments and submit them in my email before midnight." My professor droned. "Class dismissed."

It wasn't until a classmate bumped into my seat that I realized class was over.

"You looked distracted throughout the lecture. Is everything okay?" Lucas, my seat mate, said as he dropped his backpack on my table, concern etched on his face.

I forced a smile, "I'm okay,"

"You don't look okay." He brushed a stray hair and tucked it behind my hair. Leaning too close for comfort.

"You know you can count on me right?" His voice soft, minty breath fanning my face.

I gave him a wry grin which seemed to have satisfied him.

"I'm having a party at my place tonight. You are invited. You can bring Ana as well."

The thought of going to a party, of music, of dancing, only made my head ache. I wasn't the girl who had fun at a party. I was the girl whose night consisted of dancing in the club while others enjoyed their youth.

Only Ana knew, no one else.

"I can't,"

His brow furrowed, "Why not? This is the third time you've blown me off? Did I do something?"

Lucas had always been a nice guy. Safe. If I wasn't caught up with Adrian, If I wasn't ruined, maybe I could have given him a chance.

But who would want to be with a stripper? A stripper who just sold herself to the highest bidder? If he knew what I had done last night, he wouldn't be here.

Overwhelmed, I shifted back a little. "I gotta go." I grabbed my bag and dashed off before he could stop me.

A part of me felt sorry for being rude but I just couldn't take it. I just couldn't pretend my world hadn't shifted.

I skipped the cafe. Thumb flying over my screen to text Ana.

"On my period. Can't work. Sorry."

She sent back five crying emojis and a promise to cover my shift.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Ana didn't deserve being lied to. I was such a bad friend.

My phone buzzed with a message from Smith.

"Come by the club, we need to talk."

I groaned.

"Can't he just leave me alone." I muttered to no one, my eyes watering.

My phone buzzed again. A Credit Alert.

Two thousand dollars from Smith.

The screen blurred. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"What is he playing at now?"

I didn't wait a second before catching the first bus to club 99. I needed answers even though my body screamed not to go back.

I found Smith at his usual booth, smoking with a disturbed look on his face.

I dropped my phone on the table and pointed at it. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Your payment," He deadpanned.

"How can this be my payment when I owe you half of it. Make it make sense, Smith."

"I don't know what the hell you did to that man." His voice was sharp with fury.

My heart stuttered. "What are you talking about?"

"He grabbed me like I weighed nothing and almost killed me. He threatened to destroy my club. Because of you."

My throat went dry. "He what?"

"You being a virgin pissed him off. So, you're gonna stay on my good side. If he asks for you again, you tell him I didn't force you into anything. Got it?"

"I-I don't understand."

He threw a bottle against the wall causing me to jolt back in shock.

He stood up, his eyes red. "Don't play dumb with me. That man isn't someone to mess with. Do as I told you. You are free for tonight." he brushed past me in anger, leaving me trembling in his wake.

My hands shook as I slid my phone into my bag.

Adrian had been angry.

Angry enough to threaten Smith.

Why?

Why would he care?

---

By the time I got home, my skull ached from too many questions, my heart burning with anxiety.

I barely had time to settle down before someone banged on the door.

"Sab?" Ana's voice floated through the door.

God, why now?

I forced a smile that hurt my face and dragged myself to open the door.

Ana stood there looking worried, a paper bag in one hand. Chris loomed behind her, hands shoved into his hoodie pocket, grin easy and familiar.

"You missed your shift," Ana said, her brows knitting. "That never happens."

"The pain was unbearable," I lied, stepping back to let them in. "I'm just feeling better now."

Chris's eyes flicked over me, sharp and familiar in a way that made my stomach twist. He looked too much like Adrian. The softer version. "You look a mess."

I laughed, brittle and hollow. "Gee, thanks."

Ana handed the paper bag to me. "I brought painkillers and snacks. Figured you wouldn't have eaten."

"Thanks," I said softly. I hadn't even remembered to eat. I had been too caught up with my fears. Guilt coiled tighter.

They stayed for half an hour, talking about school and assignments and Chris's upcoming basketball game. I nodded, smiled and talked in all the right places, but my mind wasn't there.

It was in that dark room a night ago, tangled in sheets, with a man who didn't know me. But was angry enough to make threats.

When they finally left, I sank onto the bed and pressed my palms to my face.

A louder and sharper knock came this time.

I peeked through the peephole and cursed under my breath.

Mr. Luke.

My landlord.

I opened the door. "The rent's not due till tomorrow."

He leaned against the doorframe like he owned more than just the building. "I know. But I was in the neighborhood. Thought I'd check in... see how you were surviving."

My fingers closed around the doorknob. "I'm surviving just fine."

His eyes flicked down to my bare legs. I was just clad in a large white shirt that didn't reach my knees. I felt naked.

He smirked. "You know, there's other ways to pay the rent...Sweet."

Disgust curled in my throat.

I started to shut the door, but his foot slid forward, blocking it. "I'm just saying, I could waive this month and next month's rent, if you warm my bed."

"Move your foot," My voice cracked.

"Think about it." His grin widened like he knew I was helpless. "You could end up on the street defenseless. I'm giving you a choice now but they won't."

I slammed the door so hard it rattled the frame.

I rushed to my bed and grabbed my phone. Hands shaking, I transferred the rent to his account. Out of the money I got from Smith.

Blood money. Shameful money.

I slid down to the floor finally letting the tears that had been building up fall. Heart heavy, skin dirty.

Because no matter what I told myself, I was just another girl trading her body for money.

Just another slut in a city full of wolves.

Adrian Marks doesn't know who I am. Not yet.

But sooner or later, he would find out.

And when he does...

Ana would be disappointed.

Chris would hate me.

And everything I had tried to keep together would come crashing down.

God help me, I don't know what to do.

Adrian's Pov

My day started as usual: board meetings, endless calls, and a lingering thought of a woman I couldn't shake.

Three weeks had passed since that night, the night I lost control. The night I couldn't forget no matter how much I tried. No amount of work dulled it. And Victoria's seduction hadn't even worked.

I hated myself for letting a stripper get under my skin.

I was mid-way through reviewing an acquisition contract when the double doors to my office swung open without a knock. Only one person in the entire world could get away with it.

"Adrian." My grandmother's voice sounded like doom. "You look like hell."

I didn't glance up. "And good morning to you too."

I set down my pen like I was preparing for war and finally looked up.

Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she made her way to the chair opposite my desk. She wore a sharp navy suit, carried a matching purse that could knock a man unconscious, and wielded her authority like a weapon

Her lips curved in disapproval. "You haven't called once since I came back from Italy. Not even a text. I could've died of loneliness and you'd be none the wiser."

"I didn't know you were back," I muttered.

Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Liar. You just didn't want to hear me talk about marriage again."

I groaned.

"What was that? Speak louder. I'm old, not deaf."

"I said I don't have time for that," I repeated, louder. "I'm running an entire company now, in case you've forgotten.

She smacked my arm with the purse earning a frown from me.

"You're thirty-five."

"Thirty-four," I corrected.

"Don't interrupt me." Her eyes narrowed. "There's no difference. Do you think our family name will live forever without an heir?"

Here we go.

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my temple. "Not again?"

"Yes, I will keep pestering you until you do what needs to be done."

"I'm busy expanding our business."

"The business will die with you," she snapped. "Or would you rather see your unserious brother inherit everything and burn it to the ground?"

I clenched my jaw. "Chris isn't-"

"Enough!" She banged her purse on my desk. "I give you three months to find an eligible woman to be your bride."

I stared at the purse like it was a loaded gun. "And if I don't."

"Then I'll start planning a wedding without your input." She said coldly.

She retrieved her purse and smiled, "Three months. No more, no less."

She patted my cheek like I was five. "You'll thank me someday, my dear."

And with that, she swept out of my office like a villain in heels, leaving behind a faint scent of lavender.

I slumped back in my chair and muttered to myself.

"Shit."

---

The meeting dragged on longer than it should, filled with meaningless pleasantries and roundabout discussions. I played along, responding when necessary, nodding when expected, but I was already tired before they even got to the actual point of the conversation.

By the time the meeting was over, my patience had run thin.

Drake drove me home, navigating the city streets with quiet efficiency. When he pulled up to my penthouse, the staff stood at the entrance already prepared for my arrival.

I pressed a thumb against my temple.

"We are home," Drake's worried voice cut through my thoughts.

I should have felt relieved but I was restless.

"Take me to club 99."

"Sir?" He spluttered, shocked.

"You heard me." I said flatly.

He cleared his throat and nodded, reversing back into the street.

I peeled off my jacket, tossing it beside me before undoing my cuffs. My muscles ached, my body tight with exhaustion. I should be resting but there was something exciting about seeing her again.

Club 99 pulsed with energy. Neon lights decorated the street, music thumped through the walls, and the air smelled like smoke and beer.

It wasn't filled up like that night. Probably because it was a Monday. She was nowhere in sight.

I found Smith observing the stage in a corner, cigar between his teeth, grin already spreading when he saw me.

"Well, well. Look who is here. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Where is she?" I didn't bother with pleasantries.

His grin faltered. "Straight to the point. I like that. I've got a dozen girls who'd kill for your attention. You have to be specific."

"You know damn well who I'm talking about." I snapped.

He laughed without mirth. "Angel," he said, savoring the name like milk. "The girl you broke in."

My hands curled into fists at my sides. "Where is she?"

He shrugged. "On break."

My heart sank. "Till when?"

"Hard to say. Something about a project. She's a final year student, you know."

The words hit me like a blow. A student.

I stared at him, searching for any sign of deceit. "College?"

He grinned. "Don't look so mortified, Mr. Marks. Most of my girls are paying their way through school. You think they all dance for fun?"

Something twisted in my gut. She wasn't just a dancer. She was... young. Too young for the things I had done to her.

"Where?" My voice was tight, heart pounding against my chest like vengeance.

He shrugged, blowing a smoke into the air. "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."

I reached into my jacket, pulled out a thick wad of cash, and dropped it on the table. His eyes lit up.

"For a phone number," I said.

He smirked and quickly scribbled something on his napkin. He slid it towards me. "There you go. Her number. Worth every dime."

I stared at the digits like they were a warning.

Smith leaned back, puffing smoke toward the ceiling. "Didn't think the great Adrian Marks would lose his shit over one of my girls. She must've been terrific."

I pocketed the napkin without a word.

And as I walked out into the cold night, my mind was a storm of questions I had no answer to.

One call. That's all it would take to hear her voice. To find her.

So why did I feel like dialing that number would destroy me?