Chapter 2 Celeste

Chapter 2

Ten days later...

The ambient glow of iridescent lights enveloped her, throwing diaphanous rays on her partially exposed form. She entwined her bare legs around the chilling embrace of the stainless-steel pole-the fortress of her transient sanctuary.

"Why can't I strip when others can? Am I your daughter?" Celeste made a heedless indulgence of her manager giving him a finger and drowned herself in a half a bottle of Jonny Walker.

In a mere time of two minutes her act had proven to be folly. It was rendering her mind to go in circles, her vision was in a haze, and her bones were as pliable as wax much against her expectation.

Amidst the throng of affluent patrons, whose faces adorned with lascivious grins and waving wads of currency, Celeste discerned Mr. Cold Mogul who came to the club only to see her dance since she took over this new job.

He is an enigmatic figure, enduringly established in his secluded booth. His gaze was irreplaceably steadfast and unwavering upon her with an intensity that both intrigued and unnerved her to her core.

At times, this waggish feeling flitted through her inebriated consciousness that perhaps he was a receptor of danger, lurking amidst the shadows. Nevertheless, despite the inscrutable veil enveloping his persona, there existed an undeniable allure, a magnetic pull in his eyes that held her captivated to him.

Emboldened by the liquid courage coursing through her veins, she dared to cast him a flirtatious wink, only to be met with a disdainful scowl and averted gaze from him.

Her gestures of goodwill, feeble attempts to develop a friendship between them were met with a silent turnoff, much like her resolute refusal of his persistent requests for private encounters.

He remained like a cryptogram, cloaked in a coulee attire, exuding an aura of intimidation that held her at arm's length always. It was also a reason for her dissent from his repeated solicitation of private meetings. And She bestowed upon him the epithet of Mr. Cold Mogul.

Amidst the pulsating beats of Britney Spears' "Toxic," she ascended her metallic sanctuary, succumbing to the intoxicating rhythm. Yet, within the tumult of sensations, the stark reality of her life emerged-her father's bankruptcy looming large and her mother's escalating healthcare needs casting a shadow over her disoriented state.

The drunken men were gazing at her in a lecherous gale. With a blend of defiance in her mind and trepidation in her legs because of lack of control on alcohol, she endeavored to liberate herself from the constraints of my undergarments, heedless of the manager's arbitrary dictates. No doubt she was a mess in doing the stuff but much against her expectation she could ultimately see it! The storm in his eyes in the form of anger.

If she was not a keen observer, she could have missed it - the surreptitious move of his index finger telling someone to drive something away. And then it happened! Within a blink of her eye, all the Casanovas whose eyes were on her in thirsty stares disappeared like a fog in the atmosphere after a bright sunlight. She needs the money and she thought she could very well nail it on the day but for his possessive watch on her.

Who the bloody hell is he?

In a heartbeat neither could she see Mr Cold Mogul nor the greedy orbs of Lotharios on her.

Soon blackness surrounded her and the last thought was - As cold as a mystery that his eyes were to the world outside bizarrely they only ventilated warmth to her eyes, a feel of protection and safety.

She flicked open her eyes and blinked rapidly, trying to focus on her surroundings. Catching a familiar form, her eyes tentatively traveled up to the glowering gaze of her pissed-off boss. "What the hell's wrong with you tonight, huh? Why did you try to defy me? I told you: do not remove your bra!!" He growled.

Unable to form a coherent sentence, Celeste groaned. Her eyes darted around the cluttered room. "It's an enigma why this rule applies only to me." She said in indignation. "How the hell am I supposed to make money? I'm not allowed to dance with anyone and I'm not allowed to go topless. So what's the point of me being here?"

Manager looked frustrated. "You don't need the money. Everything will be taken care of! Leave this place and get employed somewhere decent." Celeste stared blankly up at him as if he'd spoken a distinct language.

"I lost my job merely a week after I went there drunk. My insane mother wouldn't stop doing drugs despite her weak heart, my father is stuck in a wheelchair losing one of his legs. I am the sole breadwinner of my house. I am not even able to pay for the rental of my matchbox size flat. The house owner is behind me for it. Anyways forget it!" Celeste closed her eyes and swung an arm across her face.

Sasha ran in. "What happened to you?"

As if she did not have enough drama, her friend too is here. "I'm fine. Just a bit of headache and feeling a little tipsy."

Sasha huffed out. "Come out and see what your Romeo is doing.

All the drowsiness in Celeste was lost in a shot. She was out of the club like gail and saw Mr Cold beating the shit out of the old hogs who were making a meal of her body until a few minutes ago. His closed fists repeatedly attacked one of the faces, making his nose bleed and as red as a tomato. With the other hand he pulled the hair of another guy and hit his head repeatedly to the tree trunk situated ahead of them.

While both the men growled in pain and succumbed to the ground in their half conscious state, he walked two steps ahead and punched holes in the stomach of another with his fists. No matter how much he hit them, the anger in his cells wouldn't precipitate. "Throw these old pieces of flesh in a nearby hospital." He gnawed at his man and walked out of the arena.

Frankly speaking, Celeste did not know whether she liked or hated the view before her. His well corded muscles and tattooed arms were in perfect display in the style of a soldier defending his country. Those gray eyes which often felt like a mystery were now cold in mariner blue.

She controlled her intense emotions for him and asked in a neutral tone. "What do you intend to do by bringing their bones out of their body?

And the answer he gave her next turned her entire world topsy turvy.