Chapter 3 3

I stared at the manager, stunned speechless and I wasn't alone. Every other candidate in the room had frozen in identical disbelief, eyes fixed on him with collective shock. It wasn't just the fact that I got the job. It was that I was the only one who did.

One by one, the other girls filed out of the club, muttering curses in several languages, their glares like daggers slicing across my skin. You'd think years of bullying would've thickened my skin, but apparently, I was still too soft. Their resentment hit me like a tidal wave, suffocating and sharp. My chest tightened, lungs constricting until even shallow breaths felt like drowning. A high, shrill ringing filled my ears, dizziness swelled behind my eyes, and nausea coiled low in my belly. Panic attack.

Two strong hands landed gently on my shoulders, and suddenly, the world stilled.

"I thought getting the job was supposed to be a good thing," Ermes said with a low chuckle.

His touch grounded me like a lifeline. I inhaled, slower this time, and lifted my gaze to meet his. Up close, his beauty was arresting. Eyes like molten gold glowed with a magnetic pull, skin smooth and untouched by flaw or time. Not a line, not a blemish. Either he was much younger than I assumed or his plastic surgeon deserved a standing ovation.

A smile tugged at his full lips, laced with quiet amusement. I realized I'd been staring.

A breathless laugh escaped me. "It is... a good thing. Um, thank you."

His grin widened. "You're so very welcome, darling." He dropped his hands and motioned toward the staff-only door. "Come. I'll show you around. We don't have much time you're starting tonight."

I swallowed hard, forcing a smile as I nodded and followed him. Ten minutes later, nerves had evolved into full-blown dread.

The club took appearances seriously perhaps too seriously. At first, I thought it was some sexist control tactic, but I quickly realized it was... something else entirely.

"We want our employees to stay healthy," Ermes explained casually. "We offer full medical care and encourage proper nutrition."

I let out a disbelieving laugh. Was this man seriously concerned about our diets? He might be the only club manager on Earth who gave a damn about his waitresses' health.

Then he pulled a credit card from his coat pocket and handed it to me. "Consider this start-up money. There's fifteen grand on it. Use it to improve your health and your appearance. It's important for the company."

I stared at the card in my trembling hand. "You're joking, right?"

He turned, brows raised. "Pardon?"

"Er... Ermes." I corrected myself quickly. "You're not secretly planning to harvest my kidneys, are you?"

His eyes sparkled with amusement. "I assure you, our customers have all their internal organs intact."

I clenched my jaw. "So, I won't be expected to do anything other than serve cocktails?"

In a blink, he was standing right in front of me. The sudden proximity stole my breath.

"No one can make you do anything. No one touches you... unless you're willing." His voice was low, steady, and intimate, his gaze locked on mine.

"Unless I'm willing," I repeated, recognizing those exact words from the phone call with the recruiter.

A smirk danced across his lips. "Good girl." Then he turned and muttered under his breath, "And I sure hope you are..."

My mouth parted slightly. I must have imagined that. Had to.

Because if not... God help me.

Ermes could easily star in one of my darker fantasies. There was something devilish in his perfection. The kind of man women would surrender their souls to and throw in their bodies as a bonus. I wasn't hideous by any stretch, but I wasn't the type to turn heads. If he was truly interested in me, then he must have a taste for the unusual. Or he simply hadn't heard the rumors that followed me like a shadow.

"This is your uniform," he announced, swinging open a closet to reveal a sleek, black dress that made my breath hitch. I almost wanted to thank the rat that had chewed through the one I brought. Compared to this, mine was a joke.

I reached for the dress gingerly. "What if it doesn't fit?"

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Of course it'll fit." And then, more quietly, "It was made for you."

My heart lurched. "What was that?"

"Nothing." He waved me off. "Just put it on. The others will be here in fifteen minutes. You'll find cosmetics in the drawer. Have fun." He offered one last devastating smile before slipping out.

By the time the other waitresses started arriving, I was still reeling.

Every woman who walked in looked like she belonged on a runway. Glowing skin, perfect nails, hourglass bodies. I instinctively shrank into the corner, wishing I could disappear.

A stunning brunette approached with a friendly smile. "You must be the new girl. I'm Loredana."

I forced a nervous smile and shook her delicate hand. "Domitilla. Yeah, I'm new."

She chuckled at my awkward grip. "You're nervous."

"More than I ever was for any exam," I admitted.

"Relax. It's just a job. It can even be fun sometimes." She took my hand again and tugged me toward the vanity. "Fix your makeup. Change. We've got fifteen minutes before hell breaks loose."

I gulped. "Is it that bad?"

She shrugged. "You get used to it. The clientele here... they're eccentric. Rich. They talk like they stepped out of a Gothic novel. They're not violent or grabby, but they can be rude."

I laughed. "That's nothing. I once had a regular try to grope me and another smash a beer glass when I refused to serve him."

"Ouch." She grimaced. "That won't happen here. The owner wouldn't allow it."

"The owner?" My pulse quickened without warning.

Loredana blushed faintly. "He's rarely around, and when he is, he stays upstairs in the VIP section."

"What's he like?"

Her smile turned downright sinful. "Mr. Santini? He's the stuff women's fantasies are made of. Dark. Dangerous. Mysterious. And every girl here would crawl over broken glass just to fuck him."

A shiver swept down my spine. The man I'd glimpsed on the balcony during the interviews... could that have been him? He fit the description all too perfectly.

Five minutes later, I stood by the bar in a black sleeveless dress that hugged my curves like it had been stitched by a lover. The neckline dipped just enough to be suggestive without being vulgar. Even walking in four-inch heels felt right. I'd never looked never felt so effortlessly seductive.

"You look hot," Loredana said, stepping up beside me in an identical dress.

"Thanks. You too," I replied with a laugh.

And then the madness began.

In less than ten minutes, the floor filled with over three hundred people. The energy was electric. I fell into rhythm quickly, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease, tray in hand, drinks balanced like second nature. Strangely, every guest I encountered was... pleasant. Odd, certainly. But friendly. One man even leaned in to sniff my hand. Weird but harmless.

Hours passed in a blur. I leaned against the bar, smiling to myself, letting the calm soak into my bones until heat prickled across my skin. A tingle bloomed at the base of my neck, trailing down between my breasts and lower still. My gaze flicked upward, drawn like a moth to flame.

There he was.

Leaning over the balcony's edge, hands gripping the railing, black suit hugging his tall, lethal frame. And those eyes... they locked on mine with an intensity that stole the air from my lungs.

My thighs pressed together. Wet heat pulsed at my core.

His lips curved into a wicked smirk. I bit down on mine, unable to stop the image from forming what would his kiss taste like?

I was losing my damn mind.

I couldn't look away. His gaze stripped me bare. I felt him, everywhere his phantom touch ghosting across my throat, my chest, my thighs. I clenched harder, holding back a moan. What was happening to me?

"So, how's your first night going?" Loredana's voice snapped me out of it, nearly making me yelp.

"Huh?" I blinked at her, dazed.

She gave me a knowing look. "You look flushed. Maybe sit down for a bit."

I nodded numbly and lowered myself into a chair. I glanced back at the balcony empty.

A small, private smile curved my lips.

Whatever I'd felt just now... it was dangerous. Wild. Electric.

And I wanted more.