Daphne's POV
My heart was beating so loud inside that box, I was sure someone outside could hear it. It was hot, dark, and I could barely breathe with how nervous I was. The music thumped through the walls, and every beat made my chest shake harder.
This was it.
The manager's warning still echoed in my ears, sharp and serious. Natashia's words too,"Tonight, you won't be able to say no." They made me shiver, but I tried to push them away. I needed to stay calm. I needed to play my part.
I smoothed my hands down my thighs, feeling the lace of the pink lingerie hugging my skin. My long brunette hair was curled perfectly, sprayed so it wouldn't fall flat tonight. At least, when I thought about how I looked, I felt a spark of confidence. I looked hot. Beautiful even. And maybe, just maybe, I could fake my way through this.
Then I heard it, the ribbon sliding, the men cheering, the box opening.
Bright light spilled in, blinding me at first. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to smile. My body trembled, but I lifted my chin and stepped out slowly, letting the ribbon drag across my shoulder. The men roared with approval, their eyes greedy and shameless.
I started moving, swaying my hips to the music, pretending I was in control. Pretending I wasn't scared. Every move I made felt like fire against my skin, every pair of eyes stripping me bare.
The music grew louder, hotter, and the men clapped their hands, shouting and cheering. I let my body move to the rhythm, swaying my hips, arching my back, pretending I was fearless.
Then I remembered Apollo. He was the groom-to-be, the reason we were here.
I turned my steps toward him, every sway of my hips meant to tease, to entertain. His friends howled and whistled as I glided across the room, my heels clicking on the floor, my lingerie hugging me like a second skin.
When I reached him, I placed a hand on his shoulder and bent down just enough for him to smell my perfume. My hair brushed against his cheek as I slowly rolled my body to the beat. The room erupted with laughter and wild cheers.
I smiled, though it wasn't real. Inside, my nerves were tangled, but outside, I was the perfect performer.
And then I saw him.
That man I saw in the club.
He is there on the couch, a drink in his hand, looking like he owned the world. The same man who had been haunting my thoughts since that night on the stage. His eyes were on me...dark, intense, hungry.
My breath caught. For a moment, the surrounding noise faded. It was just him and me.
I let the music guide me as I slid closer to Apollo, lowering myself onto his lap with a playful sway of my hips. The surrounding men cheered louder, their laughter mixing with the beat, urging me on. Apollo leaned back, grinning like a king, his hands hovering close but not daring to touch.
I pressed a finger into his chest, tracing slow circles as I rolled my body to the rhythm, making it seem like the whole performance was for him. My hair fell over my shoulder, brushing lightly against his face as I arched back, giving them all the show they wanted.
Dustin's POV
I swear I didn't breathe the moment that box opened.
And then she came out...the woman who lingers in my mind. She's mine. The same girl who had been haunting my nights since the moment I first saw her dancing at that bar. She was real, standing there in front of everyone, moving her body like sin itself was dripping from her skin.
The room went wild. The music pounded, men whistled and laughed, but all I heard was the rush of blood in my ears. She looked like a dream I'd been chasing, only this time I wasn't asleep.
And then she walked to Apollo. Sat on his lap. Danced for him.
I gripped my glass so hard I thought it would break. My best friend's bachelor party, his "last night of freedom", and there she was, giving him the kind of show I'd been craving for myself. Watching her bend for him, smile at him, roll her hips against him… it burned through me.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I stood, calm on the outside but on fire inside, and walked over to where Apollo sat. He was grinning, drunk on attention, basking in the cheers of the men. I leaned down, my lips close to his ear, my voice low enough for only him to hear.
I couldn't stand it anymore. Watching her move on Apollo's lap, touching him, smiling for him, it was eating me alive.
I walked up, slow and steady, like I owned the damn room. Apollo leaned back in his chair, smug, drunk, enjoying every second. But I wasn't in the mood for games. I leaned close to him, my voice low, hard, leaving no room for argument.
"She's mine tonight."
Apollo laughed under his breath, shaking his head like he wasn't surprised. He knew me too well. He tipped back his drink, eyes glinting, then nodded. "Take her, brother. She's all yours."
That was it. No fight, no resistance. He gave her up without a second thought.
And when I straightened, her eyes found mine…uncertain, wide, but burning with the same fire that had been driving me insane since the first night I saw her.
She had no idea what was coming.
Daphne's POV
The music was still loud, the men were still laughing, but suddenly it all faded in my ears when I felt his eyes on me.
That man.
He was standing there, towering, his gaze heavy like it could strip me bare without even touching me. My body froze on Apollo's lap, but then I saw how Apollo leaned back, smirking, like he already knew what was happening.
"She's mine tonight."
The words left that man's mouth like a command, and just like that, Apollo let me go. He didn't even hesitate. One second I was on him, the next his hand was lifting off my waist as if passing me over.
And then there he is…closer. So close I could smell his cologne, sharp and clean, mixing with the smoke and whiskey in the air. My heart was pounding so hard I thought the others could hear it.
I should've been scared. I should've moved away. But the way he looked at me like I belonged to him already… it made my knees weak.
"Come here," he said, voice low, eyes locked on mine.
And without even thinking, I did.
Third-Person POV
"Here," he said simply, his tone commanding without needing to shout. He patted his thigh, his gaze never leaving hers.
Daphne froze for a second, her lips parting slightly. They still didn't know each other, he was just another powerful man in the room, and she was just the dancer brought in to perform. Yet the way he looked at her made it feel like no one else existed.
The girls laughed, egging her on. The men whistled, but Daphne stepped closer, the heels of her shoes tapping against the floor, and lowered herself onto Dustin's lap.
The air grew hotter.