Athena's POV:
Damon raised his gaze, looking up at me, and I didn't dare look away. I never back down from a hard stare. He tilted his head, his smooth brown hair catching the yellow light of the hall. For a second, his lips parted as if he were about to speak, but then he seemed to change his mind. He simply nodded and took a sip of his drink.
"What about us? Aren't you going to introduce us?" a black-haired man sitting next to Damon asked with a playful scolding tone. Stephanie rolled her eyes at him.
"This is my brother's friend, Smith. And this one," she said, pointing to a blonde man, "is Damon's assistant. But don't worry, they aren't important people."
I let out a light laugh as they glared at her. Stephanie scoffed and pulled me away, leading me back toward the other girls. I saw Cyril was already busy chatting with a young man in a suit. It looked like she had caught her "big fish" after all.
"I need to go entertain the guests for a bit," Stephanie excused herself. I stood there with Risha until a waiter approached us with two drinks. I stared at the glass; I hated accepting open drinks, even at expensive, high-end parties.
Risha didn't have the same worries. She snatched a glass and took a quick sip.
"Seriously?" I asked, raising a surprised eyebrow.
"Athena, no one is going to drug us here," she said with a shrug. "These men are rich enough to afford me, so they don't need to use drugs."
I rolled my eyes, but then I noticed her mouth go wide. I turned to see what she was looking at. The blonde man Stephanie had introduced as Damon's assistant was walking straight toward us.
"He is hot," Risha whispered, finally closing her mouth. I just sighed.
The man stopped in front of me. His blue suit fit him perfectly, showing off a strong build. He was slightly taller than me, and even though he was an assistant, he didn't give off the vibe of someone who took orders.
"Uhm..." He cleared his throat and slowly loosened his tie. "My boss would like to invite you to perform a private dance for him," he said.
My fists clenched so hard I was sure my knuckles were white. My jaw tightened as I looked over at the Royal family's table. Damon's gaze was still locked on me. He seriously sent his assistant to ask me for a private dance?
"I don't—" I started, but Risha cut me off.
"How much is he offering?"
I glared at her, but she ignored me, focusing entirely on the man.
"Whatever you want," the assistant replied. "We could start at half a million."
Half a million? That much money for one private dance?
"Oh my God... Athena, don't you dare say no," Risha warned me with a look, but she knew her opinion wouldn't change my mind.
"Tell your boss I don't do private dances," I said firmly. "But I can recommend someone else."
The man's brows furrowed. He looked down at the phone in his hand, and that's when I realized he was on a call. Damon was likely listening to every word we said.
"Are you sure about this?" the assistant asked.
"Yes. I'm not interested," I repeated. If looks could kill, Risha's stare would have ended me right there.
"Is that your final decision?" He raised a brow, giving me a pleading look as if his job depended on it. I didn't care. That man at the table didn't even think it was worth it to say hello to me when I was standing right in front of him.
More importantly, I never did private dances. Private dances meant touching, and I wasn't going to let any of them touch me. People already thought I was a slut because of my job, but I wasn't going to actually become one.
"Please tell Stephanie an emergency came up and I had to leave," I told the assistant. His eyes widened, but I didn't wait for him to respond. "Risha, go get Cyril."
I walked out of the hall, feeling everyone's eyes on my back. I didn't turn around to see the look on Damon's face. Whatever he was thinking, he needed to learn that his money could only take him so far.
***
I parked my car at Parcour after dropping the girls off. I walked to the entrance, and the doorman, Jake, held the door for me. I gave him a small smile before heading to the elevator and pressing the button for the 15th floor.
As the elevator went up, I leaned back and pulled out my phone. I had several messages from Stephanie asking if I was okay and why I had left the party so suddenly. I might make it seem like I left because of Damon's request, but that wasn't the whole truth. I left because I was in a place where I wasn't respected.
But what did I expect? I'm an exotic dancer. Who respects a career like that? I dance to turn them on, and then I get upset when they look at me like I'm standing there naked.
The elevator bell rang. There were only two penthouses on this floor, and mine was the first one. I typed in my door code while trying to think of a good excuse to send to Stephanie.
The darkness of the apartment surrounded me as I stepped inside. I flipped on the light switch and froze.
"Jesus!" I gasped. I found a person sitting on my couch. My fear quickly turned into pure anger. This wasn't the first time he had broken into my home, but it scared me every single time.
"You can't keep showing up like this!" I snapped. I was furious. I kicked off my heels and walked over to the small bar to pour a drink.
"I pay for this penthouse, so why can't I?" his arrogant voice boomed through the room.
My teeth gritted together. I needed that drink now more than ever. I drank directly from the bottle and pushed my shoes aside, trying to walk past him to my bedroom.
"Come back here," he ordered.
I stopped in my tracks. I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. If I yelled at him, I would only end up getting hurt, and I was too exhausted for that tonight. Once I felt steady, I turned and walked toward him.
He was sitting on the couch with his shirt unbuttoned and his suit jacket tossed to the side. Half-smoked cigarettes were scattered all over the floor. His brown eyes looked at me with a lazy expression.
"Where are you coming from?"
Based on his tone, I was sure he already knew. But he wanted to hear me say it. I have never hated anyone as much as I hate this man. He had an incredible amount of money and power, which made him feel like he could do anything. Men with money made me sick.
"A friend's party," I answered.
"A Royal party. You attended a party thrown by the Royals," he said, letting out a laugh that gave me the creeps. I took a step back.
It was no secret that the Royal and Orion families hated each other. Damon's biggest enemy in the business world was the man sitting right in front of me: Yannick Orion. The man who claimed he owned me.
I bit my lip and stayed quiet. He hated noise, especially when he was angry.
"But that's fine. At least something good came out of it," he said, his laughter dying down as he lit a new cigarette. I wondered what he meant by that.
"That lunatic Damon didn't pay attention to any of the girls I paid to seduce him. But he looked at you. My woman."
I wasn't his woman.
Yannick Orion was a monster and the man who could ruin my life with a single phone call. He was the man who had bought me from the black market after my uncle sold me.
"Will you do a little favor for me, baby?" he asked.
He wasn't really asking. I knew that whatever he wanted me to do, I wouldn't have a choice.