My chest tightened at the thought. Losing him wouldn’t just mean losing an exceptional employee. It would mean losing a trusted friend… and a lover who understood my needs. Plus, that pierced dick? Divine. Who wouldn’t miss that?
I rubbed my lower back where a flicker of heat bloomed and died just as fast. I told myself it was just nostalgia, or maybe a pinched nerve. Nothing more.
My watch buzzed, and I saw it was a text from Riot.
Riot:Don’t mess with the help
Riot:He now thinks he has a shot
I laughedout loud before hitting reply and speaking to the mic. “Then my mission was a success. Let him down nicely for me. Wink emoji, kiss emoji.”
Van opened his mouth, curiosity simmering in his eyes, but a sharp knock snapped my attention to the door. Alic stuck his head in, eyes not meeting mine. “Reminder. Call with Nova in fifteen,” he said, then vanished.
“I thought you two made up?”
Van’s question made perfect sense, but I had no idea either. My face contorted like someone had just asked me to do long division in my head. “We did! I don’t know why he’s acting like that.” I flung a hand toward the door in frustration.
“I’ll let him stew,” I muttered. “He can figure out his feelings on his own.”It's not my problem.
Van's smile faltered, just for a blink, but I caught it. The way his shoulders stiffened, the flicker in his eyes. He didn’t need to say it; his face asked,Is that what you’re doing with me?
Before I had a chance to rephrase, he stood, brushing invisible lint from his pants. “I’ve got rounds. Need to check on a few customers. Make sure tonight goes smoothly.”
Nodding like an idiot, I watched him turn toward the door, my heart screaming even though my mouth stayed silent. Something was shifting between us, cracking at the edges, and I could feel it. The old fixes we used to patch our relationship with were slipping away.
“Van…”
He stopped mid-step.
Silence stretched between us, heavy and raw.
He tilted his head, still not looking back. “It’s all right, Ni,” he said, voice soft but certain.
Then he was gone.
And I was left staring at the door, chewing on words I should have said while wondering why it didn’t feel all right at all.
I was startingto get annoyed. Alic was a stoic wet blanket the entire way back to my apartment. He’d never really been the chatty or emotionally open type, but the side-eyes and bowedhead were giving more“I cheated on you”than“I’m just trying to protect you. Leave me alone.”
I tried pulling answers out of him, tossing out a couple jokes I knew usually landed, but he gave me nothing. Nada. No banter, no snark, no warmth to work with. Not even his normal expressive eyes that told me to stop.
So, when I finally got inside and slammed the door in his face, I exhaled like I hadn’t breathed in days. Tension gone, muscles loose, I could finally relax.
Tossing my tablet on the bed, I wandered to my closet while waiting for Nova to call. When I headed back to the club later, I planned to check in with the platinum clients to see how they were doing and what they wanted to see more of. Sometimes, their ideas were surprisingly good. Other times, I smiled, nodded, and let their ideas fall straight out of my brain.
Scanning my glittering collection, I realized only my casual clothes lacked sparkle. What could I say? I liked being the center of attention.
It didn’t take long to get lost in my half-the-apartment-sized closet, admiring pieces and laughing at memories of what I had done in some of these clothes. Each one had a story that either brought me joy or made me feel amazing. I finally narrowed it down to four outfits, placing them on my bed with matching heels lined up like art pieces. Lording over them, I pinched my lips in thought.What to wear, what to wear.
Glancing at the tablet, I noticed there was still no call. It was forty minutes past our meeting time. Maybe she got caught up in business? I wasn’t worried, just done waiting.
?*I needed something to pump me up and get my head in the game. I grabbed the remote and scrolled through playlists until I found the perfect one and cranked the volume loud enough for the hot-and-cold asshole next door to hear every lyric.
Hips swaying, eyes closed, I let the music take over. When the lyrics hit, I sang them out to the world like it was my personal anthem.
I slipped into my gaudiest heels and stomped around like the floor owed me money. Singing, pointing, running my hands down my body, I let the beat possess me. It felt good to let go, to fully embody the words and beat.
By the time the chorus dropped, I was too deep in the moment to notice I’d let my guard down.
