Five
Ava
Three years ago
I take another sip of my coffee, unable to peel my eyes off the gold metal business card sitting on the table. Outside, the first drops of autumn rain trace slow trails down the café’s tall window. It was still sunny when I left the house, so I just threw on a loose T-shirt and jeans.
Now I’ve lingered so long the sky’s gone dark, and if I don’t make a move soon, I’ll freeze on my way back. I glance across the street at the club, watching it slowly fill with people.
God, what am I even doing here? I don’t know. Why is this golden card still in my life after four years? Why does the memory of the man who saved me from something worse than death still haunt me?
A lot has happened since then. That nightmare taught me a hard lesson: I had to live in the shadows. As soon as Sister Maria found out, she used her connections to get me work as a live-in nanny for wealthy families in guarded homes.
It’s been four years. I’m safe. I have a good job, decent money, and a stable life. But something’s still broken. I can’t trust men. I can’t even let one hold my hand. I’m a beautiful girl—plenty of guys have come and gone. But none of them were what I wanted.
And if I’m being honest, I know exactly what’s wrong with me. I want him. The man who saved me without hesitation, without asking for anything in return. I’ve spent years building fantasies around him, no real man even comes close.
And here I am. Sitting across from the club whose business card he gave me years ago, debating whether to walk in or not. What would I even say if I did? He told me to come to him if I was in trouble. And If I’m being real, this is trouble.
If I keep going like this, I’ll never know love. I’ll never have a family of my own, and that’s what I want more than anything in this world. I want a family. Having never had one, I want to build my own.
But where does Maxim fit into this story?
I don’t have an answer, just this deep feeling in my heart that I need to see him.
I’ve known for years I need to see him. It feels like my life is an incomplete puzzle, and only meeting him will make it whole.
My heart is locked tight, and only this man holds the key.
I glance outside again. The rain has stopped and now, like an arrow loosed from the bow, all that energy finally launches me forward. Before it fades, I stand and cross the street.
The hulking bouncer spots me, puffing out his massive chest, using his body as a human barrier to block my way.
“This is a private club,” he says flatly. “If you’re looking to have fun, there’s a bar down the street.”
I hold up the business card Maxim gave me and try to sound confident. “I want to see Maxim. He gave me this card.”
The bouncer takes it from me and studies it closely. A knowing smirk plays on his lips. “A golden business card, huh? You must be really special.”
He hands it back and steps aside, adding, “Maxim’s not here yet. You’ll want to talk to Elen first. No matter how good you are, you’re not getting hired unless she clears you.”
Hired?
I have no idea what he’s talking about, and I don’t care.
I walk through a sleek, mirror-lined hallway, and the moment I step into the main area, I’m hit with a wall of pounding music that shakes my insides, loud chatter, and the sharp sting of alcohol in the air.
The lighting is a dim blur of clashing colors.
I take a few more steps and look around like a kid visiting an amusement park for the first time. Which, in a way, this is my first time. It’s the first time I’ve ever set foot in a strip club.
Heaven.
I have to admit, this version of heaven looks nothing like the one Sister Maria used to describe. My eyes go wide as I take in the girls twirling naked around poles and the way the men stare at them like they’re watching dessert melt in slow motion.
I’m completely absorbed by the scenes, all so new and jarring, when a voice calls from behind me, “You the new girl?”
I turn toward the sound and see a young man behind the bar. His hair is short and dyed violet, his eyebrows are thin and arched, and he’s got a dangling earring in his right ear.
“New girl?” I echo, blinking in confusion.
He elaborates, “Yeah, the one with the golden business card. And judging by that face of yours, I can totally see why the boss handed you one.”
He gives me a sassy once-over, all sisterly and smug. “But girl, you seriously need to do something about your outfit. If Elen sees you in that baggy T-shirt and washed-out jeans, she’s going to have a heart attack.”
Boss? So Maxim owns this place?
The bartender’s tone makes me think of two options. Either he’s gay, or he’s the sassiest straight man I’ve ever met.
“I’m not here for Elen. I want to see Maxim,” I say after sliding onto a barstool.
He glances around, then leans in close. As he pours me a shot of vodka, he murmurs, “Keep your voice down, sweetheart. Maxim might’ve vouched for you, but if Elen decides she doesn’t like you, she’ll make your life hell.
And trust me, not even Maxim can save you from that.
You’d better charm the socks off Elen tonight, because if she gives you the green light, there’s good money in this gig.
I mean, come on, don’t tell me you actually enjoy walking around in those bargain-bin clothes forever? ”
I can’t help but laugh. I knock back the shot and flash him a cocky grin. “For your information, I bought these last week, and they cost me a hundred euros.”
He straightens up, props his hand under his chin, and gives me another dramatic once-over, clearly unimpressed. With one brow arched, he teases, “Whoa, don’t go broke now!”
He says it so sassily that I can’t help but laugh again. I set my empty shot glass down, nudging it toward him for a refill.
Reaching into my pocket to pay for the drink, he waves me off, “On the house, love. I’d hate for you to starve for two weeks over a drink.”
I pull out my cash, puffing up with pride. “I assure you, I can cover my own drink.”
He raises an eyebrow and puts the price list across the counter. My eyes widen at the numbers, and as I stuff the money back in my pocket.
“Or maybe not!” I mutter.
Grabbing the fresh shot, I hold it to my eyes. “What are these drinks made of? Gold?”
I knock it back to taste for myself.
“Oh, sweetheart, this place is on a whole different level from wherever you’re from. But you’ve hit the jackpot. Just imagine the guys who come here, dropping that much on drinks—how much do you think they’d pay for pussy?”
I give him a confused look, and he winks back at me. Before I can ask what he means, he grabs his bottle of liquor and turns to me.
“Gotta get back to work, love. Sit tight, Elen will come find you in a few minutes. Here’s one last shot, to the new girl.”
He fills the glass and saunters off, and I down it without a second thought.
I’m not much of a drinker. Truth is, I’ve never had a close friend to go out drinking with.
Until last year, I’d never even touched the stuff.
But April, the woman whose house I live in and whose kids I care for, has a soft spot for me.
Every now and then, when her husband pisses her off, she drags me into one of her little drinking nights, getting tipsy and ranting about him.
From the little experience I’ve had with April, I’ve learned that alcohol can give you courage, and tonight, I need that courage. I’m in a place where I don’t belong, chasing a meeting with a man I’m not even sure what I want from.
A tall, gorgeous girl struts past me, wearing nothing but a tiny thong, carrying a bucket of champagne. My gaze trails after her. The girl sets the champagne bucket on a table where a man and a woman are locked in a kiss on a red circular leather couch.
With the alcohol heating my head, the sight stirs something inside me that Sister Maria definitely wouldn’t approve of.
I know the Bible by heart, I know how to pray, I know what modesty and honor mean.
But right now, I can’t understand why I wish I were the one in that man’s arms. That kiss awakens a feeling in me I didn’t even know existed.
The man’s strong hands pin the woman’s delicate frame, his lips dancing with hers.
I watch her fingertips trail along his body, and as Maxim’s chiseled muscles and flawless form flash through my mind, I wonder what this feeling could be.
To the heat in my chest and the pounding of my heart, another sensation joins, a pulse between my thighs.
I shake my head, pulling my gaze away before I lose myself completely, and that’s when I see him—the man who’s haunted my dreams for four years.
He’s wearing a white collared shirt, no tie, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, climbing the stairs.
My eyes lock onto him like a spotlight, following him until he disappears from view.
Without hesitation, I head for the stairs, glance up at the second floor, and there he is.
Standing by a tall window, sipping his drink.
I climb the steps and stop at a door I assume leads to his room, based on what I saw from below.
I knock, but the music’s so loud I’m sure I wouldn’t hear him even if he answered. So I take the risk and step inside.
The first thing that grabs my attention when I step into the room is the massive king-sized bed, covered in deep red sheets, dominating most of the space. The air is thick with a heady masculine scent that instantly fills my lungs. I scan the room, trying to find its source.
He’s standing with his back to me, bathed in a haze of red and yellow light, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling window at the chaos of the club below.
Now that I’m just a few steps away from him, my nerves spike. I freeze by the door, unable to tear my eyes away from his broad shoulders.
A few seconds pass before he slowly pivots on his heel and notices me. One hand hangs loosely at his side, while the other holds a square crystal glass that halts midair somewhere over his chest.