Epilogue
brOOKLYN
Eight Months Later:
“I’m fairly certain I said you weren't ever to come back here.”
I roll my eyes as I wrap my arms around his waist and grin, looking up into his scowling, albeit gorgeous face.
“Yeah, but it isn’t really the same.”
Actually, the club isn’t at all the same. The Mirage is now officially The Oasis, which is almost comically on point. Before, the “mirage” was exactly what it was: a place of false hope, promising a way out but really only dragging you further into the desert.
Now, it’s a whole new place.
When Dimitri Moskovic pulled out of New York, as per his peace agreement with Kir, his intent was to close the club. After all, he only owned it because as a cash-heavy business, it was perfect for money laundering. And if he was moving back to Russia… What was the point?
That’s when I stepped in with a different idea.
“I’m still not entirely sure how you convinced me to become the owner of a goddamn strip club ,” Kir grunts next to me.
I giggle, grinning. “Would you like a replay of how exactly I convinced you?”
His eyes flash as he smiles hungrily back at me. “ You know I would .”
I flush as heat throbs in my core.
“Deal. But first, we do have to go in there. I mean, it is your place.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, on paper. All the headaches, none of the perks.”
“Good thing you love me, huh?”
He chuckles as his arm slides around my waist. “Good thing I do.”
Technically, on paper, Kir is the owner of The Oasis. But the real brains behind the operation, who will be running it once it’s officially open and reaping the income—and slowly paying Kir back at a very fair rate—is Maya.
And, like I said, things have changed around here.
There’s now a strict “no creeps” policy. Isaak ended up working with Maya to recruit and vet a seriously professional team of bouncers. Obviously, people come here for T&A. But there’s a fun, performative kind of strip club, and a sad, predatory kind.
This will be the fun kind, and Maya and her team will make sure of that.
The girls who work here now are all pros who, like Maya, genuinely love the gig—the costumes, the athleticism mixed with the erotic, and the fun that this kind of place can be when you remove the desperation.
Some of the girls who worked here before are still around, others have moved on. Caroline, for instance, now works for Kir in the acquisition wing of his empire.
Apparently, he was really impressed with her shrewd business tactics and her ability to stand her ground.
It’s also not all just stripper poles and lap dances around here anymore. Saturdays there's going to be burlesque performances, with a live band and everything.
Even cooler, the whole area is going to be changing soon.
The mostly abandoned old warehouses and derelict buildings have been bought up by a consortium of Kir and a few other investors, and they're in the early stages of leveling all the old stuff so they can build new apartment buildings with ground floor retail space for bars, cool coffee spots, and more.
“Brooklyn!”
I turn and grin when I see Val walking over with Evelina and Dove.
“Hey!” I pull away from Kir to hug them all.
“M-Mr. Nikolayev,” Evie stammers, bowing in a hilariously formal way.
“Evelina,” he says in that deep voice of his, smiling. “For the last time, Kir is fine.”
Val gives Kir a firm handshake. “BDE. Good to see you, as always.”
Kir sighs and rolls his eyes. Val turns to look up at the new neon sign above the club.
“Who’s ready to see some titties?”
Kir chuckles deeply as I groan. Then I poke Val’s arm. “Hey, where’s?—”
“On his way,” he says with a goofy smile. “Shall we?”
“Oh my God,” Evie blurts. “Did you guys see Inessa’s latest Insta post?”
Dove groans. “Unreal. That whole company is…beyond.”
Inessa, unsurprisingly, did end up getting the Ballet Imperiya Korona spot. We also ended up becoming pretty close in the few months she spent in New York before heading to Moscow.
I’m truly happy for her. I mean that.
Once upon a time, the Imperiya Korona was my dream. But I know now that that dream wasn’t so much the company itself, but the promise it whispered of pulling me out the reality I was drowning in.
But then my reality changed.
Because of him.
So when I say I’m happy for Inessa, and glad she’s there, I really do mean it, and not in “smile and pretend” kind of way. Ballet Imperiya Korona is no longer my dream.
I’m living mine already.
And as impressive as that company is, I’m constantly reminded that the Zakharova is just as prestigious. As Maya once quipped, “the tits are always greener on the other side.”
I don’t need to go to Russia to understand how good I have it here. I have the Zakharova. I have my friends, who mean the world to me. I have him .
The rest is just…noise.
Marcus, the new head of security for The Oasis, grins as we walk up to the front door. “She’s going to be so psyched to see you,” he chuckles. He turns to nod at Kir, whom he apparently knows from doing some other jobs for him. “Mr. Nikolayev,” he says stiffly.
“Oh, it’s just Kir,” Evie blurts.
Inside, my jaw drops as I take in the new space. The outside is relatively the same—though with a bit of a facelift. But the inside?
“Eeee! You’re here!”
I whirl when I hear Maya’s voice as she rushes over and gives me a huge hug.
“This space !” I gasp, looking around in wonder.
The entire interior has been redone to give a sultry, roaring twenties speakeasy vibe, complete with chandeliers dripping with crystals.
It's done in deep reds, blacks, and golds, and instead of the creaky old tables sticky with beer, there are brand-new semicircular booths that all face the massive stage.
“Maya, it's gorgeous .”
She grins before she glances up at Kir and smirks. “Speaking of gorgeous… How we doing, handsome?”
“Still no cousins or brothers that I know of,” he says with a chuckle.
Maya sighs. “Damn. Well, keep me posted.”
“Of course.”
She grins. “And again, even though I’ve said it a million times?—”
“You don’t?—”
“Yes, I do .” She puts her hand out and shakes his. “Thank you for this. Seriously.” She turns to beam at the rest of us. “Okay! We got some prima ballerinas in the hooouse ! C’mon, I’ve got you guys up front in the splash zone.”
Evie looks confused. “Splash zone?”
Val, Dove, and I crack up. Kir makes a face.
“Better get that judgy look off your face,” I grin, elbowing him as we follow Maya to our table. “We’re going to be coming here all the time.”
“Is that so?” he says with a smirk, eying me.
“You know it.”
A cocktail waitress in a glittery gold corset and thigh-high boots brings over a tray of champagne flutes for the table. We all cheers just as the house lights dim.
Hoots and whistles and applause fill the club as Maya struts on stage and welcomes everyone to The Oasis before introducing the new lineup of dancers.
“…Plus a special welcome to an old friend who once used to grace this very stage,” Maya grins, patting the pole next to her as she looks right at me. “And her very generous other half.”
Applause fills the room as I turn to grin at Kir. “What do you think?” I wink. “Should I go back up there, you know, for old times’—”
I giggle as he reacts…well… exactly how you’d expect him to. He yanks me into his lap, clamping one hand over my thighs and the other arm around my waist in a possessive grip that pins me to him.
“I feel a mass casualty event would put a damper on Maya’s soft opening,” he growls.
I laugh as I cup his face and kiss him. “I think I’m good right here.”
“Not good. Perfect ,” he murmurs.
The first two dancers strut on stage to a flurry of cheers and thrown cash. But my eyes are on his, and his on mine.
“I love you so much,” I whisper.
“And I love you , little sinner.”
Then my lips find his, and I kiss him with all that I am.
The Darkest Dance series continues with Roman & Val’s (MM) story in Dance of Defiance