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Is he ugly? Or maybe he has scars he doesn’t like to show off? I’m not vain enough that I would care about something like that, especially because this is the most respect I’ve been shown since I walked through the doors an hour ago, but I guess there’s no way for him to know that.

“Your name suits you.”

“How so?”

“There’s a fire burning in you.”

I almost scoff and tell him that may have been the case once upon a time, but it’s sure as hell not anymore. Instead, I just shake my head and plaster a placating smile on my lips.

“At the risk of sounding even more cliché than I already have, what’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this? You look out of place.”

“Gee, thanks.” I half laugh at the backhanded compliment.

“That’s not what I meant.” I imagine him shaking his head. “I meant that you’ve looked uncomfortable since I first saw you, and a girl who does this on the regular wouldn’t seem so out of her comfort zone.”

“Maybe it’s my first day.”

“Your boss wouldn’t put a new girl in the VIP area, no matter how pretty she is.”

A surprised laugh escapes my throat. He’s half right, I suppose. It may be my first time working here, but it’s not my first day with him. Lucas trusts me. Or at least he trusts me about as much as he trusts anyone in his organization.

“You seem to know a lot about my boss.”

“I know a lot about a lot of people.”

There’s something about the stranger in the dark that puts me at ease, and I find myself relaxing into the soft leather. Thecouches in here are less worn than anywhere else in the club, and after the day I’ve had, it’s nice to relax.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

I’m met with silence, and part of me is sad he doesn’t want to tell me about himself, which is stupid, right? Why would I care if I know a single thing about this guy?

I’m just going to sit in here until he tells me I can leave, and then I’m going home.

Lucas can go fuck himself if he thinks I’m dealing with anymore of his clients tonight.

CHAPTER NINE

ORION

The light hits her perfectly, illuminating her soft, dark hair and high cheekbones.

But it also highlights something else. Her sadness.

I don’t know how I missed it before, but she seems sadder than usual, like just breathing is hard for her tonight.

“Orion,” I tell her honestly. It’s rare I have to tell someone my name, because most people know it, regardless of which persona I’m wearing.

Her eyes snap up and stare right at me, and my breath stutters in my chest as our eyes clash. She has no idea she’s staring right into my goddamn soul right now when she thinks she’s just looking into the darkness.

She shifts in her seat, tucking one of her legs beneath her to get more comfortable. I’ve been close to Ember a handful of times, but this is the most time we’ve ever spent together while she’s conscious, and I find myself entranced by every soft sound she makes, every shift of her body, every breath she takes.

“Why are we sitting in the dark?” she asks. “If you’re not going to ask me to do anything, and we’re just going to sit here talking, surely we could have more than a few dim lights on.”

I chuckle and brush my fingers over the stubble on my chin. I’ve been growing it longer recently, and I’ve often wondered if Ember will like it. “Don’t you find it calming?”

“No.” She shakes her head, and her short hair falls against her shoulders. The dress she’s wearing is something straight out of my dreams, showing off her creamy flesh in a way her clothes don’t normally. “It’s a bit unsettling, if I’m honest.”

“You don’t like the dark?”