Page 230 of Blackwood

The crowd screams as Drake emerges from the shadows, grinning like a damn devil, dragging a fucking chair to the center of the floor.

My spine snaps straight. “Oh, hell no.”

Drake plops down in it, legs wide and full of confidence.

“Alright, goddess,” Knox says, trying not to laugh. “You know this song. I’ve seen you do it. Usually on a Row boy or two, but your boy Drake specifically requested this one for himself.”

Bella’s face lights up. Part surprise, part challenge.

“So let’s see thatBooty Work!”

I step forward, rage crawling up my throat like a wildfire. Cade grabs me by the front of my harness and yanks me back into him, locking his arms around me. “Breathe, she comes home with us,” he says, calm but firm.

My fists clench as Bella walks to the chair like she’s walking into a confession booth. Her hips rolling and her eyes locked on Drake like he’s already been sentenced. She straddles the chair. Spins. Drops low.

Ellie and Haley burst out from the wings, shrieking like backup dancers summoned by Satan himself.

“Fucking Christ,” I mutter.

The Trifecta takes over. Bella center, the other two flanking her. Hands on knees. Hips circling. Hair flying. It’s not just sexy. It’s raw, choreographed sin. And I hate how much I love it. Because it’s brilliant, because it’s perfect. Because she looks like she’s made of fire and sweat and silk and ruin.I just wish it wasmein that goddamn chair.

“Woah! How about that?” Knox roars over the crowd, voice ragged with laughter. “Sam gave us heart, Drake gave us heat…”

He pauses, just enough to let the tension breathe. “Josh. You’re up, man.”

Josh strides out, smug grin and flexed confidence, dragging out not one, but two more chairs to the dancefloor.

Cade’s hand tightens on my arm like he already knows I’m about to launch myself into the center of the floor.

“What the actual fuck,” I mutter.

“Lex,” Cade warns.

“Goddesses,” Knox purrs into the mic, drawing the word out like silk. “Please… take a seat.”

The girls glance at each other, then laugh and strut toward the chairs like this is just another rehearsal. Bella sits center. Ellie and Haley beside her. The room practically combusts when the first beat of“Pony”hits the speakers.

“No fucking way. This is going to be some Magic Mike shit, Cade.”

The guys move slow like predators. It’s ridiculous. It’s obscene. It’s… working. Josh drops to his knees between Bella’s thighs and the crowd loses its mind.

She laughs, head thrown back. It’s the sound that tips me over the edge.

“Jesus,” I mutter, dragging a hand through my hair. “She’s gonna kill me.”

Then the chorus hits and the girls flip it. Bella shoves the chair back with her heel, stands, and pushes Josh down into it. Ellie and Haley doing the same to Sam and Drake. The crowd screams.

She swings a leg over his lap, grinding once before twisting off and ripping one of his gold chest straps free. She holds it up high, shimmering in the light, and smirks like a goddess collecting spoils.

The lights hit her, gold and sweat and vengeance. She looks right at me and smiles that wicked little smile.

“That little tease,” I hiss.

Cade laughs beside me quiet, breathless, and in awe. “Yeah,” he says, voice warm and wrecked. “God, I love her.”

Knox breathes into the mic, half-laughing, half-exhausted. “Somebody give it up for those performances. I mean damn, talk about divine intervention. That was some godly shit.”

The crowd screams again. “Alright Obsidian, you know what to do. Dim it down, turn it up, and find someone worth sinning with.”