Page 38 of Dance of Devils

“Thank you again for the other night,” I reply quietly. “Sir.”

9

BROOKLYN

I'm filledwith dread when I enter the back door of The Mirage and head to the changing room. Mercifully, one of the girls mentions that Lou is preoccupied with a VIP room full of Bratva enforcers.

Guess I’m safe from him, at least temporarily.

I put my soggy sandwiches in the refrigerator in the little kitchenette next to the changing area, then stash the rest of my stuff in my locker. I flip through my various costumes before I settle on a “sexy policewoman” outfit that tears away with a light tug.

“Mmm. There’s a retirement party out there tonight.”

I turn to see Maya standing behind me, hip cocked, wearing a neon green thong bikini that contrasts gorgeously with her caramel tanned skin.

“For a headmaster at a private school.” She rolls her eyes. “I’d go naughty schoolgirl for maximum cash.”

I make a face. “Eww, gross?”

“Gotta get that money, girl.”

Truer words, my friend.

I peel off my street clothes, slip into super-stretchy, easily pulled-away panties and a matching demi-bra, then grab the schoolgirl outfit from my costume rack.

“So, that guy who was looking for me…?”

Maya winces. “I didn't mean to scare you by putting it that way. Like, yeah, I got weird vibes, but just because I wasn’t expecting someone like that.”

I arch a brow. “Someone like that?”

“Like I said, hot asfuck,” Maya grins. “I’m not even joking. He looked rich, too. Had that air about him, and he was dressedreallywell.” She taps her chin. “Smelled nice, too.”

My brows knit. “Was it Roman?”

Maya frowns. “The big cute confused one who comes in sometimes?” She giggles. “No, not him.”

“Weird.”

“Don't stress about it. Like I said, he was probably someone from your lawyer.”

I’m at the vanity doing my makeup when my phone dings with a text from a friend, asking if I’d like to grab a drink after my shift's over.

Me

You have no IDEA how necessary that is today. Call u later.

Months ago,I was in a pretty bad situation. I mean, it’s not like I’m in a terrific place now, but that wasdefinitelya low point. I was a few months into living in Pearl, perpetually sleep deprived, hungry, and money wasreallytight.

It wasn’t my proudest moment, but I found myself starting an OnlyFans account. I never thought I'd be on a site that almost exclusively skews toward adult content where followers can “subscribe” to a creator for pay-per-view content or certain custom photos or videos, but you do what you have to.

I figured I was already stripping, so why not? I made sure I never showed my face, never even did anything really explicit—mostly just “erotic” photoshoots with dramatic lighting, lingerie, a few partial nudes.

Eventually, it felt way too much like I was doing porn, so I stopped. No shame or judgment to the people who use it to make a living atall. It just wasn’t for me, and it was sending me spiraling me into a negative place.

That spiral hit its lowest point about nine months ago.

Evelina’s older brother Roman was throwing a party at their father’s house, which he does fairly frequently. A bunch of us from the Zakharova went, but while most of my friends just came to have fun, I came tomedicate.