Page 26 of Kiss of Seduction (Court of Chains #1)

Evie’s class was clearing out, the final few women making small talk as they gathered up their things. It saddened her to watch them go. The weekend pole dancing classes were the highlights of her week. It was the only time she left the high-rise. The only time things felt somewhat normal.

It had Evie missing the club scene and how things used to be. She’d liked her old job. She missed the camaraderie with the other girls and the night scene of a city. It was her fear of the dark and the memory of Varro’s lingering eyes that kept her away from it.

When the final people left, Evie put on her private playlist and started practicing on her own. No one would be using the room for a few hours, and she didn’t want to go back to the high-rise just yet. The people there wanted her to remember. Natalya wanted her to remember.

She was working on a new routine, something too complex for the beginners she’d just been teaching.

It required focus and used her entire body, both things that pulled her out of her head.

Evie followed the music into a flow state where nothing else mattered but the feeling of spinning in the air, away from the earth.

Above it all. For years, it had been her favorite place to be.

It wasn’t until she ended the routine that she noticed she was no longer alone.

A woman stood by the door, nervously peeking inside in a manner that implied she didn’t want to be seen.

She was in her mid twenties, with an unkempt mop of dark brown, almost black hair and icy blue eyes.

She was tall, over six feet, and she was hunching to hide it. Evie didn’t recognize her.

Seeing the woman, an uneasy chill ran up Evie’s spine. She hadn’t been alone with a stranger since she got to Chicago.

“Don’t freak out, please,” the woman said quietly. The words made the chill icier. The woman lowered her eyes. “Could you… Could you move? You’re scaring it.”

The woman’s eyes were shifty, never lingering in one place for long. Save for the corner right behind the pole Evie had been using.

She turned, following the woman’s gaze, and took a startled step back. Pressed into the corner, quivering and frightened, a gray mouse stared up at Evie with small, shiny black eyes.

Not wanting to be anywhere near the animal, Evie took a few steps back.

When she was at a distance, the mouse darted along the wall towards the door, aiming directly for the woman.

She had crouched on the floor, holding out a disposable coffee cup littered with puncture holes.

The mouse scurried inside, and she put a lid on the cup, containing the little creature.

“That’s an unusual pet,” Evie said. The stranger stood, keeping her eyes downcast.

“It’s not a pet. Someone spotted it in one of the offices yesterday. I have cleaning shifts here, some part-time work, and the owner told me to set out glue traps to catch it, and I just…”

She fidgeted in place. A squeak escaped the cup, her anxiousness clearly shared by the mouse.

“Sorry. For interrupting,” she mumbled. “I thought the floor was empty. No classes were scheduled, and I figured all the students had left by now.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Evie said, trying her best to make her voice sound calm. “I’m not a student. I teach here. I was just practicing on my own before going ho—Before leaving.”

The woman looked surprised, giving Evie’s body a quick glance. Evie felt unusually exposed under her eyes. She only wore gym shorts and a short tank top that covered her tattoo. She needed her skin free to properly hold onto the pole.

“Oh… You’re very good,” the woman said, clearly impressed. “I only caught a glimpse. Just now. You seemed really focused, and I didn’t want to say anything that would distract you. I haven’t seen you before, so I assumed you were one of the professionals who sometimes uses the studio.”

“I’m new.” Evie forced herself to walk to the door, holding out her hand. This frightened reaction to a woman who literally wouldn’t hurt a mouse was ridiculous. “I’m Evie. I work part-time here too.”

The woman took her hand, barely putting any pressure behind the shake. This close to her, Evie noticed there was a sliver of hazel in one of her icy blue eyes. “I’m Sam. Again, so sorry for bothering you.”

Evie eyed the squeaking cup. “You make a habit of adopting critters?”

Sam looked down again. “That’s not what… I’m not keeping it or anything. I’ll release it when I get home. I prefer letting them go instead of using the glue traps. They aren’t good for them.”

Sam put an elastic band around the cup to keep the lid in place. “Are you new to Chicago too? Or just the studio?”

Evie frowned. “Why do you ask?”

“You have a bit of an accent. A little southern, I guess,” Sam said. When Evie continued to frown, she blushed scarlet. “It’s not a bad thing. It sounds pretty. Or not pretty, just… I noticed.”

Sam looked down again. She hunched further. “Sorry.”

Evie didn’t know exactly what she should think of Sam and her weird comments. And the knowledge that they were all alone made goosebumps rise on her skin.

She took a small step back. “I have to get back to practicing, so…”

As she moved, her foot caught on the folded clothes she’d left by the door. She staggered, her stumbling halted when Sam grabbed her arm. The sudden touch made Evie freeze in place.

“Careful!” Sam pulled Evie a little closer, steadying her. “You almost tripped.”

Evie stared blankly up at Sam. She couldn’t speak. Evie’s uneasiness at being alone with her skyrocketed into outright panic, making Evie stand still as a statue.

Now Sam was the one to frown. “You okay?”

Evie couldn’t fully comprehend what she was saying. The words came out low. Muted by blood rushing in her ears. Evie wanted to leave. She wanted Sam to leave. But she couldn’t move. And Sam was still holding onto her arm.

“Evie?” Sam shook her gently. “What happened? Did I do something?”

Sam pulled at her, meaning to drag her to a bench in the hallway. The hold wasn’t tight—Evie could barely feel it—but it still filled her head with dark clouds. Her body felt far away, her limbs no longer under her control. When Sam pulled her out of the door, Evie followed without thinking.

“Let her go.” A sharp voice cut through the fuzziness that had started to take over Evie’s mind. She recognized that voice. Evie and Sam turned towards it.

Natalya stood a few feet away, arms crossed. Her posture was tense, and her lip twitched as though she was holding back a snarl. She wore a short, black cocktail dress and sunglasses to hide her slitted eyes.

Sam took a quick step away from Evie. “I don’t know what happened. We were just talking.”

“Were you?” Natalya said. The question sounded like a threat. “Seemed very one-sided to me. Tends to mean she’s not interested.”

Sam’s eyes widened. The mouse inside the cup whined. “I was just—”

“Leaving?” Natalya walked up to Sam until she was right in her face. Sam had a few inches on Natalya, but Natalya was wearing heels, so they were at eye height. Under her rageful presence, Sam cowered until Natalya was nearly looking down at her.

Sam swallowed, clearly intimidated and taken aback by Natalya’s harsh tone. She started to ease around her when Natalya didn’t move. “I’m gonna go.”

“That would be wise.”

Natalya stared at Sam as she walked down the hallway, only turning to Evie when Sam was out of sight. She took off her sunglasses, revealing violet eyes.

“Are you alright?”

Evie was getting back to herself. Part of why was because Sam was gone, but Natalya’s presence helped just as much. It frustrated her to admit that.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you?” Natalya sounded unimpressed. And a little annoyed.

“Yeah, I am,” Evie snapped, moving back into the pole room. Away from Natalya. “I know you don’t like when I say that, but it’s what you’re getting. And I’ve told you, I don’t like it when you sense my emotions. That’s why you came here, right? You knew I was scared?”

“You were terrified. When it didn’t pass but instead increased, I needed to make sure you weren’t in danger. Did you know her?”

“Never seen her before. She wasn’t even doing anything. She was just acting really weird, and it freaked me out.”

Natalya surprised Evie by chuckling. Evie scowled at her.

“What?”

“She may have been flirting with you, Evie.” Natalya shrugged. “Or making an attempt at it, at least.”

Evie was stunned. It hadn’t even occurred to her as an option. She had been used to people flirting with her. It was a big part of her old job, but it was so long ago, and she’d just assumed Sam was interested in her for some other, nefarious reason.

The lack of danger was so obvious in hindsight she felt silly for having been so afraid. She started laughing, the nervousness leaving her body as she did.

“I guess I have to get used to that again.” Evie ran her hand over one of the poles. It was solid and familiar under her fingers. “People flirting with me.”

“Don’t care for it?” Natalya followed Evie into the room.

“Not really. It reminds me of work. And most people who did it were men, and it doesn’t do anything for me.” Evie glanced at Natalya, who was inspecting the room, touching a pole as she passed it. The movement was beautiful and elegant. “I guess you’re no stranger to it. People flirting.”

“You’d be surprised.” Natalya’s pupils narrowed into thin lines, making them look more reptilian than feline. “I think something about me makes people keep their distance. The same thing that stops you from sticking your hand in a fire.” She relaxed her eyes.

“I’d think a few would try?”

Natalya cocked her head, amused. “Would you mind if there was?”

A twinge of jealousy sparked in Evie’s chest. The thought of others flirting with Natalya wasn’t pleasant. It made Evie’s cheeks grow hot, and she quickly turned away. She caught Natalya’s eye in the floor-to-ceiling mirror on one of the walls. Natalya pretended she didn’t notice Evie blushing.