Page 4

It was amazing that the wind could cut the way it did despite the giant wall surrounding the city. I should have worn a jacket, but that would have ruined the look. Wrapping my arms around my shoulders, I walked around until I spotted the bright orange neon lights that said 'Hell's Gate' with fake fire blazing through the windows. The line to get in stretched far down the busy street, the patrons shivering in the cold as they waited for their turn.

I walked past them all and stood in front of the bouncer, who nodded and unclasped the red rope, allowing me access. Commotion erupted among the crowd, and curse words were tossed my way. Turning, I smiled and gave a brief wave, inciting them even more, before walking through the door.

The interior of the club was lit with orange lighting. Lasers of red, green, blue, and purple raced along the walls and floors. Five stages joined together in a horseshoe shape, with a pole on each, dominated the space. Two women and two men danced on the poles, leaving the center one open for any patron brave enough to put on a show. They couldn't strip, of course, but it was always funny watching some of the drunks try to ride the spinning rod.

A tall, thin black man in a red suit strutted up to me with a giant smile on his face, showing off his obnoxiously large teeth. In his hand, he held a fake golden cane. "Starburst! Always a pleasure to see you."

I folded my arms defensively, indicating that I didn't want to be touched. "My booth better be open, Alex," I snarked, glancing around the room.

He grinned wider; I wasn't sure how it was physically possible, but somehow, he managed it. "Of course. Your booth is always available to you. However, your friend Cherry has decided to take up residence there. I figured you wouldn't mind."

"I'd be pissed if you didn't let her up there," I grumbled, walking away before he could drag me into more useless conversation.

Even though I got VIP treatment in several clubs in the Sin District, Hell's Gate was the only club that kept a booth ready for me. After all, I had a knack for getting men to spend their life savings on me, much to the owner's delight. I was treated like royalty any time I came in.

When Cherry spotted me, she threw up a middle finger. I returned the gesture with a saucy smile. I hesitated at the booth's entrance when I realized she had brought a friend with her, and that friend didn't look too pleased to see me.

Flipping long black hair from her shoulder, the woman scowled at Cherry. "Who is this guy?"

Unable to understand the blatant audacity, I asked incredulously, "Who am I? Bitch, who are you?"

Cherry quickly stepped in, stating, "Misunderstanding." She turned to the woman. "This is his booth. Hell, the only reason we were able to skip the line is because of him. They all know I'm his friend... slash drug dealer." That last bit, Cherry added with a grin.

I walked past them. "Tell me you have some Nova."

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Taking her friend by the hand, Cherry led her to one of the bench seats against the wall. "This is Starburst; he's the king of gay gang bangs. He has his own personal brand of lube and his own billboard." She walked over and kissed my cheek before digging through her purse. "He's gayer than you, so you have nothing to worry about, deary... By the way, this is Kitty."

Kitty's dark eyes wandered around the room almost nervously. "Sorry. You know guys can be creeps."

I held up my hand, looking down at my bright orange shackles that symbolized I knew exactly what she meant. The shackles forced me to deal with all sorts of fucked up situations involving other men. I hated wearing them, but it was the law. If a servant was caught out and about without them, they would get arrested, and their sponsor would have to bail them out. Even worse than that, more money was added to their debt, keeping them enslaved. I wouldn't be able to pay off my debt within one lifetime, but I didn't want any more added onto me. "Yes, they can be."

Finally, Cherry found what she had been searching for. She pulled out a small silver tray, a small baggy of light-yellow powder, and a rainbow swirl straw. Dumping some of the powder, she separated it into five different lines. "Let's get this party started!"

Taking the straw, I sniffed up three out of the five lines. Cherry finished off the last two. "Fuck yeah!" I shouted, rubbing my nose before stretching my arms in the air.

A man carrying a tray stepped up to the booth, and my eyebrows rose as I gave him a once-over. I'd never seen him before, but he was easy on the eyes with long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, bright hazel irises, high cheekbones, and a chiseled jaw covered in stubble. "New waiter?" I chortled.

He smiled. "This is only my third day."

I got to my feet and gently touched his shoulder. He was muscular, too. Staring at his body, I wondered how he would look naked. Shaking the thought away, I pulled out a few sinders and tossed them on the tray. "Bring us a round of Poison Apples, sweetie."

The waiter nodded accommodatingly and headed towards the bar.

"So, we need to find someone to pay for the rest of our drinks tonight." I turned to Cherry. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

Together, we both walked to the amateur strip pole. There was a group of men sitting at the bar; four of them were focused on the male strippers. Bingo. If I did my dance just right, I could have them in my booth, getting us sloshed.

The moment my hand landed on the metal, the stage light lit me up; it was nearly blinding. I squinted, then stood up straight with a dazzling smile. The music stopped, and a voice echoed over the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen of Sin City, please draw your attention to the center stage. We have the great honor of having the one and only Starburst willing to put on a show for you lucky little sinners."

I wanted to roll my eyes, but instead, I waved and tugged my pants down slightly to show off my tattoo. My tattoo was my brand; anyone who knew me knew the shooting star. It was purple with a silver, blue, and purple tail of sparks, matching my favorite childhood toy—a small white unicorn with purple and blue hair and the mark of a falling star on its rear end. A scavenger from the Wastes had brought it into the city. It was from the time before the Great Calamity. Before the earth turned on humanity, making nearly every patch of land uninhabitable. The artifact was buried for hundreds of years, encased in a plastic box. The scavenger wanted six hundred sinders for it. Naturally, my shitty parents wouldn't have bought it for me even if they could afford it, so being the little shit that I was, I stole it and named the horse Starburst.

I gripped the pole and began walking in a circle. It would be a pain in the ass to climb with my clothes on, but I had enough upper body strength to make it work. Even though I was a professional sex worker, I wasn't allowed to strip. Firstly, it was against the rules of the club; no one was allowed to get naked unless they were employed. Secondly, and more importantly, Hobbs would have my head if I made money for anyone but him.

Tightening my grip, I lifted myself into the air, spinning fluidly with the pole. I hung upside down, doing a few twirls before landing on my feet. It was Cherry's turn on the pole to draw in more deep pockets.

After the world stopped spinning, I flirtatiously walked over to the four men who had their gazes on me. "What's up, gentlemen?" Their eyes lit up. "You boys want to party?"

I began sauntering away. Glancing back, I winked. When we settled into the booth, I took the opportunity to sit on one of their laps. The guy was dressed in a purple suit with a black Fedora.

He ordered everyone a round of drinks, and when Cherry was done with her dance, she pulled out more Nova.

As the night went on, I spent equal parts of my time snorting up powder, hammering down drinks, and rubbing myself all over the men. Eventually, I could barely see straight. Everything was a blur; my head was spinning. It was perfect. Just how I liked to be: detached and removed from reality.

When the bartender announced last call, I slipped off purple suit's lap and collapsed onto one of the benches. The hot waiter strode up to us with a round of sour apple martinis. Purple suit stood up and grabbed two of them. I rolled my head back, wondering if I could force myself to down one more before calling it a night.

Purple suit nudged my arm, handing me a drink. With a smile, I took it. As I brought it to my lips, the waiter bumped into me, making me drop the glass.

"Thhhat sshould be illegal," I slurred.

The waiter reached down and picked up the sharp shards. "I'm so sorry, sir. I'll get you a new one right away." He glared at purple suit for a second before returning his sexy gaze to me. "I'll bring you one that doesn't have a pill dropped into it."

Those words sobered me up a bit. Three of the men scurried out of the booth, one nearly falling over the other as his body swayed.

Narrowing my eyes, I cleared my throat and ordered, "Leave."

Purple suit's face was getting red. His nostrils flared, and his fists balled up. "I paid a lot of money tonight. I expect to be compensated."

The waiter pushed him. "This guy has been snorting Nova all night. Mixing an upper and downer together like that could cause him to OD. You could have killed him!"

Purple suit tried to buck up, but two bouncers intervened. I supposed the waiter must have signaled them at some point. To be honest, I was too fucked up to notice. "My hero," I muttered with a smile, tilting my head back.

I felt a tap on my foot and raised my head again.

Alex stood in front of me with that stupid grin. "That man will never bother you again. I can assure you of that. From this time forth, he will be banished from this establishment. Is there anything I can do for you?"

I shook my head, more so to try to clear it than to tell him no. "Nah, just let me stay here until you guys lock up. I don't need that prick following me."

He tilted his head. "Do I need to contact your sponsor? I would hate for anything to happen to you."

I sat up, panic welling up inside of my chest. "Fuck no! Seriously, Alex. I'm fine." I giggled, "Or I will be fine. Just let me hang out here until your people close up, and I can walk home."

He sighed, turned to the waiter, and whispered something to him that I couldn't hear. Not that I cared what he said anyway.

I laid down on the bench, draping an arm over my eyes. About an hour later, one of the bouncers told me they were locking up. I looked around for Cherry, but she and her friend were gone; they had most likely left ages ago, but I was too fucked up to notice.

It took a while for me to make it out the door, and once I did, I had to pause to get my bearings. The world was still spinning, but the neon lights of the Sin District were going out, and the sun was coming up. I looked off into the distance, taking in the sight. Sin District, littered with casinos, strip clubs, nightclubs, sex clubs, and pretty much anything that would be seen as a sin in the times of old, was modeled after an ancient city called V-something, but its nickname was Sin City. According to one of my first clients, the founders of the modern Sin City decided people needed an outlet to help control their primal instincts. Men especially had a tendency to be less violent if their sexual desires were met. Thus, the Sin District was created.

A startled cry burst from my lips when someone gripped my shoulder. I nearly fell to the ground as I spun around to see who touched me, only to let out a relieved sigh when I realized it was the waiter from the bar. "Well, if it isn't my sexy hero."

The man smirked. "Are you going to be alright?"

I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself. "Peachy."

Pulling out his hair tie, he ran a hand through his silky dark strands. "I was wondering if you wanted to go have breakfast."

"Just because I said you were sexy doesn't mean I'm going to fuck you or suck your dick."

His eyes widened in shock. "I didn't want sex."

"So, you're a breeder, huh?" Why the hell was I suddenly feeling insulted?

"No, well, sort of. I like women just fine." He started fidgeting. "I like both. You are stupidly handsome; it's no wonder those guys were tripping on themselves to hang out with you. But I just figured I'd offer breakfast to help you sober up. I'm sorry if I offended you. I'll go now."

He turned and began walking away. I sighed softly, smirking to myself. Maybe I did want to go have breakfast with him. Or at least get a C juice. "How about a drink instead?"

He swung around. "Haven't you had enough?"

"I had way too much Nova to even think of food right now, but I could use a C drink. There is a juice bar not too far from here." I pointed behind me.

His eyes lit up, and a smile crossed his lips; my drunk mind began to swoon at the sight. "Alright. I'd like that."

We walked side by side in silence until we arrived at a tiny juice bar called Spazz. It was... nice.

I ordered a large red C juice; it had so much vitamin C in it that it was almost like having it injected straight into your blood, and it worked wonders to ward off a Nova hangover.

After ordering his own drink, my rescuer leaned over the table and said, "I never thought I'd be meeting a celebrity. So, you're the infamous Starburst."

"Isaac." When he tilted his head, I explained, "I prefer to be called Isaac. That's my actual name. Starburst is just a stage name."

His answering smile was bright. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Isaac. My name is Victor, but I prefer to be called Vic."

"Victor, very classy name."

"Vic," he corrected.

"Vic. Sorry. A very classy name."

We chatted for a long time while we sipped our drinks. The entire time, I was having issues figuring him out. Perhaps it was my drunk brain, but I had a hard time finding any red flags. He seemed to be genuinely kind. Not once did he hint that he wanted me to go home with him, which was what nearly every man wanted from me. It was refreshing, and to be honest, I couldn't get enough of it. I was so tired of men looking at me like I was nothing more than a piece of meat. There was nothing in his eyes that suggested he wanted to bend me over and eat my ass like an ice cream sandwich, only genuine friendliness.

When my straw made a loud slurping noise, I picked up the glass and sighed at the empty bottom. I could use another, but I was fresh out of sinders. I didn't want to ask this guy, either; I didn't need to owe him any more than I already did. Owing people in Sin City could lead to a lot of trouble.

Standing, I wobbled a bit but steadied myself by gripping the ends of the table. With a giggle, I forced myself to remain upright. "Well, Mr. Vic, it's been a pleasure, but I have to head back, sweetness."

He held out a hand, and I shook it. "Do you need me to walk home with you?"

"No. I'll be fine. I know my way home, and it's just better if you don't."

He bit his lip but said nothing.

The truth was, I wanted him to walk me home. I wanted to take his hand and bring him up to my apartment, but I couldn't. Hobbs would have a fit. Hobbs was perfectly fine with selling me off, but he wasn't ok with sharing me for free.

"I'll see you again. I frequent Hell's Gate."

Vic nodded and escorted me to the door. When we got to the sidewalk, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.