Page 2 of Twisted Cage

There will come a day when everyone will pay. But to attain that future, I have to be smart and in control now. Like my brother Nikolaj as he builds an army in the war against our brother Vlad.

Vlad—my tormentor. The one who haunts the darkness to this day, despite being thousands of miles away.

Bile bubbles to my throat when I think about what he—no. No. If I let those memories in, I won’t be able to do what I need to do.

I’ve convinced the owner, Silas, to give me one night to do this my way. One night to earn the price I set on my innocence.

Half a million dollars.

He laughed. Not just a chuckle. The smug bastard practically split a gut wheezing like a fucking hyena on crack.

Resolve fills the space where shame should be. I will show him. Half a million for one night, then get gone before the buyer realizes just who they have in their clutches. Success is the only option. If the buyer figures out he sullied Maksim Romanoff’s Bratva princess while I’m still in his grasp, I’ll never get away. Because possessing me is the ultimate in leverage with one of the biggest power players in the game.

My father.

How hard can it be in a place like this where bottle service starts at ten grand? Increments of a hundred don’t exist here. Four figures and up only. The tamest of lap dances starts at two thousand. Private dances ten thousand. A room for the night with one of Silas’s elite girls, be ready with twenty-five grand minimum.

And the elite menu? A night of indulgence, priced by kink or—in my case—virgin, begins at fifty thousand.

Patrons frequent this place with a private army of men in tow just to carry the cash they spend here between the price tags and the hefty damage deposit. That’s right… Silas likes to protect what’s his. Not that the money down does anything to shield his women. It only guarantees Silas will have an unexpected windfall to help lessen the blow to his supply while his dancer is out of commission waiting for the bruises to heal.

A shudder rocks through me. I’ve tried to ignore that part. I’ve tried to forget that while there are powerful men out there who just want to add the claiming of one’s virginity to their list of conquests, there are others for whom that’s only the beginning.

Men like Vlad.

Claiming a virgin’s innocence only feeds a dark power within. A frenzy is born for more power, more control, and to make sure that virgin never forgets who destroyed them.

I run my fingers over my upper thigh, missing the safety of the knife I usually keep strapped there. I’ll be defenseless the minute I leave that stage and wind my way through the patrons, doing my best to sell them a high-priced fantasy.

Silas appears behind me, silent as the brilliant snake he is, slithering through his jungle. His hands settle on my shoulders, and I fight the urge to shake him off. In another time, another place, he’d pay for touching me… my Konstantin would take his hands and wear his blood as a badge of honor for protecting his goddaughter.

“You’re up next, Nikoletta.” His eyes look almost friendly, but then he bends down, stopping with his mouth just an inch from my ear, his serious gaze locking on mine in the mirror. His fingers bite into my shoulders with silent warning. “Do not make me regret this. Understood?”

I don’t blink. Determination swells within me until a slow smile forms on my crimson lips. “I’ll make the sale.”

He tilts his nose into my hair and sucks in a long, deep breath. His eyes drift shut and his body shifts closer, his growing erection pressing against me. “You better.” He strums my throat with his thumb, and I barely resist giving him the pleasure of feeling me swallow hard. “Because if you don’t, I won’t hesitate to put you on clearance.”

My smile slips as his grows.

Failure is not an option.

He disappears with the same eerie silence, and I blow out a trembling breath.

A three-song mashup over the course of six minutes. That’s all I have to sell my innocence. I wobble slightly on my stilettos as I make my way to my fate. Hovering in the darkness, I watch as Silas takes the microphone and addresses his treasured patrons. He schmoozes with banter designed to make every customer feel like he’s talking to them, and only them.

I close my eyes and clear my mind. It’s a performance. Nothing more, nothing less. The consequences—well, I’ll deal with those later.

All too soon, he’s wrapping up his calculated flattery and sliding into my intro.

“Tonight we have a rare treat for you… a precious gem, the single most exquisite virgin in the history of Illusions. She’s cultured, educated, and a stunning masterpiece among young women. But most importantly, she’s certified, and for a cool half million she can be yours… and only yours.”

For one night only, you bastard.

“Without further ado… gentlemen, meet our most-prized jewel, Bee.”

The spotlight bathes the stage and the single pole dead-center in a dizzying glow.

With my shoulders pulled back, I put one foot in front of the other and saunter out of the shadows and onto the empty stage, my every step in tune with the heavy sultry beat.

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