Page 15 of Sin and Salvation

Aeron flicked his fingers, his smirk back in place, but the tension hadn’t left his shoulders. “Finish your set, sugar. Make it good.”

I obeyed. Knowing that Aeron was there made it all the easier to throw myself into it, losing myself in the music, the sweat beading on my skin, the taut flexibility of muscles given free rein to roll and writhe.

When my set was over, my feet and knees were aching. The stage glistened with hints of shimmer. I knew my lipstick was wearing away.

And sometime in the midst of the last song, Aeron had vanished. I ignored the pang of disappointment as I left the stage, grabbing my bra. My patrons moved to the next one, where a fresh girl had come on.

Brody cleaned up my cash, tossing it all in a bucket and handing it to me in the darkness backstage. “Not bad for a new girl. You’ll pick it up, just be friends with Ky and Tyri. Besides, you made the boss happy.”

“Aeron?”

“No.” Brody snorted. “You’ll see the gift from Crow. It’s got a rubber band around it.”

With that, Brody vanished. I looked into the cash bucket and immediately picked out a rubber-banded roll of bills. The visible bill on the outside of the roll was a hundred.

When the hell had Crow been around? I hadn’t seen him… but then, I’d been dead focused on Aeron.

Who reappeared at that exact instant, taking my elbow in a firm grip. “Well now, sugar. I think it’s time we discuss what happens when we break house rules around here.”

ChapterSeven

“Wait… what?” I asked, hardly able to believe it.

What could I possibly have done? They hadn’t told me about any rules; not even Kylaea or Tyri had mentioned them.

I’d been up there on time. All I’d done was dance, and I’d given every patron their fair share of attention.

Cold rippled down my spine. What if he was upset that I’d turned down the demon who’d wanted to see me full-frontal? Maybe we weren’t allowed to turn down requests…

But no. That would be ludicrous. Nobody would work for them, or be so damn loyal to the club, if they had to do that on command.

But it was the only thing I could imagine I’d done wrong. And if that was true… that put them on par with Maxime. Maybe they were no true saviors at all.

I clutched the bucket of cash tight as Aeron steered me backstage, through the doors to the hall that led to the rest of the building, and towards the office they’d brought me to the first night.

My heart was pounding like a drum, so hard I thought Aeron might be able to hear it. Sweat slicked my fingers and I almost dropped the bucket.

What if they took away the cash I’d earned? Then I’d be out on hours of work for nothing.

Shame pricked at me. Here I was, thinking I’d pleased him, and instead… I’d fucked it all up.

“Go on in,” Aeron said, pushing the red door open.

Crow was seated behind the desk. Zane leaned against a wall, watching as I entered.

I pretended I was someone else. Another demon, not Venus Amatoré, who was on the verge of crying or losing her sweaty grasp on her current life’s earnings.

“Sir, what—”

“Have a seat.” Crow nodded to the couch.

I sank into the plush leather slowly, refusing to relinquish my grasp on the bucket. More fool me for trusting them, but I’d be damned if I got kicked out without my cut.

But Venus... how will you get out anywhere without a regular income?My insidious inner voice whispered.How will you eat? Sleep? Live? You should beg if you want to stay. Beg and save yourself.

For a horrendously long minute, Crow simply stared at me.

“I’m sorry,” I finally blurted out, hugging the bucket like it was the oldest, dearest friend I had in the world. “I have no idea what I did, but I need this job. Nobody told me there were house rules, and I swear by the Devil, I will never, ever break them again if you just tell me what I did—”

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