Page 9 of Sire: On Your Knees

"Oh, sorry, it costs extra to touch." My voice thickened with honey and innocence.

His face paled. "What? Since when?"

I nonchalantly shrugged. "Those are the rules."

"Well, can you at least spin around so I can see that fat ass jiggle?"

I nearly threw up in my mouth.Ew...It saddened me to know no one was coming to save me. I had to save myself, as always, even though I was tired.

I continued to dance as far away from him as I could. Eventually, he got fed up. "I didn't drop a band for this boring shit."

He hopped up, and my heart stopped beating as I froze in place, expecting the worst. I sighed in relief when he marched past me and left me alone in the private dancing room. On the way inside, I'd already peeped an exit on the opposite end of the hallway. Slipping out of the room, I kicked off those sorry of an excuse for shoes and raced to the door. I paused for a minute, seeing that it said it was for emergencies. With a shrug, I decided this counted as one and pushed it open forcefully.

An alarm began to blare at the same time sprinklers were dispatched. Without looking back, I dashed across the parking lot, doing my best to blend in. Bodies were flooding out by the dozen as people panicked because of the alarm. I felt nothing but relief when I made it a block away from the club. It was just my luck that I was on the side of town I needed to be on. While I wished I had something on my feet and to cover myself with, I was desperate to get away.

It took me close to half an hour, but I made it to Ms. Shonda's apartment building. Thankfully, she was home from her job at the hospital. She had a million questions about the way I was dressed, but the one that really stood out to me was when she asked about Ria's whereabouts. She said they hadn't spoken in days, which worried her.

I understood why. Ria's mom was her best friend, apart from me. They talked every day, no matter what she had going on. There wasn't much I could tell her other than to let me know if she heard from Ria.

The visit wasn't a complete failure, though. Thankfully, we were around the same size. The pink two-piece velour suit she gave me was snug, but at least I was covered.

Since this was a dead end, I decided to go home and see what I could come up with. I had no idea where my phone was, so I couldn't call or see if Ria had reached out to me. I prayed she had because we had things to discuss.

I was so lost in my thoughts when I stepped out of the apartment building that I walked dead into a solid chest. I fell to the ground from the impact. The world stopped when I came face to face with a pair of black velvet Dior loafers. My eyes trailed up long, strong legs covered in fitted black slacks until I was finally met with a stoic expression. He looked pissed off. His silence terrified me as I remained on the ground, trembling.

"What part of I own you don't you understand, Noonie?" I licked my dry lips, hearing my nickname spill from between Sire's lips. "Get your ass up and come on. You're going to pay for fucking up my club."

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, of course they had to. Now, I would have to deal with Sire's wrath, and I had no idea what that was going to look like.

"Dance!" he barked, making me jump with fear.

We were back at Sire's penthouse. He sat on his couch with his eyes pinned on my nearly naked body. He'd made me lose the velour suit as soon as we stepped off the elevator.

"Huh?"

Lifting his remote in the air, music flowed from the speakers seconds later. My heart raced. The set of Sire's jaw told me he was serious. Too afraid to push him any further, I began doing what I thought gave sexy and seductive. I couldn't handle the intensity of Sire's gaze, so I shut my eyes. Even with my eyes closed, I felt the heat of his eyes watching me. My hands shook against my will, and I couldn't calm my heart if I wanted to.

I wondered what was going through his mind. Why did he want me to dance for him? The music shut off seconds later. I opened my eyes to find him frowning at me. He sat forward with his forearms on his knees.

Sire had ditched his black button-up shirt and now sat there in a black wife beater. My eyes outlined the many tattoos covering every inch of his upper body. His muscles flexed when he ran a hand down his face. His curly, black hair was in a wild afro, making him look equal parts regal and feral.

"Damn, I thought that nigga Radio was trippin', but you are terrible..."

Sire's words were like a bucket of ice water being thrown at me. Now, I felt even more self-conscious than before. I wondered if he could see the droplets of sweat on my forehead.

He stood and slowly inched toward me. Once he was right in front of me, he lifted my head by placing a finger beneath my chin. "Your body is perfect, so why aren't you confident in it?" His words warmed my core. This close to him, his scent wrapped around me like a strong hug. I realized his eyes were kinda dreamy, with pretty, long eyelashes framing them.

I kept quiet because I lost the ability to speak. Goosebumps painted my arms when he began to circle me, slowly tapping into his predatory nature. When Sire was behind me, he pushed my head to the side, exposing my neck. I shivered when his soft lips drug across the surface of my skin ever so gently. I wasn't sure if I wanted to remain paralyzed or crumble from how good it felt.

His hands created a trail of fire across my midsection before he yanked me back into his chest. I softly gasped. Thinking became harder to do the longer his big, manly hands were on my body. He drew the shape of a heart with a touch so soft I almost thought I imagined it.

"You're a work of art, Novi. Why don't you act like it?"

I felt so embarrassed, but hearing Sire call me that also softened me. I was feeling so much at once I could hardly think. Would he realize I wasn't worth the trouble and kill me if I couldn't work at the club for him?

"I just don't know how to dance," I whispered.

I felt his every exhale, and it hypnotized me. Well, coupled with his hands, that continued to explore my body. I bit my bottom lip when he cupped my breasts and began to massage them tenderly.

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