Page 42 of Kings Against the World

The sound becomes hypnotic to my ears. Easy to lose myself in.

I close my eyes and move my body, imagining I’m not on stage. I’m in the middle of a dense dance club where I’m enjoying the night like in college.

Some of the other girls climb up the pole and do some basic tricks. Sugar drops to the stage floor in splits and then starts doing tricks isolating her glutes.

The crowd responds the longer the performance goes on. Some whistles and applause break out when someone performs a trick or when one of the girls like Nova takes her top off.

I grip the pole and decide to go for a basic swing. Though I’ve never done any pole work, I’m extremely athletic. I have enough upper body strength that I can do a few pull ups at the gym.

My body curls naturally as I swing around the pole and then transition into more hip undulations once I’m back on my feet. I’m feeling the beat, flowing with the music, gliding my hands over my curves in a way I’ve never done in public.

It begins to feel strangely… freeing. An experience I’d never expect to enjoy, especially not when I’m up here against my will.

My eyelids lift as I gyrate against the pole and peer at the audience for the first real time. Everyone seated in the lounge blurs together, partially in the dark. But there’s one distinct face I make out, a gaze that connects with mine and sends a hot spark straight through me.

Ozzie’s watching.

His expression is ambiguous and unreadable, but his eyes look bluer than ever in the blue-tinted lighting. It’s like real versus artificial, with the manmade lighting only making his natural blue-eyed gaze pop more.

Electricity crackles in them. The same jolt I’ve felt rushing me, shooting through my veins.

I can’t describe how or why, but my performance becomes about him.Forhim as I give the pole another sharper, bolder swing and whip my hair like the other girls have done.

But it only makes sense that I would perform for my man. And though it’s just pretend, in this moment, as far as everyone else knows, Ozzie Gallagherismy man.

He’s the only one I’m dancing for.

The song finally ends with everyone on stage hitting a pose and the lounge erupting in applause. Nova, Versace, and Chyna stay on stage while the rest of us slip through the exit on the side. Sugar throws her arms around me in a hug once we’re out of sight.

“You did amazing!” she says. “You should take the stage more often.”

I humor her with a smile. “Says the girl who was busting out in the splits. That was crazy!”

Benz appears hardly looking pleased with our performance despite the audience’s reaction. He claps his hands and starts barking orders.

“Venus get ready to hit the stage next. Sugar, you’re back out on the floor. And you,” he says, rounding on me, “you’ve been specially requested. Follow me.”

Specially requested?

I share a look with Sugar, who smiles and shrugs, and then I follow in Benz’s wake.

He waits until the others have dispersed before abruptly stopping and facing me again.

“And don’t think I’m dropping what I told you earlier just ’cuz you sicced your boyfriend on me,” he snarls. “I’ve got my eye on you, and I know you’ve been feeding info to the Houston PD. I’ve just gotta prove it!”

“Benz,” I say calmly. “I have no clue what you’re?—”

“Don’t put that innocent act on. It has to be you.”

“I’m not feeding info to anyone. You’re mistaken.”

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” He shoots me a nasty grin, exposing the gap where his front incisor should be. His fingersclamp shut around my upper arm and he gives me a rough squeeze. “C’mon, you’ve been summoned. Boone wants you and only you on his table.”

I don’t have a chance to question him on it. He leads us back out onto the lounge floor and then gives me a little shove forward.

“And don’t fuck it up.”

My temper threatens to break free, a pulse of anger beating inside me, but I breathe through it and remind myself yet again I’m Jade. She wouldn’t mouth off to Benz like Zoe would. If I were being myself, I would’ve already smashed my fist into his throat and cut off his air supply.

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