Flora cast her eyes downward. She had just spoken the truth. Whether he believed her or not, she couldn’t care less.
Dylan fired up a cigarette, eyeing her back with a narrow gaze.
Feeling unwell and not in the mood to argue, Flora tried to take off. She took a couple of steps, only to be yanked back and shoved into the car by Dylan.
“What the hell?”
The car roared to life, and Dylan shot Flora an icy glare. “You shouldn’t have let me know where you live.”
She averted her eyes and leaned against the frosty window. She knew even if she hadn’t told him, he’d find a way to get what he wanted.
“Why not fight back?” Asked Dylan.
“Because I know putting up a fight won’t change a thing. Just a waste of energy.”
Hearing that, Dylan’s mood brightened, and his chiseled features relaxed. “That’s right. It’s what you ought to be thinking.”
Flora gazed out the car window, ignoring him. She feigned submission, praying Dylan would leave her life for good.
The entrance to Desire shimmered with golden brilliance. Flora trailed behind Dylan as they walked in, the ambiance already taking a dive. Sultry poses by women on the dance floor left little to the imagination.
Chamber No. 1 awaited them, reserved by Dylan. As they entered, a few towering men greeted them, “Mr. Bowles, you’re running late.”
Dylan casually slung his arm over Flora’s shoulder. “Got sidetracked picking up a lady.”
Several pairs of eyes locked onto Flora’s face. The man lounging on the right end of the couch spoke up. “Mr. Bowles, you switched things up, huh? But this face looks kinda familiar.”
Flora took a seat with Dylan on the central couch, eyeing the man who’d spoken. She didn’t recognize him.
“She used to work here, so of course, she looks familiar,” Dylan retorted flatly.
The man’s face fell, embarrassment taking hold.
Flora had grown accustomed to Dylan’s tone, given her new status as his woman. Just as she was about to ignore him, Dylan leaned in with a wicked grin. “Did he ever request you before?”
The man on the right couch blanched, and Flora knew Dylan had asked deliberately, his words laced with humiliation.
She glanced at the man across from her, recalling he’d accompanied Dylan on a prior occasion. “Ah, I remember now. He did request me.”
The man’s face turned green with fury, feeling utterly wronged.
Dylan stifled a laugh, realizing Flora had said that intentionally. She seemed indifferent, as if it didn’t concern her.
“Well, let’s have a repeat performance tonight.” Dylan seized Flora’s arm and pushed her towards the man. “Your body may have left Desire, but your heart’s still craving it, right?”
She steadied herself, deliberately maintaining a gap between her and the man beside her.
The man, however, recoiled even more, cursing his careless words that had landed him in this mess. Now he was in the line of fire.
The others in the room caught on quickly and tried to shift gears. “Hey, come on, pour us some drinks!”
Flora took the chance to retreat to the corner of the couch, ignoring Dylan’s words. The young woman knelt to mix a drink, the clink of ice in the glass both harsh and invigorating.
With a few skilled twists, she should have had a firm grip on the glass, but she accidentally spilled the mix of potent liquor and green tea all over Dylan’s pants.
“Argh!” She gasped, whipping out a napkin and frantically wiping his pants.
As Flora glanced up, she recognized the woman as Candy, who had been flustered and too focused on Dylan, not anticipating her blunder.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Bowles, I’m so sorry…” Candy’s voice was sugary and grating, and as she recalled the night they’d spent together, her cheeks flushed. She still felt a longing.
Dylan, lounging on the couch, straightened up slightly and tapped his pant leg impatiently. “Don’t you have even the most basic training?”
“Mr. Bowles?” Candy’s face appeared embarrassed under the unique lighting. “Don’t you remember me?”
As soon as she asked, Candy realized that she was stupid to expect “Mr. Bowles”, a man with countless ladies, to have such a sharp memory.
Flora propped her head up with one hand on the couch, feeling cold since the club’s central air conditioning was always set too low.
Dylan lifted his drink, sipped it elegantly, his eyes narrowing. He had been with many women but surely would never forget the ones he’d slept with, at least not so soon.
What he didn’t want to see was Candy’s lingering desire——She had already been paid; there should be no further entanglements between them.
“If you don’t want to continue, send someone else over.” Dylan set down his drink and leaned back on the couch.
Tina showed up timely, like always, along with another group of captivating and stunning girls.
Candy felt wronged but could only obediently mix drinks. Flora hid in the corner, feeling out of place in this familiar room.
“Mr. Bowles, let’s sing.” A gorgeous woman’s arm coiled around his neck at the perfect moment.
On the neighboring couch, the men couldn’t contain themselves any longer and let all it out on the girl sitting with him, their flirting and caressing flooding Flora’s ears and unsettling her.
“Flora, honey?” A familiar voice suddenly made Flora turn her head. Through the hazy club smoke, she caught Dylan’s gaze and wondered she had misheard just now.
“Honey.” Dylan spoke again, and Flora realized it was indeed Dylan speaking.
“What is it?” She asked.
Dylan didn’t address her further. Instead, he pulled the beautiful woman beside him closer and told the half-kneeling Candy, “Go pick a song, Flora, you’ll sing.”
His tone seemed tender, but the controlling intention was obvious.
Flora longed to keep away from him, so she followed Candy without a word. When she picked up the microphone, the intro had already begun. It was her familiar song, “Beginning to Now.”
Flora’s hand involuntarily tightened. She stood before everyone, but she didn’t want to see any of them.
Her voice carried a disconcerting sadness, causing Dylan’s sipping to slow.
His eyes fixed on Flora’s silhouette, the woman now wholly engulfed in an inescapable vortex of emotion.
The slow melody hushed the club’s clamor.
Flora’s eyes were serene, but as she glanced toward the entrance, she suddenly stopped singing, shattering the beautiful moment.
Through the slightly ajar door, a tall man strode by, trailed by two security guards.
As he passed the door, he seemed to peek in. That single look sent Flora into a frenzy, causing the microphone slipped from her hand and fell…
Thud—the solid impact, amplified by the sound system, produced a deafening noise.
