Chapter 2

Josie Cohen POV:

My stomach churned, a knot of dread twisting inside me. I had said the words "whatever it takes," but now, lying in my threadbare bed, the reality of it settled over me like a suffocating blanket. What had I just agreed to? A high-end nightclub. A place I' d avoided for the past three years, even when the debt collectors started breathing down my neck.

After Mom and Dad died, their business, a boutique art gallery, crumbled. It turned out they'd been knee-deep in loans, trying to expand too fast. Their assets were seized, their legacy devoured by creditors. I was left with mountains of debt, a broken teenage brother, and the wreckage of my own life.

I' d tried everything. Cleaning houses, waitressing, even selling some of my own art on the street. It was never enough. The Serpent's Kiss paid exorbitantly, but it came at a price. A price I' d always sworn I wouldn't pay. Until now.

I rolled over, staring at the peeling paint on the ceiling. It felt like walking into a gilded cage. Caron had offered me a position as a bottle service girl, but not just any bottle service. She managed the exclusive VIP section, a place where discretion was paramount and moral lines were blurred. I' d always refused the VIP rooms, sticking to the main floor, where the worst I had to endure was a leering gaze or a clumsy hand on my waist. But that wouldn't cover Demetri' s insane demands. Bennie's future depended on this.

My feet dragged as I walked back to the club the next evening. Each step felt heavy, leading me toward an abyss I desperately wanted to avoid. The neon sign, a coiled serpent with ruby eyes, seemed to mock my despair.

In the employee changing room, Caron stood waiting, holding up a shimmering, barely-there uniform. It was a slip of black lace and silk, designed to reveal far more than it concealed. My breath hitched.

"This is for tonight," she said, her voice flat. "VIP room 3. Mr. Valentine is a... generous client. He likes his girls assertive, but also compliant. Play your cards right, and you'll make more tonight than you have all month."

My eyes widened at the sum she mentioned. It was enough. Enough to cover the first installment for Bennie. My fingers trembled as I reached for the fabric.

"You're beautiful, Josie," Caron said, a rare, almost gentle note in her voice. "Use it. Just remember, we protect our own here. No one will touch you without your consent. But they will ask. And you will have to decide how much you're willing to give for that kind of money."

I closed my eyes, picturing Bennie's defiant face in the mediation room, then Leo's injured arm. This wasn't for me. This was for him. I took a deep breath and took the uniform.

I pushed the heavy mahogany door open, the clinking of bottles on my cart a jarring sound against the muffled bass of the music. The air in VIP room 3 was thick with expensive cigar smoke and the scent of aged whiskey. Laughter, too loud and brittle, echoed off the velvet walls.

Then I saw them. My blood ran cold.

Sitting around a large, circular table were several faces I recognized. Faces from my past life, from USC. And among them, her. Claudia Vazquez.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the handle of the cart, my hands shaking so hard the bottles rattled. I immediately lowered my head, my hair falling forward, hoping to hide my face in the shadows. Please, God, don't let them see me. Not like this.

"Oh my god, did you hear? Demetri proposed!" A girl with bright blonde hair shrieked, holding up her ring finger. A massive diamond glittered under the low lights. "He did it at the beach, just like Claudia always dreamed!"

Another voice, smooth and familiar, replied, "Of course he did. He' s been so devoted to her since her cousin Leo got injured. Such a tragic accident. Demetri is just the best, taking care of everything for her family."

My head snapped up, my eyes locking onto Claudia's face. She was beaming, her hand intertwined with Demetri's. Leo. Her cousin. The pieces clicked into place, a sick, twisted puzzle. Demetri was engaged to her. And Leo, the victim, was her cousin.

A jolt of pain shot through me, sharper than any humiliation. I quickly suppressed it, focusing on my task. I had to move. Serve the drinks. Be invisible.

"He got her such a gorgeous rock!" another girl gushed. "He's absolutely smitten. They're planning a huge wedding next year."

Claudia laughed, a tinkling sound that grated on my nerves. "He' s wonderful. And it' s so much better now that everything is... settled." She glanced at Demetri, who offered her a small, reassuring smile. "It just goes to show, good things happen to good people. After everything I' ve been through, it' s nice to finally have some peace."

My gaze unintentionally fell on the diamond gleaming on her finger. A dull ache settled in my chest, a phantom pain from a ghost of a memory. I remembered our conversations, Demetri and I, sprawled on my dorm room floor, planning our future. He' d talked about a simple silver band, something meaningful, not flashy. He'd even given me a cheap, braided leather ring once, saying it was a promise, a placeholder until he could afford the real one. I still had it, tucked away in a dusty box.

"Wait a minute..." A voice cut through the haze of my memories. It was Tiffany, a girl from my art history class. Her eyes, wide with disbelief, were fixed on me. "Josie? Is that... Josie Cohen?"

The room fell silent. All eyes turned to me. The laughter died, replaced by a mixture of shock and thinly veiled amusement. My face flushed, blood rushing to my ears.

"Oh my god, it is Josie!" someone else gasped. "Josie Cohen, the art snob from USC, serving drinks? How the mighty have fallen!"

A wave of humiliation washed over me, so potent it felt like a physical blow. My dignity, already tattered, shredded into a million pieces.

"So, these are the new rules, Caron?" Claudia asked, her voice dripping with mock concern. "The girls... they do whatever the client wants, right?" She glanced at me, a cruel smirk playing on her lips. "Even the ones who used to be so high and mighty?"

I nodded, my voice thick with shame. "Yes. Within reason, of course."

Harper Valentine, a hulking man I vaguely remembered from some university fundraiser, grinned, his eyes raking over my body. He was one of Demetri's clients, a tech titan known for his ruthlessness. "Well, well. If it isn't little Miss Josie. You always were too good for the likes of us, weren't you?" He leaned back in his chair, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Tell me, Josie, can you play the violin?"

My blood ran cold. The violin. That was the 'special performance' Caron had warned me about. The one with the ice. My body trembled.

I knew what that meant. I' d heard the whispers. It was a perverse display of power, a humiliation ritual for the truly debauched. Play a classical piece while standing barefoot on a block of ice, wearing nothing but the uniform, until the ice melted beneath your feet. I had always refused, saying it was too dangerous, too degrading.

Now, facing Demetri, seeing the indifferent mask on his face, I knew I couldn't do it. Not in front of him. I couldn't let him see me like that.

"Sir, perhaps... I could offer another service?" I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. "I'm quite good at mixing custom cocktails. Or I could sing?"

Harper Valentine's smile vanished. "What, not good enough for you, princess? Still too proud for a little entertainment?" He slammed his fist on the table. "Don't forget where you are, Josie. You're just a glorified call girl now, aren't you?" He sneered, a venomous edge to his voice. "Acting all high and mighty. You think you're better than this? Better than us?"

The stares from my former classmates felt like physical blows, stripping me bare. It was worse than anything I could have imagined. I stood there, utterly exposed, my skin crawling, my dignity reduced to dust.