Dare Me Not | 18+ ✔

4. Seduction Game (Parker)

The week has gone by excruciatingly fast. I'm not sure if it's because of my trip to different boutiques for my work outfits and accessories, or because I've been counting the days of my freedom. People say we don't realize how precious the thing we have is until we're about to lose it, and I guess that's true. It's also the reason I will not let this Friday night go by without fun.

My friends must think I'm celebrating my first job since I'm paying for the VIP table in our favorite club. Only a few of them know that this is more of a goodbye to my soon-to-be old life. Monday will arrive soon, and I will have plenty of things to worry about afterward. One of them is the discontinuation of my trust fund. How exciting.

And I blame this on my father's second in command, Xander de Devil.

The more I think about this, the stronger my hatred toward Xandevill grows, and it occupies every fiber in my body, runs inside my veins, and fuses into my blood cells. Every time my heart pumps, it gives a fresh reminder that my resentment toward him will not go away until he pays for this.

Nodding at the bouncers by the nightclub's entrance, I stride into the dark corridor with violet laser light streaming on its ceiling. My heels are clicking against the black concrete floor while giggling girls echo from behind me. As I approach the second gate, rhythmic thuds thump and hammer the passage walls with their vibration, evoking my adrenaline.

The full-blown dance music strikes my eardrums once I push the red gate, and I'm immediately welcomed with flashing disco lights and a huge screen on the other end of the room, behind the DJ podium. The screen plays an animated abstract video that moves along the music rhythm. It's hypnotizing. I walk along the railings and look down at the enormous dancing floor before me. An ocean of people sway, bounce, and move together to the music, creating a wave of motion.

The night has kicked in.

Just when I turn around to head to the VIP lounge, someone is standing in my way, and it's too late for me to halt. I grunt from the unexpected bump and step back, but before I can scold the person, the big grin on the man's face catches me off guard.

"Roy Flitz!" I gasp at the son of this nightclub.

"Parker Hayes!" he says, or at least, it's what I can catch from his lips' movement. Roy opens his arms to hug me and give me a peck. His familiar perfumes invade my nostrils as his lips linger on my cheek for a few seconds, his warm breath fanning my ear. "It's been a while, Hayes. We should catch up. Meet me later in my office?"

I pull away and smile, knowing where it will be leading. Our old game. "Sure thing," I reply as loud as I can manage.

He smirks again, quickly trailing his gaze over my figure with an appreciation glint, before turning around and walking away. A girl with pink hair, who has been standing and watching our quick encounter, strides next to him while trying to steal glances at me. She looks pretty  wasted already. Behind them, Roy's guard keeps his respectable distance from the two yet he moves at the same pace.

It's such a sweet surprise to bump into him here tonight since he rarely stays in one city for more than a week due to their business expansion. Roy and I used to go to the same school and share the same interest: sex. It was easy to love Roy, but falling out of love with him was even easier because he was simply a dick. But who am I to judge? I've been sleeping around myself, and I've lost count of how many guys I've fucked. I think that's what made the two of us.

Still with a smile on my face from the unexpected encounter, I saunter to the VIP lounge and pick up my welcome drink from the small bar by its entrance. Sarah and Brit, my blonde besties, squeal from our table when they see me sway my hips to the beats while making my way to them.