Chapter 1 THE WAITRESS AND THE KING

The bass hit so hard I felt it in my teeth.

I pushed through the crowd with the tray held high, trying not to breathe too deep. Velvet Room on a Friday smelled like expensive cologne and cheap decisions. The kind of place where married men took off their wedding rings at the door.

Table seven. Three guys in suits, already half-drunk.

I set down their drinks, whiskey, whiskey, beer—and stepped back before any of them got ideas. The one with the loosened tie tried anyway, reaching for my waist.

"Just the drinks tonight, gentlemen."

Smiled when I said it. Always smile. Marcus's rules.

The guy laughed like I'd told a joke and went back to his friends. I cleared their empties and headed for the bar, weaving between bodies that pressed too close, music that drowned out everything except the pulse in my head.

"Yo, Elle!"

Jade nearly knocked into me, her tray empty, her face flushed. One of the dancers. Made more in an hour than I did in a week.

"You see him?" She jerked her chin toward the VIP section upstairs.

"See who?"

"Valentino. The Valentino." She said it like the name alone should make me drop to my knees. "Sloane's been all over him for like an hour. Lucky bitch."

I didn't look up. Didn't need to.

Everyone knew that name. You grew up in this city, you learned quick—there were people you didn't mess with, places you didn't go, names you didn't say too loud. Valentino was all three.

"Good for her," I said, moving past.

"Girl, you're no fun."

Maybe. But fun didn't pay Mom's medical bills.

I dropped the empties at the bar and checked my phone. Two texts from Maya.

maya: elle can u pick up pizza on the way home

maya: nvm, Jessica's mom is ordering. staying here tonight

Good. One less thing.

I shoved the phone back in my pocket and grabbed another round for table four. Rinse and repeat. Smile, serve, dodge hands, collect tips. Six more hours till close.

I could do six hours.

Then I felt it.

That weird prickle on your neck when someone's staring. Not the usual creep stare—I'd gotten good at ignoring those. This was different. Heavier.

I told myself not to look.

Looked anyway.

VIP section. Upper level. Leather couches, low lighting, the kind of space reserved for people who owned things. Buildings. Businesses. Lives.

And there he was.

Dark hair. Sharp suit. Sitting like he had all the time in the world, one arm stretched across the back of the couch, posture so relaxed it felt dangerous.

Sloane was draped over him, whispering something in his ear, her hand on his chest.

But he wasn't looking at her.

He was looking at me.

Ice-blue eyes. The kind that didn't blink. Didn't look away.

My stomach dropped.

I turned and kept walking, heart doing something stupid in my chest. Told myself it was nothing. Guys stared all the time. Didn't mean anything.

Except I could still feel it. His eyes. Like they'd burned a hole straight through me.

The back hallway smelled like bleach and stale perfume.

I ducked into the dressing room, needing a second to breathe. The place was chaos—girls changing, touching up makeup, counting tips. Music thumped through the walls.

I found a corner and sat, pulling out my phone again. Opened my banking app even though I knew what it'd say.

Balance: $2,347.82

Two years of saving. Every extra shift, every birthday card from Aunt Marie with a twenty tucked inside. It was supposed to be for the academic competition next week. The one that could get me into Stanford.

Fifty-three dollars short of the entry fee.

I closed the app.

"Well, look who it is."

I didn't have to look up to know that voice.

Sloane.

She leaned against the lockers, platinum hair perfect, body poured into something that barely counted as clothing. She was looking at me the way you look at gum stuck to your shoe.

"What?" I said.

"Just wondering how long you're gonna keep playing dress-up."

"I'm working."

"Yeah. As a waitress." She said it like the word tasted bad. "In a strip club. You know what's sad? You could be making real money. But you're too scared."

I stood, grabbing my bag. "I'm not scared."

"No?" She stepped closer. "Then why are you still hauling drinks for minimum wage when you could be upstairs making a grand a night?"

"Because I don't..."

"Because you think you're better than us." Her smile was sharp. "You walk around with your little backpack full of textbooks, like you're just passing through. Like you're gonna save up, get out, go to college, forget you ever worked here."

"I am going to college."

She laughed. Actually laughed.

"Sure you are, scholarship. Right after you pay for Mommy's hospital bills and your sister's everything and rent and food and—" She ticked them off on her fingers. "You're drowning, Elle. And you're too proud to grab the lifeline."

My hands clenched. "I'm fine."

"Yeah? Then why'd Mr. Valentino ask for you?"

The room tilted.

"What?"

"You heard me." Sloane crossed her arms, enjoying this. "He. Asked. For. You. By name. Wants a private session. Tonight."

"I don't do—"

"Fifty grand."

The words hit like cold water.

"What?"

"Marcus is offering fifty thousand dollars. One night. You and him. Private room." She leaned in close, voice dropping. "That's a lot of hospital bills, Elle."

My mouth went dry.

Fifty thousand.

Mom's surgery. Maya's tuition. Rent for six months. The competition fee. Stanford.

Everything.

"I'm not—" My voice cracked. "I'm a waitress."

"Tonight you're whatever he wants you to be." Sloane straightened, examining her nails. "But hey, if you wanna say no, that's cool. I'm sure Marcus has other girls who'd kill for the chance. Girls who aren't afraid to do what it takes."

She started to walk away.

"Wait."

She paused, looking back.

"Why me?" I asked. "He doesn't even know me."

Her smile was vicious. "Guess you made an impression. Maybe he likes the whole innocent virgin thing. Men like him get bored with easy." She shrugged. "Or maybe he just wants to ruin you. Who knows? Either way, Marcus is in his office. You got ten minutes to decide."

Then she was gone, heels clicking down the hallway.

I stood there, phone buzzing in my hand.

Dr. Patel: Elle, we need to discuss your mother's treatment options. Please call when you can.

I stared at the message.

Then I grabbed my bag and walked out.

The rain started the second I hit the street.

Of course it did.

No umbrella. Never had an umbrella. I pulled my hood up and started walking, sneakers splashing through puddles that'd already formed.

Ten blocks to the hospital. I could've taken the bus, but I needed to move. Needed to think.

Fifty thousand dollars.

The number kept circling in my head like a vulture.

I wasn't stupid. I knew what "private session" meant. Knew what men like Kaelan Valentino wanted when they asked for girls by name.

And I knew what happened to girls who said yes.

They stopped being girls. Started being something else.

My phone buzzed again.

maya: jessicas mom says i can stay the weekend if u want

maya: u ok? u seem stressed

I typed back with shaking hands.

me: im good. have fun. love u

Lies came easier when you'd been telling them long enough.

The hospital lights were too bright. They always were.

I signed in at the desk, ignored the night nurse's pitying smile, took the elevator to four.

Room 427.

Mom was asleep. Always asleep now.

I sat in the chair beside her bed—the same chair I'd lived in for months—and took her hand. So small. When did her hands get so small?

"Hey, Mama," I whispered. "Sorry I'm late."

The machines beeped their steady rhythm. In. Out. In. Out.

I rested my head on the edge of her bed.

Just for a second.

Just to breathe.

"Miss Rossi?"

I jerked awake.

Dr. Patel stood in the doorway, tablet in hand, face doing that thing doctors' faces do when they're about to wreck your world.

"We need to talk."