Chapter 2 Chapter 2
Kael was gripping the steering wheel of his car so tightly his knuckles had gone pale.
The engine roared to life.
Gravel scattered as the sleek black sports car shot down the long driveway of the Ardent estate.
The mansion’s lights shrank in his rearview mirror.
“Damn it!”
His fist slammed against the steering wheel.
The car sped through the quiet night streets, engine growling like an angry animal.
“Why?” he shouted into the empty car.
His voice cracked.
“Why does he always have to do that?!”
The words bounced uselessly off the glass windows.
Why did Adrian always do this?
Why did he always show up and steal everything?
Every room. Every conversation. Every ounce of attention.
Even tonight.
A party that was supposed to celebrate him.
Kael’s foot pressed harder on the accelerator.
Streetlights streaked past like blurred comets.
“I hate him,” he muttered bitterly.
But even as he said it, the words felt hollow.
Because hatred shouldn’t hurt this much.
The car eventually slowed in front of a bar glowing with neon lights and loud music spilling onto the sidewalk.
Kael parked abruptly and stepped out.
If tonight was supposed to be a celebration…
Fine.
He would celebrate.
Inside, the place smelled like alcohol and cheap perfume. Music thumped through the floor as people laughed, danced, and shouted over the noise.
Exactly the kind of place Kael never visited.
He walked straight to the bar.
“Whiskey,” he said.
The bartender poured a glass.
Kael downed it in one motion.
“Another.”
Soon the alcohol burned warmly in his chest.
For a moment it helped.
A woman approached him, smiling. “Celebrating something?”
Kael stared at the empty glass in his hand. “Something like that.”
Within minutes more women drifted over drawn by his expensive suit and his sharp features.
One of them slid onto the stool beside him. “You look like you need some fun.”
Another laughed softly. “Relax a little.”
Soon they were pulling him toward a booth.
Music thumped louder here.
A dancer climbed onto his lap, moving rhythmically to the beat. Her perfume filled his senses. Her fingers slid across his shoulders.
Kael froze.
Something inside his stomach twisted violently.
The dancer leaned closer, brushing her lips near his ear. “You’re tense.”
Her hand moved across his chest.
The nausea hit him instantly.
Kael jerked back as if burned. “Stop.”
The woman blinked in surprise. “What?”
“I said stop.”
He pushed himself up from the booth so abruptly the table rattled.
The women exchanged confused looks.
Kael ran a hand through his hair, breathing unevenly.
Why did it feel so wrong?
This was normal.
Men did this all the time.
Adrian did this every weekend.
So why did Kael feel like he might actually throw up?
He left money on the table and walked out before anyone could stop him.
The cool night air hit his face like a slap. He leaned against the side of the building, dragging a hand down his face.
“This is ridiculous…”
He laughed weakly.
A bitter sound.
What exactly was he trying to prove?
That he could be Adrian and more?
His eyes lifted slowly to the glowing city streets. Then something caught his attention.
Across the road, a different club stood beneath darker neon lights.
The music was different. The crowd entering looked different too.
Two men walked inside laughing, one casually draping an arm over the other’s shoulders.
Kael’s gaze lingered.
The realization settled slowly in his mind.
A gay club.
His heart began to pound.
The thought should have made him uncomfortable. Instead… It felt strangely calm.
No expectations.
No pretending.
Just one reckless decision.
Kael pushed himself off the wall.
“Well,” he murmured quietly. “If tonight is already ruined…”
He crossed the street.
The bouncer barely glanced at him before letting him inside.
The interior was darker than the bar he had just left, filled with pulsing lights and deep music vibrating through the floor.
Men danced together on the crowded floor. Others leaned against the bar, laughing easily.
For a moment Kael simply stood there, absorbing it. Then he walked toward the front desk near a velvet hallway.
The woman behind it looked up. “First time?” she asked knowingly.
Kael hesitated. “…Yes.”
She slid a small form toward him.
“VIP service is private,” she said. “No names. No questions. Everything stays in the room.”
Kael’s pulse quickened. “How much?”
"$400"
Kael didn’t hesitate.
His card slid across the counter.
Moments later a staff member guided him down a dim corridor lined with closed doors.
The music faded with each step.
They stopped at one room. Inside was darkness and soft lighting.
The attendant handed him a strip of black silk and a pill.
“Blindfold,” she said calmly. “Standard rule.”
Kael stared at it for a moment. His heart was beating louder now. But strangely he didn’t feel afraid.
He tied the blindfold over his eyes and took the pill. Darkness swallowed the room.
“Wait here,” the attendant said softly.
The door closed behind her.
Silence.
Kael stood alone in the dark. His pulse echoed in his ears. He had no idea who would enter that room.
No idea what would happen next.
But deep down…
He realized something surprising.
He wanted this.
The door clicked open.
Kael heard it immediately.
Footsteps followed. Slow. Unhurried.
Even through the blindfold, Kael could feel the shift in the room’s energy. Someone had entered. Someone who knew exactly what they were doing.
A warm hand gently touched his shoulder.
“Relax,” a soft voice murmured.
The voice sounded young. Smooth. Almost teasing.
Kael exhaled slowly, trying to calm the strange tension coiling through his chest.
The stranger guided him forward.
“Sit,” the voice said near his ear.
Kael obeyed, lowering himself into the chair placed in the center of the room.
The man’s hands moved again, this time sliding across Kael’s shoulders and down his chest, fingers tracing the lines of his muscles through the fabric of his shirt.
Kael stiffened for a moment.
The stranger chuckled quietly. “Nervous?”
Kael didn’t answer. Instead he felt the buttons of his shirt being undone one by one.
Cool air brushed against his skin as the fabric slipped from his shoulders and fell away.
The stranger’s hands lingered briefly on his bare chest before moving lower.
His belt was unfastened.
Then his trousers...
