Chapter 1

I"m wearing a dress I wouldn"t normally wear. It fits my curvy body like a glove, and the cleavage is… Maybe I shouldn"t wear this—not my first time going out. Especially because I"m going to be by myself. Even if it is the nightclub I"m going to be working at. What if someone gets "handsy"?

I run my hands from my breasts down to my hips. There"s a real reason I"m wearing this dress. To catch prey. I want to be a femme fatale. I laugh out loud at my silly thoughts. I need a lot of practice to become a femme fatale. But I can at least let myself go a little bit and see what comes from it.

Checking myself out in the mirror one last time, I pick up my clutch and phone and call for a rideshare. I don"t know what I"m going to do for transportation here in Miami just yet.

The rideshare arrives quickly, and I climb inside. The guy checks me out through his mirror, and I blush. I know it"s a daring dress, but I"m supposed to be going out of my comfort zone, so I don"t pull at my skirt like I really want to.

The line at the nightclub is midsized for a Friday night, but it"s early yet. I"m not going to tell the guy at the door who I am. I want to go incognito tonight. Everyone who"s in line is either paired up or in a group of trendy girls that I can"t hold a candle to. I hope they let me in. But the dress works as the guy looks at me appreciatively and lets me inside.

I am impressed by the place. It"s huge, and there are several floors for special guests. The decor is sleek and modern, and the atmosphere is vibrant. I know I should have researched the place a bit more before taking the job, but it was such a good opportunity that I couldn"t pass it up. Promoting this venue all by myself is not going to be easy, but I"m up to the challenge.

It feels like a night for a girly drink, so I start making my way to the bar when someone crashes into me, and their drink spills all over the front of my dress.

"Hey, watch it!"

"You owe me a drink." A girl says, holding onto her empty glass.

"You owe me a dress. You"re the one that crashed into me and poured your drink down my dress."

The girl just makes a face at me and walks away, leaving me to wonder how to remove the huge red stain on my white dress. The thing is probably ruined, but I need to see if I can salvage tonight still. I move towards the back of the club, where the restrooms are, and have to wait in line for a bit before I can go in. When I"m finally inside, I check out my dress and know it"s a lost cause. I could take it off and try to rinse it and see if that works, but I"ll be left with a giant wet spot all over my chest.

I"m debating what to do when I hear a couple of the girls talking.

"He"s right upstairs in the VIP area. Did you see him? He"s hotter in person than in his pictures."

"Do you think we can get into that area?"

"Nah, it"s too expensive, but maybe if we flirt with the guy at the entrance, he"ll let us in for a few minutes."

"Flirt or give a blowjob?"

"Hey, I don"t see you offering any suggestions. But he"s worth it. He"s to die for."

"Fine, let"s do this."

I watch them go and wonder who they were talking about. Sounded pretty out of my league, but a girl can dream, right? I try to do what I can to salvage my dress, and when I"m finally satisfied, I go back to the main floor. I search for the girls who were in the bathroom and see them at the entrance of what looks like level 3 of the club.

My eyes roam the crowd, and then I see him. He has to be who they were talking about. He was a god amongst men. A tall, dark, and strong man. And there"s forearm candy! He"s got his sleeves rolled up and I can see the tattoos running down both arms. He"s talking to a couple of men and there are several women in his periphery that are trying to get his attention.

Good luck, ladies, he doesn"t seem interested. I sigh but keep watching his every move from the bar. Then, as if my stare calls out to him, he turns to look my way, and our eyes meet. A shiver goes through me at the intensity of his gaze. He can"t really be looking at me like that, can he? He says something to the men around him and leaves them.

Is he coming down here? To talk to me? I don"t think so, but my heart is nonetheless beating fast, and my palms are getting sweaty. What the heck are you doing, Annette? You can"t handle a man like that. I need to be braver. When I notice him head down the last set of stairs, I get the urge to flee. He sees me and makes a beeline toward me. My eyes open wide at the determination on his face, and I bolt towards the entrance and head out into the night.

I had noticed a Chinese restaurant next door earlier, so I move fast towards it. I can hear someone calling out behind me, but I don"t slow down. Once I enter the restaurant, I tell the hostess I need a table. She seats me and I try to catch my breath. During my hasty escape, I made a decision. Maybe not a wise one, but a decision nonetheless.

The urge to change myself once and for all overcomes me, and I sit straighter in my seat. There"s a new resolve that"s filling my psyche, and I know I must act on it. This man could be the door into my much-needed sexual discovery. Then I feel it, his gaze on me. He"s standing with the hostess and seems to be talking to her.

You can do this, Annette. You"re a strong and independent woman, and you can do this. This is what you want for your new, exciting life here in Miami. So when he waves to me, I wave back as if I have been waiting for him all along.

Who knows, maybe I have.