Chapter 1

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I promise you, there would be no third time.

No, third time's a charm. No, get back up on the horse and ride—whatever that's supposed to mean.

I tried my hand at love, served my heart up on a silver platter, and it was returned to me as if it were last week's takeout in lieu of a fancy steak dinner.

Love and I didn"t belong in the same room. The sooner I got used to that, the better off I'd be.

A sigh left me as I sat down on my vanity chair. I peered at myself in the mirror, taking in the damage.

Swollen lips? Check.

Mascara smudged and tear-stained cheeks? Double check.

I'd been worse. My hair wasn't too mussed, and I didn't have anything sticky on my face or dress.

Picking up my brush, I smoothed my short black bob before moving on to fix my makeup. I was nearly done when Evie stepped into the room.

"That was quick." She glided to her own vanity, eyeing me as she went.

"They don't make them like they used to," I mused. "This one called me Carla and had tears in his eyes when he came." She let out a giggle that sounded like the tinkling of bells. Coming close, she watched as I carefully drew on my bright red lipstick, and then she checked me over when I turned toward her.

"Perfect, as usual. But when is our beautiful queen bee anything but?" Her smile was as genuine as her heart.

"You're too good to me, Evie." I turned back to the mirror and took a moment to adjust my breasts in the cups of my push-up bra.

At least I had my inheritance—good genes. Ample breasts, a pretty face, and an hourglass figure that could entice both men and women to give me whatever I might want. My lips were full even when they weren't swollen from sucking some man's cock. My lashes were naturally thick and had never been touched by the lash glue the girls swore by to give them that come-hither look.

Coming from nothing, I'd worked my ass off waiting tables and doing everything I could to raise my station in life. Whether I was on my feet, on my knees, or on my back, I'd gotten myself this far. There was no way I'd stop because of a little broken heart.

It would heal. Eventually. That's what it did after Vinny Leonetti made it clear I was nothing more than a good fuck before he found his forever love and dumped me for good. Just because I'd had the bad luck to fall for the first man who'd shown an interest in me after that didn't mean I couldn't get up off my knees and rise again.

I wasn't looking for love. Not anymore. The next man to show me favor was out of luck. All I needed now was cash flow and fun. I'd overcome far more in the past thirty years than a little heartache.

"Just you wait and see," I murmured quietly to my reflection, pasting on the smile that melted men's hearts and opened their wallets. "Carina Williams always comes out on top."

Standing, I adjusted my black silk dress over my breasts and thighs, ensuring all the right bits were covered while keeping to the provocative standards this job required. There were other ways to entice men to part with their money here at The Starlight Club. Showing skin was just one of them.

The door to the dressing room burst open, and Nevaeh came rushing in. She flashed her wide-eyed gaze around the room before tugging her wrap dress closed at her chest and rushing past where I stood.

"Buckle up, babes. King's on a warpath."

"Dammit," Evie whined. "Not again."

I'd barely lifted my chin and straightened my shoulders before the closing door slammed open. Kingston Donaghue's scowl was the first thing I saw, followed shortly after by his crisp black suit and his better than you attitude.

Trickling in behind him were the rest of the girls—Ruby, Sienna, and Lucy. The three of them looked beyond frightened.

King bared his teeth when he saw me, then snapped his fingers and pointed to the empty space at my left. The girls raced around him, lining up in the spot he pointed at while Evie came to stand at my other side.

"Where's Nevaeh?" he asked, his voice as close to a growl as I'd ever heard. From anyone else, it would have sounded ridiculous. But the noise left chills racing down my arms.

"Here! Sorry, I was in the restroom." Nevaeh rushed forward, jamming her shoulder into mine as she squeezed between me and Evie. She and Evie grasped hands while the girls at my other side did the same.

I crossed my arms over my chest.

"What is it this time, Kingston?"

"I wouldn't think, after less than a week, that I'd have to be in here with another reminder," he said, his scowling gaze locked on Nevaeh. "Mr. Leonetti has soured to the idea of sex workers in his club, and we will no longer tolerate you defiling Starlight with your untoward behavior."

Mr. Marco Leonetti. Vinny's father and the owner of The Starlight Club and a good chunk of Chicago.

King's gaze flitted to me, and he narrowed his dark eyes before dragging his attention to the others. "But seeing how no one here listens, it seems like I'll have to say it in terms you can understand." He paced the floor in front of us, making sure to spend time glaring hard enough at each one of us so we were sure he was serious.

"If I catch any of you having relations with any of our customers inside the walls of this club, you're out on your ass. If I see any of you leaving here with any of our customers, don't bother coming back. You will not pass go. You will not collect two hundred dollars. You will not be invited back to get your belongings. I'll personally box them up and leave them beside the dumpster whenever I see fit. I'm not playing games here. You play by our rules or you're out. Any questions?"

Pursing my lips, I lifted my hand.

King scowled at me. "What?"

I stepped forward, one bright red heel, then the other. "When you say, ‘no games,' who do you mean exactly?"

King stepped closer, getting in my face. "All of you. Especially you."

"Aw." I reached for him, walking the tips of my fingers up his tie before wrapping them around the silky material. "Are you sure?" I tugged, pulling him an inch closer. "Because I really think you could benefit from a little fun."

Without warning, King grabbed my arms. His strong hands gripped my biceps, crushing the black feathers of my shawl as he pulled me so close his nose almost touched mine. I was on my tiptoes, barely touching the floor, fear flooding my veins as his nostrils flared.

His chest heaved, each breath in causing his suit to brush against my breasts. It would've been erotic had it not been for the pure hatred shining in his eyes.

"Shape up or ship out," he whispered, the sharp staccato of his words sounding like a hammer pounding the nails into my coffin. "Get your girls in line or you'll be the first to go. Am I clear?"

Even though every inch of my body was trembling, I forced myself to nod. My voice was no louder than his when I told him, "Yes, sir."

King slowly lowered me to my heels, his hands not loosening even a fraction of an inch. "One more thing," he said, louder than before. "Go wash your mouth out. You smell like that man's dick."

With that, King released me and spun on his heel. He was out the door before my shaky legs had a second to recover.

Sucking in a deep breath, I steeled myself, plastering on a smile that said I wasn't shaken one bit. I turned to them. "You heard the man. No more sex with customers. No more blow jobs or hand jobs. No more leaving here with your sugar daddies." I swallowed hard and put my hand on my hip. "Mr. Leonetti's orders."

There was the usual grumbling—the five of them voicing their displeasure with words my ears failed to hear. I felt like a newborn fawn, stumbling back to my vanity on legs that could barely hold me up.

"Why the change of heart?" I heard Nevaeh complain, and I turned in my chair to face them. "Mr. Leonetti has never cared what we did before, as long as we brought in the dough."

"Is this because of your ex?" Sienna asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "Is it some sort of lover"s revenge?"

My stomach twisted, and I wet my dry lips. "Yes. And no."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I grabbed my brush and smoothed it through my hair before picking up my compact and powdering my nose. Anything to keep my hands busy. "It is because of Vinny. Or rather, his new wife."

"What'd she do?" Lucy asked.

"It's less what she did and more of what happened to her," Evie said, before explaining what I couldn't bring myself to talk about.

While I had been home, pining after the one who got away and nursing my wounds with thoughts of a new love affair with a big, burly, security man, Vinny's then-girlfriend had been abducted and put on a boat full of young women and girls set to go overseas.

Evie stopped there, but my mind continued right on with the story. That security man, Lee, found the love of his life on that boat when they boarded it to rescue them, leaving me here, alone, with my broken heart.

"Chin up, Carina," I whispered to my reflection once the girls had gone back to work. "You don't need love. It's time to take life by its horns and make it your bitch."