LOS ANGELES – 21ST CENTURY
8:00 PM
KAESHA
I took a shaky breath as I stood in front of the hotel door, my heart racing beneath my borrowed mini skirt. If you asked me what I was doing here—what led me to this moment—I wouldn't have an answer. Nothing logical, at least.
Apart from sheer desperation and a touch of madness, there's no sane reason I should be standing outside Room 24, about to sleep with my boss.
I'm Kaesha. Twenty-five, orphan and one sick grandmother back home who needs medication I can barely afford. I finally landed a job as a personal assistant, one that freed me from juggling three exhausting part-time jobs.
But now? No promotion. No raise. Just my sleazy boss dangling everything I've worked so hard for in front of me, like a bone in front of a starving dog.
Pete. The devil in a suit. A womanizer who makes my skin crawl every time he calls my name. And tonight, I'm the next victim.
"Breathe, Kaesha," I whispered, fingers clenching the silver necklace around my neck, the only thing I had from my parents. I always held it when I was scared. Just like now.
I adjusted the wrinkled mini skirt Ginger, my reckless best friend, had lent me. She was the one who pushed me into this mess, convinced this was my only shot.
I raised my hand and knocked.
"Come in," his oily voice called from inside.
My heart dropped.
I walked in, heels clicking across the glossy floor like an execution drumbeat. Pete's grin stretched wide as he looked me up and down like I was already his.
I wished I had just one superpower, just one, to wipe that smug smile off his face. But instead, I gave him what he wanted, a seductive smile, practiced in the mirror a dozen times on the way here.
"You're ten minutes late," he said, checking his watch.
Like I gave a damn. I stepped closer, so close I could smell his cologne and his ego.
"I was getting ready... just for you," I said in a low voice, spinning slowly on unsteady legs, praying I wouldn't trip.
He stood and grabbed my waist, his eyes gleaming like a wolf who had just cornered his prey.
"I love this," he whispered hungrily. "Can't wait to ride you all night, Kaesha."
I rolled my eyes, then turned to him slowly, and confidently. With a gentle push, I nudged him back onto the couch, draping my legs across his lap. My chest hovered just inches from his face.
"We're going to take it slow… okay?" I whispered near his ear, trying to sound in control.
It was my first time. Every move I made was something Ginger had drilled into me during our late-night rehearsals. "Act like you've done it a hundred times," she'd said. "He won't know the difference."
His hands gripped me tight, flipping me against the chair as his lips crashed onto mine, hungry, urgent, and breathless. Like he couldn't get enough of me.
This wasn't slow...
A soft moan escaped my lips as I pulled back slowly, my breath shaky.
"C-can we just… take it slow?" I asked, our eyes locking.
He scoffed with no emotions and not even a little-tiny patience.
Like my words were completely irrelevant.
"I don't give a damn about slow," he said darkly. "We do it my way. Rough. You don't mind that… do you?"
It wasn't a question—it was a warning. Like he was threatning me, of course.
I blinked, masking the anger bubbling beneath my skin with a tight-lipped smile.
"I take it you understand," he muttered.
Then his lips grazed my chest, his breath warm on my cold skin. His hand slid beneath my skirt, finding its way between my thighs, sending a jolt through me.
A mix of pain and pleasure surged as he pushed a finger inside. My body responded before my mind could catch up.
This is wrong… my brain screamed.
But my body? It was drowning in the sensation.
I shut my eyes tightly as he yanked open my shirt, exposing my chest. His tongue traced between my cleavage, and another moan slipped from my mouth. I clung to his waist like it was the only thing keeping me from falling.
"You ready to ride?" he murmured.
"Yes," I breathed, though I didn't even recognize my own voice.
His lips curled into a wicked smile. The belt came off followed by his trousers loosened.
He tore off my underwear next, lifted my waist higher. My legs wrapped around his neck as his eyes roamed my bare skin.
I gripped the chair, heart pounding like a war drum.
Then, just as he came down over me—
A sudden jolt.
Like I'd been hit by a wave of ice-cold water.
Everything around me blurred. I couldn't move, not a finger. My mind blanked for a second, maybe more.
And then—bam.
My back slammed against something rough, solid, and cold.
My vision twisted…
And then, everything went black in a second.