The bass pounded through the club like a heartbeat... low, insistent and primal.
Finn Bellamy sat in the VIP section like a king holding court, expensive drinks scattered across the table in front of him like offerings. Three shirtless men hovered around him, their hands roaming over his shoulders, his chest, his thighs with a purpose.
They were hookers and knew exactly how to please their customers- especially Finn Bellamy, everybody's sweetheart!
Finn's eyes were narrowed, his face remained impassive, almost bored, as they touched him. One leaned in to whisper something in his ear, breath hot against his skin, but Finn didn't react. He just sat there, glass of whiskey in hand, watching the crowd below with detached interest.
He could hear the murmurs even as he stared with disinterest.
"I told you Finn Bellamy visits here!" One guy said to another with excitement in his voice.
"Oh my God! I can't believe I'd ever see him physically."
"I heard his family owns half the city..."
Finn's lips curved into a smirk as he heard that.
There it was; the attention he craved like oxygen. The validation that came from being recognized, desired, envied and most especially for something else...
Something nobody would ever imagine Finn Bellamy would be doing all of this for.
Finn caught someone pulling out their phone, camera pointed in his direction, and something wicked sparked in his chest.
Without thinking, Finn grabbed the closest guy- a blonde who smelled of too much cologne, and pulled him into a kiss.
It was deep and obscene... Finn sucking on the guy's lips like he was sucking on a very sweet popsicle. It was the kind of kiss designed to be gossiped about, to remind everyone watching exactly who Finn Bellamy was.
The guy melted into it immediately, probably already counting the money he had make from this moment.
More phones came out, more pictures got taken and there were more whispers.
"Perfect." Finn said inwardly.
Finn broke the kiss and leaned back in his seat, satisfaction curling warm in his stomach as his mind calculated why exactly he was doing this;
'Let them talk. Let them post their pictures online. Let his father see exactly what kind of son he had raised.'
Things were going just as Finn Bellamy wanted until he appeared...
This young man with gray eyes and silver-colored hair walked in and the atmosphere shifted. Attention shifted from Finn Bellamy and was now completely on him.
Everyone turned to look at this different man who wasn't only handsome and new here but was walking alone and confidently as if he owned the area.
His 6ft 3inches height was more intimidating because of his broad shoulders and wide chest.
What was more surprising was that this young man didn't glance in Finn's direction as required for everybody in this club but just headed straight for the bar on the opposite side of the club.
Finn sat up straighter, his smirk fading instantly, his countenance becoming focused.
Everyone looked at him. Everyone wanted him. It was the natural order of things in this city, in this world. But this stranger walked past like Finn didn't exist, as if he was just another face in the crowd.
And that was totally unacceptable!
"Who is that?" Finn furrowed his brows, although he didn't say the question out loud.
The man sat down at the bar alone, signaling the bartender with a casual gesture. Within seconds, a drink appeared in front of him.
He picked it up, took a slow sip, and stared straight ahead like that was just what he came in to do.
Finn pushed the hands off his body with sudden irritation.
"Stop!" he told the three men hovering around him sharply.
They obeyed immediately, stepping back like well-trained dogs.
Finn stood and smoothed down his expensive shirt- black silk, open at the collar, designed to showcase his fresh skin. Then he walked across the club with purposeful strides, aware of every eye tracking his movement.
When Finn passed, everybody must turn to stare.
When he reached the bar, he slid onto the stool directly across from the stranger and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter.
"You new in this city?" Finn asked, voice carrying that lazy confidence that came from years of getting exactly what he wanted.
"Because if you weren't, you would know who Finn Bellamy is."
The man didn't look up. Instead, he took his glass of drink to his mouth again and took a sip.
Finn's jaw tightened.
This wasn't how things worked. People didn't ignore him. They couldn't ignore him.
"Hey," Finn said, louder this time, leaning closer. "Did you not hear me? Or are you just choosing to be rude?"
Still nothing. The man took another slow sip of his drink, his expression completely neutral.
Finn felt something dangerous stir in his chest- a mix of irritation and fascination that he couldn't quite name. This man was a challenge. And Finn loved a challenge.
He relaxed back in his seat, a slow smile spreading across his face, then he signaled toward his usual corner.
His followers- two guys and a lady who handled his logistics, sat at a nearby table, watching with sharp attention. The woman, Claire, caught his signal immediately and stood up.
She approached quickly, leaning down when Finn crooked his finger.
"Bring it... All of it!" Finn whispered into her ear.
Claire's eyebrows rose slightly, but she didn't question. She knew her boundary. Within minutes, she had returned with several thick bundles of money wrapped in rubber bands.
Finn took them without a word and turned back to the stranger.
Then, with deliberate slowness, he placed the bundles on the bar between them and pushed them forward until they were directly in front of the man.
"Is that enough for you to spend the night with me?" Finn asked, his voice dropping darker.
And finally the man reacted but the reaction wasn't anything Finn expected...