𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅

It was the end of a very busy night. Neon red lights reflect on Sheva's blonde hair as she gets down on her knees and rakes her hands along the small black stage, gathering up the money she had made throughout the night. She liked her job—she could make a decent amount of money, at least enough to pay the bills and to buy whatever illegal substances she wanted. But what made it even better was that one of her bandmates worked there alongside her.

"How did you do tonight?" Alyx asks, sauntering up to her with a grin.

Sheva waves the stack of dollar bills with a proud smile. "Great. And, uh...tomorrow is my last night of working the stage." She mumbled the last part under her breath whilst she shoves the money into her black lacy bralette.

Alyx, crossing her arms from where she stood behind the blonde singer. "You're kidding." When Sheva doesn't answer, she narrows her eyes.  "You always steal the show, the regulars love you. Don't let what Svengali said to go to your head."

Maybe her bandmate was right—it was wrong to let what Levi said to her in the studio nearly a week ago get under her skin. She knew his methods were a little out there and that he just wanted her to create songs that were authentic to her and how she felt. But, she still couldn't help feeling like she was meant to be so much more than a performer. She had dreams that she hoped to someday achieve.

"I'm going to be a bottle girl," Sheva replied, tugging on her long black coat. "The boss said it was okay with him."

"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?" Alyx huffed.

The blonde singer rolls her eyes. "What do you mean? I'm doing what's best for me."

"It's just—" Alyx knows it would be stupid to start an argument; Sheva was stubborn, fierce, and would do what she wanted, no matter what anyone else told her. So, bites her tongue. "Okay. Do what you want."

Sheva smiles and blows her a kiss. "Thanks for supporting me, Lyx." The brunette flips her off in response. She laughs. Her bandmate was quite the character.

Her boss, Damien Faim, passes by them, his head held high. He had shoulder-length hair, dark as night. He often dressed in a suit, but tonight, he wore a t-shirt, exposing the expanse of tattoos up that trailed up from his hands to underneath his shirt sleeves. He flexed his tattooed hands, his dark-lined eyes gleaming mischievously. He practically towers over her, and him wearing combat boots didn't help the fact that he was so much taller than she was. He smirks down at Sheva. She feels her face turn crimson. For some odd reason, she had always found Damien attractive. It was clear that he felt the same way about her.

"There's one more customer here," Damien tells her, his voice low. His smirk grows wider at her scowl, and he bites on his bottom lip, pulling his lip rings between his teeth. "Make sure to give him a show. I know you're dying to please."

Sheva rolls her eyes. "Yes, sir."

Whenever her boss walks away she lets out a groan of distaste. She was ready to go back to her apartment and attempt to get what little rest she could on her lumpy, old mattress. But Alyx gives her a suggestive wink, so she knows that the brunette has other plans.

"He's all yours, girl," Alyx announces, smacking Sheva's ass playfully. The blonde grumbles under her breath. Why was she always stuck dealing with the last client of the night? Sure, she appreciated the extra money, but most of the time, they were sleazy old men just looking for a vulnerable girl to manhandle.

And Sheva was anything but vulnerable.

Sheva flips her off and looks around the dimly lit club until her eyes fall on a leather jacket-clad man sitting in a booth. He was nestled in the corner, darkness shrouding his features so she couldn't make out who it was. Still, she plasters on the fakest smile she can muster, showing off her pearly white teeth as she slinked over to the mystery man.

"So I see you're the last one of the night," Sheva purrs. She leans down to meet his eye, her black manicured nails tracing the collar of his leather jacket. "Any reason why?"

He digs in his pocket for a moment, before sliding a very large stack of crisp one hundred dollar bills across the table. Her eyes widen. "I'm looking for a private show."

Sheva grabs the money without a second thought, stuffing the bills into her coat. She would properly dispose of them later. "In that case, I'm your girl."

She can't see his face in the dim lights, but she can tell that he's grinning. "Perfect."

She takes him by the hand and leads him down a dark hallway. Eventually, they stumble upon the rooms that were only reserved for private dances. Sheva steps into the one closest to her and allow the man to shut the door behind her. The bright red lights obscure his features as he sits down in the plush velvet seat. Still, she felt his wandering eyes explore every inch of skin she had exposed. Her outfit for tonight was a little more revealing than what she normally wore. Her coworkers always pushed the blonde to get out of her comfort zone.

Rock music reverberates through the small speakers installed in the ceiling, and Sheva recognizes the song almost immediately. She knew that Alyx had chosen the song. It was a demo off of her band's unreleased debut album, and her favorite song to dance to.

She can feel the man's eyes on her as she loses herself in the music, running her hands along her body seductively. With a smile, she slowly climbs into his lap. He lets out a soft sigh, and Sheva can smell the strong amount of vodka on his breath. His hands are careful, cautious as they rest on her hips, not daring to move any lower. The familiarity of this man's touch makes Sheva wonder if she knew him. Maybe he was an old client.

She dips her head, their foreheads barely touching as she gyrates her hips against his. The man lets out another sigh, and this time, his hands don't hesitate to roam every inch of her skin. Sheva's body erupts in goosebumps.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" she murmured, her lips inches away from his neck. She was eager to know.

The man laughs. "Yeah, you do."

Her eyes widen at his familiar voice, and she climbs out of his lap, struggling to compose herself.

"Blade?" she whispered.

Why was he here? Did he come in a drunken haze because he, dare she say, missed her? Her heartbeat quickens at the thought.

Sheva shakes her head. None of that mattered. He broke her heart, fuck him. But, if he missed her so terribly...she might as well make him come crawling back for more.

She gets into the rhythm of the music, climbing back into his lap in almost an instant. Her lips barely ghost against his neck and he lets out a soft whimper, his hands curling into her short blonde locks. She clicks her tongue.

"No touching," she teases, unbuttoning the clasp of her black lace bra.

When it falls to the floor, she isn't surprised to see Blade's eyes widen. She only smirks at his expression and grinds herself against him. "See something you like?"

Blade closes his eyes. He couldn't believe what was happening—he told himself it was a stupid and reckless idea, coming to the club that Sheva worked at and requesting a private dance just to see her again. He cursed his alcohol-driven thoughts. Yet, he couldn't begin to decipher what she was thinking. It was almost as if she wanted nothing more than to have him at her mercy.

"You're acting like you're enjoying this, Sheva," he chuckles softly.

Sheva bites on her bottom lip, her eyes meeting his. "So what if I am?"

She bucks her hips once more, grinding down on him. Her eyes seem to darken and she slowly reaches down for his belt, tugging at the buckle.

Blade's breath is caught in his throat as she successfully undoes the belt. Her fingers dance along his thigh, painfully close to the zipper of his jeans. He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down in his throat. His bright green eyes never leave hers, his jaw clenched tight.

Sheva lets out a sigh at the thought of his skin. Fuck, she couldn't enjoy this. It was wrong to. But, all she can think about is the fact that his plump lips are just inches away from hers, begging to be kissed...

Almost as if it was on cue, the music stops. Sheva stands, her eyes never meeting his as she covers herself with her long coat. Yet, she can feel his eyes on her. She knew he had questions, and she couldn't help but feel the same way.

Sheva digs her hands into her hair. What the hell was that? She couldn't allow herself to be enamored of him, never again.

"You've made it clear that you enjoy fucking with my head," Blade says, breaking her train of thought.

She whirls around to face him, somewhat hurt by his words. "What do you mean?"

"This...I don't know why I came here. I almost expected you to tell me to leave." He shakes his head. "But you didn't, you instead took me by the hand and made me feel things I haven't felt since..."

He trails off, and Sheva grinds her teeth. She knew he was right, but she didn't want him to know that. She crosses her arms over her chest. "How did you expect me to react? You asked for a show, and I gave it to you."

Blade sat there in silence, taking in her words. Finally, he nods. "I just thought..." He stands, fastening his belt. "Never mind."

He makes his way to the door, but Sheva stops him, grabbing his wrist. He turns to face her, curious green eyes meeting her own. He stares at her lips for a moment before meeting her eyes again.

Then, in one swift movement, her lips crash against his with bruising force. He welcomes the kiss immediately, tugging her bottom lip between his teeth. As soon as her mouth opens, her tongue brushing against his own, he slams her against the door, pinning her arms over her head.

A shiver rolls down Sheva's spine at the feeling of him pressed against her. She allows the kiss to grow deeper, her tongue exploring every inch of his mouth. He removes one of his hands to wrap it around her throat, and she smiles against his lips, her now free hand digging into his hair.

His hand glides down her chest at an agonizing pace, and he stops just underneath her left breast, tracing her Oh, Romeo, Romeo! tattoo with a gentle finger. Goosebumps rise on her skin. He grabs her with a forceful hand. She moans and tilts her head back, her eyes fluttering shut. His plump lips meet her neck, sucking and biting the exposed skin.

She tugs his leather jacket off of his shoulders with eager hands, dropping it to the floor behind him. Her fingers begin to work at the hem of his black t-shirt. But before things can go any further, he breaks away from the kiss.

Blade slowly backs away from her and chews on his bottom lip. He grabs his leather jacket from the floor and tugs it on. She watches him closely, gauging his reaction. Was he pissed? Did she take things too far? Of course you did, Sheva reminds herself. What were you thinking?

Tears begin to well in her eyes. She steps away from the door as he reaches out for the handle. His hard gaze finally meets her eyes, and he looks away, his jaw clenched tight.

Without another word, he leaves the private room, shutting the door behind him. Sheva crumples to the floor, her head in her hands. She couldn't begin to explain how she felt, but she doesn't fight it. Instead, she allows herself to cry, unable to get Blade off of her mind.