THE COURTESAN CHASED BY TWO BIKER BROTHERS

Chapter 001: The girl I become to survive *** Mara Crying does not pay for the bills , money does and so I have to make money at all cost to survive. I am twenty-two years old, but my heart feels like a heavy gray rock inside my chest. I look down at my old picture inside the frame is a photo of my mom. She left this world when I was only sixteen years old. When she left , the warmth in my life went away too For a long time i wanted someone to come and save me but nobody ever came. I had to learn how to stand up by myself and build a thick wall around my heart so nobody could hurt me anymore. "Mara, stop looking at the dark," I say to myself. I turn away to my very short shiny dress with beads on it. I do not like the dress, but I have to wear it as my armor for the night. Now is the time to do my makeup. I put black paint around my eyes so I look fierce, a red lipstick on my mouth, It tells the world that I am strong and ready to fight for myself. I work at Obsidian Club where people with lots of cash come there to drink and have fun . I am a courtesan and that means I must look pretty always to sleep with rich men for money. I know it’s a dark path, but it is the only path I know to survive . I don’t feel sorry for myself anymore. Tonight is business. I will go to the club, get the cash with no strings attached. That is the rule. The door to my room opens, who else if not Stella. She is my best friend and the only person in the whole city who knows my real name. She works at the club too, She is my chosen family. "Mara, you look like a beautiful w***e ," Stella says. She walks over and fixes the strap on my black dress. "But you need to put on a smile. Your face looks like a thunderstorm." "I am just thinking, Stella," I say. As I put my high heels on. "Tonight is going to be a long night. I can feel it in my bones." Stella sighs. Oh, and guess what? A very big fish just walked into the club. Everyone is talking about him." "I do not care about big fish," I say, picking up my small purse. "They all have the same dirty money." "No, this one is different," Stella whispers, her eyes getting very round. "It is Tony Vincent. He is the king of the celebrity biker club. He is super rich, he is on all the television screens, and he is incredibly handsome. Every girl in the VIP room is begging him to look at them. He acts like he owns the whole world." "He does not own me," I say. I look in the mirror one last time. My armor is on, makeup checked . "Let's go to work." The Obsidian Club is full of purple neon lights and heavy smoke. The music is so loud as I walk through the crowd. Men try to touch my arm, but I move past them like a ghost. I know how to read a room to find who is dangerous or weak. The VIP room has big velvet couches and it’s ready for me to start my shift. In the middle of the biggest couch sits a man. I guess that was the main Stella was talking about. Tony Vincent. Stella was right. He looks like a king, but a mean king. He has dark hair, a sharp jaw, and a leather jacket with silver buttons. There are five beautiful girls sitting around him, trying to make him smile. They are pouring his drinks and laughing at his words. He looks bored. And the fact that everyone person in the room wants his attention. That sucks. Suddenly, Tony looks up and his eyes meet my eyes but I looked away quickly Tony stops talking to the other girls. He points a long, ringed finger straight at me , his voice cuts through the loud music. "You," Tony commands. He has a loud, arrogant voice. "The girl in the black dress. Come here and sit by my feet." Everyone stops talking. The other girls look at me with mean eyes as if want to be in my place. They act like Tony is giving me a great prize They expect me to run to him, smile, and beg for his heavy wallet. I stopped walking. I look at Tony . Then, I did something nobody has ever done to him. I make my eyes completely blank. pretend he is not even there. I turn my back on the great celebrity and walk away into the crowd without a second glance. Behind me, I hear someone gasp. I can feel Tony's eyes burning a hole into my back. His pride is hurt but why is he quiet? I asked myself I know men like him they think money can buy every soul in the city. But my soul does not have a price tag. I walk toward the back corridor near the bar. My heart is beating a little fast, but my face stays cold and calm. I tell myself that I did the right thing. I am here for business, not to be a toy for a famous boy. Suddenly, the loud music stops. The purple neon lights give a strange, bright flicker. BZZZZT! A loud, scary popping sound comes from the ceiling. A smell of burned wires fills the air. In one second, every single light in the Club goes out. It is so dark that I cannot even see my own hands. Someone knocks over a table, and glass shatters loudly on the floor. CRASH! Everyone is running and pushing. I cannot see the exit door, I press my back against the wall, trying to stay still so nobody knocks me down. "Stella?" I call out, but my voice is swallowed by the loud shouts of the crowd. I know the club inside and out. I can find my way by touching the wall. I slide my hand along the plaster, moving slowly. Suddenly, I feel a Someone is standing right behind me in the pitch black. I can smell the strong scent. Before I can move away, a hand wraps tightly around my wrist like a band of iron. It holds me so fast that I cannot pull away. "Let go of me!" I shouted , but the person does not speak. The hand just pulls me closer into the shadows, away from the crowd. My heart slams against my ribs like a trapped bird. Who is holding me? Is it one of Rico's thugs? Or could it be the man i just ignored? I asked myself I pull and twist, but the grip is too strong. I am completely helpless in the dark.