Confessions in the dark

Chapter 9-Ashley Simmons

Ashley

Maya and I made it through our remaining three classes, although neither of us was particularly focused.

We kept checking our phones between lectures, waiting for Professor McCullough to send the case study assignments we’d been promised. He seemed to take genuine pleasure in torturing us with anticipation.

Every time my phone vibrated, my heart jumped.

Every time it wasn’t an email from him, I felt a little more irritated.

By the time we made it back to the dorm, I had almost convinced myself to forget about it.

Almost.

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly. Maya worked on an assignment while I tried to get ahead on some reading, but my mind kept drifting.

Back to the photograph.

Back to the unknown number.

Back to those words.

Enjoy your lunch, Miss Simmons.

And, inevitably, back to Sebastian.

What was it about him?

I’d met plenty of men.

Okay, maybe not plenty.

The truth was, men had never really been a priority for me. They didn’t seem particularly interested in me either, and I’d never gone looking for their attention. My goals had always been simple.

Graduate.

Get a good job.

Make enough money that my mother and I never had to worry about where our next meal was coming from.

Become financially free.

That was my plan.

There wasn’t room in it for relationships, dates, heartbreak, or some handsome man sweeping me off my feet.

Men were complicated.

Life was already complicated enough.

And yet, Sebastian Voss had managed to occupy an embarrassing amount of space in my thoughts after knowing me for barely a day.

I didn’t even know him.

That was the problem.

I wanted to.

As I packed my usual duffel bag for work, I found myself wondering who Sebastian Voss really was beneath the dark, mysterious persona he seemed to wear so effortlessly.

The photographs online showed a successful businessman.

The man at the club felt like something else.

Something darker.

I zipped my bag.

Maya looked over.

“Be careful tonight.”

“I always am.”

“And don’t let rich mysterious men lure you into dark alleys.”

I laughed.

“That’s oddly specific.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

I shook my head.

“I’ll be fine.”

I hugged her before leaving.

“Don’t stay up waiting for me.”

She rolled her eyes.

“As if I’d listen.”

I smiled.

“Goodnight, Maya.”

“Goodnight, Sapphire.” Maya giggled

I headed downstairs and climbed into my beat-up Honda.

The car made a noise when I started it that sounded suspiciously like a dying animal.

“Please don’t die tonight,” I muttered.

It didn’t answer.

I drove toward Velvet Noir.

Theresa was working hard tonight.

The beat-up Honda had earned that name over time—half joke, half prayer. She had been with me through too many breakdowns, too many near-dead mornings, and somehow still kept going out of pure spite and stubbornness.

I pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine.

Then came the transformation.

I pulled out my red wig and secured it over my hair. Green contacts replaced my natural eyes. The woman who had walked into the parking lot as Ashley disappeared.

Sapphire took her place.

I opened the driver’s door.

Then immediately slammed it shut.

It bounced back open.

I slammed it again.

“Seriously?”

Third time.

Finally, it closed.

I grabbed my bag and hurried inside.

The dressing room was already buzzing with music, conversation, and women getting ready for the night. I changed into a white lace outfit that revealed enough to catch attention without feeling like I was wearing nothing at all. I rubbed body oil across my skin, applied my red lipstick, fixed the wig, and looked at myself in the mirror.

Sapphire stared back.

Confident.

Untouchable.

A version of myself I had created because Ashley couldn’t afford to be vulnerable.

I stepped onto the floor.

The regulars were already there.

The same men.

The same money.

The same routine.

But tonight, I was looking for one person.

Sebastian.

Every time the doors opened, my eyes moved toward them.

Not him.

A little later.

Still nothing.

I told myself I didn’t care.

Then I checked again.

Nothing.

I got caught up with bottle service, moved between tables, danced through a few sets, and tried to focus on work.

Then Marcus called for me.

I walked over.

“What?”

“Special request.”

I frowned.

“From who?”

He shook his head.

“Didn’t say.”

“Where?”

“Back room.”

My stomach tightened.

I nodded.

“Okay.”

I made my way toward the back.

The music became quieter with every step.

I pushed the door open.

And stopped.

There he was.

Sebastian.

He was seated in the center of the red lounge chair like he’d been waiting for me all night. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing part of his chest, his legs spread comfortably, his arms stretched across the back of the chair.

He looked completely at ease.

Like he owned the room.

Maybe he owned more than the room.

His gray eyes found mine.

A slow, devilish grin appeared.

“Hello, Miss Simmons.”

My heart stumbled.

“Sebastian.”

I stepped farther inside.

The door closed behind me.

“How did you know my name?”

He patted the empty space beside him.

“Come here.”

I hesitated.

His expression didn’t change.

I slowly approached and sat beside him, leaving enough distance between us to remind myself that I was still in control.

At least, I wanted to believe I was.

“I know a lot of things, Ashley.”

There was something about hearing my name in his voice that made me suddenly aware of how close he was.

His eyes moved toward my wig.

“Take it off.”

I stared at him.

“And the contacts.”

My heart beat harder.

“I want to see the real you.”

I didn’t move.

For some reason, that request felt more intimate than anything a customer had ever asked of me.

He reached toward me slowly.

His fingers brushed against my cheek before moving into my hair, gently pushing a strand away from my face.

The touch was surprisingly soft.

I swallowed.

Then I reached up and removed the wig.

My brown hair fell around my shoulders.

Next came the contacts.

I blinked a few times as my vision adjusted.

When I looked at him again, I was no longer Sapphire.

I was Ashley.

Completely exposed.

He stared at me.

For once, Sebastian Voss seemed genuinely speechless.

“What a beauty you hide,” he murmured.

I felt heat rise into my cheeks.

He moved closer.

I caught the scent of his cologne.

Dark.

Musky.

Expensive.

It surrounded me as his gray eyes held mine, and for a moment, I forgot every question I’d planned to ask.

Who was he?

Why had he found me?

Why had he sent that photograph?

Why was he here?

None of it mattered in that second.

His gaze felt like it reached somewhere beneath my skin.

Then he leaned closer, his voice dropping into something almost hypnotic.

“I’m going to let you experience a world you’ve only dreamed of.”

I stared at him.

I should have been afraid.

Instead, curiosity won.

And somehow, I already knew that whatever Sebastian Voss was offering me, there would be no going back once I stepped into his world.