30 Days Trapped With The Wrong CEO

Maya Collins’s POV~ “Sorry, Maya, if you don’t pay for this semester, you’ll have to repeat this course.” The registrar’s words still rang in my head. Another slap from life, a reminder that my woes will never end. “Sorry, Maya, you are not part of the will. Your father says you’re a bastard. Your mom was just a w***e he spent one night with.” Every memory was another heavy stone on my back. People are always leaving. Doors closing. Everyone is walking away and never actually looking back to see that they hurt me. But I’d learned how to carry my scars with a quiet kind of strength, the only way I know how. The pain stayed, yes… But my only joy in this tragedy that is my life was Kate Harlow. My best friend and my anchor. I hugged my jacket tightly as I locked my apartment door, and I stepped into the dark street. The clock on my phone glared 10:00 p.m. sharp. “s**t!” Kurt, the club manager, was going to rip me apart for this. I almost slipped running across the slick pavement, cursing the weight of student loans and the life that had tethered me to this draining place. When I reached the back door of the club, there he was, Kurt leaning against the wall, cigarette in his hand, a heavy scowl on his face, already waiting for me. “You’re late.” His words cut like hot steel. I forced a small, apologetic smile, hoping to soften him. “I’m sorry, Kurt. I had extra classes, and if I miss another…” He slammed his palm against the door in anger. The metal flew open with a violent clang, and the sound of bass and sin poured out like smoke into my ears. Screams, laughter, the pulse of neon lights flickering, a steady reminder that my life was nothing but survival. Kurt’s eyes narrowed. “Does it look like I run a charity here, Maya? Does it say Kurt’s charity bazaar in front of this building?” I bit my tongue and stayed quiet, knowing any excuse would only sharpen his anger. “You begged me for this job,” he went on. “This is a strip club, not some goddamn art museum. I don’t need tardy strays wasting my time!” I fell to my knees before the humiliation could catch up to me. “Please, Kurt. I need this job. It won’t happen again. Please.” The girls’ laughter echoed from behind him, cruel and sharp. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. From the corner of my eye, I noticed headlights sweep across the alleyway. A car pulled up, a black SUV. A tall man stepped out, his face hidden beneath a black mask. Only his eyes, leaning, sharp, grey, and curious… showed. He lingered for a moment, watching me kneel in front of Kurt in the rain-stained dirt, before disappearing inside. My chest tightened. Something about those eyes… danger lurked behind them. Danger, I’d seen somewhere before Ajax, the club guard, whispered something into Kurt's ear and left. Kurt snapped his fingers in my face, dragging me back. He smirked. “You’re in luck.” I blinked at him. “What?” “A client asked for you. Just you.” His grin was unsettling, like he’d won something. “He’s waiting in the private suite.” In five months, no one had ever asked for me by name. I was a background dancer. Always invisible. Kurt shoved a costume into my hands. Red. Cut low, shredded in ways that made my skin crawl. My n*****s nearly spilt out. “Put this on,” he ordered. His grip bruised my arm. “He’s not a regular, but he’s loaded. Make sure he spends big or you can kiss your job goodbye. And Maya?” He leaned in, his eyes red and threatening. “If you screw this up, I’ll blacklist you from every club in the city.” I swallowed hard. Back in the dressing room, I stared at myself in the cracked mirror. The girl looking back was plain, exhausted, and trembling. But I couldn’t afford to be her. Not tonight… I closed my eyes, inhaled, and let my alter ego rise… I call her the bad Maya. She was the mask I wore when survival mandated it. She didn’t cry. She didn’t feel remorse. She did whatever it took. Bad Maya carried me into the private suite. The curtains fell closed behind me. Dim red light bathed the room, shadows curling around the figure seated in the corner. Him. The masked man. Those grey eyes devoured me like I was prey. “You asked for me?” I whispered. He only pointed to the pole. My stomach knotted, but I moved. My body bent, swayed, and twirled to the rhythm of low, sultry music. His gaze followed every inch, stripping me more than the costume already had. But why me? He tapped his knee. A silent command, and I had to obey. I slid closer, my skin prickling under his stare. When the red glow hit his eyes just right, something shifted. A memory slammed into me. Wait, these eyes? Aren't they…. The same ones I’d seen months ago in a courtroom. When I pointed at the cut-out picture of a thief who stole priceless art. The infamous thief, the one I helped put behind bars, or so I thought. My blood ran cold. Could this be him? Out for revenge? He leaned forward. His hand brushed mine, then locked both wrists behind me in a subtle but firm hold. Electricity shot down my spine. His breath was hot against my neck. “I want you,” he said, voice low, dangerous. He tugged my hair back, lips grazing my skin. My body betrayed me with a shiver. I forced words out. “I… I have a boyfriend.” His laugh was dark. “I don’t care about him. He doesn’t exist in my world.” An envelope appeared in his hand, thick and heavy with cash. My stomach twisted into knots. “This is yours. And there’s more if you let me spread you across this table and f**k you the way I want.” His lips ghosted mine. “How I want. When I want.” The room spun. His touch stirred things I didn’t want to feel, things I can't afford to feel. Then my conscience yelled at me. “No!” The word broke from me like a sob. I tore myself free from him, stumbling back. “I can’t. I don’t want your money.” His eyes turned to steel. He stood, slipping the envelope back into his pocket. “You’ll regret this, I promise” The curtains slammed open as he stormed out, The room shivered with tension long after he was gone. Ajax appeared minutes later, his hand gripping my arm like a vice. Without a word, he dragged me through the back and shoved me into the night. Rain poured down, soaking me to the bone. I begged… and cried…. But nothing. Could this night get any worse? My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I took it out. No Caller ID. I sniffled, answering. “Hello?” “Am I speaking to Maya Collins?” a woman’s voice asked. “Yes? Who is this?” “This is Harvey General Hospital. Here, you’re listed as the emergency contact for Kate Harlow. She’s been in a car accident. It’s…um… It’s bad. She needs immediate heart surgery.” My knees buckled, I sprang up, “What? No, no, no…” “If you can’t come up with one hundred thousand dollars tonight, I’m afraid she won’t make it until morning.” The line blurred, and soon the call ended. My chest collapsed. That envelope, that cursed envelope I rejected….. It could have saved her. I fell to the wet ground, tears mixing with the rain, my body shaking uncontrollably. For the first time in years, I wished I hadn’t listened to my conscience. I wished I’d let the masked devil have me in the private suite. Because now, Kate might die.