Forbidden Fling

chapter 4

📖 Forbidden Fling: Chapter 4

Aurora stared at her phone, the morning light bleeding through the thin curtains of her small apartment, dust dancing in the beam of sunlight cutting across her unmade bed.

Ben: Morning, beautiful. Dinner tonight?

Her stomach twisted, a mix of excitement and guilt tightening in her chest. She could still feel his hands on her, the way he touched her like she was something precious, something to be savored, not bought.

But the memory of Marcus’s hands, his mouth, the way he claimed her body like it was his to take, flashed in her mind, heat blooming low in her belly even as her heart pounded with uncertainty.

This isn’t a real life, she reminded herself. Marcus is a transaction. Ben… Ben can’t know about Candice.

She typed and deleted a dozen replies before settling on:

Sure. Text me the place and time.

She tossed the phone onto the bed, running a hand through her tangled hair, exhaling shakily. She needed coffee, needed to clear her head before her shift tonight.

The club was quieter in the afternoon, the neon lights replaced by the harsh glow of overhead bulbs as the cleaning staff moved through, wiping down tables, restocking the bar, and vacuuming glitter off the stage.

Aurora stepped through the back entrance, slipping into the dressing room that smelled of cheap perfume and hairspray. She changed into her outfit for the night—straps, sequins, and heels that made her legs look like they belonged to someone else.

Candice’s legs.

She was fixing her lipstick in the mirror when she felt it—the shift in the air, the way the room seemed to grow smaller, heavier.

“Candice.”

His voice was smooth, calm, but it made her spine straighten, her eyes meeting his in the mirror.

Marcus stood in the doorway, dark suit crisp, hands in his pockets, eyes locked on her like he could see through the sequins, through the skin, down to the parts of her she tried to hide.

“You’re early,” she said, capping her lipstick, keeping her voice neutral.

He stepped closer, his presence like a shadow wrapping around her, pulling the air from her lungs.

“I wanted to see you before your set.”

She turned, crossing her arms over her chest, lifting her chin. “You’re getting possessive.”

A ghost of a smirk touched his lips as he closed the distance, his hand coming up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think we’ve already established you’re mine in here.”

“In here,” she echoed, emphasizing the words.

His eyes darkened, flicking to her lips before returning to her eyes. “Are you seeing someone else outside of here?”

Her heart stuttered, blood rushing in her ears. Ben’s smile, his laugh, the way he made her feel normal—all of it flashed in her mind.

“That’s none of your business,” she said quietly.

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, the calm slipped, something darker flashing in his eyes before he stepped back, turning away.

“Be careful who you let into your life, Aurora.”

Her breath caught, her arms dropping to her sides. “What did you just call me?”

He glanced back, eyes sharp, unreadable. “Aurora.”

No one at the club knew her real name. She had never told him.

“How do you—”

“I have my ways,” he said, echoing the words that once made her skin crawl when Liam whispered them in her ear.

A chill ran down her spine, and she stumbled back a step, hitting the edge of the vanity.

“Don’t look so scared,” Marcus said, stepping closer again, reaching for her. She flinched, but he only cupped her cheek gently, thumb brushing her skin. “I would never hurt you.”

They all say that.

His eyes softened, but the tension in his jaw remained. “Be ready for me tonight.”

He turned and left, leaving her staring at her reflection, lipstick smudged, eyes wide, Candice’s makeup hiding Aurora’s fear.

Later, in the small gap between sets, her phone buzzed in her locker.

Ben: 8pm at Renzo’s. I’ll see you there.

Aurora’s fingers hovered over the screen, her reflection in the metal locker showing wide eyes rimmed with smoky glitter, lips painted blood-red.

He can’t know.

She typed:

Can’t wait.

That night, as she danced under the neon lights, bodies pressing close, men’s eyes following every roll of her hips, she tried to push away the panic building in her chest.

Marcus was watching from the private booth, eyes dark, possessive, following her every move. She felt the burn of his gaze like a brand, reminding her of who she was to him in here.

And somewhere out there, Ben was waiting, ready to see Aurora, not Candice.

But the past never stayed buried.

When she went backstage, sweaty and breathless, she grabbed her phone to check the time, her heart skipping as she saw a missed call from an unknown number.

Voicemail.

She pressed play.

A voice she thought she’d never hear again, rough, cold, sending ice through her veins.

“You thought you could hide from me, baby? I know where you are. We’re not done.”

Liam.

Her phone slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor.

And for the first time in a long time, Candice and Aurora felt exactly the same.

Terrified.