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PROLOGUE
His skin shimmered and sparkled with gold in the sweeping club lights, the defined contours of his body curving and flexing with effortless ease. With a graceful leap, he flipped, hooking one leg around the upper part of the pole while his fingers curled around the smooth metal surface below. As he held himself in place, upside down, a smile curved over his lips. Even though I was away from his line of sight, reclining against the soft leather of the booth in a darkened corner of the room, it felt as if his smile was directed at me.
He was captivating. Beautiful. Otherworldly.
Young.
A shadow moved in front of me, blocking my view of the dancer, and the spell was broken. “Hey, Kill. Birthday shots for the birthday boy.” I blinked, lifting my gaze to see Gage grinning down at me, a tray of shots balanced on one palm—a throwback to his bartending days.
I shook my head at my colleague and friend. “My birthday was last week, and I’m too old for shots.”
“Nah, you’re too grumpy. Thirty is not anywhere near old, mate. You’re younger than Stuart, and you haven’t even reached the prime of your life, so don’t even start. We came here to have fun, and we’re going to enjoy ourselves, whether you like it or not.” Placing the tray down on the table, he snatched up one of the shots, tipping it to his lips. “Cheers.”
“If your students could see you now,” I muttered, grimacing as I downed my own drink—something sour and unidentifiable that set my teeth on edge.
“Please, as if they care. They’re adults themselves. They know what we get up to.” He paused, smirking at me. “Okay. Maybe not you. We’re all aware of your uptight asshole reputation, Dr. Wilder.”
“Fuck off.” Rubbing at my temples, I willed away my headache. The music wasn’t helping, a steady, low throb that seemed to be timed to exactly match the pounding in my head.
Gage moved, and I was vaguely aware of him sinking down next to me and saying something to Stuart, our other companion, but my attention was once again stolen by the dancer.
As I watched, he gracefully dropped to the floor, holding himself on his toes in a balletic movement, before he spun around, holding out his hand. A stunning woman with long, shining red hair strutted onstage, taking the dancer’s hand and letting him twirl her around. They were both clad in gold, matching the glitter on their skin, both beautiful and untouchable.
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Stuart’s gaze flicked over the body of the new dancer, his pupils dilating as he drank her in.
“Yeah,” Gage agreed, giving me an inscrutable look before he returned his attention to the newcomer. “Just as hot as that blonde woman earlier, not that Kill was paying attention.”
Did he know? Had he noticed that I’d been unable to tear my eyes away from the male dancer on the pole? He’d caught my attention the second we’d stepped into this area in the VIP section of Sanctuary. Even standing by the bar, all the way over the other side of the room from the table where he’d been pouring glasses of champagne, I’d found him impossible to ignore. Waves of rich brown hair, threaded with reds and golds, the colour of autumn, beautiful blue eyes rimmed with black liner, long lashes, and beautifully plush pink lips that contrasted perfectly with the defined lines of his jaw, his nose, his cheekbones. His strong dancer’s body was chiselled and defined like one of Michelangelo’s sculptures. Breathtaking.
I exhaled a heavy breath, wrenching my gaze away from the stage. As a principal business lecturer at London Southwark University, one of the UK’s most well-respected higher education centres, I couldn’t afford to let myself become distracted by beautiful men, especially not when they looked young enough to be one of my students. All that existed in my life was work. And the occasional night out that Gage or Stuart forced me to join.
Such as tonight. They’d insisted that my birthday should be celebrated, and thanks to Gage’s connections, we were here, in the VIP area of Sanctuary, an exclusive nightclub in London—a place I’d never have chosen to come to if it had been up to me. The one upside was that it was likely far too expensive and far too exclusive for my students to be attending, particularly the VIP section.
Besides, this man was untouchable, regardless. He was an employee of this establishment, and even if that wasn’t the case?—
“Happy birthday.” Gage interrupted my musings with a wide grin that instantly set me on edge. “We got you a gift.”
“What gift?” I said slowly. He nudged me in the side, and I glanced up to find one of the dancers who had been onstage earlier tonight standing in front of me, holding out her hand. She was absolutely stunning, with cascades of blonde hair, full breasts, and a gorgeous hourglass figure. I’d always been attracted to both men and women, but I tended to swing more towards women, so the sight of her should have been enough to pique my interest.
Unfortunately, my mind was fixated on another dancer.
“I hear that birthday celebrations are in order.” The woman smiled at me. “If you’d like to come with me…”
“What did you do?” I growled at Gage, and he held up his hands.
“Don’t give me that look. You’ll be thanking me in a minute. We got you a private dance with the lovely Honey Rose here.”
The woman, Honey Rose, gave me an even brighter smile. With a glare at Gage and Stuart, I followed her out of the booth. My jaw clenched as calls of “Don’t be so boring” and “Lighten up, you need some fun in your life” followed me. It wasn’t that I was against private dances…for other people. For me, no. The one experience I’d had years ago had been extremely awkward and uncomfortable, and I wasn’t keen on a repeat.
When we were out of earshot and view of Gage and Stuart, Honey Rose turned to me. “If this is something you don’t want to do, no one is forcing you. You don’t even have to let your friends know.”
“Was I that obvious?”
She arched a brow, huffing out a laugh. “To me, yes. I’m incredibly good at reading people, and I could immediately sense how uncomfortable you were.”
I sighed, pinching my brow. “Look. It’s not you. It’s?—”
“You don’t owe me an explanation.” She studied me for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I might have an idea if you’re prepared to keep an open mind. I think you’ll like it.”
