Sheep & Wolves

Chapter Five

Dana had never thought the week could get any odder.

Yet, here she was, sitting in the office, waiting for the new boss to come speak with her.

She couldn't make sense of anything. Why Charles had suddenly decided to sell the club after all these years, why Stan had been so on edge this morning when he told her the new boss wanted to see her, and, most of all, why the new boss would even want to see Dana. Yes, she brought the club a lot of money, but if he was trying to introduce himself to one of the girls, Dana was not the right choice. Marissa was the one who was friends with the rest of the strippers. Befriending Marissa would automatically gain him approval from the rest of the girls. Not many people liked Dana, even though she was Marissa's best friend. She suspected it was because of her distant nature. She had always been a difficult person to connect with.

The sound of the office door opening caught her attention. A feeling formed in her stomach- cold, empty. Her muscles tensed, goose bumps ran down her skin.

"So it's true." The voice behind her was the deepest she had ever heard, filled with absolute resolve. Every word he said was detached, a simple observation, but terrifying. He could as well have ordered Dana's death as said these three nonsensical words. The effect was the same.

She heard his footsteps as he advanced on her. Slowly. Like he was savoring each step that brought him closer to his prey.

She felt him against her back. He wasn't touching her, but his presence expanded beyond his body.

He was big- no, huge. Overwhelming.

He was overpowering her simply by standing behind her and she hated it.

"Dana Desire Durand. What an appropriate name." His breath hit the top of her head, his hand moved over her shoulder and down her arm. A warm feeling swept down to her core. She bit her lip to keep from gasping.

"'Dana' comes from the Greek 'Danae', or 'she who judges'. Durand is old French for 'enduring'. Your middle name is my favorite. Desire. Desirable." He inhaled as if taking in my scent. "You are very desirable, very enduring. You are made for us, aren't you? It's the last part that concerns me. 'She who judges'. Do you know what that means, Desire?"

"My name is Dana." Her words were weak, her voice unstable. But she was grateful to have been able to say them.

His hand inched closer to her arm. So, so close. Then, with startling speed, he pulled away.

"I have a job for you tonight," he said, voice further away than before.

"What job?" she breathed.

"A private show."

A knot formed in her throat. "We don't do private shows here."

"I think you'll quickly find that things have changed." To that, she had no response. "One of my men will show you to the room as well as give you your costume. You are to follow his instructions exactly."

"I don't feel comfortable with this."

The room was silent for a moment. Dana wanted to turn around, to see this man, but something stopped her.

"I've done my research. I know every little detail about you. I also know that one of your very close friend's needs this job. Desperately. Glancing over Marissa Myer's criminal record was proof enough that this is the only place that will hire her. I guess your last boss didn't like to do back ground checks, did he?"

"You're going to fire her?"

"Well, it would be the responsible thing to do. Unfortunately, it would mean that she'd be out of a job and unlikely to be hired anywhere else."

"I'll do it."

He took a deep breath and she felt his eyes move over her. "Not just that, Desire. Everything. You will do everything I say."

She was tied to the pole, blindfolded. The costume she wore left nothing to the imagination. She hated it, every second of it.

The man's voice echoed in her mind, the new boss' henchman.

"You let him touch you. You do anything he asks."

She hoped she could get out of it, but the handcuffs that hooked her to the pole were inescapable.

The door to the little room creaked open and she tensed, not sure what to expect.

She heard an inhale of breath, a small gasp.

The henchman spoke to the man. "Nik has given you fifteen minutes to do what you want with her. He thanks you for your cooperation during his conflict with Maxus."

The names instantly caught her attention. Maxus... Max. Nik was undoubtedly her new boss.

She heard the retreating steps of the henchmen and the door close and lock as he exited the room, leaving her alone with the mysterious man.

She stayed still, despite the music playing in the background. She couldn't move even if she wanted to.

She felt the man advance on her, she felt his lips near hers. Slowly, they brushed against hers. And then again.

Dana stayed still, feeling a bizarre tingling in her body. Despite herself, she leaned towards the man, under an odd trance.

His hands cupped her face, his fingers gently intertwined with her hair. His lips were so soft, barely moving as if he was afraid to break her.

His fingers moved to the blindfold, he carefully untied it. The piece of cloth floated down to the floor as she stared at the man in front of her.

It was the British man—Lucas, she had heard was his name.

The usual cockiness he carried with him was hidden for the moment as he stared at her. The endearment in his gaze overpowered the lust, surprising Dana. Lucas had seemed like one of the most lustful men she had come across.

Neither spoke for a moment, unsure of what to do now. Dana distantly wondered if Lucas was going to touch her, or kiss her again.

His expression turned amused, as if he knew what she was thinking.

"A kiss I will take from you. But nothing more. Not until you're ready." There was something strange in his eyes, something intimate and affectionate. Something sincere. She was sure he was dangerous, but she knew he wasn't going to hurt her. At least, not now.

"A kiss is all you will ever get," she spat angrily, summoning her rage.

He smiled coyly, impossible to discourage. Then, suddenly, he grew absolutely serious.

"You should be careful. With what you say. I adore your feistiness, love, but I know a lot of people who won't. A lot of people that can hurt you more than you can imagine."

She couldn't tell from his expression whether he was threatening her or warning her.

His lips touched hers one last time before he turned and exited the room, leaving her tied to the pole.

"Bastard," she whispered to herself.

There's something really twisted going on, isn't there? Please do tell me your guesses. Anyone have any bad feelings about any particular characters? Oh, and what's up with Lucas being sweet? That one took me by surprise.

Thanks for all your support <3