"Hello, Hailey?" he murmured, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers dancing across my skin.
"Ah…uh…sorry," I stammered, my carefully constructed composure crumbling like a sandcastle in a hurricane.
"It's fine, Jagiya," he breathed, his fingers tracing the curve of my jaw. I swore I saw stars. I'd never been this close to a man, which was ridiculous, considering my profession. The irony wasn't lost on me, working in a strip club, a place where bodies were currency, and yet, I was still a virgin. Shameful, maybe, but it was a truth I guarded fiercely. And now, Ace, with his effortless charisma and intoxicating scent, threatened to shatter that last bastion of my innocence.
Was it love? Lust? Some twisted cocktail of nostalgia and desperation? All I knew was, standing here, trapped between the wall and his magnetic presence, I needed him. I always had. I'd buried those feelings deep, dismissed them as a childish infatuation. But now, older, supposedly wiser, I recognized the raw, undeniable pull.
I forced myself to meet his gaze, searching for… what? Sincerity? Sanity? A reason to believe this wasn't some elaborate, cruel joke. "Ace… why are you here?" I managed, my voice a shaky whisper. I needed to reclaim some semblance of control, to remind myself that I wasn't just the awkward teenager he remembered.
His lips curved into a playful smile, and the puppy-dog look in his eyes made my heart melt. "I missed you, Jagiya," he whispered, and my lungs seemed to forget how to work. No. There was no way. Ace Khan, one of the wealthiest, most sought-after men on the planet, hadn't come to this dive of a club just to see me. Had he? The thought was ludicrous, impossible.
His hand lifted my chin, tilting my face up to his. My cheeks burned, and a strange heat pulsed through my veins. I'd danced for crowds, bared my soul on stage, but this… this vulnerability, this raw exposure, was terrifying.
"Ace, be serious," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We haven't spoken in years. Why now?"
His smile faded, replaced by something darker, more intense. "Don't play coy, Hailey. You know I've always kept an eye on you. You were always special."