This cannot be happening. There is no way that Ash is here. It's not possible that he may have won the bet. I hurried over to Simon, hoping that he would take me to the Gold Room. By the way he was scowling, I did not think that would be happening. I grabbed his hand and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"I don't get you tonight, sweetheart," Simon said.

Shoes clicked across the floor. I recognized the smell of the rich cologne. I did not need to turn to know who was standing behind me. Simon looked up at Ash. He finished his drink and slammed it down on the table.

"I'll assume you were the one who beat me," Simon said.

"I am," Ash said.

I jumped when his hand touched my waist. I swatted his hand away and took a step to the side. Gio would fire me if I refused to have sex with Ash. Where am I supposed to go after this? My resume was far from impressive. It was either do this or flip burgers for the rest of my life. I could not support Chris and me on minimum wage.

I turned to see Ash staring at me. My heart fluttered as I looked in his eyes and he smiled softly.

I could do this.

I do this three times a week.

Ash should be no different.

"Grace-" Ash started to say.

My eyes went wide as he started to say my name. No one here could know it. I grabbed his arm.

"Let's go," I cut him off.

I pulled Ash to the Gold Room. I walked as fast as my heels allowed and dragged Ash behind me. I pulled the curtain back, and Danny was standing in the corner. I let go of Ash and pointed at the couch. He looked over at Danny before taking a seat.

"Grace-" he started to say again.

I held my hand up to silence him. Would he ever stop saying my name? I needed to keep my identity a secret. I looked over my shoulder at Danny. He had not moved. His large arms crossed over his chest, and was watching Ash.

"Can you give us a minute, Danny?" I asked.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes."

He pointed his finger at Ash.

"You better not give me a reason to have to come back in here," he said. He looked back at me. "Call out if you need me."

I nodded. Danny glared at Ash as he walked out of the room. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. Ash moved to stand, but I held my hand again to stop him. He leaned back on the couch and stretched his arm across the back.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I am not a waitress."

"Clearly."

I put my hand on my hip. Closer, I could see that it was an expensive suit he was wearing. His shiny watch that was poking out from the sleeve caught my attention.

"How much did you pay?" I asked.

"For what?" he asked.

I pointed my finger in the air and gestured around the room. He smiled and ran his hand along his jaw.

"Fifty thousand," he said.

I bit down on my cheek to stop my jaw from hanging open. I do not think that anyone has ever paid that much for a girl before. Gio would fire me if Ash left unhappy. Danny kicking him out of The Cave would do nothing good for me.

"How do you have that kind of money?" I asked.

"Just like everyone else here, I'm a criminal," he said.

"So you're not in event planning?"

Ash chuckled. He patted the cushion on the couch next to him. He wanted me to sit next to him, but I struggled to move my feet. I balled my hands into fists and focused on my breathing to stop my knees from wobbling. I sat next to him, and I took in a deep breath of his scent.

Ash brushed a strand of my hair off my shoulder. His fingers grazed along my skin, and goosebumps broke out across my arms. My skin tingled from his touch.

What was wrong with me?

This has never happened in this room before.

"How long have you been doing this?" he asked.

"We're not talking about that," I said.

"I paid my money, and this is what I want, Gracelynn."

I pushed his hand off my shoulder. He raised a brow as I shifted my weight to create more distance between us. I tried my best not to stare at the watch.

"Stop saying my name," I said. "I don't want anyone knowing it."

"Are you going to answer any of my questions?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"You paid me to have sex with you," I said. "Not to interview me."

"I paid the money so I could have time with you," he said. "I am positive you don't want to talk to me anymore. I wanted to explain myself to you."

"Go ahead."

Ash rubbed his hand along his stubble. It was clear that his mind was searching for the right words to say. My eyes back to his watch. I needed to get that off of him.

"I think I told you everything already," he said. "I'm a thief. I like gems and jewelry. The odd bank robbery is fun too. I made a fake profile because I did not want girls who only wanted my money. Why did you pretend to be someone else?"

I shrugged.

"Who wants a prostitute?" I asked. "I'm embarrassed to work here. Like you, I just wanted to find someone normal."

Ash slid himself closer to me. He cupped the side of my face. His thumb ran along my bottom lip. His watch was on the wrist close to my face. I grabbed his arm. My thumb ran along the ridges of the clasp. This would be so easy to slip off.

"Quit here," he said softly. "I'll take care of you."

I laughed and shook my head. He was not the first man back here to say that to me.

"That's ridiculous," I said.

"I have more than enough money for the both of us," he said.

"I don't want a man supporting me. I can take care of myself."

Ash's gaze moved from my lips up to my eyes. His eyes were dark as he pulled me closer. His warm breath fanned my face. I reached out and put my hands on his chest to stop him from bringing me in even closer.

"You want random men fucking you?" he asked.

"Sex is just sex," I said. "It's part of the job."

Ash let out a low groan. The sound caused my thighs to clench.

Get it together, Gracelynn. This is just a man.

"Don't you hate it?" Ash asked.

"No little girl dreams of this," I said. "But shit happens."

Ash let out a slight chuckle. He pulled away from me, and I caught another glimpse of his watch. I needed it.

I crawled on top of Ash so that I was straddling him. He was hard underneath me, and I could feel him against my core. I was growing wetter at the thought of him naked. I shook my head to try and get rid of the thought.

I grabbed his wrists. I arched my back so that my tits were pressed into his chest. I grazed my lips along his neck, and he moaned. I hoped he could not feel the wetness between my thighs. My fingers trailed down his arms. I grabbed his bare wrist and the watch. My fingers expertly undid the latch. I ran my hand up and down his arms before slipping the watch off his wrist. I kept my lips on his neck as I licked and nibbled his skin. I shoved the watch in between the cushions of the couch.

I pulled back to see Ash had his head rolled back. His eyes were shut, and his breathing was heavy. I hadn't seen myself have this much of an effect on a man in a long time. I ran my fingers up his chest.

"How do you know The Phantom?" he asked.

I raised a brow. That's not what I expected him to say.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked.

He opened his eyes. "That man you were talking to. You went to him as soon as you got off the stage."

"Simon?"

I had never heard him referred to as The Phantom before. I knew he was a powerful and dangerous man, but I did not know that he had an alias.

"I guess," he said. "How do you know him?"

"He's one of my regulars," I said.

Ash muttered a curse under his breath. "I fucked up."