**Wow, I'm absolutely exhausted. This week I had two nursing exams (one on Monday and one today) and I was on the hospital floor for clinical every day in between so I'm literally pooped. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please let me know what you think!** 

Roxie's POV

In the last two hours with this man, I'd discovered quite a few things.

Firstly, his name was Ezekiel and he's been a very loyal client at Rouge since the grand opening. It was safe to say he enjoyed our services very much.

Secondly, he was not a stranger to the female body. The way he stroked and caressed mine while I gave him a glorified lap dance was an indication of that.

Lastly, his definition of 'a little private dance' was much more involved than my own. I'd just finished swaying my hips against his lap when he picked me up and laid me down on the bed he'd previously been sitting on. He crawled between my legs before capturing my lips in a searing kiss. So he knows how to kiss well, too.

I was caught up in the moment for a total of roughly three seconds before a feeling of nausea enveloped my stomach. Coming to my senses, I realized he was trying - successfully might I add - to undo the back of my bodysuit. I pushed against his chest, breaking away before trying desperately to rezip the portion of the zipper he'd managed to undo.

"What are you doing, sweetheart?" he questioned, clearly annoyed I'd pushed him off. I mean, I couldn't blame him. Up until now, I hadn't given him any indication that I wanted to stop or that I wasn't interested.

I should've known this was going to happen.

"You didn't think I'd let you get off that easy, did you?" I tried to joke, but he wasn't having it.

"Where are you going?" he grumbled as I inched farther away from him and closer to the door.

"It's time for my break, honey. Try not to miss me too much," I teased half-heartedly, shooting a wink his way before bolting out of the room. My playful facade dropping immediately after I shut the door behind myself. My heart was pounding in my chest as my head felt light. What the hell was wrong with me? Why couldn't I just enjoy the company of good-looking men? Why does it always have to come back to him?

Entering the employee locker room, I slammed the door shut before resting my back against it. I closed my eyes, trying to calm my stomach.

"Jesus girl! You look like you just came back from a good-ass dick appointment!" one of the girls that was still unfamiliar to me yelled, causing the rest to cackle with laughter. "Was it good?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I don't know. He started to try and take my clothes off and I freaked," I said honestly, placing my hand over my chest as my heart continued to pound away.

"If you're not comfortable, tell him. Make him back off. Milo doesn't give a shit about the feelings of the client when it comes to how we feel about our safety. He has a line out the ass of men who want to get a membership here," she said, dead serious. All the girls nodded. One with flaming red hair came over and started rubbing my arm up and down in a comforting manner.

"You okay, babe?" she asked. I nodded while releasing a deep breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"I think so - just a little shaken up. I just don't think I'm at all comfortable having sex with someone while I'm being paid, no matter how much or how hot they are. I've only ever been with one guy my whole life and I just..." I trailed off, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water.

"Can't seem to get yourself to try again with someone else?" another girl - I think I remember her name being Catarina - asked with sympathetic, knowing eyes.

"Yes," I rushed out, relieved that at least one person understood what I was feeling and the havoc that was being wrecked in my brain.

"It's all good, boo. There's plenty of us here who don't mind a nice session with a deep-pocketed, beautiful man. Ain't nobody gonna judge you so long as you don't judge them," a third girl added in with a playful wink and laugh.

"Havana, everyone knows you'd get down with a man for no coin at all, you fuckin nympho!" the girl I assumed to be Catarina joked. Her outburst caused everyone to laugh in unison.

"Why you gotta put me on blast like that, Catarina?" Havana asked, her own giggle following thereafter.

"Well, Havana, if you're up for it, Ezekiel is in the VIP lounge and he's all yours. He's rearing to go too...I kinda left the guy high and dry," I winced. There was a collective intake of breath from the entire room, catching me off guard. Looking around, I was met with numerous expressions of shock.

"What?" I asked, their reaction putting me on edge.

"Girl! Are you fucking kidding me? Does your pussy have magical powers? Ever since he started coming here, Lizzy has been his go-to girl. He hasn't even looked at another girl since. How did you manage to pull him away?" Havana sputtered.

"I don't know! I was working in the main lounge when Milo pulled me aside. He said I was requested in the VIP lounge, so Lizzy and I switched places," I explained, just as confused as they were.

"Ah, shit! I bet Lizzy is PISSED, ya'll!" Havana squealed cheerfully, high-fiving a few girls that were close to her.

"You are my queen!" Catarina hollered while pretending to bow down to me. I giggled while shoving her shoulder. A knock on the door caught all of our attention a few seconds later. Milo peeked his head inside the room and smiled. I assumed that he was happy to see all of us getting along and joking around.

"Well, I don't know what the fuck she's doing, but you all should start watching Roxie and taking some notes. Roxie, Ezekiel left this for you before leaving. He's also demanded that, from now on, you be his personal room host whenever he's here," Milo boasted. He proceeded to slap the fattest stack of cash I'd ever seen - in person that is - onto my hand before exiting.

"Holy shit!" Havana and Catarina exclaimed simultaneously, eyes practically bugging out of their head. "How much is that!" Havana marveled. "I mean, I knew the guy was fucking loaded, but damn!" she continued. I counted the stack, my heart skipping a beat as my legs went weak. I had to take a seat to keep from crumbling to the ground.

"Fifty grand," I rasped out, unable to believe I was actually holding that amount of cash in my hand. Or the fact that it was all mine. An eruption of screams and yelling echoed throughout the room. All the girls swarmed me with hugs and playful ass slaps in congratulations.

"I always knew you were one of us," a familiar voice called out. I spun on my heels and saw Ivy entering the room with a large smile on her face. "Khloe and I had a hunch. That shit is never wrong," she stated smugly.

"This is...wow. I mean, what am I supposed to say to him now? I feel bad taking all this money without giving him anything in return. My company is not worth this much, but I just can't bring myself to be...intimate with him," I groaned, at a loss.

"Is there a 'yet' somewhere in that sentence?" Havana asked with mirth in her tone.

"I don't know. Maybe? It's no secret that he's hot. I wouldn't mind trying to have a little fun with him, but not after knowing him for only a few hours!" I exclaimed. "Now I feel like even if I did, he would think it was only because of his money."

"Tell him he has to work for those kinds of privileges. Men love a good chase," Catarina commented. "Besides, I've heard the stories Lizzy's told. He's more of a giver than a receiver, so I think you'll get just as much out of this deal as he will if you catch my drift..." she teased, flicking her tongue seductively. I blushed bright red before throwing the closest thing I could get my hands on at her. She dodged the towel, giggling furiously.

"Oh, boy...what have I gotten myself into?" I asked myself as my mind whirled with possibilities.

**

"There's my girl!" Ezekiel called after me as I entered his VIP lounge. I'd been shocked when Khloe told me that Sundays at Rouge were almost always busier than Friday and Saturday nights. She said it was because the men come for one last hurrah before they have to go back to their intense, grueling jobs. She also said they needed a reminder of why they still put in all those hours of work. It made sense, really.

"Here I am," I called back, a hint of nervousness in my voice. I wasn't sure how telling him that I didn't want us to be physical was going to go, but I needed to find my backbone and quick. If I didn't, I had a feeling this evening was going to go a lot like last night.

He didn't say anything as he watched me make my way to him. His intense stare made my hands even jitterier than they already were if that was even possible. As I came within a comfortable talking distance, he leaned back in his spot. He was sat on the same couch in the same position as last night. I was hit by a sense of deja vu as he patted one of his thighs just as he had yesterday. I cleared my throat and straightened my back, giving myself a rapid-fast mini pep talk that still helped even though I didn't believe it.

"Before this goes any further," I began, motioning my hand between the two of us so he understood what I was referring to, "I want you to know that I have no interest in our working relationship becoming physical," I stated before releasing a wavering breath. The corner of his lips quirked upwards before he chuckled lightly.

"How long did you practice that speech before coming in here?" he asked, his tone teasing. My eyes widened as he leaned forward to grab his glass of dark liquor. I blinked a few times while he took a small sip of the drink, caught off guard from being blatantly called out.

"A few times, actually," I truthfully answered. "I think I really nailed it this time, though. Do you have any feedback you'd like to give?" I joked sarcastically, my attitude slowly creeping back as my fear inched away. He chuckled even louder at my statement before setting his glass back down on the table in front of him.

"You were expecting me to be a massive dickhead and throw you out on your ass after saying that, weren't you?" he assumed. I nodded. "Well, you can rest easy because that will not be the case. Unlike most men in our society, I don't vie after a beautiful woman simply for her body," he revealed cryptically.

"I just figured because of the egregious amount of money you paid me yesterday, you would expect..." I trailed off, not wanting to insult him further than I probably already had.

"What I expect from my nights at Rouge are good conversations and intellectually stimulating company," he explained, shocking the ever-loving crap out of me. He ushered me towards him once again. When I was finally close enough, he pulled me onto his lap.

He continued after seeing my look of utter shock still firmly in place. "I didn't trade Lizzy for you because of your body alone, sweetheart, though you do have a fantastic pair of tits that I really wanted to find out if they were real or not," he admitted with a smug smirk. I harrumphed in response, flicking the tip of his nose in annoyance. His head jerked back as he shook the sensation off, clearly shocked by the action.

"As I was saying," he continued with a pointed look, "I just got a feeling that you were different. You'd be incredibly surprised how hard it is to find female companionship in this city that is both beautiful and engaging when you have the kind of money I do. It's both a blessing and a curse, really. So, yes, while it was your body that had caught my eye, it wasn't the only reason for my interest. To be frank, Lizzy has begun to annoy the shit out of me with her obvious attitude towards me. She's made it abundantly clear within the past few months that she's only doing what she can to get my money, not to entertain me. Something she hasn't fully comprehended is that a woman with only one thing to offer - that one thing being sex appeal - is easily replaceable in such a large city. There are beautiful women everywhere. Therefore, if I just wanted someone to fuck, I could easily find a willing woman any day of the week for free-"

"So humble," I interrupted with a smirk, shaking my head at the statement. His smile reappeared as his eyes scanned my own.

"But," he continued pointedly, "a woman who will listen and actively participate in good conversation is hard to come by. Simply based upon the fact that you're miffed I paid you 'too much' in your eyes - which, I will add, is much less than I've given Lizzy on numerous occasions - I know I don't have to worry about you bullshitting me for more. I also happen to love a woman who's fluent in sarcasm," he added with a chuckle. It was an obvious jab at my earlier statement.

"So, let me get this straight," I began, holding up my hand to stop him from talking, "you're paying me hand over foot for my company because I have nice tits and a personality?" I deadpanned.

He threw his head back and let out a deep belly laugh. My cheeks heated ever so slightly at his reaction before I cleared my throat and cocked a single eyebrow. He reigned in his laughter before sitting up a bit straighter, jostling my body as he went.

"I guess that's one way to put it, though it sounds idiotic you put it that way." I shrugged in response as he braced his arms along the back of the couch. His appendages were so long they covered almost the entirety of the loveseat we were on. I breathed out slowly, mulling over his words in my head.

"I guess now that I think about it, it does make some sort of sense. It's important to have meaningful conversations that don't concern work. In your case, your job probably dominates the majority of your life as it is," I commented.

"See, smart and beautiful," he insisted. "However, there are some nights that I'll need utter silence while I'm working on something that's high profile and important. If that makes me sound like a pompous asshole, then I'm sorry in advance," he said, seemingly finished with the topic altogether. I just shrugged and nodded my head.

"That's it? No more questions?" he teased.

"I don't know. Is this a night that requires my silence or my genius?" I shot back sarcastically. He chuckled loudly once again.

"Such a smartass," he remarked, "tonight is just a night for celebrating." He ran his calloused hand along the length of my thigh before pointing towards the bar that was along the wall of the opposite side of the room.

"Why don't you go grab a bottle of champagne and some glasses?" he suggested, though the tone let me know that it wasn't actually a suggestion at all. I nodded while hoisting myself up from his lap. I watched my feet as I walked, still trying to get used to walking in these sky-high heels without falling flat on my face. Not to mention while I'm holding a bottle of what was probably thousand-dollar champagne in my hand.

I popped the top off the bottle and poured both of us a generous glass of the bubbly liquid. "So, what is it we're toasting to?" I asked, returning to my previous spot on his lap without having to be asked. The action made a large smile pull at his lips as he lifted his drink into the air.

"To new business deals and..." he trailed off, allowing me to add whatever I wanted to the toast.

"And new friendships" I added with a playful wink. He chuckled and shook his head before clinking our glasses together.