Chapter 1: Jade

KIANA

The taxi pulled up in front of a grand hotel. It was clearly a place for the rich and famous. Just looking at the towering building made me nervous.

It had been years since the last time I stepped foot in a place like this. I only hoped that I wouldn’t run into anyone I recognized. Or, more importantly, that no one would recognize me.

“Come, Kiana,” my best friend Mia said, grabbing my hand and leading me inside.

I didn’t have time to take in the opulence of the lobby as Mia pulled me into the nearest elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

I took a deep, steadying breath.

If I hadn’t just lost my scholarship, I never would have agreed to come to this party in the first place. I only tagged along with Mia tonight to test the waters. I knew being a sugar baby wasn’t right for me, but I needed to find a way to cover tuition fast.

I didn’t have a whole lot of other options.

I studied my reflection in the mirrored elevator walls and gave myself a nod of approval.

The strapless ruby-red dress I’d borrowed from Mia was a perfect fit. My naturally wavy bronze hair was styled half-up, half-down to hide the scar on my exposed collarbone.

I might have felt like I shouldn’t be here, but at least I looked like I belonged.

The elevator came to a stop and opened to reveal a short hallway leading to a large white door at the end.

“Paris and my plus one, Jade,” Mia announced to the burly man standing guard at the door.

“Paris and Jade?” I asked, confused.

“We don’t use our real names at sugar baby parties. I didn’t have time to ask, so I hope you don’t mind. I chose Jade because it matches your eyes,” she replied nonchalantly.

~So, I’m Jade for the night.~

Perfect.

The security guard handed us each a stack of cards as he ushered us into the room.

I was not prepared for what I saw when I walked through the doors. The penthouse was beyond magnificent. It was huge!

There was a long bar in one corner, and floor-to-ceiling glass walls offered a breathtaking view of the city below. The dim lighting gave the space a calm, intimate atmosphere only broken by the disco light that cast vibrant colors onto a small dance floor in the center of the room.

There were at least a hundred people there, mostly young men and women who I assumed were sugar babies at first. But peering around the penthouse, I was surprised that everyone looked like they were in their twenties or thirties.

“I expected to see a lot more…~older~ people,” I admitted.

“A lot of the sugar daddies and mammas are quite young. They don’t get much time to just be themselves, and most come to these parties looking for a companion who will treat them like a regular person. So, it’s our job to help with that,” Mia explained confidently.

I glanced down at the stack of business cards I’d been handed. My new sugar baby name was scrawled across the top of them. “And what are these for?”

“We can hand them out to any of the sugar daddies or mommas that we might be interested in.”

I nodded my understanding.

A handsome man who looked like he was probably in his mid-thirties approached us as I was tucking the cards into my clutch.

“Paris, I wasn’t expecting you here tonight.” He greeted Mia warmly, giving her a friendly hug.

I instinctively took a step back.

“Do you have a name?” he asked, turning his attention to me.

“Ki—I mean Jade,” I stammered, instantly disliking him when his eyes lingered on me a little too long.

“Ah, Jade. What a beautiful name.”

“Sorry, Frankie. She’s not working tonight,” Mia interjected smoothly.

“Ah, such a shame. I would have liked to get to know you better,” he said, winking at me.

I remembered Mia mentioning a man named Frankie. She was his sugar baby.

“Walk with me, Paris. I have a job for you tomorrow night if you’re willing,” he said, offering his arm to Mia like a true gentleman.

She gave me an apologetic look as she took Frankie’s arm. “Sorry,” she mouthed to me before walking away.

I felt a few curious gazes land on me as I stood in the middle of the room. Regret slowly crept in regarding my choice of ruby-red dress, which stood out despite the dim lighting.

I could use a drink right about now.

I headed to the bar and, not wanting to splurge, ordered a vodka martini—my main concern at the moment was my wallet.

As I reached for my purse, the bartender stopped me. “Your drink has been taken care of by the gentleman over there, miss.”

I followed his gesture and found a young man looking my way. He was leaning against the bar, a smile playing on his lips. He was attractive in a geeky sort of way. I might have considered handing him one of my cards, but I knew I wasn’t ready to go that far tonight.

I lifted my glass in silent gratitude and quickly retreated to a sofa in a quieter corner of the room.

I let out a sigh of relief and took a sip of my martini, thankful for the distance from the throng of people.

But as the pricey vodka warmed my throat, I caught a whiff of something strong and spicy with a hint of woodiness. It was the most sensual fragrance I had ever come across—~intoxicating~ and ~captivating~.

I traced the scent to a man seated on the other end of the sofa, with just one seat between us. He was quietly nursing a glass of scotch as he stared into the void.

I couldn’t help but notice his perfectly tailored silk suit, adorned with a thin line of carmine diamonds along the hem of his jacket that glinted in the subdued light. His muscular form strained against the fabric.

He clearly took care of himself.

The man had a head of sandy-blond hair, neatly parted to the side, with a subtle fade around the edges. His chiseled jawline and full, enticing lips were impossible to ignore.

Glancing around the room, I saw the ravenous eyes fixed on him. I wasn’t surprised.

He must be a sugar daddy. But a man like him shouldn’t have any trouble attracting women. His appearance alone suggested wealth. He was the definition of handsome. And his aura commanded attention.

Perhaps he struggled with finding someone genuine, as Mia said most sugar daddies and mammas did.

I noticed the hefty stack of discarded cards next to him—it was massive, as if every sugar baby in the room had offered him one.

Who was this enigmatic man?

“Are you going to stare at me all night or give me your card, princess?” he asked, his tone dark, indifferent, and filled with unabashed arrogance.