Chapter 5

Gwen's POV

"Get ready, your name is Sapphire," Amanda popped her head through the door and said to me.

She vanished, and the door closed before I could even ask her what that meant. I stared at myself one more time in the mirror before exiting.

"Madam Green said, you will be lowered onto the stage. You will be the gem of the evening," Amanda said to me once I exited the room.

"What!" I asked, but Amanda held my hand and dragged me in a direction.

"Don't worry, it's safe. Just hold on to the rope until your feet touch solid ground," Amanda said, as she continued to drag to only God knows where.

"What rope?" I asked, trying to keep up with her.

We ended up in a room. And Amanda checked my outfit one more time, looking more excited to the extent that she looked like she couldn't contain her joy. I was not sure what was going on. Two men walked up to me and walked me towards another direction.

"Sit and hold the rope," one man said, and I was made to sit on what looked like a half moon, with ropes on each side.

"You will be suspended 10 feet in the air before you will be lowered onto the stage," the man said to me.

"What!" I said, and shifted my gaze towards Amanda, but she stood there cheering me on, like it was some kind of trophy I was receiving.

"I am afraid of height," I said to the man, realising Amanda was not going to help.

"Close your eyes," the man said, and pushed me onto the half-moon seat.

"I am scared," I cried.

"Keep your eyes close, and hold the ropes tightly. You drop, you are dead. It would still be a show," the man said, and my heart skipped multiple beats.

I recalled Madam Green's threat, Do it or I will put a bullet between your eyes. I gulped and kept my eyes tightly shut.

I felt all my internal organs travelling up to my throat as they lifted the moon swing into the air. I heard screaming, but I didn't open my eyes. I heard the intro of the song, Madam Green had played for me earlier in the day, began to play. I was so terrified. I didn't know where I was, but a lot of things were hitting me. Something like cold air, and some smoky thing.

"Get down," I heard someone say, and I let go of the rope.

That was my mistake; I was not on the ground yet. I fell right into someone's arms. I opened my eyes and stared right into a hazel eye. The place went dead silent. Even the music stopped. For a brief second, everything seemed to have faded into the background. It was just me and this strange man. He put my feet down.

"Why did you let go of the rope. You would have hurt yourself badly, had I been a second late," he said, his voice very comforting.

I opened my mouth a couple of times, but my words were caught in my throat. I was raised in the orphanage, and stayed on the streets for a while before running into Amanda and ending up here. I was only privy to seeing men on TV, those who came to the orphanage, and those out on the street. None can compare to this man.

"What is your name?" he asked me, and I blinked twice.

"Gwen White," I replied, after finding my voice.

"I am Ethan Grey," he replied. "I would leave you to do your dance," he said and let go of me.

I stared at him as he dismounted the stage. I focus my gaze on him, still standing on the stage. The song began to play. He stood there close to the stage, staring at me. It was as if I were dancing for him. I moved so perfectly with the rhythm of the song, and even did dance moves I had no idea where they came from. I never missed a beat, and didn't miss a rhythm. I made use of the entire stage, my gaze still locked on the strange guest at the club. I ended my dance, lying face up on the stage, with my left knee up and my hands both stretched above my head.

There was loud applause, snapping me out of the moment. The presence of the people in the club hit me. I stood up, and when I returned my gaze to where Ethan was standing, he was no longer there. I left the stage through the back.

"Girl, you were on fire," Amanda said as soon as I was backstage. "I didn't know you had all those moves in you. How did you manage to move your waist and body like that?" she asked, and personally, I had no idea.

It was as if something was awakened in me. Something that made me want to please the man who had just saved me.

"I video you from start to finish," Amanda said, and brought her phone to my face.

I was still recovering from what just happened. The near accident, the strange guest, and the dance that seems to have left everyone in awe. I stared at the screen of Amanda's phone, and I was surprised to see myself dancing.

Where did all those moves come from? I thought, staring at myself doing what I felt was impossible.

"Girl, Madam Green is going to make you the crown jewel of the club," Amanda said, sounding all excited.

"Who was that guy?" I asked Amanda.

"Which guy?" Amanda asked, still smiling.

"The guy who saved me," I replied.

"Someone saved you?" Amanda asked, raising her brow.

"You mean to say, you didn't see the man who was with me on stage before the song began to play? He was standing right in front of the stage," I informed her.

"Gwen, I didn't see anything," Amanda said.

"I almost fell, and he saved me," I insisted.

"Gwen, you were lowered onto the stage. You didn't fall," Amanda explained. "You stood there for a while before you started dancing," she added, and I frowned.

"Come on, let's go change, you have a thirsty guest waiting to be served," Amanda added and walked me out of what I will call the back stage of the club.

"You sure you didn't see any man?" I asked one more time when we entered the room.

"Gwen, sometimes, when I want to make things easy for myself, my imagination goes wild. You may have imagined something out of nervousness, and your mind registered it as real. Believe me, there was no man on stage with you," Amanda said, and I just nodded.

Amanda grabbed my bunny costume for me as I got out of the outfit I danced in. I put on the bunny costume and we both exited the room, going back into the club. I searched the place for Ethan, but it was like he had vanished into theme air.

My exciting vibe was gone, as the whole thing was kind of strange to me. I could accept that I had imagined something that felt so real. I could feel his breath on my face due to his closeness. I don't know much about perfumes, but the scent of his cologne was nice.

I walked among the crowd and served drinks to those who wanted them. I also kept looking for Ethan, but he was nowhere to be found. It was like he vanished as soon as I was done with my dance.

"Hey, Jose," I said when I returned to the counter to get some more drinks on my empty tray.

"Wow, Gwen, you have some amazing dance moves," he praised, while mixing the drinks. "I wish you had never danced so perfectly tonight. G would turn you into money money-making machine. Big shots will pay huge money for a private dance," he added.

"Who is G?" I asked.

"Madam Green," Jose replied.

"I am still a minor," I informed Jose.

"Hmm, like that stopped her before?" Jose said. "If you become a valuable asset, the big shots will pay for you, and she will go off the hook," Jose said, and I kind of figured out what he was saying.

"It's going to be just me dancing, right?" I asked, already feeling nervous.

"A big shot is paying four to six figures for you; they will demand a full package," Jose said. "If they pay six figures, know that your whole being was sold for entertainment and pleasure," he added.

"You mean to say, they will sleep with me?" I asked, making sure I understood what he said.

"I didn't say that," Jose said. "Just grab your tray and go already," he added, and I wondered what was wrong with me, but I didn't have to wait for long.

"Gwen, come with me. Madam Green, want to see you," Jack said to me.

"Okay," I said and left with Jack, leaving the tray of drinks on the table.

"That was a spectacular performance. Moving forward, you are no longer a serving waitress. You are the club's crown jewel. You will be giving our special guests a private dance," Madam Green announced as soon as I was in her presence, and my heart skipped multiple beats.

Oh dear, this is what Jose was warning me about. I thought.