Wiping my sweaty palms on my cotton skirt. I’m so nervous. I try to take deep breaths to ease my nerves, but it’s not working. I’m on the verge of a panic attack.

I stand in front of a red steel door. Regret settles in my bones. I didn’t want to take this job, but I had no choice. I’m broke and need money to provide a safe place to live.

Currently, I’m staying with my friend—Carla. I was lucky her dad let me move in with them. But there’s something about her dad that sends shivers down my spine. The way he brushes up against me and says inappropriate things makes me uneasy.

I raise my unsteady fist and knock on the door. When a large man with sapphire eyes opens the door, I swallow. Instincts tell me to run, but my feet stay planted like heavy lead.

I’m here to talk to Candy Mann about a job. I met Candy a few weeks back, and we discussed my living situation. She told me she manages the girls at Club Red and that I could make a better living working for her than waiting on tables at a five-star restaurant.

“I’m here to see Candy Mann.” My voice comes out uneasy.

He looks me over, and goosebumps run up my arms. His eyes make me feel exposed.

Can he see my insecurities? My inability to feel like I belong anywhere?

He pulls the door open and stands aside to allow me to enter. Once I’m inside, he closes the heavy door, shutting it with a loud clap of thunder. Pure darkness replaces any light there was.

Darkness. That’s all I have ever known.

“Follow me.” He says in a deep accent.

My eyes adjust to the blackness just enough to make out the man’s silhouette following him down a hallway, where I see a sliver of light shining onto the floor.

He stops at the door where the light shines through a crack. I bump into his back, waiting for him to say something but nothing; there’s only silence. He twists the knob to open the door, and the brightness that greets us is almost blinding.

The beautiful room we walk into has dark wood trimming along the stage, where a gorgeous redhead is dancing on a pole. It’s breathtaking. The red velvet curtains hanging from the walls give the illusion of long windows and pair perfectly with the crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings that the bright lights bounce off of.

We walk further into the beautiful room, stopping at a bar. The dark stranger doesn’t speak. He reaches behind the red mahogany countertop and picks up a phone.

I’m not able to hear what he’s saying on the phone because the music is loud. So, I watch the girl on the stage dance around, amazed at her confidence.

She’s dressed in only a fancy set of underwear. Men in expensive suits sit around watching her with lustful eyes as they shove bills in her tiny, barely there panties, paying her to give them attention.

Someone taps on my shoulder, and it causes me to jump.

“Liz Black, you decide to take me up on my offer?” Candy says.

“Yes, can we talk more privately?” I ask Candy.

She motions me to follow her, and we walk to a staircase and up two flights before she opens a door. We’re greeted by two men in black suits.

Both men are tall, well built, but the one standing in front of me with premature salt and pepper in his beard has a wickedness about him.

His dark, piercing amber eyes penetrate me, leaving scars as they sweep over my skin. A sudden icy chill breeze swirls around me. I brush my hands over my arms, trying to warm them.

I’m used to low-life drug dealers, but men in power suits that could make you disappear without question are deadly.

Candy introduces me, but my mind is too far from the conversation that I don’t hear their names. I give them a nod, wishing this brief encounter would be over.

When I tilt my head to the man with piercing eyes, he displays a sinful grin.

I’m ready to tell Candy this is not a good idea and that I don’t belong here, but it’s not a choice I have. I need the money, and if selling my virginity is what I need to do, then so be it.

Fairy tales don’t happen to girls like me.