My heart constricted as I scanned the room. Diamonds dotted earlobes. Their gowns were tiny yet classy, their hair shiny, their faces clear and bright. Asmodeus had not been wrong. I didn’t fit in with these girls. They were fucking gorgeous.

“Everyone,” Asmodeus spoke up from beside me with a booming voice. All the chattering girls fell silent and turned to gaze my way. “Meet Mia. She’s our newest dancer.”

A girl halfway down the table flicked her glossy brown eyes across me. “She’s the one replacing Allison?”

“That’s right.”

The girls all gave each other uneasy glances. Hmm. I frowned. That was odd. Who was this Allison girl and why did they all look like they wanted to vomit from the very mention of her?

“Well, welcome to the crazy house,” the girl said, repeating Caim’s words. “I’m Priyanka. You’ll be dancing in the cage by me. Come on in. Let’s get you ready.”

Asmodeus vanished from my side, and I was quickly surrounded by a gaggle of perfectly-coifed girls. They sat me down in a chair and applied a liberal amount of makeup to my usually clear face. There wasn’t time for much discussion. They explained how the night went, what time to be ready for the cages, and how we needed to treat the patrons of the place.

By the time they’d taken me through a rundown of the job, it was time to climb into the cages and dance.

My palms were sweaty, and my heart beat a hectic drum in my chest. I couldn’t help but feel like I was about to make a total fool of myself. But when I climbed into the cage and watched the floor shudder away, a strange sense of calm settled over me. And so I danced. For hours. I barely even noticed the minutes tick by, until suddenly, the night was done, and it was time for me to leave.

I’d even made three hundred bucks in tips.

I smiled as I counted out the wad and tucked it into my purse. Priyanka sidled up to me and gave me a high five, grinning. “You killed it tonight, Mia. The crowd loved you. No wonder Az has taken a shine to you.”

My stomach tumbled, and the euphoria from the night took a sudden nose dive. “Taken a shine to me…so, you know?”

“About you and Az? Ha. As if he could get himself a girlfriend and keep it a secret. It’s all anyone can talk about. He hasn’t had a girlfriend in over a hund—” She cleared her throat. “In a very long time.”

I flushed and felt a strange sense of pride surge through me, which was totally ridiculous. It wasn’t like I was his real girlfriend. To be his girlfriend, I would have to like him. As it was, I could barely tolerate his presence.