I was going to have to dance in this thing.

My heart took flight as Asmodeus strode over to the stage, rounded a DJ stand, and punched a few buttons. Music blared through hidden speakers, an upbeat, clubby song that bounced against my skin. I swallowed hard and wiped my sweaty palms against my jeans. I knew ballet and jazz but nothing more modern. How the hell was I going to pull this off?

“Whenever you’re ready,” he called.

Pulling my breath into my lungs, I closed my eyes and listened to the beat. This place, this guy, all of it was unnerving and way out of my comfort zone. But I needed a job, desperately so. I hadn’t asked about wages, but I didn’t need to. The diamonds and the wall of famous faces said it all. I would be paid well if I got this job. Probably well enough to get my own apartment.

All I had to do was put up with a weird asshole of a boss and dance in a cage for a few hours several times a week. That really wasn’t so bad in the grand scheme of things. A lot of people had it way worse than that.

The bass thumped through the club, reverberating through the thick soles of my boots. Slowly, I began to nod, letting the music fill my body. The notes wound into my ears, mixing with my blood. I’d always felt attuned to music, like it was part of me. After a few moments, my body moved. I didn’t overthink it. I lost myself in the sound and let my soul take over.

I’d spent years training my body, and it knew what to do without me asking. My arms twisted in the air as my legs bounced from side to side. I pushed up onto my toes and spun, my fingers skimming the bars, my hair swirling around my shoulders.

The world dropped away as I danced. All my fears were forgotten. My worries and anxieties whispered away. The job didn’t matter. My parents didn’t matter. The trial and the charges and the social media hate I’d endured were momentarily nothing but a shadow in my mind.

The music cut off. Suddenly, it all came rushing back in. The accusing eyes. The headlines. The sirens. The look on my parents’ faces when they shouted at me to get out. Tears flooded my vision, but I quickly blinked them away.

I looked down to find Asmodeus staring up at me with appreciation in his eyes. I swore I even saw the hint of a smile. My chest lifted as hope chased away the fears battling their way back inside my mind. I’d impressed him.

The job was mine. I could see it in his face.