Chapter 2 : Knock First

In the back of Nine Lives—past the Ready Room, the small kitchen, coat check, and the bathroom—are four VIP Rooms for specific clientele who request a private dance. They're organized from worst to best, with the most premium of the rooms—The Rose Continental—only given to clients who had Hermès originals or could afford them. To put it bluntly, Jévon and I were not the types of people who usually frequented its rose marble splendor. Well, scratch that, I knew I wasn't. "This is…" Jévon picked up a faceted crystal goblet reminiscent of those old-school Tiffany's perfumes from the '30s. An amber liquid too thick to be scotch swirled in its depths, almost metallic in its sheen. "Do you have any idea what this even is?" "No, why? Should I?" It came out sharper than I'd meant to, bitterness creeping up and replacing any charm I'd mustered. I was already feeling…less than stellar being in the opulent decadence of this room. Satin champagne drapes with buttery smooth