Chapter 60: So Eager?

Claire kept her head down, her heart racing with nerves, but she couldn’t help glancing toward the corner where the two men sat. Sure enough, it was Frederick and Harrison. With so many people in the room and the dim lighting, plus Emily and Emma dancing in front of her with others gathered around, Claire hadn’t noticed Frederick and Harrison before. But now, seeing them made her whole body tense. She wanted nothing more than to hide, fearing that Frederick or Harrison might recognize her. Her fingers, hanging by her sides, trembled slightly.

“It’s okay,” she reassured herself. “You’re standing in a crowd, wearing the same bikini and mask as everyone else. They won’t recognize you.” She kept repeating this in her mind, trying to calm her nerves and appear as composed as possible.

“You, come here!”

Suddenly, the man seated in the center of the room pointed directly at her.

“Me?”

Claire jerked her head up, her lips trembling. She wanted to respond, but the fear that Frederick and Harrison would hear her voice made her hesitate. She nervously pointed at herself, looking at the chubby middle-aged man. Fortunately, the room was noisy enough that no one seemed to notice anything unusual.

“Yes, you! Come over here!”

A middle-aged man commanded, his voice booming with authority. Claire nodded silently and walked over to him. The other girls were also being selected by the men in the room.

“As long as it’s not Frederick or Harrison, I don’t care who I have to serve,” Claire thought to herself. With so many people in such a large room, she felt Frederick and Harrison were unlikely to notice her. She reassured herself, focusing on serving the guests as usual. If she could just make it through the night, everything would be fine. She calmed her mind and approached the middle-aged man, ready to perform her usual duties.

But as soon as she knelt down to serve him, she felt a piercing gaze fixed on her from behind. It was coming from Frederick and Harrison’s direction. While the other girls began their seductive dances, Claire, distracted by the weight of Frederick and Harrison’s gaze, lost her balance and stumbled, falling to the floor. The drink she was holding spilled all over the middle-aged man’s pants.

Terrified, Claire quickly lowered her voice to apologize, caught between fearing Frederick and Harrison might recognize her and dreading the man’s anger.

“So eager for me to take my pants off, are you?”

Thankfully, the man wasn’t upset. Instead, he grabbed her chin and pulled her into his lap. As he held her, Claire found herself sitting on his lap, her gaze inadvertently locking with Frederick’s. In that instant, she felt as though she’d been struck by lightning. Her shoulders trembled, and she quickly averted her eyes, staring down at the floor.

“Looks like you’re a newbie. I like that. Serve me well tonight, and you’ll get a nice tip.”

The middle-aged man seemed pleased with her reaction. Claire breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously continued serving him, doing her best to follow the routine. She thought, “If Frederick didn’t recognize me in that moment, then I should be safe.”

For the rest of the evening, Claire danced in her yellow bikini like the other girls, striking seductive poses while accepting the drinks poured on her. She still felt Frederick’s gaze on her from time to time, but since he didn’t make any move, she convinced herself it was just her imagination. The event dragged on, but thankfully, it ended after only half an hour. Soon, they were free to leave.

“This whole event feels strange. All these big-time businessmen and politicians, and they only played such a short game, even though they gave out hefty tips.”

“Yeah, just half an hour! Not even a third of the usual time.”

As they left the room, the girls began to chatter. Claire, as the newest girl, had no idea what was normal, nor did she care to speculate. All she could feel was relief that she had survived the night.

“That’s pretty standard,” Emma sneered, rolling her eyes at the gossiping girls. “With a room like this, do you really think they’re here just to mess around with women? These guys obviously have business to discuss. Use your heads.”

Emma sneered, dismissing the gossiping girls with a scornful glance.

“Let’s go. Don’t gossip about things you shouldn’t. If one of them overhears, they could crush you like an ant.”

Emily glanced back at the VIP room as she hurried them along. Claire, well aware of Frederick’s identity and the danger surrounding him, believed Emily without question and quickened her pace.

As she walked ahead with her head down, Emily glanced at her thoughtfully. Remembering the recent events, Emily seemed to have softened her previous hostility toward Claire. Just as she was about to follow Claire, Hannah appeared and called out to her.

“Claire, wait a minute.”

“What is it, Hannah?”

Claire swallowed nervously, the memory of Frederick in the VIP room making her anxious.

“The man you just served, Logan Perez, said he liked you and wants to get to know you better. After the event wraps up, go talk to him. You know how things work here. It’s all about building connections. The more friends you make, the better your performance.”

“Let me tell you, Logan’s got incredible connections. Don’t say I never gave you a chance. Make the most of it.”

Hannah patted Claire on the shoulder before walking away.

“Got it, Hannah.”

Claire was relieved that it was just the middle-aged man and not Frederick. As soon as Hannah left, Emily walked over.

“I’d advise against going.”

In all the years Emily had been at Eclipse Nightclub, she had never seen Hannah take such an interest in a newcomer’s performance.