Sinful Sienna

et S

cold, but s

her skin, painting her curves like molten glass. Men leaned forward in their booths, jaws slack, drinks forgotten. Sh

s who begged with

es, even the

rstood t

r, but her body only ever bel

e danced not for pleasure, not for power - but for control. Velvet Smoke, Atlanta's most elite gentlemen

t to the floor that made the front row exhale like they'd just

e didn't need to. They'd be thinking about he

ed past the other girls, ignoring the shrieks and gossip. Someone laughed about a bachelor party that

e nickname that c

en

gs stretch free. Her reflection in the mirror stared back at her: kohl-lined eyes, sweat-t

with two fingers. H

nger without fee

l lie awake until dawn. If no one touched her for too long, her chest wou

n't ro

n't pa

in her bloodstream. A

d for it just to

rs fumble over her just s

n front of a mirror and wondered if an

d to be

n

dreams, the lives. A town where the church bell rang louder than

n a trailer with h

t you called a woman who n

cle, t

ask

a be a good g

quiet like y

ven understood what a woman was. And the trauma will hunt h

ooked the other way. Maybe out of fear. M

or six years. Gettin

left them. She and Rhea played together as kids but she heard nothing of Rhea anymore when her parents died. When she was just 8 years old, her parents had died from an accident when they were coming back from a shift from the hospital; both her parents were docto

y-four dollars from her aunt's wal

ast clung to her

mb - sharp teeth, bright lights, and every dir

one to ask for help, like a tee

krooms, cigarette smoke, limp bills, and managers who thought

ome. Top-tier clientele. No touching w

t the top of

he feel like

against the fabric as she shrugged on a leather jacket. She liked the way men looked at her when she d

one. No texts. No one

ed to her gut - low and s

home and li

could fi

s always

tlanta summer - where the air stuck to

eon glowed against dark windows. Somewhere down the street, mus

the crowd. Her eyes scanned faces. Looking for that feeling - that

e early thirties. He smirked. Adjusted

You off work, or

tilted

said, exhaling smoke, "you

d. Tried again. "Yo

Nice shoes. Weddin

ld

urmured. "But I'll l

pils f

her withou

backseat of his own car. Her lipstick everywhere on his n

ing around her. Her pulse steadied. The ache under her

was enoug

she sa

shadow. She could see the outline of his br

ot a regular. Something abo

moment - nothing dramati

reath cau

e blinked,

shook h

hed her without

ever walked

was

st a coincidence. She knew it was the