The party is in full bloom, blinking lights illuminating the space and the hundreds of unfamiliar places. The crowd is loud and lit, which is out of the ordinary, as there isn't so much of a crowd during the weekdays at Divinity, but maybe it's the presence of the most sought-after escort of Escorts XO that makes the night so lively.
She leans her back against the bar, jet black hair and jet black dragon-like eyes studying her surroundings with a kind of disinterest that can only be mastered through experience. She's wearing a black silk shirt paired with a maroon leather skirt gifted to her by the brand sponsoring this event and her appearance tonight.
"Yo!" Vanessa hollers from behind the bar, her jeweled eyewear glinting in the blinking lights, "Stop looking so glum; smile for the fans." She has quite the fan following, her fellow escorts call them her peasant cult… peasant because they can't afford her time.
She nods at her boss nonetheless, trying to put on a happy face for the people here just for her, though the idea of it still freaks her out. Thankfully, she doesn't have to stand here alone for long as she is joined by her date of the night, Greyson Stark.
Greyson Stark is her regular client, probably the first client she's ever had. He has the biggest real estate business in the city, and he's launching his tequila brand tonight. She has accompanied him to several events in the past year, so she knows that the major chunk of his fortune was acquired through illegal means, namely… illegal racing.
She closes her eyes when the memory of tattooed hands and eyes darker than the night flashes in her mind at the thought of illegal racing. Instead, she focuses on now, her hand patting Greyson's as he wraps his arm around her waist. "Beautiful, you're a vision tonight, Gloria," she smiles at the compliment like it's meant for her.
"Thank you, Greyson. Congratulations on the successful launch of your brand." She plays her part as an escort, smiling at him flirtatiously and leaning into him a little more. Vanessa says Greyson is obsessed with her, but Skyler knows he is obsessed with Gloria, a mask. He doesn't even know the eyes or the person behind the thin silicon layer. And Skyler won't have it any other way.
The night goes by fast, and she sticks to her date effortlessly, cracking jokes, sparking laughter, and helping him avoid uncomfortable conversations. But just when the clock is about to hit ten and she's to slip away from Greyson's steely grasp, her eyes meet the forest green eyes of one of the two people she's desperately trying to avoid.
Her breath catches in her throat, her now-better-equipped mask dampening on the inside from sweat as she watches him walk in her direction. Alexander is wearing a brown suit tailored to perfection, showing off the wide set of his shoulders and the narrow leanness of his waist to legs that go on for what seems like miles. She's had her legs wrapped around that waist many times, his thumb and forefingers squeezing into her throat, cutting the blood flow as she came.
She snaps back to reality, the trance dissipating, to see that he's still walking towards her, and she tries to think of a way to escape, pearly white teeth biting into the plumpness of her scarlet-tinted lower lip. Only to realize that he doesn't know her. He doesn't know Gloria, the mask she is wearing right now.
He only knows her as Jasper, her male mask.
Relief expands her chest as she steps away from Greyson, bidding him goodbye in a soft whisper as she walks towards the backrooms. She can almost breathe again when she sees the red door that leads to the back, when a hand wraps around her arm, stopping her mid-track. She looks down, expecting it to be Alexander, only to find tattooed fingers almost enclosing the entirety of her forearm in their grasp. She gasps as she is turned, her breath hitching as she is pushed up against a wall, and Drystan crowds her.
She curses herself for getting wet, trying to remind herself that she's getting cornered by the very person she didn't want to see tonight, as he is the only one who knows this mask. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The smooth rasp of Drystan's voice makes her shiver, his leather jacket making him look even hotter. Tattoos peak through the neckline of his vest as dark eyes peer into hers mischievously.
She's about to shout for the nearest bouncer, her eyes frantic as she looks to her left. Only, Alexander is blocking her line of sight, and her eyes widen as he smirks at her, "You're caught, baby girl… or should I say baby boy?" He husks, his hand moving under her chin, squeezing her throat lightly, and she feels her eyes roll to the back of her head, a haze she's only ever known with them taking over her.
"So easy," Drystan chuckles, and she knows she's cooked.
*