07/06/2026
Gemma Sinclair slid a black card across the bar like she was tipping for blood.
"One thousand dollars," she said, eyes fixed on the man in the corner. "Walk over there, kiss him, and walk away."
I followed her manicured finger and almost dropped my tray.
Dark suit. Cold stare. One hand wrapped around a crystal glass like it had offended him. He stood under the amber lights of Velvet and Vice like the whole room belonged to him and everyone in it knew better than to breathe too close.
Crew Hail.
I didn’t know his name yet.
I only knew every man near him stood a little straighter, every woman looked twice, and even the music felt quieter around him.
Blair leaned in beside me, camera hanging from her neck. "That is not a normal rich guy."
"Good," Gemma said. "Then this should be entertaining."
I should have said no.
But my landlord wanted rent, my bank account was a horror movie, and Gemma had already opened her phone and transferred half the money to prove she was serious.
Five hundred dollars hit my account before I even moved.
"What’s the catch?" I asked.
Gemma smiled without warmth. "The catch is that you do exactly what I said. Kiss him. Then leave before he says a word."
That smile told me this wasn’t flirting.
This was a setup.
Blair caught my wrist. "Indie, don’t."
But Gemma’s screen was still glowing in my hand, and another server had just whispered that my shift tips were getting docked because a client complained I looked tired.
So I put down the tray.
I crossed the floor.
The room kept moving, but it felt like I was walking into the center of a trap with four-inch heels and a fake smile.
When I stopped in front of him, Crew Hail finally looked at me.
His face didn’t change.
It was worse than anger. It was focus.
Up close, he looked less like a man and more like a decision nobody recovered from.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
His voice was low, controlled, the kind that made people tell the truth by accident.
I don’t know what possessed me.
Maybe panic.
Maybe pride.
Maybe five hundred dollars already sitting in my account.
I grabbed his lapel, rose on aching toes, and kissed him.
The glass in his hand stopped halfway to the table.
The room went dead.
Someone near the dance floor actually gasped.
When I pulled back, my lipstick had marked the edge of his mouth.
He didn’t wipe it off.
He just stared at me like I had done something irreversible.
Then, very calmly, he reached into his jacket and took out his phone.
Behind me, Gemma gave a tiny, satisfied laugh.
That was when I realized she wasn’t watching me.
She was watching him.
"You have five seconds to explain," Crew said.
My throat went dry. "I was paid."
Gemma’s smile vanished.
Blair’s camera flashed from across the bar.
And Crew’s eyes shifted past my shoulder, landing on Gemma like he had been waiting all night for a reason.
Then his phone lit up with a name on the screen, and the man beside him went pale before whispering, "Sir, legal just arrived."
Crew looked back at me, at the transfer still open on my phone, and said, "Don’t move. You just became my witness."
Gemma’s heel scraped backward.
The elevator doors opened.
And three people in dark suits stepped out holding a silver folder with her name on it.
Type FOLDER. Save this for part 2 and full ending.