HATE ME HARDER ( a dark revenge romance)

CHAPTER 5 RAVEN'S POV: The black SUV arrives at 9:45 p.m. on the dot, headlights off, engine a low, predatory rumble in the quiet Brooklyn street. I emerge from the alley shadow, hood pulled low until the last moment, then open the rear door and slide inside. The leather seat is cool against my bare thighs. The driver, clean shaved head, thick neck, glances once in the rearview, gives a single curt nod, and pulls away. No words, no pleasantries, just the faint scent of a new car and the city lights streaking past tinted glass like bleeding neon. Tonight marks my first official night working for Damien Blackwood. I adjust the lace mask in the dim cabin glow. Black filigree clings from nose bridge to hairline, leaving only my mouth and chin exposed enough to tease, not enough to betray. The wig is long, glossy raven waves that spill past my shoulders in deliberate disarray. Hazel contacts mute the gray eyes that could undo everything. Corset laced bone-tight, ribs compressed, breathing shallow and controlled. Skirt high on the thigh, concealing twin sheaths; one slim throwing blade balanced for a quick flick, one mini-taser humming faintly against my skin. Heels pointed enough to puncture if someone forgets their manners. I look like every dark fantasy they pay to chase but never quite catch. Perfect for the role. The ride downtown is silent except for the bass bleeding through the speakers, slow, deep, syncing with my pulse. I stare out at the passing streets, running contingencies like a mental checklist. If Damien enters the room unannounced, play the tease, keep him at arm's length, gather intel. Ten years of planning. One night won't unravel me. Velvet reservoir appears at the end of the narrow cobbled lane in the Meatpacking District, black brick facade, no sign, only a single red velvet rope guarded by two bouncers who look like they bench-press cars for fun. They scan the code on my burner phone without comment, then open the unmarked STAFF door with a soft pneumatic hiss. The shift is immediate. Air thick with expensive perfume, Cuban cigar smoke, and the sharp metallic tang of arousal. Purple-red lighting pulses in time with the bass deep enough to vibrate through my sternum. Crystal chandeliers drip fractured light across leather booths and mirrored stages. Three circular platforms dominate the main floor, poles gleaming like wet obsidian under spotlights. Girls already move on two of them oiled skin catching every beam, eyes distant or predatory. Up on the mezzanine, heavy velvet curtains hide private rooms. The energy is electric, hungry, moneyed. The stage manager mid-thirties, sharp black bob, intercepts me at the talent entrance. "Raven Noir. First night. You're on the main rotation starting at 10. Private bookings if they request you. Mr Blackwood wants you visible; he said you're the new draw. Locker 14. Change fast. Set in twenty." She hands me a black keycard. "Your cut wires offshore the second the client leaves. Make it worth his while." I nod once. No questions. I already know the game. The locker room is controlled chaos. Girls laughing, spraying glitter on collarbones, adjusting garters, stretching like felines in heat. I claimed locker 14, slipped out of my clothes and changed into the red lingerie. Mask in place. Wig perfect. Contacts sharp. I look in the mirror once, porcelain skin under heavy makeup, smoky eyes, lips blood-red. Dangerous, desirable, good. I step onto the main floor at 10 sharp. Spotlight hits center stage. I grip the pole. Music drops slow, dark bassline laced with sultry strings that curl like smoke. I start. Slow roll of hips. Drop low, thighs parting just enough to tease my audience. Rise slower, back arched until my hair brushes the floor. Wig cascading. I don't smile. Men in tailored suits and open collars circle the platforms like sharks scenting blood. Bills flutter onto the stage. Hundreds, fifties, twenties, like confetti at a funeral. I spin once, legs opening wide on the descent, enough to flash the perfect shape of my pussy. Gasps ripple through the crowd. Halfway through the set I feel eyes that aren't just hungry, possessive, calculating. Damien. He's in the dark alcove above the mezzanine, black suit blending with shadows, bourbon glass dangling from long fingers. Watching, observing. I let my gaze flick up once. Our eyes lock for two heartbeats. His mouth curves small, satisfied, almost proud. The set ends. Applause and more bills splatter on the stage. The manager appears at the edge of the platform. "Room 3. VIP booked you for thirty. Double rate. He paid for two services." I step down. Heels click across the floor. Curtain parts. Inside, dim red light, low chaise, small stage with pole. And waiting there Clarissa Voss. Platinum hair loose, red lipstick fresh, black lace lingerie that leaves almost nothing to imagination. The same woman I watched Damien fuck over his desk bent over, moaning, taking him hard while he gripped her hair like reins. She looks up, recognizes me instantly, and her eyes narrow into venomous slits. She doesn't speak, just stands, walks to the center, drops to her knees in front of the client, an older man in charcoal suit, Rolex glinting, already loosening his belt, cock out and hard. The manager whispers behind me, "He booked both of you. Double rate. He wants a show. Blowjob competition. Winner gets the bigger tip." The client grins, lazy and entitled. "Ladies. Let's see who earns it." Clarissa shoots me a look, pure territorial hate, then leans in and takes him into her mouth. No hesitation, deep, loud, wet, sloppy sounds fill the room. She moans around him deliberately, eyes flicking to me like a challenge. Hand pumping the base in fast, twisting strokes. Cheeks hollowing, tongue swirling visibly. Gagging slightly for effect performance art. Silent competition. I step forward. Drop to my knees beside her. The client groans louder, two mouths now. Clarissa's technique is aggressive, fast bobs, head moving like a piston, saliva dripping, moans theatrical and high-pitched. She's trying to out-volume me. Out-speed me. Win with noise and spectacle. I don't compete on volume. I compete on control. I lean in slow. Tongue flat along the underside, tracing the vein from base to tip. Lips seal tight. I take him deep, deeper than she did, until my throat flutters around him. Hold, swallow once, pull off slow, tongue dragging, lips sealed, leaving him glistening. Then again. Steady rhythm. Tight suction. One hand cupping his balls, rolling gently, thumb pressing the sensitive spot behind. The other braced on his thigh,nails digging just enough to sting. He curses under his breath. Hips twitch hard. Clarissa glares sideways. Pushing me away, she takes him again. Speeds up. Tries to match me. Gags louder. Moans higher. Hand twisting faster. She's desperate now, sloppy, frantic. I ignore her. Focusing on him. Slow, deliberate pulls. Tongue pressing flat on every upstroke. Hollowed cheeks. Throat working in subtle swallows that make him shudder. I feel him thicken, pulse against my tongue. Clarissa redoubles, slurping, moaning, trying to drown me out. I pull off slowly, let saliva string from my lips to his tip, then take him again, deeper, holding until my nose brushes his abdomen. His hips jerk violently. He groans, long, broken. She tries to push in, take him back. I don't let her. I keep the rhythm steady, unhurried, merciless. One final deep hold. Swallow around him. He cums with a choked curse, thick, hot pulses down my throat. I swallow without breaking eye contact with Clarissa. Pull off clean. Lips barely wet. Clarissa pulls back coughing, mascara smudged, lipstick smeared across her chin. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, glaring at me like I stole her birthright. The client slumps back, panting, fumbling for his wallet. Thick stack of hundreds hits the table, more for me than her. "Jesus Christ. Both of you. Again next week. But you," he points at me "first dibs." He leaves. Clarissa stands. Steps close. Voice low, venomous, barely above a whisper. "You think you're special because Damien recruited you bitch? He fucked me on his desk. Bent me over, came on my back. You're just the new flavor. He'll get bored." I wipe the corner of my mouth with one finger. Meet her eyes through the lace. "At least I don't get fucked like a nobody." I replied , glaring back at her. Her face blanches, then flushes crimson. I turn. Walk out. In the hallway, the manager is waiting, eyes wide. "Room 8. Another booking. They're scrambling for you already, words are spreading." I nod. I glance up at the mezzanine alcove. Damien hasn't moved. Still in shadow. Eyes locked on the floor below, on me. His mouth curves again slowly, satisfied, almost proud. I didn't return it. I just walk to the next room. But the fracture is wider tonight. And Damien Blackwood is already addicted to watching me break other people's control without ever losing my own. The rest of the night is a blur of bookings. Room after room. Men who pay double, triple, to have me alone. Some want pole work, slow grinds, arches, drops that leave them hard and breathless. Others want private dances, hovering inches away, heat radiating, never quite touching. I give them just enough to hook them. And they couldn't get enough of me. Every time I glance up, he's there, watching from the dark. Not intervening. Just observing. Happy. Because the line outside the private rooms is growing. Names on the list. Cash stacking. And every man who books me is another piece of his empire that now orbits me.