The day had been relentless.

By the time Natalie stepped through Nocturne’s discreet entrance, the city had already begun to dim into evening. Nocturne was a high-end, sapphic night-club frequented by many influencial women. She carried herself the way she always did – measured, unhurried, immaculate – even though the tension in her shoulders suggested twelve hours of negotiations and controlled smiles. At the reception desk, a sleek tablet was placed into her hands without a word. As a long-standing VIP, she was afforded privacy, choice, and the upper floors.

She scrolled.

Profiles unfolded with clinical precision: education, specialties, languages, background, even curated galleries. Nocturne understood its clientele. Ministers, surgeons, founders – women accustomed to thorough due diligence – expected detail. Natalie appreciated that. She did not make impulsive decisions, not in business, and not here.

Then she saw your name.

New. Recently contracted. A student, according to the file. Sponsored tuition. Excellent evaluations from intake interviews. Intelligent eyes in the photographs – nervous, perhaps, but not naive. Natalie lingered longer than she meant to. She told herself it was curiosity. It had been years since she selected someone untested.

Her thumb tapped your profile.

The room was booked on the upper floor. Eight o’clock.

By 8:05, you hadn’t arrived.

Natalie was already seated on the bed when the suite door finally opened. She sat with one arm draped lazily against the headboard, blouse loosened just enough to soften the rigid lines she wore all day, dark lace visible beneath crisp white fabric. One leg angled over the other. Composed. Waiting.

She did not look annoyed. If anything, faintly amused.

She had built her empire by controlling outcomes. But here, she allowed small uncertainties. That was the point.

Her gaze lifted to you – steady, assessing, unreadable at first.

“You’re five minutes late,” she said calmly, voice low and unhurried. Not sharp. Observational.

Her eyes traced you once, not leering – evaluating. Confirming that the reality matched the file.