The neon light of New York flickered against the rain soaked streets reflecting in puddles like shattered glass. Inside his blacked-out car, Josh's fingers drummed against the steering wheel. At 27 he had built an empire spanning tech companies, properties and business that stretched across the continents. In the underworld, his name was whispered with fear. He was cold hearted, ruthless and untouchable.
Yet he found himself outside a place he had never thought to enter the infamous brothel owned by the cunning Madam J. Inside, the air was heavy with perfumes, cigarettes smoke, and whispered secrets
Luna, a 22 years old girl from the province, stood nervously behind the counter, helping Madam J with paper works trying to steady her trembling hands. The girl had never imagined she would see herself in a place like this, far from the life of proverty and struggle she left behind. The city was cruel, but survival demands sacrifice she hadn't anticipated.
"First day nerves"? Madam J's sharp voice pierced the room. "Get used to it, girl. Life doesn't wait, and neither do the clients".
Luna swallowed hard. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She glanced at the mirror, seeing her reflection for what felt like the first time. The faint birth marks on her waist and behind her ears hidden beneath her very short blouse that almost felt like she wore nothing, her innocence still intact despite everything. She tried to straighten her back, but fear and shame weighed her down.
Then he walks in….Josh, even in dimly lit room, he dominated the space. Black suit, cold calculating eyes, and an aura that seemed to bend the world around him. Luna froze every instinct screamed at her to flee, yet her legs refused to move. He scanned the room slowly his eyes finally settling on her. Luna's breathe hitched. There was something in his gaze..danger, power and something else, something unspoken that made her heart ached.
"You're new", he said, his voice low, smooth, and edged with authority that sent shivers down her spine.
"I….. yes", Luna stammered, unsure weather to feel fear or awe.
Josh's gaze lingered. It was unnerving, the way he looked at her as if he could see her soul. "You don't belong here", he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Luna's hand clenched. "I…have to work…to survive."
He leaned closer, the scent of his cologne rappinging around her, dangerous yet intoxicating. "And yet….i think I might just own you soon".
The word sent a chill down her spine but not entirely unpleasant. Her pulse raced, a mixture of fear and something unfamiliar stirring deep within her.
Madam J noticed the tension. "Don't get distracted, girl. Focus. He's just a client….or maybe more", she whispered, her tone laced with amusement. Luna flushed, embarrassed, but couldn't tear her eyes away from Josh.
He walked passed the counter slowly, casually inspecting the place as though it was his territory and perhaps, in a way, it already was. His eyes lingered on Luna again. Something about her fragility, her quiet strength, her untouched innocence, stirred something in him he hadn't felt in years. Something dangerous.
Hours passed, although it felt like minutes. Luna tried to go about her task, but she could stop thinking about him. The way he carried himself, the authority in his voice, the intensity in his eyes. And the unspoken promise of what might come next….
That night, Luna sat alone in her small room above the brothel, tears slipping down her cheeks. The world she had stepped into was darker than she imagined, yet there was a spark she couldn't ignore. The man who had walked in with the storm seemed to have left a piece of himself in her mind, haunting her thoughts.
And for Josh, the cold hearted mafia boss who never cared for anyone, the thought of her refused to leave his mind. Her innocence, her vulnerability, her quiet courage it has struck him like lightning.
The morning light barely penetrated the heavy curtains of the brothel, casting casting Luna's small room in a grayish haze. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her reflection in the cracked mirror, tracing the faint birthmarks hidden beneath her blouse with trembling fingers. Sleep had evaded her; her thought refused to leave the image of him, the man who had stormed into her life, commanding the room, commanding her.
Madam J's voice pierced the silence like a whip. "Get up, girl. Today's clients don't wait, and neither does business."
Luna swallowed hard, her throat dry. She learned quickly that Madam J's, survival meant obeying, blending in, and learning the rules she had never imagined she'd need to know. Yet no amount of preparation had readied her for Josh. His presence lingered like a shadow over her, threatening to consume her every thought.
Hours passed. Luna moved mechanically, attending to Madam J's instructions, forcing a smile for other clients, while her mind replayed every detail of last night. His gaze, the words, his smirk that promised danger….and nothing more.
Meanwhile, Josh couldn't stop thinking about her either. In his penthouse, he stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking New York, dark eyes fixed on the rain-slick streets below. He was a man used to control over business, over rivals, over everything but Luna had escaped that control. That fragile, trembling girl had infiltrated his mind in ways no one ever had. He had decided.
By noon, he was at Madam J's office, a black leather folder in hand and an expression that could freeze blood. Madam J looked up from her papers, feigning casual interest. She was a shrewd woman, 50 years old, obsessed with money, and rarely intimidated by anyone. But Josh… Josh was different. Even she knew better than to underestimate him.
" I want a girl", Josh said, his voice low and dangerous.
Madam J arched an eyebrow, her fingers tapping against the desk. "Which one"? The innocent looking one, the one crying last night?"
Josh jaw tightened " Yes. Luna I'm buying her. Name your price."
The air between then thickened. Luna's life, her freedom, her choice, her everything were suddenly reduced to a transaction. Madam J smirked "Millions . If u want her, and you must pay in full."
Josh didn't flinch. "Done".
By the end of the day, Luna's world had shifted irreversibly. Madam J escorted her into a black with dark tinted glasses outside the brothel. Luna's heart pounded with fear, confusion, and a strange, inexplicable thrill. She had not idea what awaited her, only that the man she had seen once, for a brief moment, now owned her fate.
The ride to Josh's penthouse was silent, the city passing by in a blur of rain, soaked streets and neon lights. Luna's mind raced. What would he do? Would he be cruel? Gentle? will she survive this new world of power and obsession?
When they arrived, Josh didn't waste time with pleasantries. He led her into a room that was starkly luxurious, everything clean, everything expensive, everything controlled. And yet, Luna felt small, vulnerable, exposed.
He watched her, the weight of his gaze settling over her like a storm. "You belong to me now". He said his tone both possessive and eerily calm.
Luna swallowed hard, the reality hitting her. she was no longer a girl from the province trying to survive. She was in Josh's world now a world of power, possession, danger, and power she hadn't imagined.
Her first night with him was…
overwhelming. Every touch, every whispered command, every look ignited something in her she hadn't known existed. Tears streamed down her cheek not just from pain, but from fear, confusion, and a strange, consuming desire she couldn't name. Madam J's lesson on survival, on life, on "what's owed for everything," offered no comfort. She had no guide for the storm that was Josh.
And Josh? for the first time in his life,he was unsettled. She was his. Yet he couldn't stop thinking, dreaming, obessesing over her even when she cried, even when she resisted in the small ways she could. Every part of him ruthless, cold, unfeeling was consumed by this fragile girl with the faint birthmarks, the wide eyes and the courage he could feel beneath her fear.
By dawn, Luna laid in the luxurious bed, exhausted, trembling, and changed forever. And Josh stood by the window watching her sleep, realizing that nothing, no business, no enemy, no he had ever held had ever captured him the way she did.