“So, tell me, how amazing was I?”
“So amazing!” I told her. “Sit with us.” I introduced Ash, and they began to exchange friendly chit-chat.
“Does Bossman know you’re here?” Shawna found a lone chair and pulled it up to our table. She boldly took my drink and downed half of it.
“I don’t know. Is he even here?”
“Of course he’s here. He’s in his booth. He came in about thirty minutes ago.”
“Oh look, Alia is taking the stage,” I said, purposefully ignoring Shawna’s probing eyes. Ash raised her eyebrows, but I subtly shook my head.
My worlds were converging, and I was playing so many roles, it was difficult to remember who I was supposed to be at any given time.
The audience’s reaction to Shawna was nothing compared to how they felt about Alia. She had them eating out the palm of her hand. Some performers just had a presence that was intuitive and natural—it couldn’t be taught. Alia had theitfactor.
“Can any of you sing?” I asked Shawna.
She looked at me. “A few of us, I guess. I can sing okay. Why? What are you thinking about?”
“I’m gonna pitch an idea to Bossman,” I said with a grin, glad to have found a legitimate reason to talk to Flynn. I got up, grabbed my near empty martini glass, and walked toward Flynn’s booth.
He sat with his usual drink in front of him, his dark hair effortlessly styled. It was dim in the club; his three-piece-suit looked black, but I knew it was gray. He glanced up when I stopped at his table.
“Good evening,” he said. “Are you and your friend enjoying the show?”
“You saw us?”
He raised an eyebrow.
I smiled. “Yes, we’re enjoying the show.”
“So, are you dropping by my table as an employee saying hello to her boss?”
“Yes. But also, I wanted to pitch an idea to you.”
“Should we go somewhere private?” he flirted, his eyes glittering with banked desire.
“No. Are you going to ask me to sit down?”
“Barrett, sit down.”
I went around to the other side of the booth and slid in next to him. Not too close so people would think anything of it, but not too far that I had to yell to be heard.
“Need another drink?” he asked with a look at my near empty glass.
“Please.”
“And what are Shawna and Ash drinking?”
“How did you know I was here with Ash?”
He grinned. “I have ways.”
“Of course you do. Shawna shared my Manhattan and Ash had her own. Why? Are you gonna send them a round?”
“Maybe.”
“Are you trying to make every woman fall in love with you?”
