“Not anymore, I don’t. I know what it feels like when your reputation gets ahead of you. When people decide who you are before you even meet them. I don’t like fanning the flames of that sort of thing.”
“You can fan all you want. The damage is already done. I’m stuck being the self-centered bitch who scares off paying customers and who bullies others into quitting. Lucky me.”
Maya’s eyes drifted to Harper’s, the hard look in them fading as she smiled softly.
“For some reason, I don’t think those descriptors match the truth.”
Harper leaned back reflexively. People whispering cruel things about her had been such a constant that it was weird when itdidn’thappen. Hell, she’d been dealing with mean rumors since middle school.
St. Louis had been a fresh start. Even if it hadn’t stayed that way for long.
“Some of it is true,” Harper said after a moment. “I did just scare people off. And at the last place I worked, I did make someone quit.”
“Sounds like there’s a story there.” Maya cocked her head. “Can I hear your version?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Call it professional curiosity. Or gossiping, if that’s preferable. If you’re the one doing it, I might like it more.”
Harper couldn’t help but chuckle. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but there was something about Maya that made it so easy to talk, especially about hard topics.
Tooeasy. Maya had avoided being judgy so far, but she might just be saving it. It wouldn’t be the first time Harper had shared her side of the story and had it dismissed as a lie.
Or maybe Maya was being genuine. Maybe she actually wanted to know.
“Her name was Kayla. The girl I made quit. She was a natural, too. Had the attention of every guy in the room ten minutes into her first shift.”
Harper picked at a nail. “Heronlyshift. She vanished from the floor all of a sudden, and I found her in the back, crying her eyes out. She’d taken a guy to a private room, and he’d assumed that involved more than just a dance and conversation. So he kissed her, held her down, and stuck his hand down her underwear.”
“Seriously?” Maya said, brows furrowed. “No one did anything?”
“They did. Unlike this place, that club actually cared about the girls working there. Kayla called for help, security came in, and the guy got blacklisted. But it still messed her up. Knowing that it could happen again.”
Harper picked up a stained bill, folding and unfolding it. “It’s always a risk with this job. One Kayla felt she had to take, becauseshe had a family to take care of. If she didn’t get money fast, they would end up on the street. She kept repeating it while crying so hard that she could barely breathe.”
“So what did you do?”
“Told her the truth. That this job isn’t something you should feel forced to do, no matter how much it pays.” Harper dropped the crumbled bill on the table. “I talked her into quitting, basically. And then I lent her the money she needed to catch up on rent and got her some shifts at a nearby diner us girls frequented. She’s still flirting tips out of the patrons there, last time I checked.”
The concern that had just shown in Maya’s eyes faded, a glint of admiration replacing it. One of the two reactions Harper had been dreading. The worse one would have been a look of disbelief, but this was a close second. As though Harper was worthy of praise for doing the bare minimum.
But when it came from Maya, that admiring look didn’t sting as it should.
“You’re so wasted on this place,” Maya said. Harper shook her head, scoffing.
“I’m really not. I’m too much trouble to be worth it, and I’m perfectly aware. Most people can’t handle me, and the few who can turn out to be assholes.”
“Don’t know about that. I’ve been around you for a while. I don’t think you’re too hard to handle.”
“Empirical evidence suggests that you’re an asshole, then.”
Harper bit her lip, both to stop herself from talking and because the pain of pressing her teeth against her wound was exactly what she deserved.
What the fuck was wrong with her? Maya had come in here, all caring and sweet, and then Harper’s stupid mouth twisted her words into an insult.
But Maya wasn’t angry. She just leaned forward, elbows on her knees.
“Is that the kind of comment people can’t handle?”
