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We continue to discuss the plans until we reach Ntimacy, and Giulio’s mood lightens a bit. He’s always calmer when he’s got a plan of action—a little more manageable.
As soon as we’re inside, I wave Donny over. I’m glad he’s here and it isn’t Paul, because we really don’t need another fuck-up to make the situation worse. “Lauro Romano and a few of his associates will be arriving soon,” I tell him. “Escort them to the VIP room.”
I turn to face Giulio.
“Who do you want?” I ask him.
He waves dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. None of the really high earners. They need to stay on the floor. Donny, put together the best booze we’ve got, and find food of some kind.”
“Uh, the only food we’ve got is the little pretzels and peanuts…” Donny says awkwardly.
Giulio glares at Donny.
Donny winces and continues, “So I’ll send somebody down the street to pick up appetizers. Is there a budget?”
“Yeah, between the booze and the appetizers, try to stay under 1k.” Giulio starts stalking toward the VIP room. “And the room had better be sparkling clean.”
Donny watches until Giulio has disappeared, then gives me a questioning look.
“He’s in a bad mood,” I explain, as if it weren’t obvious. “Get the food, send somebody to do a quick spot clean. Our guests can’t be more than five minutes behind. I’ll round up the girls.”
Thankfully Donny doesn’t need any further orders. I look around the floor, which isn’t too busy yet. Two of the dancers on stage would be perfect, though. They’ve got this early shift precisely because they aren’t the highest earners and there aren’t that many customers out yet. I flag them down and tell them to go meet Giulio in the VIP room, then I head backstage to see who’s already dressed for work.
I’m a little surprised to see Vanessa sitting next to Stef, helping her with her makeup. Elena is there too, giving Vanessa pointers.
Vanessa looks up when I approach, her expression going from concentration to wariness as soon as she spots me.
Elena follows her gaze to me. “Good evening, Damien,” she says politely, but it’s clear from the stiffness in her body that she isn’t thrilled to see me.
“Elena,” I greet her, before turning to Stef. “I need you in the VIP room within ten minutes,” I order her before scanning the room to see who else might be ready soon.
“VIP room? Why?” Vanessa asks, standing straighter. “Stef is only scheduled to dance tonight.”
Stef’s smile has already slipped from her expression. “It’s okay, Vanessa. I don’t mind doing something else.”
Vanessa scowls at her. “No. You’ve—” She cuts herself off, glaring daggers at me. “No. The floor is bad enough for Stef.”
“The VIP room,” I repeat, ignoring Vanessa. “If you’re lucky, they’ll be satisfied with a few dances. But Giulio is there, so act like you’re having fun.” I start to leave, mentally calculating how many dancers we’ll need, when Vanessa grabs my arm.
“I’ll go,” she says fiercely. “Leave Stef out of this.”
“Vanessa!” Elena admonishes before I can even respond. “You don’t have the experience to take her place. They need someone who can perform well.”
Vanessa glares at her then. “I can do just fine.”
“No,” I say flatly. “You aren’t meant for these men.” I remove her hand from my arm and give it a brief kiss. “Giulio and I will come see you later. But for now, just go back to your room.”
Unfortunately, I don’t have time to escort her back myself. My phone buzzes with a text message, and I don’t need to check to know it’s from Giulio, urging me to hurry up.
“Damien—”
“I said no, Vanessa,” I say more sharply. “Stef, get Cat and go to the VIP room as soon as you’re done getting ready.”
I don’t wait to hear Stef’s answer before I turn on my heel and leave the room to meet Giulio in the VIP room.
Lauro and his men are already inside, milling around. “I thought you were going to get usgoodgirls,” he complains. “This place is just for junkies and cheap whores.”
“Yeah, but it’s because this place is like this that you can get a lot better service than at the expensive clubs,” Giulio says. He’s on the couch, feet up on the coffee table. “You wanted somethingfull service, right? Not just a cocktease?”
