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“April said you’re an amazing dancer, but it’s your first time stripping?”
“Uh, yeah. Do you . . . do you think I’m too old and fat to strip?”
Chardonnay turned her, putting her hands on her cheeks. “Do not listen to that bitch. You’re freaking gorgeous. Seriously. Men dig curves. And all that hair and those cheekbones. By the way, I love what you’ve done with your eyeshadow. You think you could do something like that on me?”
Effie nodded enthusiastically. Even if she didn’t love helping people, Chardonnay had just saved her from Satan’s mistress. So she’d do anything she asked.
“You’ll be on after the next dancer. I think Grady is going to enjoy watching you.”
“Who is Grady?”
“He’s Steele’s right-hand man. Steele owns this place, but Grady mostly runs it after our old manager, Mitchell, left. Don’t worry; no loss. He was a rat bastard.”
Right. Okay.
“And Lucy?”
“She’s the bar manager and the reigning queen of hell.”
The next woman moved onto the stage. And she was good. Sultry and sexy. There were a few moves she could tweak to make it even better.
But she was rocking it.
Effie watched her in awe. She hoped she looked that good. She also hoped like hell that her body didn’t give up on her. But she hadn’t had a back spasm in a long time.
When the dancer finished, Effie clapped until everyone turned to stare at her.
Oops. Was she not supposed to clap? Okay, so technically, the other woman was her competition. But she deserved to know she’d done a great job, right?
Chardonnay grinned over at her. “Just like April said.”
“Uh-oh, what did April say?”
“That you’re a bit nutty with a heart of gold.”
Great. Nutty.
“Come on, you’re up next. Let’s head backstage.”
As Effie got up to follow her out, she felt someone watching her. Turning, she looked to a back booth where a man sat. He was partially in shadow, but what she could see she approved of. Muscular, dark hair, trimmed short beard, well-dressed.
His gaze was intense as he stared at her. Then he looked away, dismissing her.
It was silly, but she felt a stab of disappointment. Chardonnay tugged her along and she nearly lost her footing.
“That’s Grady,” Chardonnay whispered to her. “Sexy, right?”
“Uh, yeah.” She probably shouldn’t be saying that about her hopefully soon-to-be boss.
“He’s a little odd. Standoffish. He isn’t the sort of boss you could sit and chew the fat with. There’s a definite barrier between him and us.”
Huh. That didn’t sound like he was that great of a boss.
“But since he took over for Mitchell, things have been much safer here. He insists that all the girls, dancers, and bar staff, are escorted to their cars. If they don’t have cars, then Pinkies covers their transportation home.
“Really?” That seemed amazing. She hadn’t been sure how she’d get home at night, seeing as the closest bus stop to her place still meant a four-block walk.
“Yep. Grady is really big on making sure we’re safe.”
