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Steele gazed over at him. “I could say the same thing to you.”
“Just as long as we’re on the same page. Effie is off-limits. To both of us.”
And he’d just have to keep reminding himself of that.
13
Effie peered down at the spreadsheet on her laptop.
She was sitting on the ergonomic chair that Grady had told her that he’d bought for himself. But which she knew he’d bought for her. Because he was surprisingly thoughtful.
She’d been working for him for three weeks and she was enjoying it. He was demanding and exacting, but he wasn’t a jerk.
She still couldn’t believe that they’d bought her slippers and confetti shoes and gloves. Every morning, she woke up and pinched herself, certain she was living a fairy-tale.
Actually, she should probably stop doing that since that skin was starting to bruise.
“Yo, Effie.”
She glanced up with a smile as Chardonnay walked in, followed by Tessie and Cilla. Her posse.
That’s what she called them.
Cilla was another dancer. She was gorgeous with long blonde hair that she probably bleached a bit too much for it to be healthy. And big blue eyes. She spoke in a soft, breathy voice, but she was no pushover.
Tessie was a server. She was tiny. Super tiny. And she had short, black hair that was longer on one side than the other. She was pure biker babe. She usually dressed in jeans and some awesome biker T-shirt as well as a leather jacket when she wasn’t in her Pinkies uniform, which consisted of a tight top and short shorts.
Tessie might be tiny, but she was strong. The other night some asshole had tried to grab her and she’d had him in a headlock before the bouncers could even get there.
“What’d you make today?” Tessie asked, coming over to open the container on her desk.
“Brownies. With white chocolate and pecans. They’re delicious.”
A bit too delicious. Effie’s clothes were starting to get rather tight. It might be time to try some of those sugar-free recipes she’d been researching.
Or gain some willpower. However, she didn’t have much of that. As soon as her first pay check had cleared, Effie had started bringing in her baking for everyone. And to her surprise, everyone seemed to love it. Not just Brooks, who she thought would tell her it was good no matter what. But each of the servers and strippers who made their way back here.
And they were back here a lot. That surprised her too. How friendly everyone was.
“Tessie, I scheduled that time off you wanted. I’ve had to use Vanessa for some of the shifts, though.”
Tessie groaned. “She’s going to make a mess of it.”
Effie sighed. This was likely true. Vanessa wasn’t good at her job. She had big hair, a rocking body, and she knew it. She was more interested in having a good time rather than working. Which is why she only worked shifts at Pinkies when they needed someone to cover other servers.
“If I had someone else, I’d use them.”
Tessie nodded.
“And you need to go on vacation and not worry about any of this.”
Tessie was off to Greece. Alone. That was so brave. Braver than Effie could ever imagine being. Effie hadn’t left the state of Montana in years. And not because of finances.
But because the idea of traveling alone kind of scared her.
“You better bring us back some good gifts,” Chardonnay told her.
“I want a hot Greek man,” Cilla added. “Apparently they have stamina. And they’re hung.”
