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“Nothing I don’t do every night,” said Beau, leaning back in his chair and putting his arms behind his head.
“What the fuck does that mean, Beau?” I asked sharply, trying to control my temper.
He said nothing, but I itched to slap that arrogant cocky look off his face. He leaned back in his chair, that long smooth body perfectly poised and in control.
“I told you this job is too much for you, little mama,” he said.
“The mayor’s office has asked fora private meeting,” I said. “So I know some shit went down last night. What was it? A bench-clearing brawl? Was someone drunk? Did a patron see balls?”
No one said anything and I threw my hands up in disgust. “Fine. Don’t tell me. I’m sure I’ll hear all about it from the mayor.”
Beau’s eyes looked sharp, and I heard a thump as he set the legs of his chair back on the ground. He stood up, stretching to his full height, revealing inches of toned belly.
“Want me to come with you?” he asked.
“No thank you,” I said. “It’s fucking obvious that whatever happenedyoudid it. Other things I do not want with me are smallpox and bed bugs.”
He glared at me, narrowing his eyes.
“I will take. . . Schwarb and Deiondre, if you both want to go. Schwarb can be adorable and Deiondre can dazzle the mayor with his brains.”
Deiondre nodded in his quiet way, and Schwarb jumped up boisterously.
I saw Beau frown again and it was clear he did not like being left out.
I looked down at my clothes quickly. I was wearing a white T-shirt and black leggings. “Maybe I should change,” I said. “To meet the mayor. Or does this outfit look OK?”
“It does not look OK,” said Beau. “You look like a slob.”
I ignored him.
Luis got up hastily. “I’ve beenwaitingfor this,” he said. “Let me at least give you anothershirt.”
I followed Luis into the wardrobe area, where he rustled around the racks of clothes eagerly.
“You don’t always have to dress like you’re about to lead an outdoor all-ages yoga session,” he told me.
“I have many fancy clothes,” I lied. “I just don’t want to waste them around you people.”
He scoffed, and then handed me a shirt.
“Put this on.”
I turned around, ducking behind one of the dress racks, and changed hastily, stepping in front of the mirror to see what I looked like.
Luis stepped back to look at me. “It’s not perfect,” he said. “But at least you are wearing something that’s not so tight against yourtits.”
I tsked in annoyance, but I had to admit that the soft green shirt was amazing on me.
I glanced up in the mirror and saw Beau looking at me. He met my eyes, and I saw his lip curl up.
Well, if he was trying to intimidate me, it wasn’t going to work. I tossed my head and brushed past him out the door.
Schwarb, Deiondre, and I went over our strategy on the way over to the mayor’s office.
We were going to be nice. That was it, that was the strategy. Extremely nice.
The mayor was a dignified silvery-haired man in his 50s, and his office was in a muted room with neutral furniture and a big window overlooking downtown. Everything looked aggressively unoffensive. The meeting started out on a promising note. I introduced both Schwarb and Deiondre, and I could tell that he was not expecting me to bring a straight man and a computer scientist.
