neck and upper torso as she walked away. “I’ve been going to the wrong places all these years for a drink.”
I wiped down the bar with a clean rag. “Does that mean you’ll be staying for another beer?”
“Afraid not, buttercup. I’m here for another reason. My partner is busy doing the rounds but wanted me to relay a message.”
He meant Shepherd, and I glanced over at Simone to make sure she wasn’t within earshot. It wasn’t uncommon to strike up a conversation with customers, but I didn’t want to appear overly engaged.
Wyatt guzzled his drink, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down with each gulp. When he finished, he set the empty mug on the wood top instead of the napkin. Annoyed, I put his dirty glass in the sink and wiped down the bar with his T-shirt before tossing it onto his lap.
Wyatt licked the beer foam on his upper lip. “Your tip is under the napkin. See ya later, Mistress White.”
Wyatt didn’t pay for his beer, and I almost called him back until I saw that he’d slipped a piece of paper under his napkin. I discretely tucked it inside my bra and went back to work.
Just after midnight, I sent another customer Simone’s way to smooth things over between us, but they always swung back around to get a dose of verbal abuse from yours truly. I’m not sure what bothered me more: the fact that they liked it or that I was a pro at it.
I’d broken up two fights, so a fifteen-minute break was in order. After sneaking a shot of tequila, I went into the staff room and ran a hand towel under the faucet to freshen up. While both male and female workers shared the same space, everyone minded their own business. Wiping the back of my neck, I waited patiently for two male servers to change into their street clothes. Once they left, I pulled the paper Wyatt had left me out of my bra.
Three names were listed, one of them being Mr. John Crawford. This must have been Shepherd’s suspect list.
The door opened, startling me. I quickly wadded up the paper in my hand.
“Easy, female.” Claude shut the door behind him. His nostrils twitched, something Chitahs did when reading emotional scents.
My heart pounded against my rib cage, but a deep breath slowed it down. I pitched the towel into the laundry basket and sat on the long counter. “How’s your night going?”
“Is it empty in here?”
“I checked the bathrooms. It’s clear.”
He neared the sinks and wet a towel. “Let me add this to my long list of jobs I never want.”
“Why?”
“Whenever I walk through a crowd, they grab me from behind. There’s a ‘no touch’ policy, but when you move through a busy room, you can’t pinpoint the culprit in a sea of faces. I’m treated like a piece of meat.” Claude angrily washed his armpits. “At least you have a bar between you and them.”
“Sorry.” I furrowed my brow. “What happened to your pit hair?”
He tossed the towel into the open hamper. “Club policy. Servers can’t have excessive body hair. Just as well. I thought I’d never get the glitter off that first night. It looked like a glitter bomb exploded in my hotel bathroom. I’m sure the maid is wondering why, a week later, there’s still glitter in my sheets and towels.”
I lowered my head to conceal my smile.
“Don’t bother,” he said. “I can scent your amusement.”
“The glitter was overkill, but you looked great.”
Claude was sans glitter, but he still had a natural glow to his bronze skin.
“Christian has a twisted sense of humor.” He sat on the sink to my left, neither of us dressed in more than our underwear. “Any leads?”
“Wyatt gave me this.” I handed him the paper. “Suspects. Don’t let anyone see it.”
After studying the names, he put the small paper into his mouth and ate it. “I’ll see if I can get close to any of them. I’ve met two.”
“Same.” I leaned against him for support.
“Someone might walk in,” he cautioned me.
“Simone thinks I have a crush on you. Just go with it. If you start running off every time someone walks up, they’ll get suspicious. There’s no rule against dating coworkers.”
Claude’s voice softened. “What troubles you?”
“The possibility of working this job for the next four months.”
It wasn’t just the separation from Christian, it was this particular assignment. It was seeing people in power play positions. Domination made more sense because of the power