discreetly tuck the bottle in it. Or perhaps it would be safer in her clutch.
Hurriedly, she ripped the fabric patches off her nipples. The sharp sting as the glue let go made her eyes water as always. Blinking to clear her vision, she slipped the black dress off its hanger and threw it over her head. She didn’t bother with a foundation garment, her stomach sufficiently flat from a persistent lack of food. Nor did she even take time to exchange her G-string for regular panties. The risk of Tony coming to collect her before she was ready pulsed like acid through her veins.
She quickly tied a red silk sash around her waist, though it honestly ruined the lines of the dress, slipped on a pair of black wedges, and tucked the amber bottle along with a tube of lipstick into her gold sequined clutch. With thirty seconds to spare, she whirled to the mirror and checked her appearance. She tucked a platinum-blonde curl back in place and inspected her bright-red lipstick as she worked to slow her panicked breathing. Thank the stars she hadn’t had a chance to remove her false eyelashes. Even though they made her eyes itch and were often the first thing she took off after a performance, men seemed utterly enchanted by them. And she was all about enchanting Tony into downing his doctored drink without complaint.
The dressing curtain jerked open, and she jumped. Pasting a smile on her lips, she smoothed her dress as Tony gave her a thorough once-over, her heart ready to beat right out of her chest.
He scowled. “Lose the sash.”
Praying she wasn’t signing her death warrant, she straightened her spine like a queen and looked him right in the eye. “No.”
Chapter 2
“It’s all the rage now, and I either keep it or the date is off,” Vi continued into the shocked silence that had followed her small act of rebellion.
For a long moment he stared at her as the muffled music of the show continued on the other side of the curtain. She hardly dared breathe, terrified that each passing second might prove her last. Then, as she had hoped, his libido won out over his offended sartorial senses, and the tension left his shoulders.
“Fine, but for the record, I don’t like mouthy dolls who tell me no.”
Her pulse skittered at the warning, but she managed to keep her expression smooth as she stepped forward. “Then we’re in agreement, because I don’t like being told no, either.”
He was still scowling as he gestured for her to lead the way, but at least her death no longer seemed imminent. She batted her eyelashes at him as she passed, hoping to further ease the tension between them. Behind her she heard him chuckle, and her spirits dared to lift a little.
“God, I love bold women.” His fingers grabbed her right butt cheek and gave it a hard squeeze. She bit back on a tart response even as her eyes watered. Her plan would work best if he didn’t expect any resistance on her part. As long as she could play it cool for the first part of the night, she would be home free.
And cool was exactly how she played it for the next thirty minutes, right up to when Tony escorted her through a tidy, fenced-in yard to the freshly painted door of an attractive if small brick house. While he unlocked it, Vi looked around at the shadowy environs. Illuminated by only moonlight, with the crickets in full song, the quiet residential street seemed an unlikely place for a Mob hit man. But then again, maybe not. She supposed even the worst of humanity longed for a bit of peace now and then. Just as he might long to show off his ill-gotten wealth through nice clothes or a shiny black sedan like the one currently parked by the curb.
“After you, sweetheart.” Tony held the screen door out of the way.
Trying not to feel like she was being invited to her execution, Vi glided past him and into the dark house. Behind her, Tony flicked on a switch, and light filled the living room. Surprise nicked her again. Somebody with obvious taste had decorated the room in cocoa brown and reddish orange with soft ivory accents. White lilies, artfully arranged in a Lalique-style vase, filled the room with their exotic fragrance. She somehow doubted Tony had put them there.
“If you don’t like the furniture, I can return it,” Tony said,