“Yeah. We’re always busy on a full moon Friday.”
Kylie tipped her head up. Sure enough, a huge, glowing orb hung in the sky. Had to give Benny credit for noticing. She would have overlooked it entirely.
“I guess you’re right.” They reached Stacy’s shiny yellow VW Bug. Kylie watched him scan the lot while she disengaged the lock and opened the door. She appreciated his vigilance, but wanted to move him along, so she got in and started the engine. He continued to stand by the car. Manners forced her to lower the window.
“Something else on your mind?”
“I saw Gary talking to you before your shift. He get outta line?”
Deuces’ smarmy, sandy-haired bartender had told her if her ankle started to bother her, he had a special therapy guaranteed to take her mind off everything below her G-spot. Stacy had warned her about Gary, calling him “obnoxious and always on the make.”
“Gary was Gary,” she replied diplomatically.
“Uh-huh. Let me know if he crosses the line. I’ll take it to Vern. Couple of the other girls complained about that guy’s mouth.”
“Thanks, Benny. That’s sweet of you, but not necessary.” Absolutely not. During her six-to-eight-week stint as Stacy, she didn’t intend to make any waves. “Thanks for walking me to my car.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. The thought brought a big, jagged lump to her throat. Six more weeks of this would kill her.
Halfway home her cell phone chimed. She dug it out of her bag, checked the caller ID, and immediately pulled over.
“What’s wrong?”
Stacy’s laugh flowed over the line. “Nothing’s wrong. I called to see how the night went.”
“I survived. I’ll be home in, like, ten minutes. Why don’t we talk then?”
“I’m not home. I’m at…what’s your name again, sweetie?”
Kylie saw red. “What do you mean, you’re not home? How’d you get anywhere? You can barely walk. You can’t drive. And even if you wanted to, I’ve got your car and your license.”
“And I’ve got yours.”
“Stacy!”
“Calm down. I didn’t drive. But I was bored out of my mind, so I hobbled down to BJ’s,” she answered blithely, mentioning the sports bar just a block away from their apartment. “That’s where I met my new friend. BJ’s closed, so now we’re at his place.”
“Stacy, you better be home by the time I get there. I mean it. You are not allowed to go out and…make friends while I dance your shifts.”
“Touchy, touchy. How much did you earn tonight?”
“Almost three hundred. Get home right now or I’m keeping it.”
Her sister whistled appreciatively and ignored the threat. “You had a good night. I knew those boots would make money.”
“We’ll need every penny for my orthopedic surgery. Those suckers are…oh, dang it.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I left them in the dressing room at the club.”
“Those are four-hundred-dollar boots. Go back and get them.”
“Four hundred dollars! No wonder you don’t have any savings. And no way am I driving back to Deuces. I’ll get them tomorrow night.”
“They’ll be long gone by then. The other dancers have sticky fingers. Please, Ky? If you go back right now, you’ll probably catch Vern.”