I HAD PLANNED ON TALKING to Jasper about my second job today. But he was gone before I could catch him. When dinner came and went and there was still no sign of him, I was out of time. Dressing in a pair of shorts and T-shirt of my own, I headed upstairs to tell Portia I would be at work tonight, but that I’d be back in time to make breakfast.

She had been gone most of the day with her friends at a tennis match. The farro and kale salad I’d made her for dinner had seemed to please her, but she didn’t say much. She used to enjoy bossing me around and complaining. Now she didn’t seem to enjoy much of anything.

I finally found her downstairs at the bar pouring herself a drink. “You’re leaving. Does he know?” she said without turning around to look at me.

“No. I never got a chance to tell him.”

She sighed and took a drink as she turned around. “If he comes home and needs something from you, what do you expect me to say?”

I had no idea what she should say. I didn’t expect her to say anything.

“I don’t know. I’ll explain tomorrow.”

“If you still have a job tomorrow,” she said flippantly, walking past me out of the room.

I couldn’t worry about that right now. Yes, this job paid more but it wouldn’t be enough. I had to work another job. The house was clean, the pool house was clean, groceries were stocked in both places. I even left him a warm dinner at the pool house in case he was hungry when he got home. That was all I could do.

I pulled my purse higher on my shoulder and headed out the back door toward the parking spot where I was allowed to keep my car.

“Leaving? You have more off time than I’d expect considering your salary.”

I paused and closed my eyes tightly. I couldn’t tell Stone off. He was Jasper’s friend. I had to deal with him. He’d also tell Jasper I had left, so I needed to give him an explanation. One I hoped would be given to Jasper properly.

“I just got a second job. I’ve completed all my duties for today. I planned on talking to Jasper about my second job, but he was gone this morning before I had a chance.”

Stone looked at me. Which was rare. “A second job? What, they aren’t paying you enough now? You have a free place to live, food and a ridiculous sum of money and you think you need to work a second job? That’s not exactly believable. Lying to Jasper won’t benefit you.”

I really hated him. He was a dark, beautiful, cruel man. Why was he always here? Didn’t he have a job, or was he just living off his daddy’s money?

“It isn’t a lie. I can prove it to him if I need to. Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t believe I have to discuss my income with you.” I walked past him and into the darkness toward my car.

I was not looking forward to tonight. I was nervous and hoped I could do this job. I wasn’t even sure what would be expected of me. I hadn’t been given much of a job description.

Once I was in my car and driving away, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was almost worried that Stone would follow me out to my car, continuing his intrusive questioning. If Jasper wanted details and proof I’d give it to him. But Stone wasn’t my boss. He was nothing.

The drive to the club was only thirteen minutes without much traffic. If it had been two hours earlier, this drive would have taken an hour. But going to work at eight in the evening had a few advantages. I’d cleaned and grocery shopped all day so my feet hurt and I just wanted to take a shower and sit down. Or lie down. That wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon, though. I had to work for the next seven hours. The idea made me even more exhausted. I had to picture Heidi’s smile to give me the strength to park the car and head into my new work place.

The first person I saw when I walked in the front doors was the redhead from last night who had taken me to Carey’s office. She waved me over to her. “I need to get you a uniform. Then Neil will be showing you the ropes tonight. You can shadow him—and take notes.”

“Okay,” I said hurrying to follow her down the same hallway I’d been in last night that led to Carey’s office.

We passed his door and went all the way to the end. A blue door that said Employees Only was to our right. The redhead opened it and we went inside. There were uniforms on hangers along the back wall and dressing rooms. There were also mirrors, toilets and one shower.

“This is where we dress, use the facilities, and take breaks,” she said as she walked to the uniforms and took one from the rack. “A four correct?”

I nodded.

“Put this on.” She reached down and picked up a pair of red high heels that had sparkly toes. “Wear these.”

“I need an eight,” I told her not wanting to have to squeeze my foot into yet another shoe.

She sat them down and picked up another pair. “Here. They run small. These are nines.”

The idea of walking around in heels didn’t seem so bad now that I knew my toes weren’t going to be cramped all night. “Thank you.”

“Sure. Get dressed and then come out to the front. Neil will be waiting on you.”

“Who’s Neil?”

She paused at the door. “Tall guy. Dark blonde hair. He will be looking for you. Just head out front.”

“Okay,” I replied as she walked out. I still didn’t know her name. She wasn’t exactly the friendly sort.

I got busy changing into the work uniform, and then stood in front of the full-length mirror and winced. The skirt was so short I was afraid to bend over. I’d have to watch that tonight. Slipping on the heels I felt more vulnerable than I ever had, like I was on display. I didn’t like attention. This outfit was going to get me attention.

I could always keep looking for another good paying evening job. This didn’t have to be forever. It wasn’t like I was the only one dressed this way. There were other servers who would be just as scantily dressed, and more than likely, so would the customers. This was a club. I had to get over myself.

After I gave myself a pep talk, I made my way down the hallway toward the front where Neil would be waiting on me. The first person I saw was the guy who had met me outside Carey’s office last night and knocked on his door. He was tall with dark blonde hair. When he saw me, he waved me over. It was the guy I was supposed to trail, Neil. Or at least I assumed he was.

“Beulah, correct?” he asked holding out his hand. “I’m Neil.”

“Yes, and it’s nice to officially meet you,” I told him.

He smirked. “Yeah, I was in a hurry last night or I’d have been friendlier.”

“That’s fine. I thought you were friendly enough.”

He ran his hand through his hair and glanced around the place. People were trickling in, but it wasn’t busy yet. “This is the early crowd. They are here to eat the bar food and do some socializing before the crowd. A Monday night crowd isn’t that bad. It’s the slowest night of the week for us. That’s why Carey had you come in so soon to start. This is the night he likes to train his newbies.”

Neil pointed at the redhead. “That’s Shauna. She’s the manager of the waitresses and hostesses. She’s been here for five years. She’s not the nicest person around, but she works hard and makes sure the place runs smooth.”

He began to walk and I followed. “If you need something, come to me first. Shauna doesn’t like dealing with the little details. She deals with the big issues. I am second in command and I deal with the small stuff. If it’s too much for me to smooth over, I involve her. She’s big on the chain of command thing, so don’t go directly to her unless I tell you to. She looks pretty but she can go monster on you in a second.”

We walked to the hostess area, and he patted the countertop that stood between me and guests as they arrived. “If the guests get to you, then they made it through security. They will have on blue bracelets that have our logo on them if they are under twenty-one. You will greet them, take any bags, wraps or jackets—which won’t be many this time of year—and check them in. Tag their item with a number using these tickets, then give them the other half. Put their items in that room. In the winter, this is a busier job. Much more of a hassle and we have three people working the front then because of it. Right now, it won’t be a big deal. With me so far? Any questions?”