Page 65 of Nails

“Right,” Audrey said with a wink.“Come on.Let’s show you the ropes.”

Riley let out a laugh but didn’t deny it any further.On the outside, she played it cool and tried to appear sweet and innocent.But on the inside, she smiled.Getting close to those two meant she was one step closer to getting the information she needed.

Three hours into her first shift, Riley realized quickly that Adam hadn’t been exaggerating when he warned her about potential drama.

Anya, the hostess girl she’d been assigned to shadow, was living proof.The woman was a total bitch, and Riley already could tell that Anya thought she was the queen bee of the club.

With legs that went on for days and lips that looked like they hadn’t moved naturally in years, Anya had greeted Riley with a once-over that felt more like a threat assessment than a welcome.

Riley hadn’t expected the red carpet treatment, but Anya’s cold attitude and actions toward her were something else entirely.

However, Riley took it all in stride and just smiled, while silently saying,“Jealousy looks good on no one, sweetheart.”

Riley discovered that Anya was also one of the girls Adam mentioned yesterday, who provided extra services to clients in the VIP private rooms.

In the two hours Riley was supposed to be shadowing her, Anya had taken two trips to the private rooms.Two!

“Hey, new girl!”Anya shouted at her.

Riley rolled her eyes.All night, that was what Anya had been calling her.

“Yes?”she answered, with a fake smile.

“I’m stepping out for a bit.Go wait at the bar until I get back.”

Stepping out?Riley thought.That woman wasn’t fooling anybody.Riley knew Anya was heading back to what seemed to be her natural habitat—the private rooms.

Riley snorted a laugh.If there were an Olympic event for the most paying private lap dances in a night, that woman would have the gold and a sponsorship deal.

Riley sighed as she headed to the bar.She had only taken a few steps when she spotted a man at one of the tables that Anya had been assigned to.He had his arm in the air, waving at her.She noticed five other men were sitting with him.

At first, she hesitated because Anya had warned her not to approach any tables unless she was there.But knowing that Anya was currently tied up, Riley wasn’t going to make those men wait.They had been ordering all night and had racked up a hefty tab.If Anya got pissed, so be it.

Riley walked over and smiled.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” she said warmly but loud enough to be heard over the music.“Is there something I can help you with?”

The man sitting in the middle, who had flagged her down, looked up.“Yeah.We need another round, but it seems our hostess disappeared again.”

Riley could sense that the guy was annoyed, and rightfully so.They are paying thousands of dollars, so they should be getting exceptional service.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Riley said sincerely.“If you could tell me what you are all drinking, I’ll personally make sure you gentlemen are taken care of.”

She could see the men visibly relax.One even smiled at her.“Now that’s service,” he told her, and Riley grinned.

After Riley jotted down their order, she moved swiftly to the bar, where Audrey was lining up tequila shots for another hostess.

“Hey!”Audrey said with a grin.“How’s the shift going?”

Riley exhaled.“Well, I haven’t done too much so far.”

Audrey gave her a strange look.“Why not?Where’s Anya?”

“Private rooms again.I’m pretty sure she’s applied for permanent residency back there.”

Audrey burst out laughing.“Oh damn!That was a good one.”

Riley grinned.Yeah, it was pretty good, if she said so herself.“Anyway, even though Anya warned me not to go near any ofhertables, there is one table that has racked up a huge tab, and they are getting annoyed because she isn’t around to wait on them.”