Page 27 of Devious Lies

“Something fun,” I reply, and he winks at me.

He’s cute and young, flashy with his brightly colored tank top and a backwards cap on his head.

A harmless flirt, really.

I don’t think about Randy after that, I just sway to the beat as I prep behind the bar. Fridays at the Vipers’ Den are always packed.

Good thing, too. I need the tips. I just sent Mami everything I had in the bank through Venmo, but I forgot my phone bill is coming up and I need cash for that, too.

Once I’m done slicing fresh citrus and filling up my condiment tray, I head to the bathroom.

“Yeah, Girl. Work it!” Randy says over his microphone, and I raise my hands to the roof and give a little shimmy.

I’m laughing as I head inside the ladies’ room to freshen up my makeup and straighten my outfit.

Tonight, I am wearing a tight red corset top with high-waisted, wide-legged black pants with slits down the sides. I love how they look when I walk.

I’m a big girl, but the corset cinches my waist. It highlights my cleavage, not my stomach. And the pants hide my thick thighs and plump ass.

Whenever I need money, this is the top I wear to tend bar.

I know. I know.

But it’s not a sex thing for me. I’m not trying to pick up men.

Truth is more women than men tip me extra when I’m wearing this.

It’s like some kind of sisterhood girl power rah-rah type thing. Like they want to cheer me on for not caring that society thinks I’m too fat for this outfit.

Fuck society.

I don’t have a problem with self-esteem. I mean, I know I’m pretty. But I am also real enough to know I’m overweight. What most of the world considers unattractive.

Whatever.

Of course, I have doubts and I can get self-conscious.

I’m human, after all.

So, what if I’m still a virgin at the ripe old age of twenty-seven?

And what if I can’t pull off a real sexy look because of my untouched state?

I mean, I’m pretty.

Cute, even.

I know I’m definitely not a vamp or sex kitten. Not like a lot of the women who frequent this place.

Hell, I’d probably fall on my face if I ever tried to really flirt with a man.

But the way I see it, there’s someone for everyone out there, right?

Maybe someday I will find my special someone.

Of course, that can only happen after I am off Matteo Sanchez’s watchlist.

I wish I could figure out what the hell Luc meant when he said I belong to him.

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