Page 42 of Indigo Sky

I stared at the money, doing the math in my head and adding it to the one fifty I was already making tonight. Almost two hundred dollars, just for standing at a door in a suit.

As a stupid grin spread across my face, the door opened behind me, and Saul reappeared.

"What's the policy on tips?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at him.

"Put ‘em in your pocket and say thank you," he replied, brushing his shoulder against mine as he took his position. "You hungry?"

I tucked the bills into my breast pocket. "I could eat."

"Most nights, you won't get much of a break, other than to take a piss if you can't hold it. But as long as we're sharing the shift, take thirty. Scott'll serve you at the bar."

"Awesome. Thanks, Saul."

He responded with a curt nod, staring ahead with a stony glare pinned on the sidewalk. The man took his job seriously. Judging from the lack of activity on the street tonight, I'd say maybe eventooseriously. But I could imagine that some nights, especially on the weekend, the place probably got crazy and crowded. He was likely on high alert, and I filed that away for future nights on the job.

Then, I entered Midnight Lotus and was cloaked instantly in darkness, reminding me all at once of that night years ago, when a dancer named Indigo Sky had bumped into me.

I headed carefully toward the bar, keeping my eye down, as I wondered if she still worked here. I doubted it. It had been so long ago, and we'd both been so young. She had probably moved on, found a better-paying job. One where she didn't have to take her clothes off for money. Maybe she was happily married with a couple of kids. I hoped so. I hoped she had all the good things anybody deserved. Why I was thinking about her so much, I had no idea.

God, she hadn't meant anything to me, other than making me come in my pants and later giving me my first kiss. It was a nice memory. She had been nice, but the night was so insignificant when held against the rest of my life. So fucking trivial in comparison to months-long relationships I'd had with other women, and yet I was thinking aboutherand not the women I had slept with. Over the years, I had thought about her so much more than any of them.

Not that there had been a lot. The number of relationships I'd been in could be counted on one hand. But still, that's not my point. My point is, I could barely remember the way any of my girlfriends had sounded in the throes of sex, could barely remember what they looked like, but I could still hear the way Indigo Sky had whispered my name.

"Hey, Rev!" Scott—Joe's friend who had mentioned the position to me—called from behind the bar. "Nice to see you, dude. I take it, you got the job?"

"I did. Thanks again, by the way." I slid onto the barstool and folded my arms against the gleaming bartop. "What's good here?"

"Marco, the cook, makes some killer wings, if you don't mind getting messy." Scott placed a few napkins and a coaster in front of me. "Otherwise, the burgers are pretty good too."

"Let's go with a burger," I said, laying a hand against my jacket. "The suit's a rental."

Scott laughed. "How would you like that cooked?"

I gave him my order, and he disappeared through a door at the end of the bar.

The thump of loud music surrounded me. The whoops and whistles from the audience were drowned out by the announcer coming through the speakers. I paid no attention to any of it. I wasn't here to be entertained, and I wasn't here to get off. I had thirty minutes to shove some food down my throat and get back outside to finish the job I'd come to do.

"Oh God, my feet are killing me," a voice from beside me said, and I turned to face a blonde woman in a corset.

I offered a sympathetic smile. "Sorry."

"Not your fault," she said, leaning against the bar. "I'm too old to be wearing these freakin' shoes though—that's for damn sure. But you know … kids to feed and all that."

Scott walked through the door and gave the woman an affectionate smile. "Wendy, I see you've already met Rev."

"Rev?" She turned to face me, leaning her elbow against the bar top to keep the pressure off her feet. "I heard we were getting a new guy at the door. Nice to meet you, sweetie."

She regarded me with a warm, matronly smile, the corners of her eyes wrinkling. She didn't look all that much older than me, but the lines on her face wore more experience than I'd ever seen. But, man, she was beautiful. Anyone could've seen that.

"You too," I said, holding my hand out to shake hers.

"And he's got manners! I knew Saul had good taste." She winked as her hands covered mine. "Your name's Rev?"

"Revan," I corrected. "But, yeah, everyone calls me Rev."

She nodded, a gentle fondness in her eyes. The lights from the stage behind us made them sparkle. "Well, welcome to Midnight Lotus, sweetie. You're safe around me, but I can't promise the younger girls won't wanna get their hands on you."

A surprised chuckle rumbled from my chest, and I knew damn well my face was red with embarrassment.

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