Page 121 of Daddy Sees Snakes

My stomach churns, a relentless wave of nausea that's been plaguing me all day.

The music coming over the speakers feels like it's piercing through my skull, intensifying the throbbing in my head.

I lean against the bar, hoping the cool surface will offer some relief, but it doesn’t.

Rosa's voice cuts through the haze. "Iris?"

I turn to see her approaching, iPad in hand and concern etched on her face. "You okay, chica?"

I force a smile, straightening up despite the protest from my queasy stomach. "Yeah, I'm good. What's up?"

Rosa's eyes narrow, clearly not buying my act. "Destiny called out sick. We’ve got three bookings tonight that need to be sorted out now."

The news hits me like a sucker punch.

Three clients.

"Shit," I mutter, my hand instinctively moving to my stomach. "That's... that's great."

Rosa steps closer, her perfume–a mix of jasmine and vanilla–momentarily overpowering me. "Iris, seriously, are you feeling all right? You look pale."

I want to tell her the truth.

That I've been feeling like death warmed over since I woke up this morning.

That the thought of walking, let alone breathing too hard, makes me want to hurl.

But I can't.

This job is everything to me right now.

It’s the only constant thing I can count on in my life.

"I'm fine," I insist, plastering on my best 'I've got this' smile. "Just a little tired. Nothing a Red Bull can't fix."

Rosa's eyebrows furrow, her brown eyes searching my face.

I can see she doesn't believe me, but she doesn't push it.

That's what I love about Rosa–she knows when to back off.

"Okay, if you say so," she concedes. "The first booking is in an hour. Client requested a schoolgirl outfit."

I nod. "Got it. Thanks, Rosa. Let’s see if Candy can take him, and we can figure out two more girls to take the other two clients."

Rosa nods, already scrolling through the screen. “Jasmine doesn't have anything booked until midnight. She could probably make the last two bookings work."

Relief washes over me. "That would be perfect. Could you ask them for me?"

"Of course," Rosa says, but her eyes narrow as she looks at me more closely. "I can do that, but... are you really okay, Iris? And don't you lie to me, I can see something's wrong."

I open my mouth to protest, to tell her I'm fine, but the words die on my lips.

Rosa's always been able to see right through my bullshit.

It's one of the things I love about her, even if it's inconvenient right now.

"I..." I start, but I'm not sure how to finish.

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