Page 11 of Dragon in Boots

Jac looked under the bar. Heebie was there, napping on her purse.Ha! He likes me better.She grinned victoriously.

Standing in his boots and black banana hammock, Dash slowly turned his gaze in her direction. Though she couldn’t be certain given all the lights, Jac could swear Dash’s eyes held a promise of retribution.

You don’t scare me,she mouthed at him.The cat is mine.

Dash snarled and disappeared backstage just in time to escape the mob.

A few minutes later, the theater began emptying out, and Jac began cleaning up. She was eager to get the hell out of here. Mostly to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere, but also because she had her animals waiting at home. There were meds to administer, and Wanda probably needed a changing.

“You stay right there, Heebie. I need to run downstairs and grab some cases of wine,” she said.

“Hey. Here’s your cut.” Mink appeared on the other side of the bar out of thin air.

“Jesus. How do you do that?” Jac pressed her hand to her chest.

Mink ignored her and produced another wad of cash. It had to be three times bigger than the cut from the first show.

“That’s a lot of money,” Jac said in amazement. It was the answer to her prayers.

“It includes your severance.”

Jac’s jaw dropped. “I’m being fired?”

“Don’t take it personally, sweetheart. You’re just not a fit.”

“For a strip club?” No, this had to be Dash’s doing. “It was him, wasn’t it? He said something to you.”

Mink shrugged. “Next time, don’t insult the star of the show.”

“He insulted me first.” He’d accused her of hurting the kitten. Okay, well, he hadn’t said it outright, but the meaning had been clear. “Mink, I need this job. Lives are depending on me.”

“Sorry, kid. Not much I can do.” Mink set the cash on the counter. “Oh, and another word of advice: never fuck with another man’s pussy.”

Jac arched a brow. That was a crude way of saying it. “His cat likes me because it feels safe. In fact, Heebie is coming home with me.”

Mink burst out laughing.

“What?”

She pointed a finger and made little circles in Jac’s face. “You think you can just waltz in here and steal a man’s—”

“Don’t you dare say pussy,” Jac interjected.

“Pussy,” Mink spat.

Jac shook her head. “Thecatissue is between Dash and me. Okay? But the job situation is not. He doesn’t own this place. Mrs. Peepers does. So if she wants me gone, then she needs to say it to my face.”After I have the chance to beg for my job.

Mink narrowed her dark eyes. “Are you challenging my authority?”

A twinge of fear climbed up Jac’s spine. It was like that time she thought Kip the tiger was completely out so she could change the bandage on his paw, only to realize she’d given him the improper tranq dose. He’d almost eaten her.

“Yes?” Jac said sheepishly, refusing to completely back down.

Mink stared coldly at first and then smiled with wide, crazy eyes. “I like it! You’re still fired, but come back tomorrow and grovel if you like. Maybe Dash will change his mind about letting you stay.”

Grovel to that stripper?Jac’s heart crumbled. She wasn’t sure she could suck up to that jerkwad. Everyone had a line, and hers was not standing her ground. It was a lesson she’d learned the hard way after being with Stanley, who’d constantly talked her into things when she knew they were bad ideas—quitting school to support him, taking over an animal sanctuary to make him look good in the community, and believing anything he’d ever said.

She was over all that now, and in many ways, she felt grateful. At least she hadn’t married the guy, and she did love her animals, but that didn’t mean she should go back to her old weak-spined ways.

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