Page 4 of Mountain Daddy

He says, low and lethal, “Sounds like it’s yours.”

I bite my lower lip. The sound of Trish’s harsh laughter somewhere behind me jolts me out of my trance.

And just like that, I remember where I am. I take a step back. “If you don’t want that drink. I should… uh… go.”

But before I can bolt, he slides something across the table.

A folded napkin.

I hesitate. Then pick it up and unfold it.

Floor 25. One drink. Just us.

Us?Who’s us?I want to ask. I don’t even know his name. I look up but he’s looking in the opposite direction. Like I no longer exist.

He’s played his move. Now, the ball is in my court. I get to choose.

I wiggle my skirt down and walk away without another word.

Back in the break room, I lean against the wall with trembling hands.

What the hell was that? I’m still clutching at the note. Reading it over and over again like it’s Latin.

Someone pulls the note out of my hand. I look up and freak the hell out.

Trish. She’s reading it and she doesn’t look happy. Shit. I know the policy. No fraternizing with the customers.

“I know the rules,” I whisper. “I’m not going.”

“Who gave this to you?”

“Table Nine,” I tell her. There is only one man there tonight.

Her face transforms. She lets out a low whistle. “Damn. He doesn’t make requests.”

There’s something in the way she says it that fills me with pride. I’m his first…request?

“You’ve seen him before?” I ask.

“Oh yeah. That’s Nikolai Vetrov. Bratva royalty. Comes through once every few weeks, never speaks unless he has to. Doesn’t smile. Doesn’t flirt. Doesn’t ask twice.”

That name hits like ice water down my spine. I’ve heard it in whispers around here before.

“I’m not going,” I repeat, though the words are a lie. I’m curious to know know more. To know him. To knowwhy.

Trish says nothing. Hands the napkin back. I stare at it like it might bite.

“You can take the rest of the night off, Lilly,” she tells me. “Table 9 paid his bill already.”

My eyebrows lift. “Seriously?”

She shrugs. “What I don’t see can’t get you fired.”

With a knowing smirk, she turns and walks away.

No lecture. No warning. Just a manager who’s seen everything—and knows exactly when to look the other way.

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