Page 23 of Such a Good Girl

The outfit West left for me in the dressing room made me wish I’d worn the scrappy contraption Violet had given me for the audition. I hadn’t worn that, either, just like I didn’t want to wear this one.

But West had given me the job, so I had no choice at this point. My first real shift at the Hush Hush Club started in ten minutes.

I pulled on the blood-red G-string leotard and looked around for the rest of the outfit, thinking it may have fallen behind the table or something. I was desperately hoping for a skirt or even a dress to put over it. Other than a pair of black suede stilettos that were somehow exactly my size, there was nothing else to cover my body with.

West’s note had left no mistaking it was for me.

Rosie, I can’t wait to see you strutting around the club in this. Have a great night!

I groaned as I put my street clothes in my locker and locked it up. My ass was completely exposed and the neckline plunged almost to my navel, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Obviously, that was the point.

West had made his intentions quite clear. And while I was completely shocked — and flattered — that he was coming on so strongly to me of all people, it did increase my suspicions about the man.

What was his angle?A famous movie star hitting on the new waitress? Why? When he could have anyone he wanted?Something didn’t add up.

An hour later, I was resisting the urge to knee an unruly customer in the groin. He had me pressed up against the wall, his meaty, sweaty hand resting on my hip as he leered at me, his whiskey breath making me gag.

“Come on, baby, I heard there’s a secret club upstairs,” he slurred. He was drunk. Very fucking drunk and I was going to have his ass kicked out — as soon as I could extricate myself from his grip. “Kinky shit going on up there, isn’t there?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, my leg twitching as I consciously put my foot firmly on the ground. My knee twitched of its own accord, aching to slam into his balls. When his hand crept up my side, towards my breast, I’d had enough.

I gripped his hand with a smile, slid my finger around his forefinger, braced his hand against my palm and bent it backwards. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. I bent it back further, driving him to his knees, and he yielded with an expression of complete shock.

“Okay, okay, damn,” he said, his glassy eyes tearing up. “Mercy!”

“It’s against club rules to touch the staff,” I reminded him. I released his finger and stepped around his kneeling body with my heart pounding, leaving him there to drown in a puddle of humiliation. Fuck guys like him. The entitlement was astounding but nothing new. Just like Hoskins.

Women dealt with this shit every fucking day and I had absolutely no patience for it.

After stepping over the prick, I turned and saw West leaning against the wall in the corner. Irritated that he’d not stepped in, I walked over to him.

“You didn’t seem to need any help,” he said as I approached, as if he’d read my thoughts. It was true, though.

“I didn’t,” I said, lifting my chin. I certainly didn’t need his fucking help, so what was I irritated about? I pushed it away, needing to focus. Now that I had this job, I needed to do my real job — solving these fucking murders.

“You look amazing,” he said, his voice a low growl that somehow hit right in my gut. “I knew you’d look great in that.”

“Do you always pick out the waitress’s outfits personally?”

“No,” he said, his gaze dark and intense. His eyes were ocean blue, sparkling with pure sex. “Only the ones I’m looking forward to watching all night.”

“I thought I already got the job?”

“You did,” he said, flashing me a smile. “And now I get to watch you every night.”

I swallowed hard, my stomach flipping. Every time I interacted with him, he flirted like crazy, and I had no idea how to take it. Obviously, he was only interested in fucking me, but his attention was definitely having an effect on me. I might be a hardened cop, but I was still a woman. And he was a fucking movie star.

The devastating grin he kept flashing at me told me exactly why millions of women lusted after him. Apparently, I was one of those women now, because he was hot as fuck.

But, lusting after him would not stop me from doing my job. I figured if I had any chance of discovering how the victims were connected to this club, I needed to start at the top. West, Theo, and Rian were at the top of the food chain and I was determined to get as close to them as I could.

If had to endure West’s flattering flirtation, then I’d consider that a job perk.

I’d been watching closely. Outside of the security guards and the owners, the rest of the staff were women. Research says that strangulation is usually done by male perpetrators, and done by someone close to the victim.

I was starting with the men.

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