Wyatt’s grin rivaled that of a child walking through the gates of Disneyland.
“I feel way overdressed.” He stripped off his T-shirt and tossed it in a heap on the bar. “Ah. That’s better. I’ll have a draft.”
After filling his mug, I set it on a napkin in front of him.
“Good head.” He sipped his drink slowly, which gave me time to serve a few customers who were impatiently waiting. One man in a tuxedo opened a tab, so I ran his info through the computer.
“How much do you make a night?” Wyatt asked.
“Not enough to pay for your overpriced donuts,” I muttered.
He rapped his knuckles against the bar. “Do you believe in open relationships?”
“What kind of question is that?”
He leaned in and lowered his voice. “A Vampire friend of mine is in a relationship. Ithoughtit was exclusive, but I saw something earlier that has me second-guessing.”
I polished a glass, my eyes downcast. “Explain?”
“Let’s just say that I saw him getting real chummy with another woman. Maybe I got the wrong idea, but then he asked me not to tell his significant other. He made me promise, but I had my fingers crossed. See, here’s the deal. I don’t follow the guy code, whatever the hell that is. If you’re gonna do something behind someone’s back, better not do it in front of me. I don’t like to see people get screwed over.”
I set down the glass. “Who was the other woman?”
“Some hoity-toity rep.”
I gritted my teeth and set down the glass. “You mean he was messing around with a higher authority member?”
“They weren’t in bed or anything, but they were standing awfullyclose,” he said, making air quotes with his fingers.
Lenore would have it no other way. She must have known that I wasn’t around and seized the opportunity. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the power to keep a woman of her standing away. She and Viktor were now acquaintances, and as much as it peeved me to imagine her slinking around the mansion in my absence and stalking Christian, I trusted him. Not to the point of foolishness, but he’d proven his loyalty to me. I didn’t like surprises, and I’d made it clear that if he had an inclination to cheat on me, I’d rather him tell me ahead of time than find out later.
His odds of survival would be greater.
“So… what should I do about my friend?” he prodded, a genuine look of concern on his face. Wyatt wasn’t trying to start a war; I could see he had my best interest in mind. “Maybe he needs a pet dog to keep him occupied.”
“I think you should let them work it out,” I suggested. “Sometimes things aren’t always what they seem. You’re in a club where they do some seriously kinky stuff, especially upstairs. People might look at you sitting here and draw conclusions.” I leaned in close. “If only they knew that your version of Friday-night fun is doing mushrooms while playingSuper Mario.”
He lifted his mug to his lips. “Touché.”
A woman sat next to Wyatt, and her leather top covered every inch of her torso except for her breasts. Wyatt almost spit out his beer when he noticed her.
“Are you Mistress White? Someone told me this is where the naughty girls order their drinks.”
Wyatt’s grin widened, and his olive-green eyes sparkled when he looked up at me. “What about naughty boys?”
Ignoring him, I crooked my finger and leaned toward the woman. “Go see Simone and ask for the special. Come see me later.”
She placed a twenty on the bar and fanned her long lashes. “Will do.”
A blush covered Wyatt’s neck and upper torso as she walked away. “I’ve been going to the wrong places all these years for a drink.”
I wiped down the bar with a clean rag. “Does that mean you’ll be staying for another beer?”
“Afraid not, buttercup. I’m here for another reason. My partner is busy doing the rounds but wanted me to relay a message.”
He meant Shepherd, and I glanced over at Simone to make sure she wasn’t within earshot. It wasn’t uncommon to strike up a conversation with customers, but I didn’t want to appear overly engaged.
Wyatt guzzled his drink, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down with each gulp. When he finished, he set the empty mug on the wood top instead of the napkin. Annoyed, I put his dirty glass in the sink and wiped down the bar with his T-shirt before tossing it onto his lap.
