“Don’t worry about him. He leaves every morning at ten, and doesn’t come back until after three a.m. You won’t even see him.”
“Uh, great,” said Jack. “What about his, uh, associates?”
She winked. “The associates leave when I tell them to. Besides, I’ll just tell them you’re here to the check the wiring or something. Trust me, no one cares.” She flipped her hair behind her shoulders and grinned.
Like the rest of her, Claudia’s teeth were perfect.
“That, um, sounds good,” said Jack. “I hope you’re right.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you,” said Claudia. Her fingers tightened on the glass as her lips thinned into a line of disapproval.
“Yeah, no, I… I’m a little out of my depth here,” said Jack hurriedly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. Hey, what is it you do around here? Are you just a guest, or what?”
Claudia rolled her eyes. “I’m the owner’s girlfriend. I come here to relax and cook fucking eggs and do whatever else my boyfriend asks me to.” The space between her eyebrows wrinkled.
“I get the feeling that isn’t exactly relaxing.”
Claudia snorted. “Nothing is relaxing. Ever. Everything is business.” She shrugged, resigned. “That’s the life.”
“So, do you have a job or anything? Where do you live?”
“About twenty miles from here, in the city. And no, I don’t. I get a generous little stipend, and I hang on my boyfriend’s arm. Pays better than anything else I’ve tried.”
With a shrug, Jack said, “I’m not judging. I barely make ends meet.”
“I could hook you up,” said Claudia, a little too earnestly. “If you want a similar gig. I don’t exactly recommend it, but I’ve been there. I won’t judge.”
“Maybe if we ever get out of here,” said Jack lightly. Even if he’d never accept such a role, he could see the appeal of it. Must be nice to have someone to take care of you in exchange for just showing up and looking pretty.
And he was pretty, for a guy. Sure, he was a bit of a beanpole, but his face made up for it. Full mouth, long lashes, nice features. But he was also nervous and had a habit of slipping into dark spirals where every single decision must be analyzed, weighed, judged, excused or condemned. There was a strong chance that he’d have a mental breakdown after the first week.
Not exactly sexy.
“On that note…” Claudia forced the cork into the decanter and shoved it back into the drawer. “I need to ask you something. I want out of this mess. I’m guessing you do, too. So, I think we should work together.”
“Yeah,” said Jack, heart sailing. “Yeah, that would be great.”
Finally, someone else in the same situation. Someone who understood. Someone to bounce ideas off of, and more importantly, who would remember them the next day.
“Good,” said Claudia. Relief fell across her face like a shadow. She leaned back in the chair and said, “So what about tomorrow? Can you come over? Maybe around lunch?”
“Um, sure,” said Jack, downing the rest of his bourbon. “I could do that.”
“Great,” she said, beaming. For the first time, he realized how young she was. Probably no older than himself. “I’ll see you then.”
“One more thing,” interjected Jack. “What’s the best way to get out of here?”
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
“You survived the mafia house,”said Boris as soon as he stepped into the lobby. He appraised Jack with an enquiring eye, scanning him up and down. “Unscathed,” he added, sounding impressed.
“Yeah,” said Jack, nodding. “I guess so.”
“What was it like? Was it crazy fancy?”
“Uh, yeah,” said Jack, remembering suddenly how small and out of place he’d felt. “It looked like something out of a movie.”
