“Oh, honey, most worthwhile things in life are. Does it pay well? Better than bartending?”
I eyed my wine glass. “Better than law. I can make twenty grand a job.”
She whistled. “Hell’s bells. That kind of paycheckandyou get a hunk like Rafe escorting you everywhere you go? Why on earth would you doubt a decision like that? Here I am doing ultrasounds and bringing home a lousy few grand a month, when I could be slinking around busting up affairs making three times that.”
She brushed cookie crumbs from the lap of her scrubs. “Maybe you’ll become the best mistress eraser the world has ever seen, and you’ll be a millionaire before you’re thirty.”
I doubted that, seeing as I hadn’t made much progress on my first assignment, but at least I didn’t feel so down in the dumps. “Thanks,” I said, and leaned over to give her a big hug. “And I kind of like the term ‘mistress eraser.’” It was better than destroyer or eradicator. Less violent. “You always make everything better.”
She pushed me away with a laugh. “So dramatic, my niece. Now let me get some sleep. I’m overdue for some shut-eye.”
Sleep sounded like a good idea after splitting a bottle of wine, so I drew the curtains at my place and crawled into bed. Bruno hopped up beside me and settled in for a snooze, snoring loudly. My thoughts bounced around, moving from Angela to Rafe to Grace to Charlie and back again, until finally I slipped into sleep. For once I didn’t dream. I didn’t even move. I just slept like a rock for almost three hours, and when I woke my arm was stuck under Bruno’s big ass.
“Hey.”
He gave me a reproachful look.
“Get up, you.”
He yawned and rolled over, giving me a mouthful of fluffy tail in the process.
“Fine.” I wiggled my arm until finally he hopped off the bed. Pins and needles ricocheted from my fingers to my shoulder. My mouth was dry, my eyes stuck together, and I needed a shower in the worst way. But my mood felt lighter. Penny was right. I wasn’t a failure. I was just taking life in a new direction. And that direction, I decided, would start with a night out with Remy.
U around?I texted her after I’d showered and eaten half a bag of potato chips.
It took her a few minutes to respond.Working from home but yeah.
Wanna go out later?
Okay. I should be done in a couple hours. The Haunt?
I sent back a smiley face and thumbs-up. The newest bar in town was one of our favorites. Strong drinks, good-looking bartenders, a mellow vibe, and still under the radar, The Haunt never got too crowded during the week.
How’s 8:00?she added.I’ll meet u there.
Perfect.I unwound the towel from my wet head and looked through my closet. For a second I thought about texting Rafe to tell him my plans, but The Haunt was just four blocks away. I’d ride my Vespa instead of walk. Bouncers manned the door there, well over six feet tall and solid as a rock. I’d probably be safer at the club than inside my own house, with only a three-legged cat and a joint-smoking aunt for protection.
I put my phone away, plugged in my curling iron and looked through my makeup bag. I wasn’t much of a girly-girl, but tonight I wanted to be different. I wanted to cast off the law school dropout and embrace the new me, mistress dispeller Victoria Dare who was about to take D.C. by storm.
First I dug through my closet until I put my hands on a leather skirt I hadn’t worn in ages.Hello, sexy.A sleek gold top with a built-in bra came next. I shoved in an additional padded cup on each side and checked the mirror. Too much? Maybe for tending bar at Tunes & ‘Tudes, but tonight I’d be a single gal on the town, not a sweaty girl working for tips.
Next I blew dry my hair and curled it, and even though it took me almost a half-hour, when I finished I looked like someone else, not plain Vic but mysterious, confident Tori. Then I spent another twenty minutes applying foundation, blush, lots of smoky eye shadow and false lashes. My eyelids felt a couple pounds heavier than when I’d started, but the effect was kick-ass. Grace’s stylist would be proud.
I zipped on a pair of black high-heeled boots I never wore, put my wallet, phone, and lipstick into a cute black backpack, and I was ready. I gave Bruno some extra treats to make up for deserting him and then headed out into the foyer.
“Vic? What the fuck is that? Where did those boobs come from? And those boots? I don’t even know where to look first.”
Penny’s door was wide open, and she stood in the middle of her living room with a watering can in one hand. She wore red bedazzled sandals and a mini dress with a fringed hem. No bra. And she thoughtIlooked out of character? I didn’t dare ask what her nighttime plans involved.
“I’m going for dramatic tonight.”
She gave me a long look. “No kidding. Where are you going?”
“Meeting Remy at The Haunt. I need to blow off steam.”
“Does your bodyguard know?”
I couldn’t look her in the eye. “Of course. He’s meeting me outside.”
