Page 127 of Lovely Venom

Back in the dressing room, I shower and change, taking my time to avoid the other dancers. But when I return to my vanity, I find Kenzie waiting for me.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asks.

“Of course.” I shrug. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

A beat of silence stretches between us before she sighs. “You might be able to fool everyone else with that act, but you can’t fool me. I was the queen of dissociation when we met. Remember?”

I nod, but when I try to respond, emotion clogs my throat. Kenzie notices, and like a good friend, she doesn’t push.

“Hey, I have an idea,” she says. “We haven’t done this in a while.”

I arch a brow at her, and she smiles.

“Top five craziest things that happened this month.”

A soft laugh escapes me, because as usual, there’s never a shortage of crazy events around here.

“The lipstick thief.” She holds up one finger. “I’d like to know who’s hoarding twenty used tubes of the stuff.”

“When Kelly thought that customer was actually Tom Hardy,” I supply.

Kenzie chokes on her laughter. “You gotta give that guy mad props, though. He committed to the bit all the way to the end. She was hella mad when she realized she slept with a poker player from Tacoma.”

“There was also the week of the possessed mannequin,” I add.

“I still have no idea who kept moving it around like that. But the terror on Jackson’s face every time he saw it was priceless.”

“That was almost as good as the headless Barbie,” I agree.

“No matter how many times he threw it away, it just kept coming back to haunt him.”

We both think of a few more incidents, and while it doesn’t fix anything, it helps me relax a little.

“Thank you,” I tell Kenzie as we walk out to the club together.

“You’ve been there for me,” she says. “It’s about time I had a chance to repay the favor.”

My relief is short-lived, because once we’re in the VIP area, my gaze collides with Cristian’s. And of course, Tiffany’s right beside him.

I look away, and Kenzie clocks it.

“Want to come say hi to Andreas?” she asks.

“Would love to.”

She leads me over to where the Greeks have gathered, and I say hello to Andreas and Elias. They both glance over my shoulder, confirming Cristian is watching the interaction.

“Are you trying to start a war, Chantel?” Ares joins our group.

“Are you?” I counter. “It seems like your main objective lately.”

“I’m not quite as bloodthirsty as your boyfriend over there,” he muses. “If looks could kill, my severed head would be flying out the door right about now.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I clip out.

“No?” Ares smirks. “You might want to tell him that. It looks like hurricane Vitale is about to make landfall.”

“You want me to handle him, boss?” Elias offers.