Arthur looks over with relief as I stride into the VIP room. “I thought you were abandoning me.”
“And miss these tips? Wild horses and all that.”
Arthur snorts as I duck into the dressing room, stashing my things in Fiona’s locker. Arthur is out the door when I get back to the bar.
“You’ve got it handled in here, right? I need to check on the main bar.”
“I’ve got it.”
Completing my setup of the bar, I start serving immediately as the room fills up. It’s busier than usual, so I’m run off my feet. I grin when I catch sight of Tiggy, who waggles her eyebrows at me.
She looks strangely out of place in her classy party dress while strippers strut around in lacy teddies and less. Of course, she still manages to outshine every other woman here. Seamus Fitzpatrick’s eyes and hands never leave her body. And the silly woman thinks that he doesn’t have feelings for her. Blind idiot.
“Can you get someone to fetch me another case of whiskey?” I ask her when she walks up to the bar. “I think Arthur moved them all to the main bar.”
“Oh, I’ll get it.”
My eyes drop to her still-broken fingers. Tiggy catches my look and grimaces.
“Ugh. I forget that it’s there sometimes. I’ll go through and organize for someone to bring it back.”
“Thanks!”
She disappears, and I get back to serving. After a while, when no Tiggy or whiskey has reappeared, I motion to Liam, the young guy in Seamus’s crew.
“What’s up, Mellie?”
“Tiggy went to fetch me a box of whiskey from the main bar, but she’s disappeared. Can you do it?”
Liam frowns at me, raising his right hand and wiggling his ring and little fingers. I roll my eyes back at him.
“She was going to ask someone to bring it back.”
“I’ll get it for you.”
Liam grins, disappearing out to the main bar. I hope Tiggy’s all right. A glance around the room tells me Seamus Fitzpatrick has also disappeared. Huh, maybe there’s a simple explanation for Tiggy’s absence after all. You go, girl.
Sure enough, Tiggy reappears, her hair slightly messier than before but still respectable. Yeah, Seamus just screwed her in his office.
Tiggy follows two strippers out, ignoring Seamus where he’s waiting for her to join him while talking to some associates – definitely more mobsters –and beelines for the bar. I take one look at her face and replace the bottle of red wine I had fetched for her, grabbing whiskey instead.
I smirk as she pounds it straight back in one swallow, quickly pouring her a second.
“Which stripper?”
I’m wicked sure I was wearing the same face when Sally-Ann started dancing on Niall at Seamus’s stag night.
“Tahlie,” Tiggy spits out, looking like she wants to cry and vomit simultaneously.
It sucks, but I go for cheerful. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Why would he want mincemeat when he has prime rib?”
It’s a silly, meaningless platitude, and Tiggy knows it. She nods, still looking miserable. Paddy appears, snatching the whiskey off her and handing her the glass of red wine I pour. He steers her back to Seamus.
It only gets busier, and I’m run off my feet. My hand is starting to ache. I think I might need more painkillers. I stop to flex it, freezing at the gravelly voice in my ear.
“If ye were at homerelaxing, it wouldn’t pain ye so much,amhuirnín.” Niall’s lips brush the outer shell of my ear. Shit. I’m in trouble. I don’t think I have ever heard him sound sodangerous.
“Are you using your Reaper voice with me right now?” I ask breathily, turned on by that smooth timbre for the second time today. Christ, I’m such a freak.