Page 68 of Nails
She smiled back and winked before spinning back toward the table like nothing had happened.
But something was happening.He was in deep, and there was no turning back.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Riley slipped into her zip-up hoodie and sighed in relief as the soft cotton settled over her skin.After hours in four-inch heels and her barely there uniform, her comfy lounge pants, tank top, and flip flops felt like heaven.
She pulled her hair up into a messy bun, then reached for a makeup remover wipe from her bag to wipe off the eyeliner and mascara from her eyes.
The rest of her night after the blow-up with Anya had been blissfully drama-free.Elias and his friends had kept her busy, but they had slipped her another five hundred dollars in tip before leaving, which still blew her mind.She had also helped two of the other girls who had to pick up a few of Anya’s abandoned tables.They were polite, hardworking, and about as chatty as a pile of bricks.Riley didn’t take it personally.Some people survived this place by keeping their heads down.At least she was learning who in the club liked to talk and who didn’t.
But as the night had worn on, she sensed eyes on her.And it wasn’t Nails.She hadn’t seen him since she caught him watching her earlier from the bar.This was different.The way her skin would prickle, and the hairs would stand up on the back of her neck, felt like her body was secretly warning her that danger was nearby.And it stayed with her right up until her shift had ended.She had tried to pinpoint where it was coming from, but she couldn’t.It had definitely put her on guard and made her more aware of her surroundings.
She grabbed her bag and went to reach for her water bottle, but frowned when it wasn’t in her locker.She glanced around the room and then spotted it under the bench she had been sitting on.That was strange because she didn’t remember setting it there.But she had a lot on her mind when she arrived before her shift, so maybe she had put it there without thinking.She bent down and picked it up.It was still full, exactly how she’d left it.Weird, she thought, but shoved it to the back of her mind and pulled out her phone to text Nails that she was done and would meet him out front.
She was halfway down the hallway heading toward the main room when she heard someone call her name.
When she turned, she saw Adam stepping out of the secured door that led to the second floor.She hadn’t seen him since he had disappeared off the main floor with Anya earlier.Not that she minded either.
She pasted on another smile.Her cheeks were actually sore from all the damn smiling she had done all night.
“Hey, sorry I didn’t check back in with you,” he said, stepping closer.“I had something come up that took longer than I thought it would.”
She already had several scenarios racing through her mind of what he could have been dealing with for the last few hours.And none of them were good things.But she kept her smile in place and joked with him.
“Well, I can’t hog all your attention.”
His answering smile reached into his eyes, and he threw that arrogant smirk at her again.“Careful, or I might take that as a challenge.”
She didn’t have a comeback for that.And he apparently knew he had stumped her, because the bastard’s eyes were gleaming.Thankfully, he didn’t press the issue and moved on.
“I actually wanted to see how the rest of your shift went,” he asked.
“Drama-free,” she said, which earned a quiet laugh from him.“No, it went well.Elias and his group were great.And I got to meet a few of the other girls.”She then followed that up with an apology.“I’m sorry again about what happened with Anya.I didn’t mean to cause—”
Adam stopped her mid-sentence with a wave of his hand.“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” he told her.“What happened was all on her.You handled the situation perfectly.And I doubt you’ll have any more trouble from her.”
Something about the way he said it made her think he meant it.However, Anya didn’t seem like the type of woman who backed down easily.For now, she would take Adam’s word for it, but she would still keep her guard up.
“Even though I wasn’t around, I did receive many compliments about the new girl.Those even came from a few employees when they saw you stepping in to help the others when they were overwhelmed.”
She played her part, smiling.“I appreciate that.And again, I was doing what I felt was right.”
He looked at her for a moment, as if he was thinking about something.
“If you’re okay with it, I’d like to give you a few more tables next shift.”
“That would be great.Thank you.”
“No thanks needed.You earned it.”He then glanced around.“Are you leaving alone?”he asked her.
Before she could answer, the door to the main room swung open and Nails walked through.The moment he saw her with Adam, she could tell he wasn’t happy.
“There you are,” Nails said, walking toward them.“I was starting to think that you got lost.”
Riley smiled up at him.“Nope.Adam just caught me as I was leaving.”
She then looked at Adam and motioned toward Nails.“Carson offered to walk me home,” she said, answering Adam’s question.
