Page 7 of Bombshell (Whiskey Dolls 1)

The Whiskey Dolls put on a hell of a show night after night, keeping the patrons in their seats until our security team had to start ushering everyone out at closing time.

Ilovedmy job, and normally I loved the girls I worked with. But lately they’d been getting on my damn nerves.

They’d all been in support of me tossing Frank to the curb, the majority of them turning slightly murderous when they’d found out what an abusive prick he actually was, but now that months had passed, they were all way too eager to see me get back on the horse—so to speak. They wouldn’t let up on how I needed to put myself back out there, find aniceguy, or—in my friend Alma’s opinion—have lots andlotsor torrid, gymnastics-style sex with whatever guy floated my boat.

Cutting my eyes to Sloane, I gave her the fiercest scowl I could summon up. “No dating apps.”

“Oh come on!” she argued. “I’ll even set your profile up for you. You won’t have to do anything but go on the dates.”

Dropping the washcloth, I spun around on my cushy little velvet stool. “You aren’t making the case you think you are, babe. Knowing you, the headline above my profile pic would be ‘DTF’ or ‘Up for Anything’.”

“Nothing wrong with either of those statements,” Alma said from her makeup station a few chairs down from mine, shooting me a wink as she touched up her glossy red lips. “At least then you could clean the cobwebs out of your...” She circled her finger in the general direction of my crotch and gave a little whistle.

“I don’t have cobwebs, you asshole!” I decreed on a laugh, throwing my damp cloth at her head while the rest of the girls in the backstage dressing room joined in on the teasing. “I’ve barely had a chance to be single after a three-year relationship from hell. There’s nothing wrong with taking a little break from men for the time being.”

I looked to my friend Charlotte, hoping she’d agree with me, especially considering she was the one who’d taught Frank the majority of his lesson and graced him with a permanent limp. “Tell them, would you? There’s nothing wrong with staying single for a while.”

She pulled her lips into a wince, hesitating for several seconds before answering.“Well...”

“Oh come on!” I smacked my hand on the table, making the mirror and all my cosmetics rattle around. “Not you too.”

“It’s all that domestic bliss,” Sloane said with a giggle.

“And all that D she’s getting from that fine-as-hell man of hers,” Alma added, making everyone burst into laughter again, me included.

“I’ve officially turned into one of those women I never thought I’d be,” Charlotte lamented. “I’m so stupidly happy that I want all my friends to be as well. But if you aren’t ready to put yourself out there just yet, there’s nothing wrong with waiting.” She reached over to place her hand on top of mine, giving it a comforting squeeze. “What you went through would make any woman hesitate.”

“It’s not that,” I admitted. “I’m not holding on to any trauma. At least I don’t think I am.”

“Then what’s the hold up?” Sloane asked.

I gave her question a bit of thought before answering. “I’m just not in the mood to suffer through a string of bad dates in an effort to find that one good one.”

“Hate to break it to you, babe, but there isn’t a crystal ball that’ll tell you which dates will be bad and which ones will be good,” Alma insisted. “It’s the not knowing, the anticipation, that makes it fun. When’s the last time you went out on a real date?”

“A long time,” I answered flatly. I’d been with Frank for three years, and even before we got serious, he hadn’t been the type of man to wine and dine. I hadn’t really thought anything of it back then. Sure, I sometimes wished he’d make more of an effort, but I’d loved him—or at least that was what I’d convinced myself of. Hindsight really was a bitch. Looking back on that relationship now, I cringed at all the stupid choices I’d made, all the red flags I’d ignored and bad behavior I’d let slide or made excuses for.

Never again.

“Then you don’t really know what you’re missing out on.” Sloane chided. “And you won’t know until you try.”

“I’ve never been a fan of meeting up with a total stranger,” I continued to argue, even though I could feel myself losing.

My other friend, Layla, jumped in just then. “All right, then no dating app. But what if we set you up with someone? At least that way we can vouch for the guy beforehand.”

My top lip curled up, my face pinching like I’d just smelled something funky. “You mean like a blind date?”

“It’s better than some dude none of us have met, right?” Charlotte pointed out.

I let out a defeated sigh and dropped my head back. “You guys aren’t going to let this go until I agree, are you?”

The room filled with resounding noes from all directions.

I spun around in my chair to face my so-called friends. “Fine,” I relented, rather gracelessly. “I’ll go ononeblind date. That’s it. But if it turns out awful, I’m blaming all of you, and you have to promise to let it go. Deal?”

“Works for me,” Layla said cheerfully. “And I have just the guy. You’re gonna love him!”

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