Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I swallow as a rush of warmth flows to my cheeks.
“I like what I see, Ace.” Rose grins. “What’s your price?”
I lower my head, hoping that Rose gets the idea that I’m not interested.
“Five hundred?”
I shake my head.
“Six hundred?”
Again I turn him down.
“For fuck’s sake. A thousand?” He closes in on me and grabs my ass. “I could get a tight little callboy for half that. Why so shy, Ace?”
I rip myself out of his grip and look up at him, fire in my eyes. I’d like to kick this man’s ass for grabbing me like that.
Thankfully, Mr. Night cuts in between us. “The Ace is a new member, Mr. Rose. I think he would prefer to settle in for a few weeks before he starts taking…clients.”
Rose cocks his head. “I wasn’t aware of that policy.”
“You are surely aware, though, Mr. Rose, that any member of the waitstaff is allowed to refuse those kinds of services without any explanation required,” Mr. Night says. “That is the case with the Ace.”
Rose scowls. “Fine, then. But you’ll regret it. I didn’t want you anyway, you little slut.”
I clench my hands into fists, but Mr. Night takes me aside. “Eyes forward, Ace. I don’t know what you’re looking for, but tonight might be your only chance. I suggest you move on.”
He’s right. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and continue looking around. Since I’m in Clubs, I’ll look here. But again, nothing that could possibly be interpreted as a writing raven.
It must be right in front of my nose.
Rouge has left Hearts, so this is my chance to look around that area. Plus I’ll be able to listen to Bianca sing. Always a plus.
Tonight she’s singing a jazzy version of “Danny Boy.” A little on the nose for St. Patrick’s. She sounds fantastic, and her voice grows even warmer when she makes eye contact with me. She offers me a smile and then continues her line without missing a beat.
I look over at her band. Her drummer is still gone.
Shit.
I bet he’s locked away in that hotel somewhere, too.
Or worse…
Alissa and Maddox lucked out. They were left to starve. Some people, like that poor server girl, were beheaded and left dismembered in that nature preserve by the airport.
As much as I’d like to continue hanging in the Hearts section, I have a mission. And nothing here fits the description of that damned raven.
No luck in Diamonds either. I look over every card table, every roulette wheel, even the chips I find on the floor. Nothing.
Fuck.
I’ve looked everywhere.
Not exactly true. I haven’t looked at Rouge’s office. But I can’t get in there. And I’m sure Bianca already looked through her dressing room when she was here earlier picking up the branding irons. I can’t exactly go into either of those spaces without drawing attention to myself, anyway.
There’s the private area, but I can’t get there without a member on my arm.
I suppose I could go back to Rose…
But no. Fuck that.
I’ve been kissed by a man once. Ray Sinclair. For me, that’s enough for a fucking lifetime.
Where else could I check? That’s everywhere I currently have access to.
This and the bathrooms.
The bathrooms!
I didn’t get a good look at the ladies’ restroom when I came in. I can try the men’s first, obviously.
I go inside. Nothing as far as I can see. I look inside each of the two stalls, scan the doors to see if something was scratched into them. No ravens. No writing. A man at the urinals gives me a weird look as I pass him. I guess waitstaff don’t normally use the restrooms. Do they just fucking hold it the entire time?
Damn, OSHA would have a field day with this place.
Of course, Rouge would just get out of it like she always does.
I leave the men’s room. I can’t go into the women’s room without having someone check before me to make sure no one’s in there, though. Nothing would draw more attention to me than a female patron shrieking that one of the male waitstaff is peeping on her.
I look back over to the Hearts section. Bianca just finished up her set and is heading back to her dressing room.
I make sure Rouge isn’t looking and then discreetly slip in behind Bianca as the pink door closes behind her.
“Well, in our country,” said Alice, still panting a little, “you’d generally get to somewhere else—if you ran very fast for a long time, as we’ve been doing.”
“A slow sort of country!” said the Queen. “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
38
BIANCA
I feel so dirty.
I told myself when I came to New York that I wouldn’t let this city change me.