ass and cheap perfume-familiar scents and so

fed linoleum as she strutted toward me,

" she asked, voice

, just met her gaze in the cr

d. Word is you've been hanging with high-profile people. Philips even recr

mid-brush. Then I faced her fully. "

owned it. "I'm just following in your very expens

comes from working with Philips. Most of his gigs end with you running half-naked through hotel

red. "That's dark. Y

I shrugged, unapologetic. "But do

even do with all that money? Sharon said you're investing. You

aying at my lips. "Let's just say I'm a greedy little thin

eed money too. So, I'm

You'll need every ounce of it to survive Philips. A

rrowed. "Yo

I said, tossing my

makeup kit. Silence thickened, broken only by

public pole. She's doing privat

. "How sho

ng. "That has nothing

face neu

nvince them I'm re

ed to give up your public slot. Afraid

... I'm not good at anything else.

u-learn something else. You c

h. "Not all of us have bra

st don't use them. Go get that aesth

re have one. They'

ey don't want

losed again. She deflate

. The rejection. The silence. The chaos beneath the surfa

door bu

ned s

owned the place, that sm

? Thought you were busy bre

ene chirped, ev

t his gaze zeroed in on me

ng wasn

s. "What's with

us," he said,

Felix thought something was good,

I asked, stepping a

leaning in. "Mark calle

. I grabbed my

Mark's strained voice broke through. "

t it." I hung up bef

I muttered, tur

p! I rushed

y you to

eup wasn't a disaster, thank G

me, but her voice

d my wat

as I being sum

ss it meant trouble-or a mess t

location share button. But..

o

l colder than the night

ortress of glass and secrets. The lobby lig

ed Mar

downs

he said. T

d pushed the door open for me

ned for me

ot even a g

felt heavy.

at my throat, but

ng for me in that b

t-I fo

old me... this was