other agent who worked with Christian at the strip club. You know, the dump you worked at before Maggieâs.â
Theyâd all agreed to keep Christianâs undercover assignment as a stripper to themselves, Maggie having warned them not to bring it up around her new husband. Rhonda had worked at the same club where Christian had been trying to shut down a human trafficking operation. The night of Rhondaâs attack, sheâd been excited to remember where sheâd recognized him. Wanting to rush off and tell Maggie had led to her careless disregard for her own safety.
âI donât recognize him.â Heâd be hard to forget. Had two agents been assigned to that case?
âHeâd have been undercover. Maybe he was in disguise?â Alice offered.
Wendy gave Aliceâs arm a not so friendly swat. âWhat kind of disguise can you wear while youâre taking your clothes off, dummy?â
Rhonda knew exactly how someone could disguise himself, or herself. Her father wouldnât have had the care heâd needed had Rhonda not learned to hide behind the hair and makeup.
Alice folded her arms, nodding in Rhondaâs direction.
Wendyâs eyes grew like saucers. âI am a dummy. You look so different.â
Rhonda offered her a smile and for the first time since this morning, she relaxed a little. The uncomfortable feeling of being on display eased. If Wendy had forgotten, maybe no one else would reconcile the lavender-toting bridesmaid with the woman famous for the Mistress of the Night act. Maybe for today she could just be Ronnie?
âOkay, back to the hotties,â Wendy said. âWhich one?â
Rhonda glanced back at Blake, honestly not remembering having seen him with Christian. âThat was years ago. Are you sure he had the same assignment? It would be hard to overlook a guy whoâs that perfect.â
âYes.â Alice nodded. âMaggie said it was their last gig together as feds. Maybe his hair color was different? I know your hair isnât that black.â
If Rhonda wore her true blond, she wouldnât recognize herself. She tried to get a better look at him but there were so many people, women, around the group of way-too-handsome groomsmen. âSorry, I just donât recall.â Had Blake been a stripper too? âAnd let me remind you, Christianâs act was G-string, no frontal. So if you want to know what he looks like nude, ask Maggie.â
âJeeze, like sheâd tell us,â Alice complained.
* * *
Like everything else planned for the day, dinner was perfect. Rhonda made enough money to splurge on meals like this, but eating alone never seemed appropriate for fine dining. Besides, she was a mac and cheese kind of girl. By the time she was seven sheâd learned to cook and could grill like nobodyâs business. But when her father would barely touch food, sheâd opted for simpler meals for easy clean-up, especially on the days when he was too drunk to make it to the bathroom.
The head table was long and, thankfully, Rhonda was at the far end. She even managed to maneuver one of the flower arrangements to hide behind. The first dance was a gift from Ryan Sheppard, who hadnât been able to attend but had flown in Ne-Yo to sing. After that, Rhonda managed to smile while gritting her teeth when she was forced to go on display again and dance with her groomsman, a behemoth of guy who would make any defensive lineman look tiny. On the plus side, while Dozier was exotically sexy and hot, his size made her look even smaller. People tended not to notice small.
Dozier didnât say much but appeared to be as uncomfortable as she. âI donât dance,â he whispered to her, obviously embarrassed.
âOh, sweetie, you make Dwayne Johnson look like yesterdayâs breakfast. Theyâre all looking at your face, maybe your butt in that tux, but certainly not your feet.â
He grinned and