Stacked Up: Worth the Fight Series Read Free Page B

chest with a napkin, apologizing over and over: “Sorry. Sorry.” Then she began wiping her own bare breasts.
    Flustered and embarrassed, Penny stepped back.
    “Hey, it’s cool. I’m sure it’ll come right out. Don’t think it’ll stain, do you?” Seemingly concerned, the woman reached out for Penny again, presumably to try wiping more of the liquid off her chest, but a mortified Penny held her hands out to stop her.
    Looking around quickly, the place wasn’t at all what she’d imagined. It was dark but not seedy or smoky. There were groups of men having drinks in booths with leather banquettes, and there wasn’t so much a stage as various small stages with poles where women were dancing and chatting with the men who sat close by. The waitresses, such as the poor woman currently apologizing to her, were topless, but the bartenders at the big modern-looking bar a few feet away were dressed. Scantily, perhaps, but not nude—just as the ad for the job had said.
    “Honey? You listening? Hello?” The woman snapped her fingers in an effort to get Penny’s attention. “Your shirt? You think the stain will come out?”
    Penny shook her head to get her thoughts in order, then looked down at her shirt. “Uh…yeah, sure, it’s fine.” Penny took the napkin from the woman’s hand and patted her drenched shirt.
    “You okay? You lost or somethin’?”
    “Yeah…no. I mean…” She really didn’t belong in a place like this. She had on pearls, for goodness’ sake. Her oxford shirt was buttoned almost all the way up, she had on modern slim-cut black slacks—she was, after all, applying for a job—and the plaid headband on her head holding her brown hair away from her face definitely made her stand out. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she held out the flyer to the woman.
    “Joe!” the woman yelled over her shoulder, then turned back to Penny. “You need to see Joe. Joe!” she yelled again.
    A man, presumably Joe, walked toward Penny. He had a shaved head and tattoos that began at the knuckles and went up both arms, disappearing underneath his tight-fitting black T-shirt with the Ruby’s logo, and continuing up his neck. He had gauges in both ears, a pierced eyebrow, and a pierced lip. If he hadn’t also had a big, toothy, dimpled smile, she’d have turned around and run away.
    “Did Darlene spill a drink on you?” he asked, shaking his head as if he was upset, except from the adoring look he gave the topless waitress, it was obvious he was more amused than anything else.
    “In my defense, she stumbled right in and ran into me,” Darlene remarked, and Joe squinted at her disbelievingly. “Honest,” she added, holding up a hand and then turning to Penny. “Tell him.” Darlene gestured for Penny to speak.
    “Oh…uh, yes. I ran right into her.” It was difficult to talk when there were women completely naked a few yards from where she stood and a topless waitress a foot away whose breasts jiggled every time she spoke and pointed.
    “I’ll let it go this time,” Joe said with a wink to Darlene.
    “This time? Honey, I haven’t gone one day in the last five years without screwing something up. But you love me anyway.” She kissed Joe’s cheek with a loud smack and walked away.
    Joe tipped his head, indicating for Penny to follow him. He pulled a chair out for her, and Penny sat. Then he pulled up another chair for himself and sat down. “You asked for me?”
    Penny showed him the flyer with the want ad. “I was hoping the job was still open. I’d like to apply, please.”
    Joe cocked an eyebrow and leaned back to assess Penny. Immediately she reached for her pearls and began to fumble with them, the way she always did when she was nervous. “You don’t look like a stripper.”
    Penny gasped and shook her head. “Stripper? Oh, no. Bartender. Says right here that no stripping is required. I have experience, about a year. I work down at the Pier. I…uh…”
    “Relax, honey. What’s your