Page 1 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
Chapter 1
Harper let her eyes wander over the clubroom, habit more than intention guiding their path. The Lucky Penny was packed, which shouldn’t be surprising for a Friday evening.
The Glitter Room—the main competition in the area—had closed for a few days because of a bug infestation, and the locals looking for feminine attention had crawled a few blocks over, filling the Penny beyond the brim. It was the kind of night that could pay a month of bills if approached right.
Harper didn’t want to be there at all. But after being out ‘sick’ for a week, she didn’t really have a choice.
“This is getting out of control.” Nell appeared next to Harper’s barstool, gesturing at the club floor. “There are way too many people, and Colton is being as useless as always.”
“Benefit of being the owner’s nephew,” Harper muttered. Nell sighed, blowing a strand of curly dark-blonde hair away from her face and closing her robe around herself. Other than the pattern, it matched Harper’s almost exactly. Hers was dotted with red roses, while Nell’s was covered in embroidered vines.
“Seriously?” Nell said, having scouted the empty corner bar. “Ryan’s lateagain? It’s the third time this week.”
“He’s not late. He’s gone.” Harper stirred her water with a straw as Nell ducked behind the bar. “Patricia axed him. Finally. She caught him taste-testing the top-shelf stuff,again, so she’s interviewing for his replacement. And Colton’s, too. She just hasn’t found the time to argue about it yet.”
Nell eyed the skinny bouncer leaning against a nearby wall. Though Colton was happy to take in the sights, he was less enthused about stepping in when customers got too handsy. Plenty of the newcomers had already noticed that the Lucky Penny rarely enforced the listed rules.
“I hope she knows what she’s doing.” Nell picked up a bottle of cheap rum, placing it precariously close to the edge of the bar. “Darryl doesn’t like problems. According to him, change invites problems.”
“What’s he going to do? Fire her? The place would collapse overnight if Patricia wasn’t around to keep it standing. She’s too good for this place, and he knows it.” Harper lowered her eyes. “She’s too good in general. Neither of you belong in a place like this.”
Nell looked like she was about to argue but thought better of it. They’d had this conversation enough times that Harper knew the beats by heart.
Those rumors don’t mean anything. People will forget about them soon enough.
That owner was a creep, and we’d never stay after what happened.
Working here is just temporary until we find something better.
Harper sighed. It had beentemporaryfor months at that point.
She gave the floor another scan, eyeing the awaiting potential. College boys getting a ride from their parents’ paychecks. Suits with money to burn coming off long workdays. Lonely truckers who were single, missed their wives, or missed not having a wife. There was even a woman at a nearby corner table, running a fingertip along the edge of a beer glass.
Harper narrowed her eyes. The woman was mostly obscured, but just her presence made her noteworthy. Other than rare occurrences when someone’s girlfriend got convinced that goingto a strip club was a hot couple’s activity, the Lucky Penny didn’t have women customers.
“Everything okay?” Nell asked. Harper turned back towards the bar.
“I should ask you that. Noticed you took George to one of the private rooms. He looked like he was floating when he left, while you’re sporting a fine thousand-yard stare.”
Nell winced and added another splash of rum to her glass.
Nell was a favorite with several Penny regulars. While she and Harper were both twenty-five, Harper made a living off the fact that she looked a lot younger than that while Nell didn’t need to. With her slender curves, beautiful face, and warm olive skin that tanned easily, most men looked at her like she was a fantasy given flesh.
Which she was, in a way. Since it paid the bills, she played into it. But, as with all things, there was a catch.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Nell mumbled. “He just had heavy stuff on his mind today. Some men can only talk about their problems if they have a woman twenty years their junior sitting in their lap. Cheaper than therapy, I guess.”
“Not with how much George is doing it.”
Harper leaned forward, catching the rum bottle before Nell’s backwards elbows sent it crashing to the floor. She usually stayed far away from the bar, on account of her knocking over everything not nailed down, but Harper couldn’t blame her for wanting to blur her thoughts with alcohol tonight.
Harper was tempted to do the same. Setting down the bottle took a second longer than it should.
“I’m fine,” Harper said tightly, intercepting Nell’s concerned questions. “This week just fucking sucks.”
Nell paused. Then she took the drink she’d just made, dumped it in the bar sink, and remade her rum and Coke without the rum part.
Harper gave her a long look. “You’ll still be charged for that. And you don’t need to worry about me.”
