chucks on my feet, and finally, to the puddle I’d dripped onto the iridescent marble floor. “We’re not hiring,” he said shortly before averting his attention back to the paperwork on his desk. An ironic breath escaped me. “Trust me, this would be the last place I’d ever apply.” He didn’t look convinced. I stepped closer and, unable to resist the temptation, I moved to run my hand across the sparkly desktop as if it was an expensive car. Before I could touch it, Alfred’s eyes hardened, embodying the stuffy owner who warned to not touch his Maserati. With an impish look, I did it anyway. He stacked his papers more aggressively than necessary. What was that? An NDA? Before I could see any more of the corrupt workings of this place, Alfred shoved the paperwork into a folder and said, “The bathroom isn’t open to the public.” I scratched at the desk with a fingernail as if I was testing a mineral’s hardness. “I’m glad I peed back at the QuikTrip then. They have free paper towels and a twenty-five-cent tampon dispenser. Best accommodations you can find on the South Side.” “How generous of them,” he said drily. “I’m sure if you return, you’ll be able to find patronage closer to your . . . qualifications.” “Wow,” I chuckled, my curious fingers grasping a glass paperweight. “I think that’s the sweetest way anyone has ever called me a cheap whore before.” He stole the paperweight in my hand that was angled toward the light while I examined the facets inside and snapped, “What will make you disappear?” I raised a brow. “You know, Alfred, you’re not my usual type, but if you keep talking to me like that, I might change my mind.” His expression conveyed he wouldn’t touch me with the end of a broomstick, and it brought a soft laugh from me. “Okay, just business then.” Pulling a moist envelope from my back pocket, I slid it onto the desk. “I need to deliver this to one of your patrons, and I promise you’! never see me again.” Pd been doing this side job for my neighbor Lucas for a few months. He gave me a package—sometimes just an envelope—and I delivered it.