“So you chickened out?” Sparkle asked, fastening the back of her bra strap.

“I wouldn’t say that . . . I’m having second thoughts.”

She walked past me and picked up a pair of four-inch platform heels. “Everyone feels that way the first time. It’s kinda scary shaking your ta-tas in front of pervs.”

Apparently, everyone except for Neely Kate felt that way.

“But if you find the gumption to do try it, it does get easier.” She studied me for a minute. “Do you really want to work here?’

“I . . . uh . . .”

“You already know that one of our bartenders ran off with Sapphire last week. Well, the rest of us girls have been filling in.” She sat on the edge of the table and slipped on her shoes. “Mud sent a couple of guys out to Nikko’s place at Sugar Branch, but he mustn’t have been there because he never came back.”

Finally. Useful information. Neely Kate wasn’t dancing for nothing.

“We might be able to work something out for you, you know. Most places usually hire guys to tend bar, but you could fill in for a bit and see if you want to give dancing a go. Wear something low-cut, and the guys’ll tip you really well.”

“She’s just trying to get out of sharing ten percent of her own tips,” a woman said from behind me. I jumped, not having heard her approach. “Don’t let her fool you.”

When I turned to look at the newcomer, I saw a pretty girl in her twenties with shiny dark brown hair cut into a short bob. She was topless and wearing a purple thong with a five-inch band of black spandex around her hips that looked like it was meant to be some kind of skirt. She held a black bra in her hand.

Sparkle gave a haughty laugh. “So? We both know you don’t like sharing yours either, Crystal. If we have a girl tending bar, the guys will tip her, and we can keep the share we usually have to fork over. It’s a win-win for all of us.”

Crystal laughed. “You’re gonna have to convince Mud. But it might not be so hard. Roy says Mud has a thing for ya.” She directed this last comment to me. Then she brushed past me, her naked breast grazing my arm as she turned to face me again. She was taller than me and with her towering heels, her naked breasts were nearly eye level. Where on earth was I supposed to look?

Wait . . . “Mud has a thing for me?”

“Yep, Mud likes ’em fresh off the farm, if you know what I mean.”

“But he hardly paid attention to me!”

“He must have paid enough attention to see your pretty little blush.” Her fingers brushed my cheek. “Mud has a thing for defiling virgins.”

“But I’m not a virgin,” I blurted out.

“Even better,” Crystal purred.

“Stop messin’ with her, Crystal.”

Crystal dropped her hand and walked over to a table, sorting through a pile of clothes. “Come on, Sparkle. We ain’t had any fun since Nikko left, and Mud’s all worked up over the owner showing up on Friday night. That boy was fine to look at, and he knew how to party after we got off.”

“Who has time to party after shaking your ass in guys’ faces all night long?”

“So he and Sapphire were dating?” I asked.

“Dating.” Sparkle giggled. “That’s so cute.”

Crystal’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know Sapphire?”

“We went to high school together. She told me what a great place this was, so when my friend and I realized she took off, we decided to see if one of us could get her job.”

“Huh.” Crystal grunted, but she seemed to buy my story, so I decided to press on. “Yeah, I was really surprised to hear she ran off with him. She and her boyfriend, Billy Jack, seemed serious.”

“They weren’t sleeping together,” Sparkle said. “That’s the weird part. Nikko and Crystal had a thing goin’, and Sapphire only ever talked about her boyfriend. It doesn’t make sense that they ran off.”

“When was the last time you saw them?” I asked. “Were they flirting a lot?”

“The last time I saw them was last Friday night. And if they were hot for each other, they hid it pretty good. They acted like they couldn’t stand each other,” Sparkle said, shooting a sympathetic glance back at Crystal. “Sapphire and Nikko closed up together and neither one of them showed up for their shift on Saturday.”

Groans and a bit of shouting came from behind the curtain, and Neely Kate burst through still fully clothed—or as fully clothed as she had been when she went on stage. Her pale face had a guilty look on it.

Both dancers looked up in surprise.

“What are you doing? Your song’s not over, and your bra’s still on!” Sparkle said in disgust. “Get back out there.”

Neely Kate shook her head, placing a hand on her stomach. “Trust me, no one wants to see me back out there.”

“What are you talking about?” Crystal asked.

Roy burst through the dressing room door, his face contorted in anger. “Get out!”

Neely Kate snatched up her shirt and pants. “Don’t worry. I’m goin’.”

“Do you want one of us to go out there?” Crystal pointed her thumb toward me. “Daisy here ain’t goin’ on.”

“Daisy?” I asked.

Crystal pinched my cheek with a grin. “You’re as fresh as a daisy straight off the farm.”