Kip’s lips curled into a menacing grin, and he tapped my nose. “Remember what I said about smart girls asking questions. Are you a smart one or a stupid one?”
Fear slithered up my back and settled into the nape of my neck. “I’m not trying to be hard-headed, Kip. I just want to do a good job so Mud will be happy he hired me.”
“Honey, you could screw up every order you take tonight, and Mud would be happy.”
While that was probably supposed to be reassuring, it was anything but. I couldn’t think of a single reason for the man’s approval that didn’t give me the creeps.
Diamond was still dancing, and I found myself mesmerized again. I dragged my eyes from her and worked on filling more beer orders. When I glanced up at the door, I saw two men talking to the bouncer. He pointed to a table in a dark corner by the door. The room was full of men, so it took a second to figure out why they’d grabbed my attention. Then I came up with two reasons.
First, they were the only men in the room who weren’t paying attention to the woman on stage. And two, one of the guys was Rich Lowry, one of the men from Skeeter’s meeting.
I couldn’t think of a single reason why Skeeter would send Rich Lowry to check on me—from what Jed had told me, he was bad news on a silver platter. Which meant Rich was probably in cahoots with the owner of Gems. I had no idea if his being here had anything to do with Mason, but I planned to find out.
I hurried over to Kip. “I want to take those guys’ orders.” I pointed toward their table, but kept my hand below the counter.
His eyebrows rose. “Once you step around the counter, you become fair game, Ruby.”
I took a deep breath. Would I get information from them if I served them drinks? I was bound to get more than if I kept hiding back here.
I gave a nervous shrug, and he laughed, shaking his head. “Go ahead.”
One of the other girls was already working her way back to Rich’s table. She shot me a dirty look when she realized where I was headed and that I was going to beat her. I was breathless by the time I reached the edge of the small table.
Both of the men stared up at me, and a grin stretched Rich’s mouth. “You’re new.”
So he wasn’t new. I put my hand on my hip and tried to give him a suggestive smile. It felt more awkward than sexy, but hopefully they wouldn’t notice. “Tonight’s my first night.”
“You don’t say?” the other guy said, scooting back in his seat and spreading his legs slightly. “I’d love to show you the ropes.”
Disgusting. But I was scared to death. Jed had called Rich a sadistic bastard, and while I hoped the bouncers would keep him from hurting me, I couldn’t be sure. What in the world was I doing? But it was too late to tuck tail and run. I’d already committed to this. I was good and stuck. I forced a laugh and let my hand drop from my hip to my side. “Let’s get your drinks first.”
Rich’s dark eyes were glued to my chest. If his interest helped me get information, I’d send a personal thank you note to the creator of the pushup bra. Especially if his eyes were the only part of him that touched me. As though he sensed me watching him, his gaze lifted to my face.
I smiled slightly and tilted my head to the side. “That’s on the menu for later. Right now it’s just drinks, gentlemen.” Where in creation had that come from?
His grin spread, and his gaze reminded me of a bobcat hunting its prey. “A scotch on the rocks.”
“A beer,” the other guy said, but my eyes were locked with Rich’s. He was obviously the top dog at the table, and I wasn’t about to waste time on the small fries.
I put my hand on my hip again, trying to hide the fact that it was shaking. “I’ll be right back.” I sounded way more confident than I felt, which had to be a good thing.
“And we’ll be right here waiting,” Rich said, his eyes on my booty as I walked away.
I went behind the counter, and Kip wandered over to me. “I watched you out there. You did good. I’ll show you how to make his drink.”
His about-face made me suspicious. “You’ve refused to help me with drinks again and again tonight. Why now? Why him?”
“He’s special.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And if you keep in good with him, you won’t need to know how to bartend.”
I didn’t tell him that I didn’t plan to make a habit out of this. Especially with Rich Lowry.
He grabbed a glass and scooped it into the ice bin, and I turned my back to him, facing the back wall as I grabbed a mug for the beer. Making sure Kip wasn’t watching, I sent a text to Skeeter as quickly as I could.
Lowry’s here.
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and returned to the counter.
“You’re a lot like Sapphire, a girl who worked here until last week.” Kip watched me with an intense gaze that made me worry he’d seen my phone.