Un, dos, tres . . .
The Ricky Martin song pounded out for the hundredth time. Again. And again.
My t-shirt was stuck to my body and Gary’s face was bright red. The girls had sweated through their makeup, even though we all used waterproof cosmetics for that reason. But we’d been at this all day, not just the two hours of a show.
Un, dos, tres . . .
“Smile!” Elaine roared.
We smiled our asses off, and Honey threw me an apologetic look as I braced myself one more time to lift her into a rollerblind drop.
She wrapped herself into my right side and I caught her rising leg with my free arm, spun around twice, clamped my hand around her lower thigh and let her roll down my body, making sure she didn’t hit the floor.
My muscles were straining, and Honey’s skin was slippery with sweat. It had been a near miss the last couple of times.
Then Gary dropped Yveta on her ass and she yelled at him in Russian.
Elaine told Yveta to go ice her backside. Then she turned to look at us, all panting like racehorses. I guess she took pity on us because she frowned and shook her head, dismissing us for the day.
“Good job people,” she said grudgingly.
I couldn’t help smiling—we were on fucking fire, and the audience would be wowed. Yes, we sweated. Yes, we strained. But we smiled through every second. And I fucking loved it.
I high-fived Gary and he slapped the palm of my hand, then winced.
“I don’t know about icing my ass,” Gary whined. “I need to ice my whole body.”
“I’ve done that before,” I sighed, rolling my head to ease my neck muscles.
“Yeah, me too. We can’t get that here, but we can use the masseuses if they’re not booked by guests.”
“Really? That would be amazing.”
“I’ll call down after we’ve showered and then I’ll ask if . . .”
Gary’s words died as he opened the door to our room.
“What the . . . ?”
I stepped into the room behind him, staring at the devastation.
“Oh my God,” Gary whispered, clutching my arm.
All our clothes had been tossed onto the floor, and it looked as though someone had taken a knife to them. But as I looked closer, I realized it wasn’t Gary’s clothes that had been cut to ribbons—just mine. Everything I owned, every single thing had been shredded, even my shoes.
“I’d better call security,” he whispered.
I nodded, robbed of any words I might have said. I started to sift through the rags, searching for anything that they might have left undamaged. But there was nothing. My iPod was gone, my wallet and ID, even my aftershave had been taken. I sat on the bed, numbly wondering why they hadn’t touched Gary’s clothes.
But when security arrived, I had a horrible feeling that I knew the answer.
Sergei walked into the room, shaking his head at the mess.
“Oh dear, who could have done such a terrible thing, I wonder? But still, it’s my lucky day,” he smiled. “I get to see your bedroom.”
He smirked at me while Oleg stood watching, and I had to clench my fists to keep the anger inside.
“We’ll find the person responsible and make them pay, of course,” he said. “I do feel responsible as the head of security. But I’m sure I can make it all better.”
His eyes dropped to my t-shirt, still stuck to my body with sweat, and he licked his lips.
“If you don’t feel safe in this room, better rooms are provided for staff who show their loyalty,” he said, catching my elbow and staring at me.
He trailed a finger along my forearm and squeezed my hand.
Annoyed, I stepped back, crashing my hip against the bed frame.
“I’m not gay,” I said quickly, hoping that I was wrong and that he’d back off.
He smiled like he didn’t believe me. That pissed me off even more. And it reminded me of my father, which was one of the reasons I was here.
“So? Just think about it as making the boss happy,” and he smiled again.
I didn’t want him to know that he’d got me rattled, so I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to ignore the way he was staring at my crotch.
“Ah, Alja?, you really should learn who your friends are.”
“What are you going to do about this?” I asked, my eyes narrowing. “Everything is ruined.”
Sergei shrugged, his eyes glinting.
“Who knows? Choices, choices.”
He paused, his eyes lingering on mine and gave a sarcastic laugh, leaning forward, tapping a finger against his thin lips.
“I can offer you somewhere . . . cozier? A little more luxury? No? Ah well, that’s a pity. I’m sure we’re going to be great friends. Think about it overnight. Let me know when you’ve changed your mind.”
And he left.
Gary wiped a hand over his face, his skin a sickly green color.
“That guy is . . .”
“I know.”
He swallowed and glanced at the door.