Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
She finally stopped and turned around. “I was hoping you’d just go along with it. Should’ve known better.”
“And you should also know this is a disaster waiting to happen.”
“How so?”
“Our kind of serving experience is for 24-hour mom and pop diners, not fancy dinner shows.”
“I don’t see what the difference would be.”
“Anya,” I huffed, “serving dino nuggets and fries isn’t comparable to this and you know it. I never had to sign an NDA for a pancake platter.”
Selectively ignoring me, she turned and thrust one of the garment bags into my gut so that she could unzip the other. I clasped the shiny plastic with a grunt, scowling when she revealed the dress inside.
“What is that supposed to be?”
“It’s gorgeous,” she awed, tugging, and pulling until it was free.
“That doesn’t look like a uniform.”
“Yes, it does. We have to dress the part.”
I surveyed the little black number and grew more determined to get out of this. That thing would be like a second skin and show more chest than my workout bra did.
“I’m not participating.”
Seeing how serious I was, she quickly adopted a new attitude. “Why are you so against this, Lo? What’s wrong?”
“I just…I don’t know. It feels like something is going to happen if we go in there. I can’t explain why.”
She quirked one of her perfectly threaded brows. “Repeat that back to yourself. Does it make sense?”
“Not really, no but that doesn’t change how I feel.”
She reached out and gently clasped my upper arm. “It’s just one night, Lo. A few hours at that. At least try for me and if you really hate it, we can make up an excuse to leave. Deal?”
“Do you really need me here for this? I can always come and pick you up when you’re done.”
“Oh, come on. Please? I don’t want to do it without you.”
“Why do you want to do this so badly?” I slightly tilted my head, eyes narrowing. “It’s not for the money, is it?”
“Not entirely,” she freely admitted, adding before I could lecture her. “We’ll never get an opportunity like this again. The extra cash is a good incentive too.”
Her pleading eyes held mine and weakened my resolve. She wasn’t going to take anything less than a yes from me, and as she’d pointed out, I didn’t have any specific reason to turn down this offer other than I was off tomorrow and ready to get home. It would only be for a few hours…
I exhaled softly, and she knew I was caving. With a little yip of excitement, she jumped forward and hugged me with one arm. When she stepped back, there was a wide grin on her face.
“This is going to be fucking amazing! Let’s get ready.”
“So exciting,” I deadpanned as she grabbed my wrist and hauled me off to change.
Within seconds of walking into the room, I knew this was on someone’s bucket list as a firsthand experience in hell. I was so far out of my depth here. I’d been in the resort’s amphitheater a handful of times and though the changes made it stunning, the large space was unrecognizable.
Its usual warm color scheme had been replaced with this event’s palette of deep burgundy and gold. The crystal chandeliers had been dimmed to allow the candles within towering glass centerpieces to be the focal point.
A masked string quartet played in a darkened corner, adding to the room’s desired ambience and giving it a sense of ominousness. Our uniforms, if they could be called that, were on par with the aesthetic. All the women were in the same deep cut A-line chiffon dress that hit just above the knee while the men donned simple button downs with slacks—black on black.
Anya had been impressed by this until she saw what the attendees were wearing. Perfectly tailored suits and elegant cocktail gowns. But now that we were inside, I wasn’t as bothered about the outfit anymore. This dress was the least of my worries. There were so many people it was impossible to slink into the shadows and remain hidden.
Even if I managed to, Shana would probably be waiting there to drag me back out. She’d instructed Anya to work the west wing and I was on the east, along with a few other employees I didn’t know well.
Now she was routinely patrolling the perimeter to make sure none of us were marring the Millennium’s flawless image by slacking off.
Balancing my serving tray on one hand, I weaved between a pair of round tables and approached another group of attendees.
Their attention was fixed on the center of the room where the dance floor had been reduced in size to accommodate a dark red dais of sorts to serve as a stage. This turned out to be my saving grace. I was as interesting as the flickering tealights thanks to the items being brought forth. I had no clue what made them so valuable.