TheTemptationNotJustifiedAReFinal Read Online Free PDF Page B

ruminations. What was she thinking?
Whatever emotional connection she thought they shared was assuredly one-sided.
If she stuck around until he awoke, the situation would become awkward. She
should leave while she still had her dignity intact and pretend the night meant
as little to her as it undoubtedly meant to him.
    A
heavy knot like a stone weight filled her chest. Afraid of spending too much
time evaluating her emotional state, she picked up her shoes and moved quietly
to the door.
    Outside
in the bright morning sun, she walked briskly toward the metro station. Their
time together didn’t end how she’d wanted, but it had still been memorable in a
way she’d never imagined when she left home last night.
    With
a crooked smile, she made a silent admission.
    Best.
Birthday. Ever.
     
    *
* * *
     
    “Derrick’s
here,” Gwen said as Celeste hustled to the beverage stand in the main dining
room of Sig’s Cigar Bar & Restaurant. Derrick Hoffman, her friend and
regular customer, never came in on Saturdays, but his visit was a pleasant
surprise. She expected the usual large tip.
    She’d
been running late for her shift but managed to get there on time, change into
her uniform, and clock in with a minute to spare. Management stressed the
importance of the hostesses (as they were called) to be clocked in on time without
fail and ready to work each shift. That included having their hair pulled back
into a neat ponytail and being dressed in their uniform, which consisted of
black pumps, a black miniskirt, and a white tank top. Gwen had convinced both
her and Janet to apply for positions at Sig’s, and despite her initial doubts,
the job turned out to be a good choice. It was still a struggle, but thanks to
Sig’s, she could support her mother and her young daughter.
    The
weekend tip money alone was worth it, and they made even more during the
playoffs because more men came in to imbibe expensive liquor with their friends
while they talked trash to each other. All the hostesses knew the tighter their
clothes and the more they flirted, the more money they could make. The regulars
were generous, and security taught the newcomers real fast what was and wasn’t
allowed.
    “How’d
it go with that guy last night?” Gwen asked as Janet walked up. “Did you have
sex?”
    “Don’t
be shy. Ask the tough questions,” Janet said dryly. She folded her arms across
her chest and gave Celeste an inquisitive look. “Did you?”
    “She
can’t look at us, so that means yes!” Gwen crowed. “Details, details! What did
the professor teach you?”
    Celeste’s
cheeks flushed with heat. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    “Oh,
come on,” Gwen wailed. “I didn’t get any last night. I thought maybe I had a
shot with Lucas, but I kept hinting all night, and he didn’t even ask for my
number before he and the married guy ran off.” She rolled her eyes in disgust.
    “Do
you have to get laid every time we go out?” Janet asked.
    Gwen
shoved her and then returned her attention to Celeste. “Please, just tell me
one thing.” Gwen clasped her hands together as if she were about to say a
prayer. “Please tell me that tall, sexy man was good.”
    Celeste
bit the corner of her lower lip. “Amazing,” she admitted in a low voice.
    The
other two women squealed. Celeste waved her hands for them to shush. “I’m not
telling you anything else. I can’t believe I even did it.” She covered her eyes
with her hand.
    “So
you had sex with a hot guy the first time you met him. Please, that’s nothing.”
    “Yeah,
Gwen does it all the time.” Janet hopped out of reach before Gwen could hit
her. “Are you going to see him again?”
    “Um,
not exactly.” Celeste hesitated. “He was asleep when I left.”
    “ You left him ?” Gwen looked at her as if she’d grown two heads and then
lifted her hand above her head for a high five. “Pretty good for a first-timer.
Don’t leave me hanging with your bad self.”
    “Gwen
. .