“Everything is fine.” Starshine touched her stomach, wondering where her Tums were.
“I knew it was a mistake to make your first undercover assignment six months long. You should’ve started off with something smaller… something more within your capabilities.”
“We didn’t have much choice,” she said. “The restaurant was hiring. Who else could’ve gotten this job?”
Starshine tried not to sound vain. She wouldn’t have tried to be a Jubblies waitress if it wasn’t for the article, but it was definitely a boost to her ego when she found out that she was indeed attractive enough.
“All right, whatever you say. Just write the article. You’re leaving soon anyway.”
“Soon? Don’t I have two and a half more months?”
Even as Starshine said two and a half, it seemed like too little time to spend with Kylie. On the other hand, being around Kylie was so frustrating, she wished it was over now.
“Sure, it was going to be two and a half more months, but you’re only writing one article. It sounds like you have all the material you need.”
“You know I haven’t written much yet. I have a feeling that a lot more is going to happen before I call this done.”
“I don’t know what you’re waiting for. The sooner you come back, the sooner we pay you again.”
“It’s not about the money.” Starshine’s old salary was about the same as the waitress one, although neither job paid particularly well. Her journalism job was more about the experience than the money. Now that she was undercover, she’d get paid a flat amount for the final article rather than getting a salary from the magazine. “I just want to write the best possible article.”
“And to spend more time hanging out and flirting with this girl, right?”
“I’m going to plead the Fifth Amendment.”
With a tired chuckle, Krista brought the conversation to a close. “We’ll talk again soon. Let me know how things are going, and we can touch base over the weekend. Think about wrapping up this article.”
Starshine hung up, unsure of how to feel. Things would certainly be easier if she were to finish here and go back to Haberdee. But she would be so far away from Kylie. Even if they were just friends, she liked being around her.
She sighed, setting the phone down and picking up a clean plate. That was the last dish she had to put away, and now she had nothing to do. She sank into a chair. Still five hours before work, and she had to kill that amount of time. She should probably have worked on her article, of course. There was so much still to do. But… Kylie was still in her head.
A twinge went through her as she thought about the offer Kylie had made. Or, the non-offer. What if she had said yes? Hooking up one more time wouldn’t have been so bad. She could keep her secret for one more hook-up.
Cut it out. Her libido had way too much power over her. Of course she couldn’t keep her secret! She had barely kept it last time! Why was she thinking along these lines? Did Kylie have that much of a hold over her? Sure, the sex had been hot, but had it really been that hot?
She bit her lip and felt a frisson go through her. Yes, it had been that hot… unbelievably so. She still got aroused every time she thought about that night. She’d never been that wet before. The way Kylie’s mouth had felt when it closed over her clit still made her tingle all over. Kylie turned her on beyond anything she had ever known.
Well, she had to remember that hooking up would be frustrating too. She would never be satisfied after one more time. She wanted Kylie every day and every night. She doubted she would ever get her fill of Kylie’s pretty face and curvy body. She could drink in the sight of her twenty-four hours a day, and then to add touching and tasting into it? It would never, ever get old.
She wanted to spend time with that girl. To fall asleep at her side, to wake up next to her. She wanted to walk down trails and have long conversations about everything under the sky. She wanted to eat pizza with her and chill with her, to hold hands in front of their coworkers and to be a ridiculously cute couple together.
Sitting at the table, she picked up her phone and toyed with it. She wished she could hear Kylie’s voice right now. Calling her would be a bad idea. It could just be friendly, though. She could just say hi. Friends called each other sometimes. She had called Krista just now, and that wasn’t romantic. She could totally do it.
Before she could stop herself, she had pressed the buttons. The phone rang, and she cursed at herself. She started to end the call, but realized Kylie would see she’d missed it. Bracing herself, she waited. Kylie picked up on the second ring.
“S?”
Starshine breathed out, somehow aroused by the sound of that one syllable when it came out in Kylie’s lazy drawl. “Hey, Kylie. What’s up?”
“I’m just chilling. Lying in bed, working on my app.”
Starshine leaned back in her chair. “Oh? How’s that going?”
“It’s good. Coming along nicely. I’m just fiddling around with it.”
“Cool, cool.” Starshine was kind of nervous, but it was a delicious kind of nervousness. She felt like a teenager talking on the phone to the person she had a crush on. Even if she was well out of her teens, that was pretty close to reality.
“What’s up with you? Were you calling for any reason?”
“Not really. I just wanted to say hi. I have nothing to do. Just killing time until work.”
“Yeah, same.”
Starshine wondered if Kylie might offer to hang out, but she didn’t. “All ready for the shift tonight?” she asked.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Kylie said. “You?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Starshine said. She had nothing else to talk about at the moment, so she went quiet. She didn’t even have another question for Kylie.
No, that wasn’t quite true. There was one question on her mind. One big enough to overshadow any others. She wanted badly to ask it. The words were on the tip of her tongue.
Kylie, about what you said last night…
Kylie, I was wondering if the hook-up offer is still open.
Kylie… let’s fuck.
She almost laughed at herself, but it wasn’t really funny.
“Well, I’ll see you tonight,” she said instead.
Nineteen
Kylie had to stay away from Starshine. Even with the video to remember her by, seeing her in person was a kind of torture. Her tanned skin and brown hair begged to be touched. Kylie wanted her—wanted her badly—but she couldn’t have her.
So Kylie tried to walk by as the man at Starshine’s table waved her over. It was about half an hour into the shift, but there were already enough customers that Kylie could easily have found some others to serve.
This man looked determined, though. As Kylie passed, he stood up to beckon to her. “You finally saw me!” he exclaimed. “I thought you were going to just walk by. We’re dying to talk to you.”
“Sorry,” Kylie said. “I just assumed my colleague here would be taking care of you. She’s very good at what she does.” She glanced at Starshine, who pursed her lips. Starshine didn’t look like she particularly wanted her there, either.
“We want both of you,” the man said. “You’re just my type, and Starshine is my friend’s type. She’s just coming back from the restroom now, actually. Pearl, over here! Look what I got for you.”
The woman gave them a big smile as she came to the table. She was a pretty-ish girl in her late twenties, the type of girl Kylie might have gone for before Starshine flipped her head upside down. She hadn’t slept with a customer since their night together. She hadn’t been with anyone, actually, or even seriously thought about it.
As the woman named Pearl came closer, her smile faded. She blinked as she looked at Starshine. “Well, you look familiar,” she said, swirling the cocktail pick in her martini. “You look just like someone I used to know.”
Kylie was ready to go into her normal seductive routine, but she hesitated when she saw the look on St
arshine’s face. Even with the neon lights, she could see how Starshine had just gone white as a ghost. Her eyes were blank and her jaw had gone slack.
After a second, she collected herself, but not before Pearl had also remarked on her reaction. “Wait, is it actually you? It couldn’t be. Stella?”
Starshine gave a tight smile and shook her head. “No, it’s Starshine.”
Either Pearl was too drunk to realize she’d said no, or she was too smart to fall for the lie. “Oh, you’re going by a nickname now. Wow, it’s been years since I’ve seen you. Who would’ve thought I’d run into you here, of all places?”
Kylie thought Starshine might continue to protest, but she gave up the act instead. “Oh, yes, I do remember you. How are you?”
“I’m great,” Pearl slurred. “Never would’ve thought you’d be working in a restaurant. I thought you went to school for… for…”
Starshine looked absolutely panicked. Kylie wondered why that was. Hadn’t she gone to school for finance? That was what she had told her, anyway.
At last Pearl shook her head. “Something smart, that’s all I remember.”
“Of course,” Starshine said, still looking pale. “But tell me about you. How have you been?”
“No, no, tell me what brought you here,” Pearl said. “You were doing something completely different in Haberdee.” She tilted her head and squinted at Starshine as if trying to see her better.
Kylie was getting a peek into Starshine’s past—even if it was a completely perplexing one. She listened carefully, her ears alert. She knew she wouldn’t get a chance like this again. She might get some new clues about all the things she had been wondering about.
Maybe Starshine actually was a cop. She had hardly thought about that possibility recently; she was too caught up in getting to know Starshine. But had she been getting to know her at all, or just her act?
“I should be going,” Starshine said. “It’s been lovely to see you. I’m so happy that you’re doing well.”
Pearl stood up, tipping slightly over the table. Her drink splashed onto her fingers, and she wiped at them with a napkin. “Don’t go,” she said. “We were just starting to catch up. Can’t we have a drink together like old times?”
“I’m sorry, I have to… to go wait another table,” Starshine said. “I’ll see you later. I hope you both have a wonderful night. I’m sure Kylie will be happy to serve you.”
Kylie raised both eyebrows at Starshine. As if she was going to sit here with these people right after this had happened!
As soon as Starshine left, Kylie leaned forward. “None of you knew Starshine before, is that right? Only your friend did?”
The customers nodded.
That settled it. Kylie stood up. “One of the other waitresses will be around to help you in just a second, then. I need to speak with Starshine.”
When Kylie reached the change room, Starshine was leaning against a locker, breathing heavily with a hand on her forehead. She looked up at Kylie when the door swung open. Her expression was that of a deer in headlights. “Kylie!” she exclaimed.
“Sup, Stella?”
She put a grin on her face so that Starshine would know she was just teasing, but Starshine only looked more upset.
“Huh?”
“I guess I knew Starshine wasn’t your real name, but Stella? I would never have guessed that one. It doesn’t suit you at all.”
“Look…”
“It’s cool,” Kylie said.
Starshine shook her head. Her nostrils were flared, her breathing ragged. She was on the verge of becoming hysterical.
“It’s not a big deal. I’m just teasing you, that’s all. I don’t care what name you go by, okay?”
“I’m just freaked out,” Starshine said, sinking down onto the bench.
Kylie glanced over at the mirror, where she caught a glimpse of her own face. She looked as concerned as she felt. Starshine’s behavior was truly bizarre.
“Why are you so upset?” she asked. “Who is that girl?”
“She’s just a chick from Haberdee,” Starshine said.
So she really was from Starshine’s past. “And why does she freak you out?”
“We went on a few dates in college,” Starshine said. “Four or five.”
Jealousy seized Kylie, and she forced herself to focus. This could be important.
“So what happened?” she asked.
“Well, she was pretty into me,” Starshine said. “I didn’t return the feeling. At least, not enough to have sex. She took it poorly. She kept harassing me for a while, and it took her months to finally give up.”
“That’s all?” Kylie asked.
“What else would it be?” Starshine shrugged. “I blocked her from everything. I thought she was out of my life, and for a couple years, she seemed to be. Then I run into her here? I’m upset because I don’t want that crazy chick anywhere near me.”
“I see,” Kylie said. “Well… I’m sure it’ll be okay if you keep your distance from her.”
Starshine nodded. Kylie offered her her hand, and she pulled herself up from the bench. The touch turned Kylie on. Even if Starshine was a cop, which she still wasn’t sure about, she was one damn sexy cop.
They walked out together, Kylie’s head still spinning with a million questions.
Twenty
After convincing Alyssa to trade dance times, Starshine was still decompressing from the shock of seeing Pearl. Dancing was almost relaxing—she didn’t have to make conversation, and few people were looking directly at her. Of course Pearl stared, her eyes boring into Starshine for the duration of the song.
Seeing her was a blast from the past, and not a pleasant one. Starshine could happily have gone the rest of her life without seeing Pearl again. She wondered how she had ever been attracted to her. Now that she had fallen for Kylie, she didn’t see the appeal of just about anyone else.
She knew that her college major was still somewhere in the back of Pearl’s mind. If Pearl remembered she’d studied journalism, she could guess what Starshine was doing there. She just had to make that one small leap to figure it out. Every second that she looked at Starshine was dangerous. She needed to get away from her.
Unfortunately, when Starshine finished her act, Pearl was there at her side. “Hey, Stella,” she said, reaching out to stroke her arm with her too-long nails. “Great dancing.”
“Thank you,” she said, stepping away from Pearl. If she could get to another group and start talking to them, surely she would respect that they had a claim on her… as long as she didn’t get the chance to stake her claim first.
Pearl hurried after her, not letting her get even a step ahead. “I want to talk to you,” she said.
“I can’t talk right now.”
“What if I wanted to order something?”
“Maybe someone else should help you. We have history.”
Although Pearl turned away, Starshine could still see her pouting. “Hardly history,” Pearl said. “Nothing happened between us, or do you not remember that?”
“Well, it’s all in the past,” Starshine said smoothly.
Her smoothness was wearing down. She didn’t feel like Starshine when she was with her. Being near Pearl was making her feel like the same old Stella she had always been.
“What if we went somewhere to be alone?” Pearl asked, coming closer and wrapping her fingers around Starshine’s wrist. Starshine shook her off, but Pearl was still standing too close.
“I’m working.”
“One of the other waitresses said you have a party room in the back. She told me all about what goes on in there.”
Huh? Nothing went on… as far as Starshine knew. “I can’t take you in there,” she said. Her voice cracked. Her old, unconfident self was back. Pearl had brought it out of her.
All the angry emails and text messages were still front and center in her mind. She remembered how Pearl had accused her of being cruel, of being straight, of a mill
ion different things that didn’t make sense. She had dodged a bullet by not sleeping with Pearl. Why did she have to be here?
“But I want to see what it’s like,” Pearl said. “I’m dying to go in there with you.”
“Pearl, you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk, and besides, I don’t care. I want to go there!” She stomped her foot, emphasizing her words.
Starshine had to get away from her. “Settle down.”
“Don’t tell me to settle down, Stella.”
Starshine exhaled, staring at her. “You need to be quiet.”
Pearl’s voice rose. “Come in there with me.”
“No.”
“I want to go in the party room. I want you to come in the party room with me. Come on, Stella Jeffries.”
She had gotten seriously loud now, and people were beginning to stare. Starshine hoped none of them had heard her real name. She narrowed her eyes at her, wondering how far she would seriously go. She needed to shut her up before she did attract more attention. As horrible as it was, her best bet was to give her what she wanted.
“Fine,” she said, grabbing Pearl by the arm. “We’ll go in the party room if that’s what you want so bad. Just keep quiet and don’t make a scene.”
“Finally,” Pearl cooed as Starshine practically dragged her toward the back.
Starshine kicked herself with every step she took. She needed to be out front with the other waitresses. Better yet, she needed to be working as a regular reporter instead of foolishly going undercover.
Why had she thought assignment was a good idea? She was going to get caught. She wished she could speak to Krista, but Krista wasn’t here. She had to rely on herself.
As they walked into the back, she made sure to leave the door open behind her. Nothing untoward was going to happen back here. But as she walked in, Pearl shut the door.
“We’re finally here,” Pearl said, perching on the long table. The room was nicely set up for large groups of customers, but it looked much worse than usual when Pearl was in it.
“Yeah, sure. What did you want, anyway?” Starshine asked.
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