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“Corrine!” Sylvie brushed up against me. “We’re slammed. We’ve got a twenty-minute wait for tables. Everything has to be perfect tonight.”

“I know,” I said. I could feel sweat between my shoulder blades. PJ had the air conditioner blasting. I took a breath and went to the bar to grab the drinks. I hustled past the high-top. I could feel the man’s breath on my neck.

I served my drinks and took a kitchen order from my four-top. Maybe I was just on edge. The next hour became a blur as Sylvie seated me four more tables.

Things were good. Busy. My last tables had all tipped in cash and generously. Behind the bar, my brother wore a genuine smile. I hadn’t seen one of those from him in a very long time.

Soon, I had to make a decision about Dad. He had spent most of his savings paying off my mother’s credit card debt. There was just no money to be had.

I cleared another high-top to make way for another group.

“Order up!” Blake shouted from the kitchen. I liked him. Big, burly, ginger, he didn’t like too many of the servers.

“We’d like another bread basket if that’s all right.” Sea Breeze grabbed my wrist as I walked past her table.

“Of course,” I said, plastering on a smile. She was complaining about me behind my back. I could sense it.

I had about thirty seconds before Blake had my next order up. Just enough time to run in and refill Sea Breeze’s bread basket.

I weaved past the line forming in front of the women’s restroom, headed for the kitchen.

“Corrine?”

A male voice came out of nowhere. No one else was supposed to be back here but employees. I’d never seen him move from the high-top.

“That’s your name, isn’t it?” he said, smiling. He reached for me, putting a light hand on my arm.

“You aren’t supposed to be back here,” I said, red flags going up everywhere.

“You didn’t pay me any attention. I figured I had to take at least one shot before we cashed out.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m slammed. I’ll bring your check to your table in just a minute.”

“I’m not in a hurry.”

He took a step toward me. It felt like a thousand tiny knives stabbed through my lungs. My hands were cold and clammy. I shivered as he made himself bigger somehow, widening his shoulders and putting himself between me and the kitchen door.

“Come on,” he said. “I thought I saw you looking at me back there.”

“I wasn’t. And you’re in my way.”

I felt hands all over my body. Pinned down. “I’ll make you disappear.” The words filled my brain, drowning out everything else.

The room spun. The smell of his musky cologne suffocated me.

“Stop!” I yelled. I pushed back as hard as I could.

“Corrine!”

I had my back against the wall. Mr. Cargo Pants stood at the entrance to the men’s room, maybe ten feet away from me. PJ muscled his way past him, his eyes filled with rage.

“Do we have a problem, man?” PJ shouted.

“What?” the man said. “I just came back here to take a leak. She started getting all crazy.”

PJ turned to me. He put his hands lightly on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“He’s lying,” I said. Wasn’t he? He touched me. I know he touched me.