The Billionaire Shifter's Curvy Match (Billionaire Shifters Club #1) by Diana Seere Page B

In blue, of course.” Smiling, she smoothed her hand over her suit jacket. “All right, I think you’ve had enough time to get over your nerves. Let’s go in. There’s a party for Mr. Stanton, but we already have extra staff serving those guests, so we don’t have to worry about them. Your job today is to learn. Just learn. First I’ll take you on a tour of the other areas on this floor.”
    She escorted Lilah down a long hallway and through a series of doors into a room that was like the lobby of a fine hotel. Expensive but inviting furniture was clustered in small seating areas throughout. The music she’d heard was coming from a man playing near an indoor waterfall that seemed to be flowing over the panoramic windows overlooking the city. It gave the room the impression of being underwater in a magical world.
    They passed through this room into a darker, more crowded area filled with overstuffed chairs and sofas upholstered in velvet. A bar stretched across the far end. Several women about her age in similarly sexy dresses walked around carrying trays with drinks and food.
    Eva led her through this room and into another. This next one was cavernous, with arching windows that stretched up three stories and a vast, empty floor that made her think of waltzing.
    “Drink station is over there. The service elevator that brought you here is right behind it. Carl is working the bar for you,” Eva explained, introducing Lilah to a bright-eyed, overly solicitous man who looked like he could be eighteen or thirty.
    Brown hair, brown eyes, and a Ricky Martin vibe that made Lilah smile back when he extended his hand, looked her up and down and declared, “I wish I could work a corset and dress like that.” Carl looked down at her feet and gasped. “There’s hope for me yet!”
    Puzzled, Lilah shook his hand and asked, “What do you mean?”
    “If someone makes sexy heels in your size, I might have a fighting chance,” he replied in a conspirator’s tone. Lilah was too charmed to be offended.
    Eva smiled politely through the exchange, then winked at Carl. “You’ll show Lilah the ropes?”
    “I’ll show Lilah how we take care of our fine patrons, Ms. Eva.” Carl made a very discrete kiss in Eva’s direction as she moved away from them. Eva didn’t appear to walk. She glided from person to person, always in control.
    “I know,” Carl began, “that you are freaking out on the inside. We all do our first few days. You can’t believe you’re making this kind of money, and you’re terrified you’ll screw it all up.”
    “Yes!” Lilah whispered, finally exhaling. A bad case of the nerves made her forget to breathe.
    “Don’t worry. As long as you’re discreet, you’ll be fine.”
    “After signing all those nondisclosure agreements and confidentiality statements, I won’t say a word. I’m scared stiff.”
    He laughed, flashing her a smile so white it had to come from a tube. “Good. You’ll do well. You’re gorgeous, smart, and you have great shoes. What else do you need to know to work here?”
    “Um, where the drinks are.”
    He held out his hands like a magician’s. “That is where I come in.”
    For the next hour, Lilah tried desperately not to think about Gavin Stanton. Carl made it easier than she’d have thought. Between learning which trays went with which drinks, how to understand the boundaries of her section of the floor, and all the rules of the bar, she didn’t have much space in her head.
    The Platinum Club operated under a set of rules that were so different from any bar or restaurant she had ever worked in. This was like culture shock. No money changed hands. Ever. There were no tips. No bills. No tabs. All the money was handled behind the scenes. Lilah didn’t even need to keep track of billing drinks to each member.
    All the servers were expected to do was take the order, deliver the order, and stick to Rule Number One: the members’ needs must be met.
    Lilah bit her inner lip