Not long after, she spotted Jonah scowling at her from across the floor, a scowl she suspected would get more unpleasant if he learned she intended to get his pal Dell fired. From the beginning, something about Dell’s manner had made her suspicious, and her suspicions had paid off earlier tonight when he was managing the door and she’d seen him take a tip in the form of a bag of white powder from a drunk who wanted to get in.

She went upstairs to check out VIP. Noah had joined Deidre and Coop there, but Coop was only paying attention to Deidre. He hadn’t said much to Piper about the nightclub franchise he was developing, but she knew him well enough to suspect that Deidre’s refusal to make a final decision on financing was driving him crazy—not that he’d let her see that. Another man would be courting other firms, but Deidre had a stellar reputation, and Coop, being Coop, would only want to work with the best.

He laughed and leaned in closer to Deidre. Setting aside business, Coop genuinely liked her. Piper felt a stab of jealousy. Not because he liked her. No, that wasn’t it at all. Of course not. Piper was merely jealous because Deidre had it all: a megasuccessful business, a huge bank account, brains, beauty, self-confidence... And because Coop so obviously liked her.

She wanted to hit herself in the head. She was jealous! Jealous because she wanted Coop to like her, too. A ridiculous reaction. Coop was her employer, and all that mattered was that he like the way she was doing her job.

Thanks to Duke, she had years of practice scrubbing away feelings that made her uncomfortable, and she buried her self-disgust in a couple of warm bourbon fudge brownies from the kitchen.

Deidre and Noah finally left. Piper made her way through the lounges to the dance floor where the vibrant LED wall showcased the throng of bodies gyrating to DJ PhairoZ’s electro beats. Coop wasn’t far away, his customary throng crowding him.

An oversize goon in Gucci—she’d caught a glimpse of his logoed belt—was doing his best to back Coop against a wall. He wasn’t an ordinary fan. This guy was drunk and belligerent. He was also as tall as Coop and fifty pounds heavier. His arms gesticulated in agitated loops, and the club’s laser lights turned his complexion from blue to red to Hulk green. She glanced around for one of the bouncers. As usual, none were in sight. Wishing she’d traded her stilettos for flats, she pushed her way through the dancers just as the goon clenched his fist and leaned in.