My eyes widened, and all I could picture was a slicked-up stripper pole.

A short giggle escaped Roxy and ended in a forced, fake cough as she grabbed a bottle and then three shot glasses.

Oh no.

“Anyway, I got on the pole for a show. Busy night, too. On a Saturday, and I was doing this thing where I hang upside down.” Katie leaned back and raised her arms, and for a second I thought she was going to reenact the whole thing, and I had a feeling it was about to become a boob apocalypse. “And I was all like this.” Twisting her arms together, a rather convincing sexed-over look crossed her pretty face. “Just upside down, right?”

“Right,” I mumbled as Roxy poured brown liquid into the three shot glasses.

“Next thing I know, my legs are slipping down the pole, and I’m all like ‘Man down!’ or at least ‘Stripper down!’”

Another funny-sounding cough escaped Roxy as she slammed the bottle on the bar, and I forced myself to take several deep breaths as I murmured, “Oh noes.”

“Yep,” she said. “Cracked my head right off the stage. I was out like a belly button.”

Out like a belly button? What the what?

“And the rest is Long Island Medium history, but without seeing the dead people or the cool, poofy blond hair.”

“Really?” I gasped out.

She nodded. “So your life’s going to change. Ain’t going to be easy, but it’s going to change.”

I turned slowly and looked at Roxy.

“Shots anyone?” she offered.

“Shots! Shots! S-S-S-hots!” Katie shrieked, snatching one of the glasses as she bounced her shoulders back and forth. A freaking second later, her shot was gone.

“Impressive,” I said.

Katie grinned.

After Roxy took her shot, both of the girls looked at me, and I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

“Told you,” Katie said.

Roxy frowned at me. “I want to see you taste liquor for the first time, and I poured you the good shit.”

My stomach coiled tight. The idea of seriously drinking, of not having control and . . . I couldn’t even think about it.

Sighing, Katie reached over and grabbed my shot. “Snooze, you lose.” She downed it and then cracked the glass off the bar top. “Yeah, I just said that. And yeah, I got to go and make some mon-nay! See you later, bitches!”

I watched Katie spin like a ballerina on her heels and head for the door just as it opened and two other girls walked in. One of them, a busty redhead, curled her lip in Katie’s direction and then whispered something to her friend, causing the other lady to giggle.

Eyes narrowing, I realized I didn’t like that.

Katie stopped, looked the redhead straight in the eyes, and said, “I’ll cut a bitch.”

Roxy’s mouth dropped open.

I snorted. Yep. Like a pig in a cozy blanket.

The redhead paled and the other woman flushed.

“And those bitches back there won’t serve you, so you can go hang out at Apple-Back down the street.” Katie glanced over her shoulder at us. “Right?”