“Hey, I’m right here!” Nina’s pout was very cute. Cassie leaned in and kissed her soundly.

“Yes, you are,” she said against Nina’s lips. She turned to Mandy, grinning even wider. “Oh, and I think I’m more than ready to go into the bar rotation for Red from next week.” She glanced at Nina, smirking. “I’ve got a lot of learning to do to keep this one satisfied,” she said, and both she and Mandy giggled as Nina’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“What the…” Nina’s voice, when it finally came, was strangled. She stared at Cassie, who put the tip of one finger under Nina’s chin and pushed up gently to close her mouth. Then she winked at Mandy and tugged a stumbling and stuttering Nina out into the cold night air.

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8

Manchester, 2003

Mandy gazed across the room from the mezzanine level. It was packed tonight, and she allowed herself a small, proud smile. They’d been open less than a year, but they were already the most popular club in Manchester. This was her third job in this city as a club manager, and this was the big one. She planned to do this one for about two years total, assuming they could keep this level of success going, and then she wanted to open her own club.

Working for Robbie Chapman was all right—mostly. He paid well and let her have almost full rein, but he was still the owner. He could change tack at any time, get rid her of her at any moment. He’d done that to other managers in his chain of clubs. Besides, she really wanted to run a gay club, and Robbie wouldn’t touch fag clubs, as he called them, with a barge pole.

Having been on the Manchester scene for a few years now, she’d watched it develop, noting what worked well and what didn’t. She’d listened in on conversations in bars and cafes to get a feel for what the gay men and women in this city wanted from their nightlife. She’d never be able to run anything this big for gays, but she was okay with that. It was all about the quality, not the size. She wanted top decor, furnishings, and facilities. She wanted top DJs and acts. She wanted a bit of gay class.

Then, of course, there was the other kind of club she wanted to run. But it would probably take a bit more time and thought to bring that one to life.