But this time, he wasn’t alone. When he rolled over, he found the woman who had been haunting his dreams for over three months, her pretty face covered in a curtain of long dreadlocks. For a moment his heart lifted, thinking she had actually stayed on purpose. But then he remembered. She still hadn’t received her money. It had been the only thing that had brought her to his hotel room the night before and probably was the only thing keeping her there now. As if to confirm his suspicions, she came awake with a start. “What? Where am I?” She fully sat up in bed when she saw Suro. “Oh, no,” she said, covering herself up with the white sheet. And though he had a reputation for maintaining his cool no matter what, Suro suddenly found himself saying, his voice tight with anger, “Don’t hide yourself from me.” She drew the sheet up further as if his words only made her want to hide from him more. “I know I work at a strip club, but I’m not a stripper. I’m not all that great at sitting around naked in broad daylight.”
