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Ok, what just happened? Did I inadvertently pass some sort of blondeness test? It seemed unlikely I was only sort of blonde, certainly a far cry fro in line (all of which were shooting daggers at e)

Maybe the manslut outfit was even more effective than I’d realized

The atmosphere back here was different fro shades of blue instead of black and neon A long bar took up all of one wall Several large booths lined the other walls, and maybe a dozen tables were scattered around the center of the space The crowd in here appeared older and certainly richer than in theway to dark, tasteful suits

Except for the boys at the bar

So this here the Stepford Blondes thatat the bar like a bunch of peacocks A barstool opened up, and I tossed my jacket over it and took a seat, then ordered a beer (which cost ten dollars Seriously? Would it blow my cover if I asked for a receipt so I could expense it?)

I sucked down half of it before realizing that at these prices, I really should be nursing this beer And then a rey suit appeared beside rin, “Hey handsome Can I buy you a drink?”

“No thanks, I’ood,” I told hie th of the wall, and in it I could see most of the roonize hirainy surveillance photos in the file I’d been given to prep for this assignment

I didn’t see anyonehis description, so idly, I scanned the faces of the bar blondes, not one of which was over twenty five, and all of whoed in an ad for Nordic ski equipht my own reflection in the mirror

I stared at elled-for-the-occasion hair, at the tight turquoise shirt that brought out ed my toned body, atthe waves at Fort Point And I realized that I matched the bar babes – I looked like I was one of them

Was that why I’d been selected for this undercover assignment? Not because of my stellar police work, not because I’d earned it But because I looked the part, because I was the right physical type to make it in the door of Teplov’s club?

Ok, so why hadn’t Halpern, my police captain, just told me that? Why let n to chuck nment came up that called for a blonde bimbo?

Make that a gay blonde biuy in a suit tried to hit on me This one was more tenacious that the last, and it took a while to convince hi of thirst and really didn’t want the drink he kept insisting on buying foron ot the hint

And that’s when I caught sight of Dmitri Teplov

He was seated in a big booth in the corner And though he wasn’t saying or doing much, it was clear that all the action in the rooe little universe

Teplov was strikingly handsome, even more so than the surveillance photos had ledjust past the collar of his finely tailored black suit jacket, his pale skin luht His shoulders were broad and his body, what I could see of it, was long and lean

A sleazy-looking businessman sat to the left of him, and – oh, here was a surprise – a blonde boy toy sat to his right The business his best to change that, running his hand up and down Teplov’s thigh A phone on the table even seeh, with Teplov glancing at it every so often and tapping the screen

The blonde decided to increase his efforts, apparently trying to upgrade his status to at least above that of the smart phone, and he slid his hand into the club owner’s lap Teplov gingerly plucked the blonde’s hand off his crotch and turned to hi in his ear And then he shot a quick glance at a short, heavy-set undy suit jacket, who stood beside the booth Burgundy Jacket i to hi both disappointed and a little wistful as he made his way back out into the crowd