Читать книгу In The Night Time - Elouise Edron - Страница 6

CHAPTER FOUR

FIREHOUSE

Sundays were usually quiet at Firehouse, but tonight we had a private function in the VIP room. Dan had put me on table service. He told me to dress up and "put some effort" into my appearance, and to ensure the customers always came first.

I’d been working at the bar long enough to know how to offer service as expected, but as of late, my ‘bar wardrobe’ could use some sprucing. For the event, I had put on my best pair of black dress shorts, black patent heels and the serving shirt with the bar’s logo, buttoned just low enough to reveal ample breast in my best push up bra.

Dan's eyes dropped to my breasts the moment I walked in.

"Looking good Bianca," he said as his eyes swiftly returned to mine, clearing his throat, as if he had just said something he instantly regretted.

"I want you to take care of the function tonight, and that means no lip. They've just celebrated a milestone with their company, HUGE SUCCESS, so it's going to be a late night with lots of drinks, lots of drunken idiots, and I’m sure a fair share of discreet drugs. Be on guard for any mischief, and call me if you need anything.”

"Yes Dan, I know, I know. It will be fine. I’m used to taking care and orders from drunken idiots all the time. It’s kinda in the job description.” I responded casually, trying to chill him out. Events like these were our bread and butter, and if we ensured our clients a good time, they were likely to book again, and tell their friends. Word of mouth was our best form of publicity, and I knew Dan had great plans for the place.

By 9pm, the bar was pumping, and the sights that came in and out of that room were jaw-droppingly inquisitive. Men in pinstriped, expensive looking suits, with slicked back hair, elegant silk ties and pocket squares. Women with fake breasts, inflated lips and thick make up over their Botox pumped faces.

There was laughter, loudness and loiterers in dark corners carrying on like they were in the privacy of their own bedrooms. I was a little uncomfortable being eye-balled like a piece of meat ready for the slaughter; regardless, I did my job, and I made sure I didn't talk back.

"Bianca?" asked a voice behind me as I was wiping up a spilled drink.

I stopped in my tracks trying to link the voice to a face.

"I thought it was you."

I spun around and came face-to-face with DeGrain.

"Seriously, you again?" I asked, casting my eyes away with a loud exhale, dishrag in hand. "I’m working, don’t you think you could find someone else to hassle?"

I attempted to use my nicest voice, accompanied with the realest of fake smiles. I didn’t want to piss off Dan; I’d finally managed to gain back a smidgen of his trust.

"Clearly. But the other girls don’t put up a fight like you do," he replied with intensity, as the left corner of his mouth curled up into a snarl. "Have you thought about leaving all of this and coming to work for me?” He raised his hands to the room around me, his eyes following before they settled on mine. “The industry is waiting for a star like you."

Our eyes locked, mine with those baby blues of his, and for a moment, it felt as if we were the only people in the room. My heart started beating faster, my palms went clammy, heat rose from my chest. There was something about him that I found intriguing, yet… unnerving. His features weren’t typically handsome, but his strong jawline and the intensity in his eyes amplified his confidence, making him kind of sexy, for an older man. Suddenly, I felt like there was nowhere else I would rather be, than caught in this intimate exchange

"Like me?" The moment passed. I snapped myself out from under his spell. "Ha! Look mister, you have your pick of whores to work the camera for you, and I’m sure they're all great actresses. In fact, I even saw you had a celebrity working for you – which one of her characters rose to fame first?"

I returned to bitch mode, trying to shut down the conversation. I wasn’t interested in being one of his ‘groupies’ or whatever the equivalent was in the world of porn.

"I see you've done your research; I guess that means I have your attention," he replied, his white teeth gleaming despite the dim light.

I quietly gulped, looking for an easy escape. I had shared too much information, and wished the world would find a way to swallow me whole so I didn’t have to continue this conversation.

I had done my research, but I needn’t reveal that to him. He’d gotten under my skin like no one before, and the last thing I wanted was to stroke his ego.

"Can I call you Paul?" I said with confidence despite my internal discomfort.

"Sure, Ms. Elleroy"

My eyebrows lifted, and head tilted as I recognised my surname coming from his lips. He’d also done his research. He was unlike anyone I had ever met before, and despite the industry he worked in, he oozed class in an old worldly manner. He was sophisticated, but clearly didn’t like to show it when he thought people were watching. It intrigued me, knowing there was another side of him that didn’t meet the eye, and I wondered what that looked like, and why he was so desperate to hide it.

“I get that this is your ‘thing’. The girls. The tits. The sex. The whole porno and drug thing that go hand and hand - but it's not mine," I said sternly. I wasn’t interested in playing his games, nor becoming another notch on his belt.

"Hahaha! Not yet it's not, but it will be once you see where it can lead you," he replied, looking intently into my eyes as if searching for the devilish side of my soul.

"Where it can lead me? Hell, I'm doing a nutritional science degree and I'm pretty sure that sucking cock on camera is not on the formal list of qualifications I need to land a fucking job!" I blurted out in quick retaliation. Even if I wasn’t entirely certain of the path I had chosen, I did know that I didn’t want any part in his.

"Please sweetie, leave that filthy mouth for more important roles," he said with a grin, watching me move around the tables, knowing he was getting under my skin.

I didn’t like the pull he was gaining over me. I could tell he enjoyed getting a rise out of me, and I was very ready for the night to end.

"You knew my name."

I couldn’t let it go. I stopped in my tracks, hands and washcloth perched on my hips. "Which means that you also knew I worked here too."

"Bet your bottom dollar." He took a swig of scotch and looked at me with a straight face. "I know what I want, and I usually get my way." He purred as he placed his glass on the table I had just cleaned. "Missed a spot" he said, pointing to the water streaming off his glass.

My teeth clenched as I kept in mind Dan’s orders to be nice. I grinned, picking up his glass half full of crushed ice, pouring it over his head, just in time to have gained an audience full of his colleagues.

"It looks like you could use some cooling off."

I turned on my heel and excused myself to the bathroom. I needed to calm down, my heart was still racing, and my mind was replaying the scene over and again. What was it about him that was so annoyingly evocative? Was it his eyes? His arrogance? His job title? Or perhaps the fact that he represented such an elusive industry that had me second guessing my hours spent at the bar for a pittance. I believed in fate, and always looked for new opportunities to learn and grow, but surely pornography wasn’t the next opportunity the universe was throwing my way?

The entire situation confused me, and I decided it was well and truly time for a shot to settle my overactive mind. After all, one of the perks of working at a bar was to indulge in a drink or two as the shift tapered.

"Dan's looking for you," my colleague Ryan said with a sceptical look on his face. "He doesn't seem happy about it either. He wants you to head down to his office ASAP.”

“I’ll go see him in a sec.” I still had to close the downstairs bar down so one of the other girls could head off.

“Pretty sure he meant straight away, he seems pissed,” he yelled after me as I kept walking in the opposite direction.

I closed my eyes and grimaced at the thought of having another 'meeting' with the boss. Despite the fact I’d been so good with the rather obnoxious guests tonight, I knew I’d let my guard down when DeGrain showed up. Whatever it was, I spent the walk downstairs preparing to talk up all my positive interactions, even though I wasn’t sure how to explain the DeGrain situation, or if Dan would even believe me.

I knocked on Dan’s office door hoping he was busy.

"Yeah, come in," he answered in a flustered tone.

I gulped back my nerves as I pushed the door open, knowing that whatever good mood he was in earlier in the evening had certainly shifted.

"Bianca, there's been a complaint. A bunch of guys in the VIP room saw you pouring a drink over their boss’s head, and while they thought it was funny, I’m not so sure I can see the humour in it. I told you I needed you to be on your best tonight Bianca. Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"That guy was harassing me!" I barked in defence. "He’s been stalking me, and now he’s at my work, offering me a job in the porn industry!" I said almost laughingly; he’d surely have my back on this one.

"You better take it, Bianca. I can't keep covering for you all the time, and I need more customers like DeGrain. On top of that, you’re barely ever on time, you’re constantly changing shifts, and then overload on them only when it suits your schedule. Plus, you’ve been making a lot of mistakes lately around the till and wastage, and we keep coming up short on the nights you’re working. I know you’re not a thief, but I also know that when my boss works out that it’s you making the mistakes, he’ll have my arse for not firing you sooner.” Dan finished, his eyes firm, and his mouth closing solidly on his last word.

"Fired? Over this??" Now he's done it. It’s one thing to stalk me at work, but it’s another thing entirely to get me fired. "You can't be serious - he's stalking me!"

"Bianca, I find it very hard to believe that a man like Paul DeGrain is stalking YOU of all people. He's the utmost gentleman and very professional with all of his clients and staff too.”

"But..."

"But nothing. If you can't work nicely with our top paying customers after all I put up with from you, I can't have you working here at all.” He paused, trying to keep his cool.

I stood staring blankly at the space beyond him. My world had completely spun out of control in an instant. I thought about the upcoming bills I’d no longer be able to pay. My heart panged with remorse from ditching my other job, wishing I had picked that over this. I doubted I could ask for any sort of reference. My eyes welled, and I gritted my teeth trying not to show weakness in this moment of truth. I regretted such a fleeting moment of stupidity to show the man up. I should’ve just walked out and left it, but I couldn’t resist playing his game and now I had truly copped the wrath of my ways.

I was screwed. I had the easiest job in the world, and I’d even managed to mess that up, leaving myself out on the curb because I was trying to prove a point to a man dubbed as a ‘hero’ in his circle, and seemingly, by everyone else he met. A gentleman? Not from what I had experienced so far. It’s not like he was particularly creepy, and he had never touched me nor made me feel cheap, but he was far from what I would consider a man of good manners.

My life had collapsed due to my attitude, and while that was something I knew needed changing; right now getting a new job was my main priority. Swallowing my pride, I thanked Dan for the opportunity, and turned to leave. I fumbled for the doorknob, just long enough to hear his last words.

“Grab your stuff and sign out Bianca, you’ll get your last pay next Friday and have a few weeks leave owing too, so it should get you through until you find something else,” he said no doubt with his eyes back on the books. He wasn’t a bad guy, he was just doing his job and following the rules. In hindsight, I wished I’d had the same maturity, but I never liked playing by other people’s rules.

I felt upset. I felt lost. And here I was, just after 2am on a Monday morning, and only hours left to get enough sleep for a full day of university lectures starting at 8:30.

No job. A shitty apartment. No family to rely on. And a whole bunch of assessments ahead that weren't going to write themselves. I felt like I was well and truly fucked.

I scrambled down the stairs without saying goodbye to my colleagues and rushed outside hoping that I could forget this whole night ever occurred. I was ready to get out into the fresh air of the cool night, to be alone with my swirling thoughts.

"Bianca!” that voice chased after me. “Where are you going?"

Paul. Of course. Just to finish rubbing salt into my fresh wounds.

"If you've come to gloat, I'm not in the mood,” I said, wrapping my jacket tightly around my chest. “He fired me because of that stupid drink" My breath lit the air in front of me, my bare legs shivering in the cold.

"He what? Shit, I'm sorry, but I swear I didn't say anything. I want what I want, but I don't play dirty," he said from a distance, hesitantly walking towards me.

"I guess your job offer is my only option now isn't it!" I tried to tackle a laugh between tears that unwillingly broke the surface of my raw demeanour.

He caught up to me and stopped under the moonlight in the otherwise dimly lit street. We were standing face-to-face. him out of breath and me wild with emotions I was trying to keep under wraps. I didn’t want him to see me as weak, and so I stood tall pretending like it didn’t bother me.

"No sweetie, it's not like that. I know talent when I see it, but I don't force people into working in this industry. It’s not a slave trade. It's fun, empowering, and creative and we're really like a big old family when you get to know us. It’s just that our family is a bit..."

"Incestuous?" I interrupted with a laugh, pushing at his surprisingly strong shoulder. Under all his layers, I hadn't really had a chance to see what kind of shape he was in and assumed that his silhouette was more likely shaped like a beer keg than a six pack.

"I was going to say, highly sexual," he said, toning his voice down as our eyes caught each other. Those baby blues.

My heart began pounding against my chest again. He brought a sense of new life into me, teasing a mixture of unknown emotions I didn’t know what to do with.

"I'm sorry this happened to you. And to be honest, I don’t think the industry is for you. You’re too innocent, too nice despite the armour you wear. I was just joking around because I knew you were so unlikely to fall from the sky like the other angels I have on the books.”

His smile was warm, and for once, he made me feel comforted, and at ease. His perverted demeanour ceased for a moment, and a sense of calm overcame us both as we engaged in a conversation imitating friendship.

“You look cold,” he said as I shuddered under the blanket of the night.

“A little,” I replied with a smile. The icy tip of my noise began to run. I wiped my face to try and rid the tears, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “I’m okay. I’m used to the cold.”

“Are you walking home? In the dark?” He seemed to be concerned, and it showed on his face.

“Yeah, it’s not far. Besides, I like unwinding after a shift, the night time is so quiet, and it makes me feel alive.”

“Bianca, you shouldn’t be walking home alone in the middle of the night. It’s not safe around here, especially for a girl as beautiful as you.”

I blushed, uncomfortable receiving a compliment. He was suddenly boasting authenticity in his tone, and all that smarmy pretence had vanished.

“Let me call you an Uber,” he said authoritatively, peering deep into my eyes, as if searching for my soul. “I’d feel a lot better if I knew you were getting home safe tonight.”

I tried to swallow the tension that had sparked between us.

“You can’t do that, it’s not far. Besides, if I wanted an Uber, I could pay for it myself,” I said still trying to keep my sense of pride and independence, despite the night’s events.

“I know, you’re a strong independent woman, but you’re also one I’d like to protect from all the bad in this world. You might not see your talent Bianca, but I certainly do.” He smiled with warmth. “And not just in the boudoir…”

I was intrigued by his change in character, and the good rap everyone seemed to give him. Despite our uncomfortable first meet, I was sure now that there was a reason deeper for connecting than a starring role some porno. Instinctively, I knew I wanted to know more.

I looked down at my boots, not knowing how to respond “Oh, gee, thanks,” I muttered. “Here I was thinking I had found my life’s calling by meeting you, and now you’re not so sure?”

He placed his hands on my arms, looked deep into my eyes and just when he had caught my full attention said, “I never thought you were right for the porn industry, I just wanted to get your attention. You’re deeper than that, and if you let me, I’d really love to get to know you.”

I drew in a stuttered breath. One day he was full of arrogance, offering me a starring role, the next, he was telling me how he wanted me to be starring in his life! I was tired, I was confused, and I was freezing my butt off. I had to get out of there and digest everything that was going on. I declined a response and stood back as if feeling rejected.

“Why don't you give me a call tomorrow when you're feeling better. I've got a friend who's looking for a PA and he could use your attitude to keep him in line. Plus, I know you’re smart. Too smart for a bar like this where you’re wasting your talent on serving drunk pricks like me."

I smiled. "I threw out your card"

"Figured," he said, reaching into his jacket pocket. "Fortunately, I always carry extras. Oh, and here’s some cab fare - I want to make sure you get home safe. I mean it"

I looked down sceptically at the $50 bill and his card as he pushed it toward me, wanting to thrust it away in rejection as if in debate of his kindness. I was still upset about my night, but knew it was my own fault. Maybe, by some stroke of good fortune, he’d be true to his word. I may have a few weeks of holiday pay, but I didn’t plan on using that to survive. Battling with my ego, I took the cash and card, allowing his hand to briefly touch mine. A tingle ran wildly through my body, and I instantly looked to his eyes and sought out that connection, wondering why I’d felt such a sudden spark with a man I initially found so vulgar.

“Thank you, Paul.” I could use a good man on my side at the moment. A silent tear drizzled down my face, and to my surprise, found his hand brushing it aside. I froze in place. My eyes searching for space, not wanting to show any sign of emotion.

“You should get back to your party,” I said with sureness, as if breaking any hint of connection between us, reassuring him that we were still very different people. He’d caught me at a vulnerable moment, and I assured myself I wouldn’t let it happened again. I wanted him to know that despite a flash of sentiment, I was, and always would be, quite alright on my own.

“Right,” he said, drawing himself back again. “You’re right love, I’ve got people to please and girls to entertain. I’ll get you a taxi.”

Immediately, he morphed back into the man I has assumed him to be. My emotions quickly faded as we jolted ourselves harmoniously back into character. I would take his offer and catch a cab home; it was late, I was fragile, and I just wanted to be in bed drowning my misfortune in whatever junk food I could find. He whistled a cab over, and waited at the door as I shared my home address.

“Good night Bianca, talk soon,” he said, closing the door securely, our eyes straying from each other as the cab began the short journey home.