A Night at Tears of Crimson

by Hughes, Michelle

  His grin widened more, and the dimples in his cheeks made him seem even more handsome in her eyes. "I think we have a few waitress positions open," again he winked and she felt more than a little flattered at his flirting. She had waited tables after high school at the local diner and assumed it wouldn't be much different in a club, but she really hoped they might have some other openings. "I could do that," she smiled back warmly, "but I was really looking for a job as a musician."

  "Rafe, that's the owner, has Anthony hire those through a circuit honey," he returned her smile just as warmly," but if you’re interested in the other I'd be glad to give you an application." He placed his hand on the bar, and she couldn't help noticing his beautiful large hands. It was a random thought, but she had always been a sucker for a guy with large hands. Her granny use to say that a man that could work with his hands, that was one you wanted to make yours. Swallowing her small disappointment she forced herself to smile even more brightly, "That sounds great."

  She might be a musician, but her granny had instilled in her enough realistic common sense that she knew that putting food in her belly was the most important thing. There was no doubt that she would be forced to return back home if she didn't find a real source of income. Cara was desperate enough to work any job to guarantee that didn't happen. He walked back to the cash register, pulled out a small form from underneath it and brought it over to her with a pen.

  "Just fill that out darlin' and let me know when you're done," with another wink he walked off to fill another order. The application was pretty standard and she quickly filled in what little information she could give. She'd only worked at the one place before moving here, but she stayed with them for four years and that should count for something, at least she hoped it would. She turned twenty-one a few months ago, and she hoped her lack of working in clubs was not going to be against her.

  He walked back over still smiling, and she handed him her application which he looked over carefully. "I see you've never worked in a club before?" he lifted his green eyes and waited for her to answer back.

  "Actually I haven't been of legal age that long," she smiled back and waited for more questions.

  "I tell you what honey, the owner is upstairs," he glanced down at the application and then back at me, "give me a moment and I'll see if Rafe has time to interview you."

  She could only nod and smile, feeling really excited that she might actually have an opportunity to work here. Even though it wasn’t the musical gig she had hoped for, it was still a job. This would definitely put one of her worries to rest. She watched as he walked up a set of stairs behind the bar, hoping he'd come back with some good news.

  A few minutes later, he came back smiling and motioned for her to follow him behind the bar. She stood up and followed him, feeling a slight nervousness about interviewing because it had been many years since she'd been through the process. He led her up a long flight of steps, and the first thing she noticed was that this floor was obviously not used for the club. "It's the third door on the right darlin', and good luck," his smile really was contagious.

  "Thank you so much, um," she paused realizing he hadn't told her his name.

  "It's Michael," he held out a hand and she shook it. "I need to get back to the bar, but let me know how things work out," with another quick smile he took off back down the stairs and she took a few deep breaths trying to calm her nerves before walking to the door he mentioned.

  2 tears of awakening

  The hall was lined with about eight doors and it was easy for her to tell they were still redecorating here. There were paint cans and other equipment lining the hallway. She lifted her hand and knocked softly on the door before straightening down the soft cotton of her white sundress. Hearing a deep male voice telling her to enter, she wished she'd taken time to primp before making her way here tonight. Turning the knob on a door that had seen better days, she walked inside.

  Her eyes fell on the man sitting behind an old desk, and she felt the breath catch in her throat. He was undoubtedly the most beautiful creature that she had ever rested her gaze upon. He had long, thick, jet-black black hair that fell across the white of his poet's shirt making a startling contrast. His wide shoulders were the kind you just wanted to rest you’re head on, because you knew they were strong enough to handle all your burdens. His face could have graced the cover of a romance novel, its contours were so incredibly perfect. She was completely floored, and when he raised those deep blue eyes and looked at her, it felt like he could see straight into her soul.

  "Miss Donovan," the timbre of his voice was deep and seductive, "please have a seat." He glanced over her briefly and for the first time in her life she wanted a man to truly notice her. Forcing her legs to walk over to the chair before his desk, she managed to sit down without falling. He literally took her breath away. Her hands began to tremble, and she placed them in her lap, clenching them tightly together. Never in her life had she felt this aware of a man, it took all she had not to gawk at him. He was all business as he glanced over her application and personally, she couldn't even remember why she was in the room at that moment.

  "I notice that you have only worked as a waitress in a restaurant, but it appears you are just recently of age to work in this profession?" His eyes roamed over her face, thinking that she looked even younger than her twenty-one years.

  "Yes sir," hating how her voice trembled she continued," I was very loyal to the folks I worked for though, and I think they will give me a good reference."

  He nodded curtly at her reply and focused once again on her application. "Loyalty is a rare commodity in this age, and one that I demand of my employee's." Raising his eyes, he studied the young woman in front of him curiously. She didn't seem the type to work in a bar, he thought, but looks could be deceiving. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about this young woman that made him think of days gone by. Shaking off the strange emotion, he forced himself to concentrate.

  "Training an employee has many benefits and I prefer working with people that will not bring bad habits from other places into her establishment." He purposely hardened his tone of voice, needing to display a professional mannerism around this young woman. He wasn't thrilled with having thoughts other than business during an interview.

  She wasn't sure why, but his voice took on a coolness that made her tremble. Pushing back a wave of disappointment, she nodded that she understood. "I learn very quickly." She honestly didn't know what to say to this man, and was having a really hard time concentrating at all. This was so unlike her that it left her feeling on edge.

  He placed the application back on his desk and his large hands splayed out on either side of it as he stared deeply into her eyes. "Tell me Miss Donovan, what do you know about vampires?" He was curious about her answer. After years of running clubs like this, he knew that the last thing he wanted was some gothic groupie working in his establishment.

  Somewhat shocked by his question, she lowered her eyes and answered truthfully. "Well Sir, the mythology behind them is rather interesting, and I have read a few books and such." It really didn't matter that she found the question strange, he could have asked her about apple pie and she would have gladly given him her opinion on that at the moment. She wanted to tell this man everything, which was so out of character for her that she should have been shocked. For reasons she couldn't even begin to understand, she wasn't. If it took telling him her life story in order to stay in his presence, she would. As nervous as he made her, it was almost like being alive for the first time ever.

  Smiling slightly at her answer, he was pleased when she looked up to meet his eyes and he took full advantage of that to read her more clearly. "This is a vampire bar, I wasn't sure you were aware of that, and please call me Rafe.” He saw the slight widening of her eyes and fought back the urge to reach out to her. What was it about this girl that seemed to call to him?

  His smile made her stomach fill with butterflies and she couldn't pull her
eyes from his. "To be honest I know next to nothing about vampire bars." She didn't want to tell him that people running around playing Halloween wasn't really her thing, because she needed to pay her bills, and definitely didn't want to offend him if he believed in such nonsense.

  He chuckled softly at her thoughts, finding himself liking the girl even more. ""I pay a minimum wage salary and you keep all your tips, except for ten percent which accommodates your bartender." Still smiling at her earlier thoughts he continued. "I expect my employees to report to work on time, and to keep all of their personal issues outside of this establishment," pushing her application back he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to speak.

  She had no idea what he found amusing in her words, but the sound of his laugh was so incredible she could only stare at him. She honestly didn't think it was possible for him to be any more beautiful, but holy sin, him laughing was one of the most incredible things she'd had ever seen. He had a heart-stopping smile and she found herself grinning back like a love-sick groupie. "Get it together girl," she reminded herself," this is a job interview and the last thing you need to do is have a school-girl crush on your potential boss". Telling herself that and taking a deep breath did little to stop her heart from racing like I had just run a marathon.

  "That's sounds fair S.., I mean Rafe," forcing herself to not call him sir, would take some getting used to," "I honestly don't have a personal life." She wanted to kick herself for revealing that little tidbit of information, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

  He laughed again, "Nor do I Miss Donovan, this business take a majority of my time, as do other travels." He found that he liked this young woman before him. There was something untouched and compelling about her that gave him a strange surge of emotion that he had not felt in a long time. Remembering his position he shook off the foolish emotion. "You may start tomorrow night at eight," he stood up to his full six foot five inch height and held out his hand.

  "Please call me Cara," taking his hand, she shivered at the strange coolness of his touch and gasped slightly as he pulled away quickly. "Th-thank you for the chance to work here," again she found herself nervous and self-conscious and wished that she had more experience with the opposite sex so she wouldn't feel so incredibly awkward.

  "You are welcome Cara," he smiled stiffly, feeling her unease, "just make me glad I hired you." Walking over to the door he held it open.

  She had a moment of regret that their interview was over. The strange nervous tension aside, she almost felt compelled to be around him. It was a strange feeling for someone like her, who usually enjoyed spending more time lost in a book than with people. She nodded to him and moved quickly out of his office though, somehow sensing that he wasn't a man who enjoyed idle chatter.

  She walked back downstairs and people were already starting to come in. There had to be at least a hundred people here already. Their style of dress was to say the least, shocking to her. The majority were dressed in deep black with stiletto heels, or chains on their black jeans depending on what sex they were. She imagined that this is what a ball at Dracula's castle might have looked like in modern times and then shook her head for being so silly. Quite a few of the patrons had their faces painted white. The female customers, most of them looked like carbon copies to her, wearing deep ruby red lipstick and black eye shadow. She really hoped she wouldn't be required to wear her makeup like that because she wouldn’t know where to begin. She decided to have a drink and just look around for a while. Making her way to the now crowded bar, Cara was surprised to find an empty seat, and took it quickly.

  There were a few strange looks sent her way but mostly, she was just ignored. That was definitely something new for her. She assumed it was the way she was dressed. Being honest with herself, she looked like a country girl in the midst of a punk rock concert compared to these people. Trying not to let it bother her much, she gave a mental shrug and hoped that when she was in uniform, people here would warm up to her.

  Michael walked over with a warm smile, at least he wasn't wearing all that makeup, she thought to herself.

  “So how did it go?” he questioned as he busily mixed up some strange drink in a dark plastic cup covered with the Tears of Crimson logo.

  “I start tomorrow night,” her mood was lightening as she stopped worrying about the strange looks she was getting. Smiling, she watched him mix drinks, wondering how he remembered what went in them.

  “I was almost sure you would,” he smiled, “what can I get you?” He almost had to shout to be heard over the band that started playing.

  The music was almost deafening but she discovered was actually enjoying it. She'd never even listened to death metal before. “Rum and coke,” she said with a grin. She really wasn't a drinker, but one drink certainly was deserved tonight, she thought.

  He hurried away to make the drink and made it back quickly. He put a coaster with the Tears of Crimson logo and her drink down in front of her. One of the few things she noticed around the Quarter is that everyone was big on having their business logo on everything.

  “How much do I owe you?” she pulled out her wallet to pay for the drink.

  “On the house Cara,” he smiled, “look forward to working with you.” He winked at her thinking that she was definitely going to be a breath of fresh air and the patrons were going to eat her up.

  Fighting back the blush that threatened to find her cheeks, it was easy to see that Michael enjoyed flirting, and he was rather good at it. She, on the other hand, really hadn't developed a knack for it. “Thank you so much,” she smiled at him having no idea what to say.

  "Anytime darlin'," He was pulled away by another customer and he shrugged and looked rueful, until he met the customer with a smile.

  Sipping on the drink, she turned to look around at the club. It was different than any other place she had ever visited. Obviously, that wasn't many, but still this place was really something different than the others. Smoke filled the air, the lights were dim and there were people everywhere. They just seemed to keep piling in.

  People seemed like they didn't care what others saw them doing, that she noted pretty quickly. Many people were sitting in booths with their hands on each other. Some of the females had their blouses completely open, while their partner nuzzled them, and she tried not to stare. She was definitely going to have to grow accustomed to this, thinking to herself. Where she came from, people kept this kind of stuff behind closed doors. Finishing off her rum and coke, she left a few dollars on the bar for Michael. There would be plenty of time to deal with this when she was getting paid for it, she thought. As she stood up though, she noticed Rafe walking around and greeting his customers. For reasons she couldn't understand, she no longer wanted to leave, she wanted to watch him move.

  Getting attached to the boss was not the way to keep a job, she warned herself mentally. He was so incredibly handsome though and she felt looking was allowed. So what if she was deluding herself, she argued, there was just something about him that made her want to keep watching. He had a warm smile for everyone he talked with, but there was something underneath his smile that seemed to be dark and that just didn't fit the image he was portraying. Maybe that was it, maybe he was a mystery and she had never been able to pass up figuring out one of those.

  Her mind drifted back to her high school days and a smile found her face. She had a few friends in her little Christian school; of course these friends also went to her church. In those days she had been determined to prove that most of the supernatural things people claimed to find all had a logical explanation. Ghosts and aliens didn't fit into her scheme of reality, so she spent hours or research solving these little mysterious encounters the students claimed to have. Needless to say she wasn’t very popular, because younger people enjoy having their little unexplained phenomenon.

  Most of her old friends would probably laugh if they knew that she was a waitress in a bar now. Back in those days, she was a straight A student
and really should have attended college. Being raised as a conservative Christian, she could only imagine what they would think. Working in a bar after being raised as she was, just didn't seem to go hand in hand. The truth was that she just didn't want to spend another four years in school locked up in a classroom. As far as the club, well she had to eat and this was just a job. Besides, she'd lost her faith years ago, she argued with herself.

  “You look lost in thought,” He wasn't sure what pulled him over to her, but there was something about this girl that refused to let his mind rest.

  His voice broke into her walk down memory lane and she jumped slightly. She turned and found herself staring into Rafe’s deep blue eyes. Laughing softly, with her cheeks probably as red as the logo on the coaster she attempted a smile. “I guess I was”, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear nervously, she felt her hands tremble. Feeling the early breathlessness finding her again as she looked at him, she nibbled on her lower lip nervously. She didn't know what it was about him, but just looking at him made her want things she'd never really considered before.

  “Reconsidering?” She was so easy to read and he smiled, enjoying how aware she was of him. Pulling his eyes away from her chocolate gaze he looked around at the patrons in the bar.

  Puzzled, it took her a few seconds before she could understand what he was asking. “No, no, of course not,” she told him, “but it is different than any other place I've been.”

  “That's why I keep customers,” turning back to look at her, he smiled again. “People like what they don't see every day.” He wondered if that was his fascination with her. She was definitely different than most of the women he met in his establishment.

  She nodded and glanced around, noting that the atmosphere had sunk into sensual chaos. There were customers grinding against each other, but that she could deal with. She expected to see that in these kinds of places. She'd been so lost in her own thoughts and the entire tempo of the club had changed. As a tall man bit into the neck of his female partner, she was completely overwhelmed. Gasping out loud, she was really not prepared to see something like that. Her body tensed and she looked away quickly. He actually bit her! The sight completely shocked her and she was on the verge of completely freaking out.