Everyone was content. Everyone was happy. As the clock neared 12:30, I realized that I wasn’t actually that drunk, considering it was my twenty-first birthday and I probably should have been passed out in a pool of my own vomit by then. But I had done so much talking, taken so many pictures, showed off my new shoes so many times, that I really hadn’t overindulged on too many drinks. The Alex-osa’s were bomb, and I think I had two...maybe three. I knew I did a shot with Lila at the beginning of the night, a jolly rancher that tasted just like, well, a jolly rancher. It felt a little weird drinking in front of so many people that called me their boss, so I was being conscientious of that fact. But I was still enjoying myself, don’t get me wrong. My birthday party was exceeding anything that I could have thought of. Until it happened.
Kevin, who was piss-ass drunk before I even showed up at Tango, was in prime condition. I was keeping an eye on him, as were both Henry and Lila, but he seemed to be doing all right. Sure, he was loud at times. And yes, he made some off-color remarks to my party guests–– including both Allie and Carmen. Allie’s fiancé –– who was a perfect gentleman and who I thought was quite handsome in the looks department –– just took Allie’s hand and led her to the dance floor after Kevin told her she should have worn a shorter dress because she rocked “legs that that bitch Cameron Diaz would pay for–– after she bought herself a pair of real tits.” And Carmen simply flipped him the bird and flounced away after he announced to her that, “Mexico wants its hot tamale back, hot damn, baby!”
But my party literally screeched to a halt just minutes after I checked the time at 12:30 and was congratulating myself on a night to remember. I wandered over to the booth were Lila was sitting, and Henry was soon by my side. He gave me a light kiss on the forehead, snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me close. “I think it’s just about closing time,” he whispered in my ear–– loudly, since the music was so loud.
I nuzzled into his shoulder. “You’re staying at my place still, right?”
“Nowhere else I would want to be,” he responded, causing goosebumps to spread up my arms. A half-naked Henry in my bed sounded like just where I wanted to be at that moment. I was thinking about herding my girlfriends together when I heard Kevin shout my name behind me.
“Alex! Alex, you owe me a dance, you dirty slut. Come on! Come dance with me.” I turned around to find Kevin on the edge of the dance floor, his shirt all the way unbuttoned and half off. I watched in horror as he took it off and stuck it between his legs, thrusting back and forth while whooping and hollering. Everyone was starting to stare.
“Oh, Jesus. Where the hell is Dani?” I looked around Tango, trying to spot Kevin’s wife and the only one who could calm him down. She was nowhere to be found.
“He is out of control, Alex. I can’t believe you have to work with him every day,” Lila said, staring at Kevin. “Kudos to you for still being there. I probably would have snapped by now.”
Kevin started coming closer to us, gesturing wildly and throwing his hands in the air. “Alex! I said now!” he hollered, finally reaching the table. His eyes were bloodshot, he was sweating profusely, and he reeked like someone had dumped bottles of liquor on him. It was disgusting. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me to the dance floor. “Dance, little girl! Come on, show me your moves. I know you got them buried under that prissy exterior!”
My mouth dropped open. How dare my boss say those words to me? “Kevin, I don’t think that’s very appropriate to say to one your employees. Especially your manager,” I retorted, my hands going to my hips. Fuck no! I was not going to dance with this douchebag.
“I don’t think this is appropriate either, but I want to see them!” I stared confused at Kevin when he said that, having no idea what he was talking about. Before I could think or react, he reached up and put a hand on either side of my v-neck top...and ripped. Ripped my shirt off in the middle of the dance floor of one of the busiest night clubs in Des Moines. Completely ripped my brand-new birthday shirt in half, leaving me exposed and in a lacy bra that was meant for Henry’s eyes only. In front of my friends. Classmates. And employees.
“Yeah, baby! We gotta get you a deal for Gropers! Someone! Anyone! Grab me my phone. Call Chris–– she needs a photo shoot!”
The club seemed to go silent. I swear, I thought the DJ did that halt the records thing that sounded like a zipper, but I knew the music was still playing. I saw black and could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I couldn’t move, couldn’t cover myself up, couldn’t do anything. Shock. I was in shock. Kevin had officially humiliated me on my birthday.
“Alex! Oh my God, here!” Lila had run over to me, throwing someone’s jacket over my exposed body. I could see Carmen running towards me from the bar on the other side of the dance floor, fire in her eyes. I could see Emma and Corey coming my direction. I saw Hannah gripping Peter’s hand as she rushed my way. And I saw Henry push Kevin backwards. It wasn’t that he pushed him hard, but Kevin was already so off-balance that he tumbled to the ground, landing in a heap at Henry’s feet. I blinked, still not understanding what had just happened. Did Kevin really say he wanted to see my boobs before ripping my shirt off me? That couldn’t have happened. There was just no way.
“Where the fuck is Dani? Someone find Dani. Now!” Carmen screamed as she finally made it to me, wrapping both arms around me. “Are you okay, Alex? Are you okay? We’re going to find Dani. We’re going to figure this out. Alex? You okay?”
I finally snapped out of my daze, focusing on Carmen’s dark eyes. “What. The. Fuck?” I finally managed to get out, pulling the coat around me tighter. I didn’t even know who it belonged to, but that was the least of my worries. I glanced around, seeing Allie and her fiancé staring at me. One of the front desk gals, Tiffany, was standing in a circle with two stylists, Sophia and Lindsey, the three of them just staring at me in shock. Morgan and Shawna, an esthetician and massage therapist, gaped at me. How the hell was I supposed to act normal around my employees now? They had seen me in my bra! Shirt ripped off by the guy that signed their paychecks. What happened next?
Kevin was still on the ground, struggling to his feet. I noticed security making their way over to us. Lila and Carmen started to lead me to the stairs. Hannah and Peter were gathering our things at the booth–– our clutches and the gifts I had been given. My Louboutins, which had been so comfortable all night, suddenly felt like they were cutting off my circulation.
“Sir. We’re going to have to ask you to leave.” Security had made their way to Kevin, and they were now helping him off the ground.
“I’m not leaving! This is my party! Do you know who I am? Where’s Rick? Someone get Rick up here! He’ll tell you who I am. I probably paid both of your wages tonight!” Kevin was screaming in their faces, his own face red and eyes bulging. I cringed, just wanting to get far, far away from the whole scene. I wondered if I could ever show my face again at Tango. Probably not.
“Sir. We saw what you did, which is grounds for needing to leave. Right now,” the second security guard, who had even bigger biceps than his partner, didn’t even flinch at Kevin’s words. I was sure they heard it at all being bouncers at bars.
“To Alex? Oh, come on, she knows me. Alex! Alex, sweetheart! Tell these nice men that it’s no big deal. We know each other!” Kevin started shouting to me. I paused and looked at him. He was sweating and it looked like he laid in a spilt drink when he took his Henry-assisted tumble. He did not look like a businessman, a husband, or anyone with class or an ounce of respect. I felt for him–– for a just a second. I wondered if he realized how badly he fucked up this time, and how publicly.
Without a word, I turned around and kept walking towards the stairs. I was determined to hold the tears in, at least till we got to the limo. Carmen and Lila flanked me, and I could see Henry, Max, and Kyle quickly following behind us. Hannah and Peter came after them. Right when we got to the top of the stairs, Dani appeared.
“Hey, guys! Where are you go
ing? What happened? Alex, what’s wrong?” She took one look at my face and knew a disaster had taken place. A disaster named Kevin Dohlman.
I didn’t say anything, just looked at Dani and slowly opened the coat I was wearing. Showing her that my outfit now consisted of a mini-skirt and white lace bra.
“What in the hell? Who did this to you?” Dani searched my face, and I saw her expression darken. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I thought...I didn’t think he would...I apologize for him. I can’t believe he would pull this tonight. In front of everyone. Oh, God, did everyone see?” Her eyes welled with tears, and I felt terrible for her. Her husband clearly had a lot of issues, and it was always Dani’s job to pick up the pieces after the hurricane and put everything back together.
I nodded, still unable to speak. Lila took over for me. “We’re going to get going. Kevin is in the process of being thrown out by security. You might want to help him.”
Dani stared at me for another second, her pain cutting right into me. “I’m really sorry about this, Alex. I...I’ll call you tomorrow.” And she rushed to the dance floor, where we could now see that Kevin was being physically removed by the bouncers, screaming his head off about lawyers and lawsuits.
We made it unscathed to the lower level and out into the night. Our limo was just around the corner, and Tony helped us all in. As I sat down and laid my head on Henry’s shoulder, I realized how exhausted I felt. How exhausted I felt every time I did a Blissful function. Whether it was working, meetings, phone calls, whatever–– Blissful always left this feeling with me.
“I don’t know whose coat this is,” I said meekly, wrapping it tighter around me. “I just stole someone’s coat.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure out who it belongs to and make sure they get it back. I’m sure they won’t mind you borrowing it,” Lila said, sitting to the right of me.
I nodded my head. I thought the tears would come once I made it to the limo, but they hadn’t showed yet. My body just felt numb. I had to quit my job. There was no way I could continue on after that night. How could I have an ounce of respect for myself if I did? “I have to quit, don’t I?” I asked my friends. They were all in the limo–– Lila and Henry on my sides, Hannah holding hands with Peter, Carmen sitting in between Max and Kyle, and Emma sitting beside Corey. My own little support group.
“Could you stay?” Emma asked me. “Could you stay after this incident?”
I shook my head. “There’s no way. No way. How would I act around Kevin? The employees? What kind of example would I be setting for them if I just brushed this under the rug? That they all need to lie back and take whatever shit Kevin throws their way? I can’t do that. I just can’t. I’m better than that.”
“You are better than that, Alex. Just keep remembering that. You’re better than what just happened in there.” Henry squeezed my hand and kissed my temple.
The limo first dropped Max and Kyle off at their place. Peter was staying at Hannah’s and Henry was staying with me. “I’m going to hop out here, too, if that’s okay with you, Alex. Unless you want to stay up and chat at all. I’ll come back to Wacker,” Carmen said. Even in my current condition, I could see she was finally closing the gap of “friendship” between her and Max.
“No, please. Don’t worry about me. I’m exhausted and just want to sleep. I don’t want to think anymore until the morning. Have a good night.” I managed a wink at her, and she winked back before grabbing her clutch and exiting the limo.
The rest of our group rode back in near silence. Tony helped us all out of the limo and tipped his hat to us as we filed silently inside Wacker. Everyone gave me a hug as we parted, even Corey. I remembered thinking I liked him as he grabbed Emma’s hand and led her down the hallway. Lila unlocked our door and we stepped inside the apartment.
“Well. Great night, everybody. Let’s try that again next year, shall we?” I said bitterly, throwing my clutch on the kitchen table. I ripped the stupid Louboutins off my feet, wanting to throw them as well but realizing that carelessly treating shoes that could very well cost thousands of dollars wouldn’t be my smartest move. “What a fucking joke.”
“It is a fucking joke, Alex. I mean, what the hell are you going to do tomorrow? What do you even say to him? To the employees? Dani? What the hell is Dani going to do?” Lila fired off questions that she knew I couldn’t answer. Henry sank onto the couch, shaking his head.
“I really don’t even know if I can think about this anymore tonight. My head feels like it could explode. But there is no way in hell I am going back to work for him. No freaking way.”
“Can you sue? Could you have any sort a case of sexual harassment against him or something?” Henry asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Honestly, I doubt it. He has so much money anyway he could hire much better lawyers than I ever could. I know he’s won lawsuits before when he definitely should have lost. Money buys everything in his world.”
“But Henry’s right. You’re quitting because of what he did. You’ll be out of job because of his actions. And what about the money that he’s given you? You could show how he’s tried paying you off.”
“But that’s going to make me look bad. I accepted it. I helped keep his secrets because he kept handing me checks. What does that say about me, about my character? I look like any cheap hooker would, choosing money over my morals. Why didn’t I just get out of it right away?” Tears leaked through my eyes. I should have known better. I should have gotten out. I should have told. Should have, should have, should have.
“Alex, you can’t blame yourself.” Henry grabbed my hand and led me gently to the couch. “It’s not your fault what Kevin does. And remember what we talked about a few weeks ago? You were going to use that money to help start your own business. It’s not like you were taking the money and going on shopping sprees and buying cars. Or worse–– it’s not like you started sleeping with Kevin, too.”
I thought of Allie once Henry said that. Was she being paid by Kevin? Was she getting “bonuses” on the side? I wondered if her fiancé knew. I wondered if Dani knew. I wondered if Allie was sleeping with him when we had our heart to hearts when I had first started Blissful. “I just have too many questions right now. I want to sit down with Dani and get this figured out. I like her. Maybe she knows about Kevin’s infidelities, maybe she just doesn’t want to believe them. But I don’t want to believe Allie. She told me she thinks Dani knows and sticks around because Kevin has money. But what if that was just a lie? Allie’s been lying to me since I came on board. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was making Dani out to be this terrible person. She’s the one cheating on her fiancé. Sleeping with her boss. Sleeping with her friend’s husband. I cannot believe what a mess this is. My dream job. What a joke.”
We went to sleep shortly after that. I decided I would call Dani tomorrow and ask her to meet me somewhere where we could talk, really talk about what the hell was going down at her business. And I needed to turn in my resignation –– effective immediately. I had to start looking for new jobs. I had to call Alicia and explain what the hell happened. That was going to be a terrific phone call. My sister was going to be livid. Maybe another trip to Seattle was in my future; just to get away for a second and breathe and try to forget these past six months.
I fell asleep cuddled in Henry’s arms, dreading the next day.
$$$
“Okay. I’ll see you in an hour. Bye.” I hung up the phone with Dani after making plans to meet at the deli by Blissful. Dani apologized about eight times in our ten-minute phone conversation, and said she really wanted to meet with me as well. I had woken up early that Sunday, made it to church with Henry, Hannah and Peter, then came back to Wacker to shower, change, and prepare myself for lunch with Dani. Henry and Peter had gone back to their house, but Henry left me with a kiss and plenty of words of encouragement. The girls all gathered in apartment 12, watching me get ready.
“I just wonder what she’s going to say. Will she
make excuses for Kevin? Make you feel like you were in the wrong? Or will she be totally against him and want a divorce?” Emma wondered, watching me pull my hair back in a ponytail.
“If she doesn’t at least separate from Kevin for a while, I will be fucking flabbergasted. I know marriage is tough and all that bullshit, but this man clearly doesn’t know how to stay faithful. I’m dying to know if Dani has knowledge of the other affairs. Or of Allie! Shit could get very real at that spa.” Carmen added her thoughts to the situation.
“I think it’s so sad. Kevin really could have a lot going for him. Money, business, wife, kids. It’s sad he wants to throw all that away just to have sex with other women. What is wrong with men?” Hannah wondered.
“They’re all pigs. Selfish, usually lazy, pigs. Text us throughout lunch, Alex. Seriously. We’re going to be on pins and needles over here,” Lila said.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get all the details soon enough. How do I look?” I was aiming for business casual with a crisp white shirt tucked into wide-legged khaki pants and nude pumps.
“You look good. Here’s your binder.” Lila handed me my bulging black binder that was always filled with Blissful documents. This morning, it also contained copies of my letter of resignation.
“All right. I’m going to head out. I’ll text you and let you know how it’s going.” I was out the door with a chorus of “Good luck!” ringing in my ears. I climbed in my Camry and directed it on the familiar path to Blissful. I was sad that I wouldn’t be making the drive anymore. I was sad that I lost a job that I truly enjoyed, one I thought I was good at. I was disappointed in myself that I hadn’t spoken up sooner. Maybe if I had, it wouldn’t have come to what happened at my birthday party. Maybe Dani would have left Kevin months ago. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
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