The Club

by Mandasue Heller

  ‘Because I’m the one you made a bloody fool of.’

  Bored now, Leonard flapped his hand dismissively. ‘There’s an empty table. Go and sit down. I’ll be over in a minute.’

  ‘Why, what are you doing?’ Avril asked, unwilling to sit by herself when she didn’t even want to be here in the first place.

  ‘Getting another drink,’ Leonard informed her frostily.

  ‘We’ve only just got these.’

  ‘Yes, and at the rate you were putting them back last night you’ll need another before your backside hits the seat.’

  ‘Oh, don’t start that again,’ she moaned.

  But Leonard wasn’t listening. He’d just spotted Tony Allen and Jenna sitting together across the room.

  Turning to see who he was staring at, Avril’s lips puckered with irritation. ‘Go on, then. Go and see your new friend, why don’t you?’

  ‘I’ll go when I’m good and ready,’ he muttered, sticking his hand into his pocket in an attempt to look casual.

  ‘You’re so full of crap!’ Avril spat, turning on her heel and marching away. She knew full well that he wouldn’t go over to the man while she was watching, because he didn’t want her to see him being shooed away again. He must think that she was a complete fool.

  Stepping aside to let Brenda Thompson and her obscenely young male escort pass, Leonard downed his drink and turned back to the bar. ‘Scotch rocks,’ he said, keeping half an eye on Tony. ‘And a G-and-T, please.’

  ‘Anything else?’

  Shaking his head, Leonard said, ‘No, thanks.’ Then, on impulse: ‘Actually, yes . . . I was here last night, and, um, a young man served me. Blond, about so tall.’ He held a hand up to his nose. ‘He was wearing a gold stud in his ear, and I think he might have had a pierced eyebrow.’

  ‘That’ll be Austin,’ Vanessa said, dipping her voice to ask, ‘he didn’t do anything to upset you, did he?’

  ‘Course not.’ Smiling, Leonard reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. ‘He was very helpful, as it happens.’ Lighting up, he rested an elbow on the bar. ‘Is he, um, working tonight?’

  ‘Yeah, he should be around somewhere.’ Gazing out over his shoulder, Vanessa scanned the room, then shrugged. ‘Can’t see him. Would you like me to tell him you’re looking for him?’

  ‘Erm, no, it’s okay,’ Leonard said quickly. ‘I’m sure I’ll bump into him before the night’s out.’

  ‘Yeah, probably.’ Smiling, Vanessa placed his drinks on the counter and held out her hand. ‘Nine-eighty, please.’

  Leonard blanched. Almost ten pounds for two drinks? Outrageous! He’d have to make sure that Avril didn’t go overboard tonight, or he’d be bankrupt come the morning. Tugging his wallet from his pocket, he peeled off a ten-pound note and thrust it at her, telling her to keep the change as he snatched up his drinks and walked away.

  ‘How generous,’ Vanessa muttered.

  Spotting Austin a few minutes later, she waved him over. ‘That fat guy over there’s looking for you. But don’t expect a tip, ’cos I only got twenty pee.’

  ‘You should learn to be nicer to the customers,’ Austin told her, with a cheeky grin.

  Making his way over to Leonard’s table, he gave Avril a polite nod. Then he turned to Leonard, saying, ‘I was told you were looking for me, sir?’

  Eyes narrowed to slits, Avril gave a scornful snort. ‘Oh, I’m sure he was, dear, but I doubt you’d be so eager to—’

  ‘Shut up!’ Leonard hissed, giving her a warning glare. Blushing now, he said, ‘Please excuse my wife. We came straight from a dinner party, and I’m afraid she may have had one too many.’

  ‘Nonsense!’ Avril snarled. ‘I’m just telling the boy that he might expect to be run off his feet catering to you.’

  ‘Shall I come back later?’ Austin suggested, taking a step back.

  ‘Preferably when I’m not here,’ Avril snapped. Then, tutting, she shook her head, reminding herself that it wasn’t the boy’s fault her husband was such a shit. Downing the drink that Leonard had just brought her, she held the glass out. ‘A large G-and-T, please.’

  Doing the same, Leonard said, ‘And I’ll have a—’

  ‘Scotch rocks,’ Austin finished for him. Then, feeling Avril’s glare boring into him, he said to her, ‘That was what you told me to get for him last night, wasn’t it?’

  Smiling tightly, she said, ‘Excellent memory, dear. Shows you have the makings of a good barman.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Austin said, sure that she’d meant it as an insult. ‘And yours is a large G-and-T. I won’t forget. Can I get you anything else?’

  Oh, I’m sure Leonard could think of something, Avril thought bitterly.

  ‘No, thanks,’ she said. ‘That will do for now.’

  Turning on her when Austin made his escape, Leonard said, ‘What the hell was that all about? You bloody well embarrassed me.’

  ‘Not half as much as you constantly embarrass me,’ Avril shot back, looking at him with disgust. ‘Or yourself, for that matter.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he retorted indignantly. ‘You’re only being like this because the boy remembered me.’

  ‘No, I’m being like this because you went out of your way to look for him.’

  ‘I did not!’ Leonard lied. ‘The girl on the bar must have got the wrong end of the stick. She asked if we’d been happy with the service so far, and I mentioned that the boy had been very helpful last night, that’s all.’

  ‘And she just happened to know which boy you were talking about? How very convenient.’ Shaking her head disbelievingly, Avril folded her arms.

  ‘You’re just miffed because nobody’s paying you any attention.’

  ‘Oh, bugger off!’

  ‘Where are you going?’ Leonard demanded when she pushed her chair back and stood up.

  Leaning towards him, Avril patted his hand. ‘Don’t worry, dear, the little boy will be back soon to keep you company. Anyway, I thought you were supposed to be meeting that awful man again?’ Casting a glance in Tony Allen’s direction, she sneered. ‘Doesn’t look much like he’s waiting for you, though.’

  On his way back with the drinks just then, Austin waited until Avril had gone, then approached Leonard with a smile. ‘There you go, sir. One G-and-T, and one very large Scotch rocks.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Sighing wearily, Leonard reached for his wallet and handed him a twenty. ‘Keep the change,’ he said, running a hand through his hair. Wiping it on his trousers when it came back wet, he slumped down in his seat, looking thoroughly dejected.

  Gazing down at him, Austin shook his head sympathetically. The poor sod’s wife was a grade-A bitch to talk to him like that in public. Christ, gays were supposed to be bitchy, but they weren’t a patch on so-called loving wives when it came to verbal emasculation. Thank God he’d never have to put up with some razor-tongued harridan ripping his balls to shreds.

  ‘Look, I hope you don’t think I’m being nosy,’ he said when Leonard glanced up at him questioningly. ‘But is everything all right? Only your wife seemed a bit upset.’

  ‘My wife is perpetually upset about something or other,’ Leonard muttered, his belly rising and falling as he gave another deep sigh.

  ‘My mum’s the same,’ Austin confided quietly. ‘Her mate reckons it’s the menopause, but nobody dares mention it, ’cos she, like, totally flips.’

  Looking into the boy’s bluer-than-blue eyes, Leonard felt a mirthless chuckle bubble up in his throat. Oh, if only it were as simple as the menopause. At least there was medication for that.

  ‘Anyway.’ Austin flapped his hands. ‘I just wanted you to know that I understand. And if you ever need to talk . . . well, – you know.’

  Leonard’s eyes misted a little as it struck him that the boy was being sincere. It was so unexpected that he didn’t know quite how to react. It had been so very long since anybody had shown him any compassion or understanding.

  ‘You’re very kin
d,’ he murmured gratefully.

  ‘No problem.’ Austin gave him a pitying smile. He couldn’t bear to see people upset – unless he’d caused it, in which case they deserved it, so it didn’t count.

  ‘Do you, um, have a girlfriend?’ Leonard asked suddenly.

  ‘God, no!’Austin yelped. Then, glancing quickly around, he whispered, ‘I’m not that way inclined.’

  ‘Ah, I see.’ Nodding thoughtfully, Leonard drummed his fingers on the table for a moment, then said, ‘Are there many – you know – places for you young people to meet?’

  ‘Oh, yeah!’ Austin subconsciously adopted a girlish hand-on-hip stance. ‘The Village is fabulous.’

  ‘Really.’ Leonard nodded again. ‘Well, that’s good, isn’t it? I mean, it would be terrible if you had to hide away.’

  ‘There’s none of that, these days,’ Austin told him breezily. ‘We’re out and about all over the place. In fact, you’d be surprised how many of us there are.’ Pausing then, when it occurred to him that this man was of an age that he might not actually approve, he shrugged. ‘We tend to stick to our own places, though, so it’s not like we’re shoving it in anyone’s face.’

  ‘Probably just as well.’ Leonard sighed again. ‘There are a lot of ignorant people in this world.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Austin muttered, thinking of some of the scrapes he’d found himself in before now. It was his own fault, because he got a perverse kick out of flirting with straight men, but you never knew which way they would take it. Nine times out of ten they laughed it off – and some even played along. But the odd one would turn nasty and batter you senseless. Much as he liked to pooh-pooh Kalli’s concerns, he did know that he should be more careful.

  Like now, for example, chatting away to this man like they were mates when the man was probably only being friendly because his wife was such a bitch and he was grateful to have somebody on his side – not because he was interested.

  Not that Austin would be interested even if he was, because he preferred the classic tall, dark and handsome type – like Vibes. Now there was a man he’d be only too happy to . . .

  Stopping the thought dead before it showed up in his shorts, Austin said, ‘Right, well, I’d best go back to work. Shout if you need me.’

  ‘I will,’ Leonard said quietly. ‘Thanks again.’

  ‘I was watching that,’ Kalli hissed when Austin came back to the bar. ‘What’s going on with you two?’

  Raising a prim eyebrow, Austin said, ‘Er, he’s married.’

  ‘That doesn’t usually stop you.’

  ‘No, but I’m behaving myself – Guide’s honour. I do listen to you sometimes, you know.’

  ‘Glad to hear it,’ Kalli murmured, not sure that she totally believed him.

  ‘I don’t half feel sorry for him, though.’ Austin glanced back at Leonard, who looked thoroughly miserable again. ‘His wife treats him like a dog. You should have heard her tearing strips off him just now. It was brutal. And she didn’t even care that I was standing there.’

  ‘Keep out of it,’ Kalli told him firmly, sure that the fat man probably deserved whatever his wife threw at him. ‘And promise you’ll stay away from him.’

  ‘Okay, I promise,’ Austin agreed wearily, crossing his fingers behind his back.

  ‘Without the crossed fingers.’ Folding her arms, Kalli raised an eyebrow and gave him a stern look.

  Grinning, Austin brought his hands up and waggled his fingers. ‘Is that better?’

  ‘Much,’ she said, giving him a satisfied smile and walking away.

  ‘Yeah, but I didn’t promise that time,’ Austin whispered to her retreating back. If she thought he was letting one of the other waiters nab his big tipper, she had another think coming.

  Still buzzing more than an hour after her visit to Fabian’s office, Melody was amusing herself by winding up Tony’s celebrity friends.

  Calling, ‘Cheers’ to nobody in particular, she slurped her drink and smacked her lips loudly – to the obvious disgust of those close enough to hear. Then, slamming the glass down, she lit one cigarette after another, blowing her smoke into other people’s faces, and rudely jumping in and out of their conversations.

  Tony was watching Melody with suspicion. She couldn’t seem to sit still, and she was being way louder than usual, pushing herself into conversations that didn’t concern her and tossing out insults disguised as compliments. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was on something. He was sure she wasn’t, though, because she didn’t know anyone to score off. But, high or not, she was definitely acting up – and he wasn’t impressed.

  Excusing himself after a while, he got up and jerked his head at her. ‘Yo. Over here a minute.’

  ‘What’s up?’ Melody asked, jiggling to the music as she followed him to the bar, her eyes darting every which way.

  ‘That’s what I want to know.’ Tony gave her a piercing look. ‘You’re acting weird. Are you on something?’

  ‘Oh, give me a break,’ she snorted, putting her hands on her hips. ‘I decide to get into the swing of things, and you have to go and ruin it by accusing me of all sorts. I don’t have to talk to your boring friends, you know. I was only making an effort for you. But if that’s all the thanks I’m gonna get . . .’

  ‘That’d better be all it is,’ Tony said in a low voice. ‘If I find out you’ve been doing something—’

  ‘You’ll what?’ Melody interrupted cockily. ‘You can’t tell me what to do, Tony. I’m your girlfriend, not your daughter. Though, Christ knows, you’re old enough to be my fucking dad.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Tony warned her quietly. ‘You just keep flapping that mouth and see what it gets you.’

  Catching the glint in his blacker-than-black eyes, Melody struggled to bring herself under control. It was mega-difficult with the coke still coursing through her veins, but her deeper instincts screamed at her to behave before he flipped out and she managed to latch on to a sliver of common sense and quieten down.

  Pouting now, she looped her arms around his thick neck and dipped her head to drop little kisses on his face.

  ‘Sorry, Sugar-Wugar. I’m trying to be nice, but the nasty people don’t like me – and that upsets me, ’cos I haven’t done nothing wrong.’

  Gazing down into her cleavage, Tony felt his anger evaporate. Man, she was one horny bitch.

  ‘Nah, they’re just jealous ’cos you’re such a doll,’ he told her, giving her nipples a tweak. ‘But if that’s your idea of being nice, quit it, for fuck’s sake. It sounds more like insults to me.’ Chuckling now, he said, ‘And don’t think I didn’t hear you telling that broad she’s lucky she’s going bald.’

  ‘Yeah, well she is,’ Melody said playfully. ‘All she has to do is open the window and her little nest’s dry. Me, I gotta spend two hours drying this little lot.’ Reaching up, she ran her hands through her own lusciously thick hair.

  ‘Smart-mouthed bitch.’ Tony laughed, copping a handful of ass. ‘Just pack it in, yeah?’

  ‘If you say so,’ Melody agreed, slipping her arm through his. ‘But you’d best start paying me some attention, or I might get bored and start amusing myself again.’

  Catching Fabian’s eye when they passed him on their way back to the table, Melody gave him a little wink and let her gaze slide to his groin. Smiling when he blanched, she cupped her hand around Tony’s ear and whispered, ‘How’s about we cut out early and go fuck our brains out?’

  Sure that Melody had been whispering about him, Fabian beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the lower floor. Yet again, the buzz was well and truly shattered, and the stabbing paranoia was back with a vengeance. He needed a hit of vitamin C to bring him down.

  Going to the bar, he snapped his fingers at JoJo and demanded a fresh orange juice.

  ‘Yes, sir!’ she muttered, her slim nostrils flaring with irritation as she flipped her platinum hair back over her shoulder and marched to the fridge. Pouring his drink, she slammed the glass
down on the counter in front of him. ‘Anything else?’

  Fabian narrowed his eyes meanly. ‘Who am I?’

  A confused frown flickered across JoJo’s brow. What kind of whacked-out question was that?

  ‘Who am I?’ he repeated slowly.

  ‘Fabian,’ she replied. Adding, ‘Mr King,’ when he carried on staring at her. Then, ‘The manager.’

  ‘At last she gets it,’ Fabian snarled. ‘Me manager – you waitress. And if you ever dare speak to me like that again, you’ll find yourself out on the street where you belong. Got me?’

  ‘Got you.’ Lifting her chin proudly, JoJo bit her tongue to prevent herself from telling him to go fuck himself. She needed this job too much to give him an excuse to sack her.

  ‘Good!’Fabian snatched up his glass. ‘And don’t forget it.’

  Sticking two fingers up at his back when he walked away, JoJo snarled, ‘Yes, Mr King . . . no, Mr King . . . and would you like me to suck your tiny little dick while I’m at it, Mr King?’

  ‘Excuse me?’ Austin gasped, coming up behind her in time to catch this last bit. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve got the hots for Fabulous Fabian? Oh, my fucking life, girl. Just wait till I tell the others.’

  ‘Fuck off,’ JoJo snapped. ‘He’s a jumped-up little twat.’

  ‘That’s more like it,’ Austin chuckled. ‘Anyway, forget him. Have you got my thingy?’

  ‘Shut up!’ Glancing quickly around, JoJo grabbed his arm and dragged him into a corner. ‘Fucking hell, man, you’re going to get me shot with that big mouth of yours.’

  ‘Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.’

  ‘You never do.’ Scowling, JoJo reached down her top and pulled out a small plastic bag of tablets. Taking one out, she shoved it into his hand. ‘There. And don’t ask me for any more tonight, ’cos you’re acting too hyper.’

  ‘Can’t help it.’ Austin grinned. ‘I’m buzzing off this place. Don’t you think it’s fab since old man Lordey kicked it?’

  ‘Would be if we had a different manager,’ JoJo agreed, smiling now because Austin’s glee was infectious. ‘Glad you’re here, though.’