by J. S. Peck
All three faces turned to me with no one uttering a sound. As I began my walk in silence down the hallway toward the break room, I heard laughter from the front area. As I passed the kitchen, I could hear Romano yelling at someone. “This is my kitchen and nothing or no one enters here unless they are invited and you are not! My kitchen, my rules. Now, get out! I’ll quit before I’ll allow anyone to tell me how to run my kitchen!”
“Now calm down, Romano! No one wants you to leave. You are the chef supreme and you know that, right? Let’s pretend this never happened, okay?”
When I peeked in I was surprised to see that it was Tony Angelo and Mama standing there. I couldn’t begin to imagine what the fuss was about. Perhaps Romano would share that with me tomorrow at my break time. I’d already decided that I would continue to sit with Romano for my dinner break. I would come into work at least a half hour early before my shift began so I could see what, if anything, I could pick up from the girls as they got ready for their shifts.
When I returned to the front desk, both Brian and Mike were laughing with Cindy who was enjoying herself, entertaining the guys. She looked happy and gave me a big smile as I came forward. “They’re all yours, Rosebud.”
Both guys looked a bit embarrassed as Mike said, “Not so fast, Cindy!” He looked at me with a wink and said, “Cindy talked us into staying for a bit. Here are the car keys for you, okay? Brian will drop me off at the house later. I won’t be too late, I promise.”
What could I say? Certainly, not anything I was thinking! I took the car keys from Mike feeling like the dutiful little woman ready to do whatever her man wanted. It sure didn’t feel good, though, in spite of knowing they were just doing their job. Mike bent to kiss me and whispered into my ear, “I promise I’ll be good.” Whatever that means, I thought, not the least bit interested in anything he did.
Brian watched the interaction between Mike and myself with a tight expression on his face. What’s wrong with him? I thought. It’s only play acting. I said my goodbyes and off I went. I gave my keys to the valet so he could pull my car up. I was surprised to find Johnny at my elbow. He didn’t look happy but then again, he never does. So I was surprised to hear him say in a professional voice, “Have a good night.”
I turned to him and looked at him curiously. “Thanks, Johnny.”
“Bambi says you’re ok.” As if that explained everything. Apparently, what was good enough for Bambi was good enough for him. I’d have to remember that.
CHAPTER 29
Since Mike had moved in, instead of lazing in the covers as usual in the morning, Sweet Pea is now the first one to hop out of bed. She runs downstairs with her little paws making its own music on the wooden stairs to be greeted by Mike who fusses over her and tends to her needs. I don’t know when Mike sleeps for no matter what time I wake up, I can hear him in the kitchen and smell coffee brewing.
I got up and dressed in one of the outfits that Louie had chosen for me. I was pleased with it. Apparently so was Mike for as I came down the stairs, he looked me over and smiled. “You look really beautiful, Rosie.”
It was interesting to note that Mike never called me Rosie girl, like Brian sometimes did. Instead it was simply Rosie. I could feel my cheeks turn pink with pleasure but tried to brush it off. “How was last night? I never even heard you come in.”
“Slept on the couch so I wouldn’t disturb you.”
“That was nice of you. I slept well for a change.”
Mike ran his hand through his disheveled hair and said, “Coffee’s ready and Sweet Pea’s been out. I’m going to hop in the shower and get cleaned up.”
“Okay. Just so you know, I want to go into work early today so I can see if I can pick up any tidbits from the girls.”
“Sounds good to me!”
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I was surprised because I hadn’t expected anyone. Sweet Pea went crazy with excitement. I looked at Mike and he shrugged his shoulder and said, “It’s probably Brian.”
I answered the door and as soon as Mike saw Brian, he gave him a wave and climbed the stairs, leaving Brian for me to entertain.
“Good morning! How about a cup of coffee?”
“Yes, please.” He looked me up and down and said, “You look nice.” As silly as it sounds, it irritated me that he couldn’t be more like Mike and say that I looked beautiful. His former phrase, “pretty enough” loomed before me. I studied him in silence and noted he looked tired and a bit disheveled. I turned to go into the kitchen and Brian followed on my heels holding Sweet Pea in his arms.
“So how was last night? Did you learn anything?”
“There’s a lot of shit going on there, that’s for sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“Things aren’t what they seem. . . I just know it.”
Goosebumps crawled along my body for that is exactly what my grandmother had said to me. It was odd how often he uses the same names and terms as she does. Are she and Brian connected somehow?
“What do you think is going on?” I asked.
“I think something big is going down in the next few days. I can feel it in my bones.” He paused, “This might mean that Mike won’t be able to be here every night.”
He carefully watched me and I tried not to show any reaction. I felt let down in a way that left me wondering about my attachment to Mike. I think Brian sensed it too for he quickly added, “I certainly won’t leave you alone, though. I’ll have surveillance here at the house.”
“For heaven’s sake,” I snapped, “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“That’s not the issue and you know it! Everyone knows you don’t like to have to depend on anyone else. But right now, you’re in a vulnerable position and I want you safe!”
I looked at him unable to say what was on my mind. I realized how much these two men in my life were coming to mean to me. As much as Brian wanted me safe, I wanted the same for him and Mike. That old expression came to mind -”What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. . .” I don’t know why it was so difficult for me to be straight forward with Brian about anything. But there it was.
“Here’s what I want you to do today, if it so pleases the lady,” he said playfully. I knew he hated me to snap at him, something I seemed to do with him too often. “I would like you to scout around a bit more to see if you notice any extra activity. Mike and I sensed more movement last night than ever before.”
“What kind of activity?”
“People scurrying around or more whisperings among the bosses. Past the men’s restroom, we heard doors opening and slamming shut like someone was in a hurry. That type of thing. That’s the area where the offices are, right?”
“Yes, and those are off limits to us girls. But I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Good! We’re doubling up the number of men who’ll be there on the premises for the next few days so you’ll never be alone.”
“How will I recognize them?”
“If you go through the bar, you’ll know who they are. They’ll be the ones more interested in drinking and just gawking at the girls than some of the other men there.”
I couldn’t help asking. “Is that what you do there, too?”
Maddeningly, Brian just smiled and never answered me, knowing that would annoy me.
Mike joined us all cleaned up and looking good. He looked from one to the other of us, sensing a bit of a conflict. Curious, he asked, “So what have you two been discussing?
“Just catching her up on what we experienced last night and telling her we are expecting something’s going down soon. Also to keep her eyes and ears open,” he added.
Mike looked at me and asked, “Did Brian tell you I won’t be here tonight. I’m going to leave the car keys with you so you can drive to work and home later. Once your shift is over, you need t
o go straight home though, understand?”
Mike was beginning to sound like the worried father again and I teased him by saying, “Yes, Dad.”
That seemed to annoy him, especially since he was just a few years older than me, but he held back a reply.
Brian reminded me, “Keep your cell phone with you at all times and use it if you need to get hold of me.”
Luckily, I was wearing flowing black pants with deep pockets and that wouldn’t be a problem. I had already programmed my voice command for both Brian and Mike’s telephone numbers which would speed things up if I needed to call either one.
I left them in the kitchen sitting at the table, setting up the schedule for their men. I wandered into my office. I had taken my Tarot cards out of the living room where I usually kept them and put them in here. As I reached for them, the bag that held them slipped and fell…almost as if it had been pushed. Down they went. One card popped out. I picked it up to see that it was the Death card. So the end was getting close, I thought with a thumping heart.
It was odd, too, that I had pushed away much of my intuition while taking part in this undercover scheme at the Purple Passion Lounge. I had wanted to play it straight, but what was the sense in that? We all needed to do what we could so that fewer people got hurt. I hoped with all my heart that the Death card wasn’t meant for Brian, Mike or me. Or anyone I cared about.
Thanks to my lawyer and best friend, Susannah, I’d gotten all my paperwork in order should anything happen to me. I even had to sign a special document which the state of Nevada requires so that should I die, Sweet Pea wouldn’t go directly to the pound. My neighbor signed that he’d have the right to remove her from my house until Nancy, one of my other close friends, could claim her.
My heart was heavy as I realized how vulnerable we all were. The guys left to do their own thing with Mike handing me the car keys. I was left standing there watching the two of them disappear through the door wondering what this day had in store for all of us.
CHAPTER 30
Before long, it was time for me to go to work. I was curious to see what I’d discover. Once I arrived there, it was too early for the valet, so I parked the car myself and walked to the front. I had to ring the buzzer for someone to let me in. As I waited there, a young girl whom I had never seen before came up next to me. “I’m so excited. This is my first day at work here!”
As she looked me over, she asked in a curious voice, “What type of dancing do you do?”
I laughed and said, “Not much of anything. I’m Rosalie. I’m the “welcome girl” at the front desk.”
She put her hand out to shake mine saying, “I’m Shirley. Nice to meet you.”
As she touched my hand, I had a vision of her laying on the floor with blood pooling around her and someone standing over her with a gun. I felt faint and stumbled back, letting Shirley be the first through the door as Johnny stood there. He gave me a funny look and said, “Are you all right?”
“I’m okay, thanks. How are you, Johnny?”
“C’mon in,” he mumbled, not answering me.
I had to be careful not to let my intuition pick up all that I was sensing around me or I would go crazy. I walked back to the employee lounge and put my purse into my locker before I went to fix myself a cup of coffee. Then, I sat at the large table placed there for us girls to use. I watched Shirley bounce around talking with three other young dancers who had come into the break room. “I’m so excited! So tell me, do the men give big tips?”
“It depends what you do for them. Obviously, you haven’t been trained yet!” remarked one of the other girls. “You’re new at this, right?”
“Yes, and my boyfriend would kill me if he knew what I was doing! I just want to make enough money so that we can get married. That’s why I’m here.”
It was making sense from what she had said about the boyfriend that he was probably the one with the gun in the vision I had. Even if I couldn’t be certain of the outcome of any vision I had, I couldn’t help myself and interfered. “Shirley, maybe you should do something else to earn enough money to get married. Maybe even something with better hours.”
“Like what?”
“You could waitress. You can earn big tips doing it and it would be safer too. Have you ever waitressed before?”
“No, and I’ve already decided this is what I want to do,” she answered emphatically.
The other girls looked at me obviously curious about my suggesting she should do something other than dancing here. Shirley turned back to them and asked, “It’s fun though, right?”
Now all three of the girls smiled and talked all at once. “That depends…” said one of them.
Another added, “Maybe for the first few days. Then, it becomes just work, like anything else.”
The third one looked at the other two saying, “The newbies always think it is more glamorous than it is, don’t they?” The three of them nodded their heads in agreement.
The first girl warned Shirley, “Stay clear of Mama. She can be a b-i-t-c-h, if you know what I mean.”
I watched them, knowing each had her own journey. I could only offer up a suggestion to do something else. The rest was up to them. I knew my time was up and I’d better hurry to the front. I said goodbye to the girls wishing them well, “Have a good day!”
I heard one of them ask, “Who was that?”
The response I heard came from Shirley. “She’s the older lady who works at the front desk. I forgot her name.”
I had to smile. Older lady at 32? Oh, my! I passed by Romano’s kitchen and blew him a kiss. As I rounded the corner to the front, I was glad to see Cindy there. She smiled at me and in ways I couldn’t explain, she pulled at my heart strings. What was she doing working here, anyway? I thought. She wasn’t supposed to be scheduled for the time I’m here.
“Hey, Rosebud, how goes it?” she asked.
“So far, so good.” I really liked Cindy for she was older than many of the girls and didn’t act like them either. She didn’t seem to lose herself in the business like they did. I’d heard she has pretty much taken over David Masterly’s duties of scheduling and other smaller tasks. I was curious about her. “How long have you been working here, Cindy?”
“Probably longer than what’s good for me. Why?”
“I don’t know. I can picture you in a more corporate setting, that’s all. Nothing against here, of course,” I added. Both knowing our jobs here didn’t really suit us made us laugh together.
Then, she became serious. “Well, I tried that once. As soon as word got out what I had done before, it was all over. Every guy in the company harassed me trying to get into my pants. You know how that goes, right?”
I paused, somewhat curious for her to think that had happened to me - men wanting to get into my pants. Perhaps. But I’ve always been accused of ignoring any attention any man gave me. “I get it,” was all I answered.
Cindy was bright, had “street smarts,” and a lot going for her. I could easily see her working for Brian or Mike as undercover where her background could be an asset. She’d be great, even. Perhaps an idea to run by Brian or Mike?
Cindy leaned toward me and whispered, “I don’t know what’s going on, but all the big wigs are jumpy. I overheard them talking about special guests coming in a day or two. I don’t know what that means. I tried asking David about it and his face fell. He immediately turned his back on me and walked out of the office. Just want to warn you, that’s all. Pretend you know nothing, okay?”
I had to smile for that would be easy for me to do as I had no clue what was going on. She left and I was somewhat surprised to find myself pretty busy until Bambi came to relieve me. I asked her, “What’s going on here? I’ve never seen it this way!”
“I don’t really know. Mama has something going on though. She’s rattled.”
�
�Oh, well. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. I’ll be back in 30,” I said.
I was happy to take my break and head to the kitchen to see Romano. I couldn’t wait to see what he had prepared for me.
“Ah, my little Rosebud. How are you?”
We air kissed and he still seemed upset to me. “Are you okay?” I asked him. “You seem upset.”
He practically hissed at me, “The owners here want to take over my kitchen tomorrow night. They have something special planned. They even want me to close down the kitchen for the entire night. I absolutely refuse to have anyone but me in my kitchen or they can find someone else for this job!”
“Whoa. You really are angry! So what are you going to do?”
Romano leaned in closer and whispered, “I’ll be cooking for a buffet which they will hold in the pool area. I’m not supposed to say anything to anybody about this so it’s between us, okay?”
“No problem. Mum’s the word.” My mind began whirling at what I had been told. I would have to get hold of Brian and pass on this information.
Romano seemed relieved to be able to spout his anger and within a blink of an eye he put on his normal happy face and said, “My darling Rosebud, I have fixed a surprise for you.”
I adore surprises and couldn’t wait to see what he had concocted just for me. “So tell me, what is it?”
“It’s Hungarian Chicken Paprika, an old recipe that will make you weep. Wait right here and I’ll bring it over.”
It was delicious with its creamy saucy and smooth taste served over rice with a fresh green salad to accompany it. It was worth every ounce I knew I would gain from eating it. My, that man knows how to cook!