by Lee, Leona
Parking in the employee parking lot at the Rubicon, Bethany walked inside. Four of the members of the Drobilka cartel were sitting at their usual table, and she nodded to them as she walked past. She didn’t see Vadim anywhere and assumed that he was in his office. Debating about sticking her head in, she headed to the employee locker room to change into her uniform.
Slipping into the short shift, she adjusted the belt to hide the scars that riddled her body before lacing up her gladiator sandals. She fiddled with her hair as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. Not yet twenty-five, her slender, boyish figure didn’t look like any of the other women who worked at the Rubicon, who sported curvaceous, well-endowed figures.
Well, it wasn’t as if I planned to make a career out of working at a strip club, she thought to herself as she looked in the mirror one last time. Walking out onto the floor, she picked up her tablet and turned to her station to see who needed help. A small party of what looked to be frat boys from the UT was already pounding back drinks as they watched the dancers on stage. Making her way around, she cleared empty glasses and took more orders while avoiding the obligatory groping of her ass.
Remembering Sasha’s advice on her first day, she did her best to avoid the drunken partygoers as she waved to one of the dancers to run interference for her while she waited on the tables. As she turned, she bumped into a young male sitting in her area. She bumped into another when she stepped back to apologize. Bethany quickly maneuvered out from between them by stepping sideways as she gave them her best fake smile.
Staggering in front of her, the first guy leered at her, “Thisssssss is my baaa-ch-lor party,” he slurred.
“Well, congratulations on your lucky day, how about if I buy you a drink to celebrate?”
“Only if you drink with me,” he answered.
She frowned slightly and pointed vaguely over her shoulder. “Well, the bosses don’t like it when the servers drink as it might lead to dropped drinks. How about if I…” Bethany paused when she realized that her tablet was no longer secured to her belt. Looking around, she saw that the second guy had lifted it from her and was now back in his seat with a cheesy grin on his face.
“Well, now,” she began as she motioned to the bachelor’s friend. “How can I possibly buy you another drink if I don’t have my tablet to take your order?” she asked, hoping that he was drunk enough not to argue.
“You will just have to to to figure it out, but you won’t get it back until you have a drink with me.”
Pasting a smile back on her face, she replied, “Why don’t you enjoy the show while I see to our drinks.” As Bethany turned to walk to the bar, she scanned the room for the bouncers that patrolled the club, but the Rubicon was packed for a Wednesday night and all the bouncers were otherwise engaged. Walking up to the bar, she ordered a round of Rubicon Specials, fruit juice with soda water, in the hopes that the bachelor party would be too drunk to notice that there was no alcohol, as she grimaced at Sasha who was tending bar.
“Problem?”
“You could say that,” Bethany replied. “Bachelor boy and his friends lifted my tablet and won’t give it back until I have a drink with him.”
“That’s something for the bouncers.”
“I know, but they’re all busy.” Grabbing the drinks Sasha gave her, she continued, “If you catch one, would you please send him over?”
Sasha nodded. “Will do.”
As Bethany walked back over to her station, she looked around hoping to catch the eye of any of the males who worked there, but everyone was busy. Remembering to smile, she headed toward the tables as she passed out the shot glasses.
“This, gentlemen,” she began as she walked around the table, “is a Rubicon Special. You won’t find it on any menu. In fact,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “you have to be in the know to get one. But since it is…I’m sorry, what’s your name?” Adam! someone shouted out. “But since Adam is going to tie the knot soon, I would like to propose a toast that my Irish granddad would often use. Are you ready?” At their nods, she held up her shot glass, “May you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous spouse.” At the hoots of laughter, everyone downed the shot and slammed it down on the table. Smiling at the guy who lifted her tablet, she held out her hand and he reluctantly handed it back to her. She turned on her heel and headed back to the bar to tell Sasha that she was taking a quick break.
Leaving her tray at the bar, she popped her tablet into a docking station and walked into the locker room. She sagged against the door, then walked over to the nearest bench and crumpled onto it as she buried her head in her hands.
“That was well done,” came a deep voice. “But you should have waited for a bouncer.”
Looking up, Bethany smiled thinly, “I tried to find one, but it’s busy tonight.”
Vadim nodded as he sat down next to her, “Next time, get help. It’s not your job to entertain the customers. Leave that for the dancers.” Pursing her lips, Bethany was about to complain, but simply nodded her head. He stood again and looked down at her, “I’ve switched your station for the rest of the night. You’ll be upstairs. It’s quieter, and you won’t be hassled.” Before she could reply, he walked out.
Bethany sighed and went into the bathroom to pull herself together before heading back out. Walking around the perimeter of the club to avoid the bachelor party, she grabbed her tablet and climbed the stairs up to the mezzanine level. She was surprised to see that this was a higher-level VIP section with its own private bar. Walking up to the bar, she dropped her tablet into the docking station to pull up the current customer orders. She went to introduce herself while seeing to any needs.
The remainder of the evening was uneventful, and Bethany tiredly changed out of her uniform and into her street clothes. As she was walking toward the exit, she paused in front of Vadim as he handed out the night’s pay. When she received her envelope, she was surprised that it felt thicker. Looking up at Vadim in question, “The bachelor party enjoyed your toast and included an extra tip for you.” As Bethany nodded her head in thanks and started to leave, he grabbed her arm to stop her. “There’s a private party tomorrow, I need you here at three.”
As Bethany drove home, she contemplated who would be at the club early tomorrow. Wondering if it was going to be members of the Chinese Triad again, she decided to go through what files the FBI had while she was on campus.
Chapter 4
Bethany pulled into the Rubicon’s employee parking lot and looked around at the few cars. When she had gotten home last night, she had fallen into an exhausted sleep and had almost slept through her alarm that morning. When she arrived at her handler’s office, Marci was already headed to class, so Bethany went to her favorite coffee cart for a high-powered caffeine dose and a blueberry scone. As she stood with her eyes closed, enjoying her espresso, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise again. Looking around, she still couldn’t see anything amiss. Shrugging it off to being overly tired, she tossed her empties into the trash before heading to class. She would speak with Marci later.
Before getting out of the car, she reached into her glove box for the sunglasses that Marci had given her. Walking inside, she went straight to the locker room to change into her uniform. Vadim met her inside to place a pendant around her neck. While he had told her it was required of all girls who worked the private parties, Bethany knew it housed a recording device, which would allow him to spy on his guests. As she turned around to look at him, she bit her lip.
Grasping her chin, he lifted her head to look at him. “What is it?”
Bethany shook her head. “It’s nothing, really,” she answered as she fingered the pendant.
“Nyet. It’s something. Tell me,” he demanded.
Bethany wasn’t entirely sure why she was helping him, but she felt the need to ask, “Well, given what happened last time, did you want me to spend time around any particular guests?”
Leaning down to kiss her forehead, “All
of them,” he told her before exiting the locker room.
She walked out into the club and blinked her eyes a few times while they adjusted to the darkened room. Retrieving her tablet, she waved to Sasha who was behind the bar and looked as tired as she felt. Bethany made her way over to the private party to introduce herself and take their orders.
She recognized many of the men from the previous party she worked as she told everyone hello in halting Chinese. Smiling at her, some of the older men spent a few moments correcting her pronunciation as she smiled. Since the majority of the guests were already familiar with her and didn’t know that she understood Chinese, they were speaking much more freely as she made her rounds seeing to their needs. The Rubicon had arranged for a small Dim Sum buffet and rather than making them get up, she ferried food to them, which allowed her to spend more time at the tables without appearing obtrusive.
The private party wrapped up after a couple hours, and Bethany was heading back to the locker room to change into her street clothes. Vadim met her at the door to take the pendant from her. “Come to my office after you change,” he told her.
As she changed into her street clothes, she pulled the sunglasses out and turned on the audio recording. Setting the glasses on her head, she walked into Vadim’s office. He had all three pendants on his desk and had downloaded the recordings to his computer. Motioning to a chair next to him, she joined him at the computer.
“I will play the recordings, and I want you to translate,” he told her. For the next two hours, she listened to the various conversations in Chinese as she translated them into English while he occasionally stopped to have her clarify what was said. When they were done, Bethany sat back and stretched. Feeling Vadim’s eyes on her, she turned to look at him.
Sliding his hand along her neck, he leaned in close to her as he brushed his lips across hers. “Thank you,” he said simply before capturing her lips in a kiss that made her pulse race. She melted into him and didn’t resist when he had her straddle his legs. Sitting on his lap, she cupped his face as her sunglasses tipped off the back of her head and landed with a clatter on the floor. She ignored them and continued to kiss him back, enjoying the sensations he was creating inside her. The sound of a throat clearing forced them to separate as Vadim’s second in command said something to him in Russian. Barking out an answer, he smiled at her apologetically as she reluctantly got off his lap and reached for her backpack.
As she was heading toward the exit, Vadim caught up with her. “Bethany, wait,” he called out as she turned. She was surprised to see that he had her sunglasses in his hand. He handed her an envelope with her day’s pay along with her glasses. “I’m afraid that these got scratched when they fell to the floor. I will buy you another pair,” he told her.
Hoping that he didn’t see the look of surprise on her face, she smiled at him. “No worries. This is my back up pair that I keep in the car. I’m sure that they were already scratched to begin with.” Nodding his head, he turned to go back into his office as she made her escape.
When she got to her car, she sighed heavily. What a thing to forget, she thought as she chastised herself for getting wrapped up in the sensations he created. Rubbing her legs together in agitation, she headed back to her apartment for a cold shower. There was a cocktail party for the languages department that evening and since she now had the evening off, she planned to drop the glasses off with her handler.
Living out of suitcases did have its advantages. For one thing, when tall, blond, and sexy decided to search your apartment, there really wasn’t much to clean up after. And for another, well, it made finding something appropriate to wear to a cocktail party that much simpler as Bethany only had the one little black dress. Slipping it on, she brushed out her hair and tied it in a loose ponytail. She slipped on her wedges and grabbed her bag on her way out the door. This would be the first time she participated in any department activities, and she hoped that she wasn’t making a huge mistake by going, but she really wanted to get the sunglasses to her handler as quickly as possible so that the recording could be transcribed.
Stopping at the security booth, she was pointed to the parking lot closest to the Dean’s house and made the short trek over to the back gardens. She was taken by surprise at the number of people already there as she hadn’t considered how large the department was, particularly since she only showed up to class because it was part of her cover and not because she was seeking another degree. Squaring her shoulders, she decided to consider this practice as she walked up to the information table to check in and smiled brightly at the young woman sitting there. She put her name badge on and stopped by the open bar to pick up a nonalcoholic drink. Given that the last few times she drank ended in her almost losing her virginity…twice…she wasn’t about to make a fool out of herself in front of her handler who needed this cover more than she did.
As she walked around the garden, she smiled at everyone she passed and nodded to some of the students she knew from class. Sitting down on one of the benches, she didn’t realize how tired she still was until she felt herself sag.
“You have terrible posture,” came a droll comment, as Bethany looked up in surprise.
“Excuse me?”
“The way you just sagged like that, you looked like a rag doll. I’m Peter,; by the way, we share a ten a.m. class together.”
“Bethany. And I didn’t realize how tired I was until I sat down.”
“May I join you?” As Bethany slid over for Peter to join her, she looked him over. Dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, he appeared to be a few years older than she was. His sandy brown hair was overgrown in places and looked as though he cut it himself. He was slender to the point of boyish, and his glasses were continually sliding down his nose as he constantly adjusted them. He seemed harmless enough. As they chatted, Bethany spotted her handler talking to the Dean. “Is Professor Chase your supervisor?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I saw you looking at Professor Chase, is she your supervisor?” Nodding her head, Bethany cautioned herself to be more careful as she hadn’t realized she had been that obvious.
“She is. Would you excuse me, please?” she asked as she stood up and walked toward her handler who smiled as she introduced her to the Dean. Exchanging introductions, Bethany talked about her class project and listened attentively as the Dean offered his advice. Excusing himself, he wandered off as the two women engaged in a quick discussion.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Marci told her as she looked around the garden.
“I wasn’t going to come, but I was called into work early and found myself with an evening free.”
“You look like you could use some time off, but since you are here, did you want to come to my office to pick up that book you were waiting for?”
“Very much so.” As the two women walked off, they didn’t notice Peter put his drink down and follow them. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, Marci ushered her into her office and locked it behind her. Bethany raised her eyebrow, and her handler informed her that it looked like she had a break-in, but nothing had been taken.
Bethany briefly filled her in on the contents of the recording and the latest intel from the Chinese Triad as she handed over the sunglasses. While they originally weren’t at the top of the list for the FBI, the recent smuggling attempts brought them under the watchful eye of the Dallas Regional Office. As she was about to leave, Bethany was reminded of Peter’s observation as she realized that she would need another pair of sunglasses. Marci pulled out a plain pair from her bottom drawer and handed them over. Placing them back on her head, she exited her handler’s office as her sunglasses went clattering to the floor. As she bent to retrieve them, she thought she saw a pair of jean-clad legs part way up the stairs, but as she got closer, they were gone. Wondering if Peter was watching her, she vowed to be more careful.
Chapter 5
The remainder of the week was uneventful as Bethany went throu
gh the motions at work. Vadim had been absent the last two days and while she swore that she would not be that woman who obsesses over her first sexual interest, she did find herself puzzling over it. Part of her was relieved, as the space he may inadvertently be giving her was helping her to concentrate on her job rather than her growing interest in him. When her handler had repeatedly asked if she could handle having a relationship with a person of interest, she adamantly said yes, but she feared her heart might say otherwise.
Since her first attempts with boyfriends, Bethany had long felt that a romantic relationship was not in the cards for her, given the reactions she got when her dates saw the many scars that covered her torso from her abusive stepfather. But from the moment Vadim had touched her all those weeks ago, she had allowed herself to believe it was possible. That is, until she found out that not only was Vadim an integral member of the Drobilka cartel, he was the man in charge. Known as the Belaya Lisitsa, or white fox, Vadim was linked to multiple smuggling operations that spanned much of the globe.
Well, I guess if you’re going to fall for someone, you might as well aim high, Bethany told herself as she headed toward the exit. As she stood in line to receive her night’s pay, Markov pointed toward Vadim’s office.
“He wants to see you.” Without asking whom, Bethany turned and walked in to find Vadim sitting in his office.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Shut the door and lock it.” Bethany nodded and did as she was told, swallowing hard. As she turned to face him, he got up from his chair and walked toward her. Dropping her backpack, she met him halfway as he swept her up in his arms.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around, Malyutka, but that translation you did was incredibly helpful.”
“Oh? Anything you care to share?”