Roses After Midnight

by Linda Randall Wisdom

  Celeste was the first to say something. “Salted peanuts versus honey roasted. Which do you prefer?”

  Flip looked at Luc, but there was nothing in his expression to give away his thoughts.

  “Being a Friday, tonight will be busy,” he murmured to her. He looked at the two women. “I’m afraid you’re on your own tonight. Angie, the other waitress, couldn’t come in. Her little boy is down with the flu.”

  “Which means I’ll be running more and talking less. Got it.” The young woman flashed a sunny smile.

  The moment Luc left the bar, Flip headed for the bar and took the stool Luc had just vacated.

  “Wouldn’t he make a great vampire?” she asked Celeste.

  Celeste laughed. “What?”

  “You know what I mean. He’s that dark, dangerous type.” She lowered her voice. “He’s always so quiet and reserved. I don’t think anyone knows all that much about him—even Jimmy and Paulie, and they’ve been his best friends for like forever,” she confided. “It’s because of Luc that they have the restaurant. He wanted to live respectably. He once said he wasn’t going to do anything stupid that would mean he’d die in prison. Isn’t that sad?”

  “When you think about it, everyone should think that way,” Celeste said casually as she wiped down the bar for something to keep her looking busy.

  Flip traced imaginary figures on the wooden surface. “That’s what my dad always said. Well, yelled,” she clarified. “He doesn’t like me much, but that’s okay, because I don’t think he’s all that great either. If my mom had been smart she would have dumped him years ago.” Her usually cheerful smile slipped a notch. “It’s funny. You always hear that parents say they stay together because of the children. I moved out on my eighteenth birthday and my parents are still together and still fighting. And they wonder why I don’t like coming home for the holidays.”

  “Flip.” Celeste reached out to cover her hand with her own. Just then, a couple walked into the bar and took a table.

  “Time to work.” The darkness left Flip’s eyes as she conjured up a bright smile. “Sorry for the angst. Rainy weather seems to do that to me, and we’ve had way too much rain these past couple weeks.” She grabbed a bowl of pretzels as she hopped off the stool, then walked over to the couple. A moment later, she was back with their drink orders and her usual smile and quips.

  “Flip, if you ever want to talk…” Celeste offered, feeling sympathy for the young woman.

  Flip smiled and shook her head. “Look, you’re new here. None of us really talks all that much about ourselves,” she explained. “It’s like some unspoken rule around here. I don’t even know why I told you what I did. Rain has me acting weird sometimes. Just forget anything I said.” She took the glasses of white wine and scotch on the rocks and set them on her tray.

  You knew it wouldn’t be easy, Celeste thought to herself. It’s only the second day. Yet, she couldn’t stop wondering why Flip confessed something so private to her. She wondered if she might not have accidentally hit on a good source for the other employees. She’d noticed the night before that Flip’s easygoing nature was readily accepted by the others. She also again wondered what Flip had done to garner her a place at Dante’s Cafe.

  “Hey, gorgeous, what does a guy have to do to get a drink here?”

  Celeste swallowed her sigh. She knew the type only too well. Hair carefully styled even if it was windy and rainy outside, clothing chosen to drape on a gym-honed body and a tan that had nothing to do with the great outdoors. She’d even bet most of those sparkling perfect white teeth were bleached and capped. She brought up the smile she had learned at her mother’s knee. The one guaranteed to weaken any man at the knees. It appeared to work on the man seated across from her.

  “Just tell me what you want,” she said, adding a husky voice to the equation. She set a bowl of peanuts down next to his elbow.

  The man’s eyes lit up. “Oh, honey, what I want may be behind the bar, but it isn’t something to drink.”

  “Then, you’re going to end up pretty dry after you’ve eaten most of those peanuts.”

  “Bourbon, neat. You’re new here,” he commented.

  Celeste poured his drink and set it in front of him. Her smile hadn’t slipped. “Enjoy your drink, sir.” She walked to the end of the bar where Flip stood waiting.

  Celeste remembered that when she used to work as a bartender Saturday nights kept her hopping. Admittedly, that bar had catered to the college crowd who were convinced Saturday nights were meant to party.

  This Friday-night crowd was older, but it was a constant flow as many guests came in while waiting for a table in the dining room. A four-piece band played bluesy jazz music that affected a part of her deep inside. For a brief second she could imagine herself seated at one of the tables set far back in one of the darker corners. A private table where she and Luc… Shock was an effective cold shower. Where had that idea come from?

  Celeste determinedly shook off the disquieting thoughts and returned to her work.

  “You’ve been working nonstop since you arrived,” she said when Flip came back with another order.

  “If it gets too crazy in here, we can get someone from the dining room to come in and help out,” she replied, taking the drinks from Celeste and setting them on her tray.

  By midnight, Celeste was fondly thinking of a hot bath, a glass of wine and a good book. On second thought, she just might skip all three and head straight for bed.

  At least the bar was quiet, with only a party of four for Flip to look after.

  During her dinner break Celeste observed some of her co-workers.

  True, they weren’t forthcoming about themselves, but she was able to pick up bits and pieces as she discreetly eavesdropped on conversations by pretending interest in the book she had opened the moment she sat down to her meal. By giving the impression she wasn’t exactly Miss Congeniality she hoped to prevent their seeing her as a threat.

  She didn’t expect revelations to jump out at her even the second night, but in her line of work, stranger things had happened.

  What felt like an electric wire gone hot across the back of her neck alerted her to Luc’s presence.

  She had to admit the dark attire suited him. Tonight, black pants and a black silk open-throated shirt had her thinking of Flip’s vampire description. She idly wondered how many ladies’ necks the man had feasted on. She’d watched him earlier when a party of three couples arrived. Two of the women had looked him over as if they considered him the main course. And if Celeste wasn’t mistaken, one had slipped him a piece of paper. She hazarded a guess it was the woman’s telephone number. Celeste also noticed that later Luc took the slip of paper, tore it up and threw it away.

  Celeste had tried to research his private life, but she hadn’t been very successful. All she learned was that he paid all his bills on time, didn’t have even a parking ticket against him and kept to himself. Any personal relationships he’d had were usually short-lived. She pegged him as the type that didn’t want to be tied down. She could understand that, since he met a great many women in his work. Celeste knew she shouldn’t have been looking into Luc’s past. He wasn’t a suspect in the case. But that hadn’t stopped her from indulging her curiosity.

  Celeste told herself she wasn’t interested in him as a man. She didn’t have time for relationships, nor did she want one. Men didn’t seem to have an easy time with the realization the woman they were seeing could pretty much whip their butts.

  She had a pretty strong sense, however, that her carrying a weapon wouldn’t bother Luc Dante one bit. And if she tried to flip him, she’d probably be the one to end up on her back.

  A vision of her on her back with Luc looming over her suddenly exploded in her mind.

  Celeste quickly set down the glass she held before she dropped it. This was not a vision she needed. When she looked down she was disconcerted to see her hands were trembling. To make matters worse, the object of her thoughts was
standing right there. She quickly laced her fingers together to hide her unease.

  “Survived another night, Ms. Bradley?” he murmured, walking behind the bar. He pulled a bottle of mineral water out of the refrigerator under the bar, opened it, and poured it into an ice-filled glass. He leaned against the bar with one elbow propped on the surface as he sipped his drink.

  “Funny, I would have pegged you as a burgundy man,” she commented. “Or perhaps a nice merlot.”

  “I don’t drink when I’m working,” Luc explained just before he lifted the glass to his lips.

  “The intriguing host should at least carry a glass of wine as he moves from table to table greeting the diners,” she said. “It fits the image of a debonair man.”

  “Years ago, the debonair man carried a martini and smoked cigarettes,” Luc pointed out. “Times have changed.”

  “Nick Charles,” Celeste said promptly. “Those were his trademarks.”

  “I thought Nora and Asta were his trademarks.”

  “You’re familiar with The Thin Man?”

  He chuckled at her look of surprise. “Books and movies. Yes, I do read.”

  “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a mystery reader,” Celeste replied.

  “I have a lot of different interests.”

  She cocked her head to one side, studying him. “Yes, I could see you in a tuxedo, dancing the night away at a nightclub. Spending your afternoons at the racetrack.”

  Luc shook his head. “Not my style. I’m not the idle type.”

  She looked around. “True, no one with an idle nature could have developed this restaurant. You’ve been successful in creating a place that’s elegant yet not intimidating.”

  “Intimidation only serves to distance you from the world.” Luc set his glass down. “Tell me something, how do you distance yourself from the world?”

  “I don’t.”

  In the dim light his eyes appeared a gleaming black as he slowly studied her. “Yes, you do,” he said so softly she could have imagined she only heard the words inside her mind. “There’s a great deal of yourself you don’t reveal to anyone because you feel it keeps you safe. You might even see role-playing as the perfect way to go through life. No wonder you quickly volunteered to go undercover. You consider not playing yourself more fun than being yourself.”

  “Interesting Psychology 101,” Celeste murmured. She didn’t want to think how his words could be a little too true. It was easier for her to spar with Luc Dante as Celeste Bradley than deal with him as Celeste Bradshaw. That way, she could do and say anything she wanted and not feel as if she was giving away any part of her own true self. She should have known he would have picked up on her game. He’d already figured out too much about her before. She chose to use humor instead of responding truthfully. “The way I see it is there’s nothing like having a dual personality to make life more interesting,” she added with a flippant grin.

  A faint smile touched Luc’s lips.

  She guessed the man didn’t truly smile all that much. She’d observed him more than once that evening. She had watched him move around the dining room, stopping to speak to diners, and while he always smiled, she sensed it wasn’t for real. She wondered if he feared a true smile would be the same as giving away a part of himself. She also sensed he’d been doing it for so long that the defenses he erected were second nature to him.

  “Something tells me you are a very dangerous woman, Celeste Bradley.” Luc stepped around her and walked out of the room.

  “Wow, what was going on between you two?” Flip leaned over the bar after she deposited her tray on the surface.

  “He asked me how I was doing.” Celeste took the glasses and set them in a rack holding used ones.

  Flip rolled her eyes. “It was a heck of a lot more than that. I swear I saw sparks fly off you guys.”

  “You’ve been reading too many romances,” she said, dismissing her comment. She looked around the room and raised her voice. “Last call, ladies and gentlemen.”

  Luckily, no one wanted another drink and she was able to quickly clean up while Flip wiped down the tables.

  Celeste was just coming out of the ladies’ room when she overheard a pair of raised voices coming from the other end of the hallway near the emergency exit.

  “You’re a pig, Del.”

  She recognized the strident voice as one belonging to Paula, one of the waitresses. She knew Del worked as one of the busboys.

  “You’re no saint, Paula,” he said, sneering.

  Celeste was torn between staying out of sight for further eavesdropping or making her presence known. She opted for the former.

  “Let go of me!” Paula ordered, a hint of hysteria in her voice.

  Celeste was taking a step forward to intervene when a third voice intruded. She immediately stepped back to stay out of sight.

  “Paula, your husband is here to pick you up,” Luc said.

  From her hiding place, Celeste was able to see Paula disappear around the corner.

  “Don’t bother coming in tomorrow, Del. Paulie will mail your final check to you,” Luc said with a chill in his voice that froze Celeste down to her bones.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” the man argued.

  Luc’s voice grew even colder and harder. “You put your hands on a woman. That’s only one of many things we won’t tolerate around here. When you were hired, you were told we don’t give second chances.”

  “She was coming on to me.”

  Celeste silently warned Del to shut his mouth before both feet ended up in there. Literally. She didn’t approve of the man’s reasoning either, and made a mental note to check out his record again. Maybe she had missed something the first time around.

  “No excuses!” Luc’s voice lashed out like a whip. “Just get your stuff and get out.”

  Del left with unspoken threats hanging heavy in the air. Celeste sensed his departure more than saw it.

  “You can come out now.”

  She made her way down the hallway. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to intrude,” she explained.

  The look on Luc’s face was almost frightening. There was an anger there she couldn’t have imagined coming from someone who seemed so self-controlled.

  “It was more than that. You wanted to see if there was a chance you’d found your man,” he said wearily. “Believe me, Del isn’t the one you’re looking for. He was known for liking his sex quite a bit rougher.”

  “And you hired him?” She was incensed.

  Luc’s defenses seemed to come up. “He said he had changed. I gave him the chance to prove it. He proved me wrong, so he’s out of here.” He glanced at the jacket she held. “Are you ready to leave?”

  She pulled on her jacket and zipped it up. “Everything’s taken care of.”

  “No problem in you working brunch hours tomorrow?” He walked beside her.

  “None. I’ll mix up all the mimosas you need.” When they reached the rear door, Celeste pulled a roll-brim wool hat out of her pocket and tugged it on before pulling on gloves. The violet color of her hat contrasted with her sun-colored hair. She didn’t appear worried it would crush her hairstyle.

  “You’ve got it cockeyed,” Luc said, reaching out to adjust the brim of her hat. The backs of his fingers brushed across the curve of her cheek as he fixed the brim.

  The sound of Celeste’s soft indrawn breath seemed to hang between them as they stared at each other for what could have been seconds or hours. They had no idea how much time elapsed as Luc considered the downy softness of her skin, while Celeste thought of the warmth of his skin against hers as it seemed to send electric shocks all through her.

  Could he read her thoughts? Would she ever be able to see beyond the mile-high defenses he’d erected around himself?

  She slowly took a step backward to break the spell between them.

  “Good night, Luc. Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” she advised as she walked out to her car.

  Luc s
tood in the doorway, watching her until her car’s headlights disappeared from view.

  “You’re sure turning into parking lot security lately. Are you hot for her?” Jimmy asked, coming up to stand beside his friend. “’Cause she sure is one hot-looking babe.”

  “Something tells me if you said that to her face, you’d end up with a broken bone or two,” Luc told him.

  “Hey, she could throw me down for all I care.” Jimmy grinned. “Just as long as she falls down on top of me.”

  “Don’t let Emily hear you say that,” Luc warned him, mentioning the man’s longtime girlfriend. “She’d kick your butt good.”

  Jimmy shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him. Luc knew better. Jimmy might act like a bear with a thorn in his paw most of the time, but down deep he was a softy. Not that anyone would dare say so to his face.

  “You know the real reason why Del was ticked off, don’t you? He thought he’d have a chance at the bartender job. He wasn’t too happy when you hired blondie.”

  Luc shook his head. “We both know there was no way he would have gotten it.”

  “Everyone knew that but him.” Jimmy clapped him on the shoulder. “Good to see you’ve got some cojones after all.”

  Luc arched an eyebrow.

  “I’m not talking about you having the guts to fire Del. I’m just glad to see you looking at a woman the way a man should. You need to get out more, buddy. Do yourself a favor and break your rules for once. Ask her out.”

  Luc’s laughter held no humor.

  “Trust me. That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  Celeste was thinking more about that hot bath and glass of wine as she unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside.

  “Hi, honey, I’m home,” she called out.

  Silence greeted her mocking tone. She headed for the bar that divided the kitchen from the living area. The kitchen light was on, highlighting two tall glass bowls. She walked over and peered into the bowls. One held a multi-finned fish in the deepest jewel tones of bluish-purple with hints of black on his head, the other held a brilliant red fish with touches of turquoise and purple on his flowing tail.