by Kelli Walker
“Well, it was really nice to see you,” she tells me, glancing at her watch. “I have to get back to town, but...I hope that I’ll see you again soon, huh?”
“Sure thing,” I reply, and I walk her to the door and offer her a smile as she leaves. I watch her; damn, she really has grown into her looks. She’s a full-grown woman now, and I can’t help but wonder how I never even gave her a second glance before. Maybe because her big brother had been there to knock my teeth out if I’d even dared.
I turn to head back into the bar. I’m only in this early so that I can rewire the television for the big boxing match that’s happening this weekend. The last thing I need is for it to give out when everyone’s down here to watch it. But right now, I want to talk to Jennifer about the newest hire that I want to bring on board.
“Hey,” I call to her, and she turns from the notes she is taking on her phone and looks over at me.
“What’s up?”
“How was her interview?” I ask, nodding towards the spot where Vanessa had been standing.
“Oh, it was pretty solid, she’s for sure near the top of the list,” she replies. “But I want to talk to the other girls before I—”
“Hire her,” I tell her, and Jennifer stares at me for a moment. Even though I’m the boss, I know that she doesn’t like being told what to do.
“What?”
“Hire her,” I repeat. “I want her to take the job.”
“Are you sure?” she asks. I nod.
“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t.”
She raises her eyebrows at me in something like amusement, and I dare her to come out with anything that defied what I had just ordered her to do. But instead, she makes another note on her phone, then looks up at me and nods.
“I’ll get in touch with her and tell her to come in for training over the weekend,” she assures me.
“Great,” I reply, and I head to the back room where I was working on the wiring for the television. Though, I notice, as soon as I have the door closed behind me, that there is a smile on my face. And I know it has everything to do with getting the chance to see Vanessa once more. Not to mention the fact that I know I’m going to get to spend a hell of a lot more time with her now that she is going to be working for me.
And suddenly, the thought of the next few weeks at work has gotten a hell of a lot less boring.
Vanessa
I stand there in the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror, trying to psych myself up to go out there for the very first time.
I can do this. I have always been able to do this. Just because I have never done it before doesn’t mean that this isn’t what my life has always been heading towards, right? The universe doesn’t give you more than you can handle, and this is just one more step towards what I need to do to make sure that we don’t lose our home.
I still can’t quite believe that I actually got the job in the first place. I was sure that they were going to call me up and politely tell me that they didn’t have anything for me right now, but that they would keep me on file, like everyone else who I have never heard back from.
But no, they had called and told me that I needed to come in over the weekend for training. I had jumped at the chance, so glad to have a new job that I didn’t even think about why I might have gotten a foot in the door. I am sure that it has something to do with the fact that Lux runs this place now. There had to have been more qualified people applying than me, but the way that he had looked at me when he had seen me again, I knew that he wasn’t going to let me walk out of there without giving me a job.
I had spent hours picking out my outfit for my first shift. There was no specific uniform, but they made it pretty clear that I was meant to be dressed in something sexy if I wanted to get good tips. Martha had been the one to help me out with my training, and she had given me the inside scoop on everything that I would need to do to make sure that I got everything I deserved from working here.
“Just make sure that you’re always meeting people with a big smile,” she had explained to me. “And laugh at their jokes. I swear, half of my job is just laughing at their jokes to make sure that they think they’re the funniest people on the planet...”
“Sounds like hard work,” I remarked, and she laughed as though I had just cracked the best joke she’d ever heard.
“See? Just like that,” she told me with a wink.
And that’s what I’m keeping in mind as I go into this. I’m trying my hardest not to think about the fact that I feel as though I am going to throw up due to the nerves that are pulsing around my body right now. It's ridiculous, I have nothing to be worried about, and I know that. But somewhere at the back of my mind, as I look at myself in the small mirror in the bathroom, I know that my brother is freaking the hell out at what I am even thinking of doing.
He’s always been protective of me, Gavin. I know that he only means it as kindness, but sometimes, he can overstep the line and get a little out of control. I should be grateful to him, really, for taking such good care of me, but sometimes I feel like I need to push back against him, to remind him that I am my own person and that he doesn’t need to take care of me.
Still, if he had any idea that I was even considering going to work for Lux at his bar, he would have been on the first plane back home to drag me out of there whether I liked it or not. He hates the idea of any men looking at me, and I think he would go crazy if he knew that I was being encouraged to play that up to make sure that I got the tips that I deserved.
Maybe he has a point. I mean, it’s not as though I have much experience with men, anyway. I’ve never really dated anyone. I held a few hands back in high school, but that’s pretty much it. The thought of doing something more had always made me a little nervous, and even now, the notion of going out there to face down a bunch of dudes and try to make this work is nerve-wracking, to say the least.
But I need to make this money. I need to help my mother out. And if that means shaking a little of what she gave me to make sure that it happens, then I am going to do it. No questions asked.
I force myself out of the bathroom and on to the floor. The place is already packed, mostly with dudes, and a few gorgeous women are hanging off their arms here and there. The music is loud, and the place smells like beer and liquor and cheap cigarettes, even though they’re meant to go outside to smoke these days.
I put a big-ass smile on my face, and head over to the bar where Martha is serving. She waves at me excitedly and pulls me against her with an arm around my shoulders as soon as I arrive.
“See this, guys?” she announces as she taps me on the arm. “This is my new little helper, Vanessa. She’s going to make my life a lot easier. Not that I expect any of you are going to let that happen anytime soon...”
There is a gale of laughter from the men crowded around the bar, and I manage to keep my smile in place as I go to grab a round of empty glasses from a table. See? I can do this. I just have to keep laughing at the jokes and hope nobody expects anything more from me because I’m not sure that I’m going to be able to deliver it right now.
The music swells, and I let myself get lost in my new line of work. I’m wearing a denim skirt, a flannel top tied at the waist, and a little bikini top underneath, along with my favorite cowboy boots. I’m feeling pretty damn fine as I hit the floor. Lux is nowhere to be seen right now, but I’m sort of glad about that. I would feel like I was performing for him if he was here, and the last thing I need is for something else to throw me off my game right now.
I wonder if he even knows that I have been hired. I would be surprised if he keeps tabs on every little part of the comings-and-goings in this place. When I last knew him, he had been all about army life, and I don’t think that this is what he had pictured for himself when he moved away. Nobody who left Palo Dulce exactly plans on coming back, and having to turn himself back to this life couldn’t have been what he had dreamed of during his time away.
Before long,
I am feeling a little more relaxed, and I know that I can pull this off. The men are pleasant enough. They spend a little too long lingering on the shape of my breasts under the shirt, but that’s what they told me would happen, right? The skimpier I dress, the more likely I am to get the tips that I know I need so badly to survive.
The night wears on, and I find myself getting into the groove of this place. The music is loud enough that I don’t even have to listen to most of the bad jokes that these guys are trying to ply me with, and Martha was right—they seemed to tip big when you smile wide at them. That’s all that matters. I have already made twice the money in one shift here than I would have pulled in over a night at the diner. But I guess that’s the difference between sobriety and drunkenness...
I am leaning on a table, listening to the older guy there spin some story that I can barely make out over the sound of the music. I keep that big-ass smile on my face and laugh when I can tell he wants me to. His eyes are tracing up and down my body, and I know that he wishes he could touch me. It’s a strange feeling, being wanted like that. It’s a little scary and a little exciting all at the same time, but I ignore the doubts in the back of my mind. Focus on the money. That’s all that matters right now. The money that I’m going to bring home for my momma. As soon as I have everything I need, I can back out of this and go back to reality. Find some other store to work at. Hell, maybe Maggie would have opened a new place by then, or maybe...
“Vanessa!”
A voice cuts across the room over the noise. I turn to see who is calling for my attention. And when I see who it is and I notice the way that he is looking at me, my stomach drops.
Lux
She makes her way across the crowded floor towards me, the heels on her boots are so high I’m wondering how she doesn’t trip on her way here. I see eyes following her as she walks, and I clench my fists at my sides as she gets closer to me. She carefully puts the tray she’s carrying down on the bar, closes the gap between us, and runs a hand over her hair.
“Is everything okay, Lux?” she asks me, batting her lashes at me as though nothing at all could be wrong. But she had to know that there is.
It is one thing for me to think about giving her a job here. It is quite another to see her out on the floor, dressed like she’s trying to pick up men on a street corner, flipping her hair this way and that and attracting the attention of every guy in the joint. This is ridiculous. And there’s no way that I’m going to let her act that way. Gavin will kill me if he finds out that I have even let her work at this place, and if he knew I was letting her get away with parading around like that...
“You need to change into something else,” I tell her firmly, closing the door to the office so that nobody else overhears this conversation. She cocks her head to the side, clearly confused.
“Why? I thought there wasn’t a uniform here,” she replies, and I shake my head.
“There isn’t, but I prefer my staff not to go around looking like they’re searching for a damn pole,” I shoot back. Her jaw drops, and her cheeks redden.
“What are you talking about?” she demands. “All of the girls dress like this. They told me that I should wear—”
“They told you that you should dress like a stripper?” I cut her off. She presses her lips together, and I can tell that she is doing her very best not to get herself fired on her very first day here.
“It’s the only way that I can get good tips,” she replies. “That’s all it is. Nothing more to it than that.”
“You don’t think we pay you enough already?” I ask. She sighs.
“It’s not about that,” she explains. “I need as much money as I can get, and fast.”
“Well, you’re not going to do it in my bar, not looking like that,” I tell her. “Your brother would kill me.”
“But it’s not like Gavin is here right now, is it?” she points out, and she tosses her hair over one shoulder. Her lips are painted with a dark red gloss, and it pops against her pale skin– were her lips always that soft, that plump? They look like ripe fruit, and I want to take a bite out of them.
I shove that thought to the back of my mind with irritation, pissed that I would even entertain that when I am so irritated with the way she’s presenting herself.
“Besides, if you get me to change, then you’re going to have to do the same to every girl who works here,” she points out. “What’s the difference if I’m doing it, all of a sudden?”
I pause for a moment. Honestly, I’m not sure what it is about her that has me thrown for such a loop. But seeing her like this, it’s...it’s more than I had expected. Her legs are long and lithe, her chest perky, just a little more than a handful. It would be one thing to see her dressed that way if it was just me around, but to know that everyone else in the room could too—yeah, that is what I can’t handle right now. The way that everyone in the place has their eyes on her as though they want to take a bite out of her. I can’t stand it.
“What do you need the money for so badly?” I demand.
“We need to do repairs on the house,” she explains, lowering her eyes to the ground. “We had a flood, and there’s something wrong with the roof too. They said it’ll cost a few grand.”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“What?”
“I’ll pay for it,” I repeat. “If it means that you’re not going to have to go around dressed like that to pay for it.”
“No way,” she replies. “You know how much that would piss Gavin off, too. If you think he’s going to let you pay for our shit, you’ve got another think coming. He’s too proud for that.”
I wince. She’s got a point. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to give up and back down just like that. The thought of her in this bar every night, being looked at, being wanted…I didn’t know if I could take it. I hate this.
“Fine,” I snap back. “Then we can come to an agreement, okay?”
“And what does that look like for me?” she asks. She looks irritated. But she needs to listen to me. I’m not going to let her walk around out there looking like this every night.
“You can only work on nights that I’m here,” I tell her. She laughs.
“Why?”
“That’s the least I can do for Gavin,” I explain to her. “I know how people in this place can get if they see a pretty girl dressed like you—”
“And that’s my fault, is it?” she shoots back. I shake my head.
“No, but you’ve got to be honest here,” I point out. “Better that we accept how these guys can be, and you let me look out for you. It’s what Gavin would want.”
“He wouldn’t want me here at all,” she reminds me, and she smirks. I can tell she is amused by all of this. A smile is better than a glare, I figure.
“Yeah, but if you’re going to be here, I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you,” I reply. “And no dating any of the clients, okay?”
“Yeah, I don’t think that any of them are exactly jumping out at me as decent prospects,” she giggles and glances over her shoulder as though she can hardly imagine what I’m suggesting.
“Right,” I agree. “But do we have a deal? You don’t work unless I’m here to keep an eye on you, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” she replies. “If that makes you feel better.”
“It will.”
“Then we have an agreement,” she tells me. She eyes me with amusement, and, for the first time since I’ve seen her again, I can’t help but notice just how much she has grown up. She’s a whole-ass woman now, and the way that she looks at me…well, she knows it. We’re far removed from the people that we were in high school, and something about the difference between her then and her now makes my spine prickle.
“We sure do,” I reply, and I extend my hand to hers. She takes it, and the connection of our skin even for that brief moment—shit. I know it’s something that I shouldn’t even be thinking about right now.
“I guess I’ll see you soon,
then,” she replies. “And if you don’t mind, I have a shift to get back to.”
“Fine,” I agree. “I’ll be out in a second.”
“Sure thing,” she says, and she turns on her heel and walks out of the office once more. As I watch her go, I get a feeling that this is going to be more trouble than this is worth.
Vanessa
I hustle into the bar, check that I’m there for my shift on time, and walk straight into Lux.
“Oh, hey,” I greet him.
“You’re late.”
“No, I’m not,” I protest, and he shakes his head.
“You said that you would be here by six,” he reminds me. “It’s nearly ten past.”
“The bus was late,” I protest.
“You know, I can come down and give you a lift into work if you want,” he offers, and I shake my head.
“It’s fine,” I assure him. “I can handle myself on my own. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not worried about you handling yourself,” he replies, as he follows me into the bar. “I’m worried about paying you for the time that you’re not even here for.”
“Fair point,” I mutter, as I wash my hands and check my hair in the reflection of one of the taps. I think I look pretty good today, even though I didn’t have much time to get ready before I sprinted out of the house. There was another minor pop in one of the pipes, and Mom and I had been hurrying to get it cleaned up and plugged before it flooded the whole house once more.
But I made it in to work, and that’s all that I care about right now. I can hardly believe that this is my second week on the job. It feels as though I have been working at The Last Call for months. But then, in a place like this, it’s like time moves differently. I’m here all night long, and by the time it starts to get light again, and it’s time for me to go home, it feels like a week has passed, not a few hours.