Taking my time, I drank down the last of the coffee Carol had waiting for me when I’d arrived, then straightened in the seat. CeeCee was no friend of mine, never would be and if I didn’t want walked all over, I had to come out from behind Carol and show some teeth of my own.
“Maybe being a bitch is not what the boss is looking for, and Carol’s right, I don’t fuck the customers, nor do I fuck Bill. I’ve got a little fucking pride in my skinny arse.” With that, I stood up, leaving my cup where it was and picked my bag up from the floor. “You have a good night, CeeCee.”
By seven o’clock, I was in the skimpy uniform that showed off my flat tits and got to work straight out of the gate, a busy Thursday rather than mediocre. The VIP party weren’t due until nine so at quarter to, I hopped off the main floor to make sure the area was set up beyond the ropes.
Caulder’s Bar wasn’t huge but plenty big enough to have two areas cordoned off and reserved for VIP if needed. There was a stage, small as it was, and I’d yet to see more than a couple of people up on it, we didn’t do a lot of live music. Bill kept the ambience mellow at Caulder’s, the dance floor enough for a few people, the bar not trying to compete with the hip clubs drawing in the younger crowd in the area. Caulder’s was classy with attractive staff selling top shelf alcohol, Bill preferred frivolous spenders looking for a quiet night out and something pretty to look at. CeeCee talked shit, I didn’t rest my laurels on my looks, but I still knew I was no ugly duckling, and that wasn’t being facetious.
“Jolie.”
Swinging around I came face to face with the very man. CeeCee often called him sleazy yet I couldn’t find a thing about him that warranted her kind of derogatory name. “Hey, Bill.” He’d insisted I not use his surname, or call him boss, so Bill it was.
“You got this tonight?” He peeked behind me to where I’d been setting up the trays of hors d’oeuvres and buckets full of ice for the champagne that was to be brought over when they arrived.
“Sure. No problem.”
“Big boss would like to relax this evening. I don’t think you’ve met him, but I promise, he’s not as scary as he looks.”
“This the man who owns the bar?”
“Yes. Please keep CeeCee away, neither he nor his men tolerate her kind of bullshit, she’ll end up in a situation she can’t handle if she insists on pushing. Or fired at the very least.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” I laughed, then sobered as Bill shot me a look. “What does the big boss do?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Better you don’t ask that question, Jolie. Just do what you’re paid to do and be a good girl. There’s a bonus for working VIP tonight, Jenny thinks you’d be a good regular for the corner, said the last couple of times there were compliments from the customers. Don’t let me down and I’ll see to it.”
A bonus! For that I’d be on my best behaviour. “No problem, Bill.”
“Use some of that sassy attitude you have, but don’t go too far, try to enjoy yourself. These guys don’t grope and are respectful, I don’t see any cause for concern.”
“All right. Thank you for the pep talk.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He waved a hand in the air before taking off to go do whatever it was he did when the bar was open, preferring to stay behind the scenes.
With a last flurry, I made a quick bathroom stop, then was back on the floor in time to see a group of well-dressed gentlemen in dark suits crowding the bar. One was talking to Jenny, who pointed over to the corner where I stood with a beaming smile on my face, hands clasped in front of me. Service with a smile cost absolutely nothing and went a long way in collecting those much-needed tips.
Lifting the red velvet rope from the catch, I kept a smile on my face as each man walked up the few steps to the elevated VIP area… until man number five caught my eye.
My smile faltered, then slipped the same way ice slid down a warmed pane of glass. I may not have known his name, but I’d met this man before under very different circumstances and it was a memory I’d tried my hardest to push aside. I was staring into the face of a man who’d caused me many a nightmare, a face I’d never forgotten. A man I’d searched for in crowds but never found.
Sick, I felt sick.
Yannick
Pausing on the step, I took in the woman who’d grown even more beautiful over the years since I’d first had a fleeting glance at her. A chance occurrence had us meeting only once, but she’d left an impression, one I’d pushed to the back of my mind, knowing she was an impossibility. Her smile faltered, then disappeared entirely as I grappled for the right thing to say without being too obvious about knowing exactly who she was and the circumstances in which we’d met before.
Holding out my hand, I itched to feel her skin, her fingers in mine. Such a delicate flower she was, her shaky smile reappearing when she placed her trembling hand in my palm, the two slotting together perfectly.
“Mr Ischmov,” I said, because she’d never known my name and I’d never known hers. “You’re with us for
