Chapter 4
“What happened to Tyler?” Daniel asked, elbows resting on the tall check-in desk.
Lucinda exhaled loudly and put down the stack of papers she was shuffling through. “That’s not any of your business.”
He leveled a look at her. It was unwise to question his boss or demand answers from her.
He knew that. Every person that worked for her knew that as well.
Only the relationship they’d built up over the years he’d worked for her let him feel comfortable enough to press on the regular bartender’s situation.
She must have known Daniel deserved some explanation for the massive upheaval, because she pursed her lips for a moment before relenting. “Fine. Lord knows how fast rumors spread in this place. Tyler has appendicitis and is scheduled for surgery today. He’ll be out of work for at least a week.”
Daniel slumped against the hard wood, the fight leaving him. When Lucinda had called earlier that day informing him he’d be covering the hotel bar rather than its patrons that night, he was hoping he could talk his way out of it.
Making drinks wasn’t that difficult, mostly due to the simple orders people requested.
All the patrons in the Lillian wanted to exude wealth and status.
They wanted to be taken seriously, which was hindered by pina coladas and the like.
Most men just ordered their preferred liquor on the rocks, and most of the women stuck to wines.
No one wanted to get so fucked up on sweet drinks that they couldn’t fully enjoy the real reason they were at the hotel.
So it wasn’t taxing, and he had enjoyed his brief stint working at a rundown off-campus college bar once upon a time.
The thing he hated was the pay discrepancy.
He could make over a thousand dollars on a Friday night by pulling.
Standing behind the bar, he couldn’t suck down multiple dicks in an hour or convince a man to book him for the night.
“I can’t afford to cover the bar. Isn’t there anyone else you can call on?”
“Ricardo is in Mexico visiting family, which means you are the only person here that has an active license.”
“Okay, but what about—”
“You better not be about to suggest what I think you’re suggesting.
” Lucinda cut him a glare that had his mouth shutting.
Standing at five foot eleven with shoulders wide enough to carry an illegal enterprise with ease, she was more than a little intimidating.
Her chocolate-brown eyes were colder than should be possible with laugh lines rounding the corners, and her appearance was always perfect, like the clothing adorning her frame wouldn’t dare to wrinkle in her presence.
But this was also the woman that had committed herself to a nunnery to escape an abusive stepfather, then gone on to operate a successful brothel.
There was also a rumor she’d scared off her stepfather and every man that tried taking advantage of her Columbian mother, who was often unlucky in love.
“Only my people work at this hotel. I don’t trust anyone else, even if they are from our sister locations. ”
“I have bills, Luc,” Daniel pleaded. Even one weekend away from the game could significantly impact his bank account. The last time he took that much time off, he had to choose between late fees and food.
“Come see me at the end of the night and we’ll work something out.”
He wanted to kick the stupid asymmetrical desk. It was hard to turn away from his boss and walk toward the bar, but throwing a tantrum wouldn’t solve anything. He would figure it out like he always did, and pissing off his boss was not going to help. The last thing he needed was to get fired.
Besides, Jensen would never forgive him if he damaged the front desk.
Not that he planned on seeing the man again or confessing his sins.
But Daniel could just imagine the horror on his face if he found out someone abused the thing.
The thought nearly brought a smile to his own face. Almost but not quite.
He slid behind the century-old bar, going to the cleaner and rags to start wiping down the workstation before anyone showed up.
He did not want to find a rogue spot of grime that had been missed on its last scrub while preparing a drink later.
That might just send him over the edge. And not in the sexy way, though Daniel would be just as vocal in response.
“You’re working the bar tonight?” Melanie asked, sitting down on one of the stools and fixing her cleavage. The dress she wore tastefully hugged her body, a coy advertisement of what her pulls would find underneath.
She was possibly Daniel’s favorite coworker, not that he would ever admit it.
Of course, he’d throw hands with any asshole that treated the other employees like trash or thought they were entitled to their time or bodies.
Just the other month, he’d put himself between a too drunk man and their newest coworker.
But that was the issue. They always had new coworkers.
He and Melanie had been there the longest, but most didn’t last a couple years.
More thought they wanted this life, thought it would be glamorous and fun, only to resign a few months in.
Even the cleaners got sick of washing jizz out of sheets and scraping used condoms off the floors.
The only constants were Lucinda and the dated interior Jensen adored so much.
“Seems so.”
“Where’s Tyler?”
He shrugged a shoulder, focusing the strength in his other arm on getting a sticky spot removed. “His appendix blew like a repressed virgin. Fucker didn’t even have the decency to wait until Ricardo got back, so I’m stuck on bar duty until he gets better.”
“Damn, that sucks for you.”
Throwing the rag in the sink, he sighed. “Yeah, it does. Tell your johns to tip me well.” Because those were the only tips he’d be getting tonight.
“Speaking of johns,” Melanie said and fluffed up her hair. Not that the curly wig she wore needed much fluffing; it was just as perfect as the rest of her. “It’s showtime, baby.”
Daniel looked over at the large archway that served as the bar’s entrance to see who was walking into the hyena den, about to get ripped apart by everyone looking to make a living.
His heart stopped at the figure that stepped through, peering up at the ceiling, completely oblivious to the way everyone sized him up.
Daniel could almost hear the thoughts turning in his coworkers’ heads, trying to determine how to win this man’s attention and money.
Fuck, he could hear the predators licking their teeth at the prospect of meat.
“He’s gay,” he said sharply.
Melanie looked back at him, her eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” He hoped his expression was neutral enough and that she didn’t pick up the stress in his tone.
It made no sense, but he didn’t want his coworkers to look at Jensen the same way he’d looked at him just days ago.
Daniel had made the same calculations when he saw Jensen sitting alone in the dark corner of the bar and saw a paycheck in his faraway gaze and uptight clothing.
The man was an easy pull. A quick fuck to get the night started.
Except he wasn’t that at all. He was so much more.
He contained multitudes, or whatever pretentious people said.
Jensen was fascinating and endearingly awkward and a nice fucking man.
And he was currently being picked apart by every set of eyes in the quiet bar like he was nothing more than a wallet.
Daniel had no right to be enraged by that.
It was hypocritical and downright stupid.
“Well, I guess he’s Clarke’s, then,” Melanie said and slouched against the elbow she had set on the bar.
Daniel glanced her way. “He’s mine.”
Her eyebrows flew up, but he didn’t stay long enough to hear what she had to say about his asinine claim.
“There’re faces in the crown moldings in this room,” Jensen said as he sat on a stool.
“Hi, Jensen,” Daniel said with a smile, happy he’d chosen to sit at the bar and not tucked away in a corner where Daniel couldn’t supervise him. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“They remind me of these buildings in what’s now the Republic of Latvia.
The architect’s last name was Eisenstein, something I mixed up with Einstein more than once in college.
Quite an embarrassing mix-up, really.” Jensen’s mouth wobbled like he was trying to hold back a grin.
“One of them left a permanent mark on the world, and the other did math or something else nonconsequential.”
Daniel stared at the man in front of him, almost at a loss for words. Usually, he was only speechless in front of men when his mouth was too full to talk. “Did you just tell a joke?”
The grin broke free then, lighting up his face and taking the air from Daniel’s lungs. “I’m known as quite humorous within certain circles.”
“Oh yeah?” Daniel found himself leaning across the bar, completely forgetting about his job and everyone else around them.
It wasn’t the first time he had forgotten himself in front of Jensen.
It felt freeing and terrifying all at the same time.
A combination that was more refreshing than a shower after a long night.
Jensen shook his head. “Absolutely not, but I appreciate you believing that. Can I get two fingers of scotch, neat?”
“I’ll give you as many fingers as you want, handsome,” Daniel said with a wink that had Jensen blushing fiercely. “Which one would you like?”
Jensen situated the glasses on his face, somehow making the act adorable and sexy, and squinted at the back wall. “That one,” he said pointing.
Daniel turned around to grab the bottle. His fingers were barely on the neck when sound from behind him had his back straightening and his teeth clenching.
“Would you like some company, handsome?”