Chapter Eight
Ria
I sit in my car, taking in a shaky breath and looking into my rearview mirror.
You can do this Ria, get yourself together and get out of the car.
I am in the parking lot of my new job. My first ever real job working at a new club as a barmaid. I went to a local community college and studied music and psychology. I learned to play the piano during my time in foster care and at the youth trauma group I went to. Music was the only thing I grasped quickly, and it became an outlet for my trauma; my escape from what was going on at home. I wanted to become a youth group leader and help teens like myself through music and talking therapy, but life, or rather Alex, got in the way of my plans. But I”ve made a promise to myself to pursue my dreams once the girls are a little older, and we are settled. So, for now, this job will support us and pay the bills.
I take the lipstick out of my handbag and coat my lips before fluffing my hair with my hands.
Okay, let”s do this,I say to my reflection.
I step out of my car, smoothing down my tight-fitting black dress, remove my sneakers, and slip into my black heeled pumps, because who can drive in heels? We have to wear a uniform at this club and I”ll be working the bar and VIP areas. After a couple of sessions of training, I am about as ready as I”ll ever be for my first shift.
I reach the staff entrance, swipe my ID card, and enter through the heavy door. I smile at the doormen who are getting ready for opening night.
Walking through the narrow hallway painted in a mocha brown with wall lights guiding my way, I enter the ladies’ staff room.
Hair spray and perfume cloud the air as I meander through the groups of women applying lipstick and the finishing touches to their hair before our shift starts. I smile nervously at a few of the girls I recognize from our training days, and I suddenly have the urge to throw up. My nerves are trying to take over my body.
Breathe, Ri, you are okay. You can do this.
I put my bag and jacket away in my locker, putting my phone in the pocket of my dress. Wanting to keep it close in case Anne calls about the girls. It vibrates and I pull it out.
Alex
Why won”t you respond to my texts and calls? Come on, we can sort this. Why are you breaking up our family? Come back home x
Anger pulses through me. Is he serious right now? Why am I breaking up our family? I don”t have time for this. I squeeze the phone in the palm of my hand and inhale a deep breath before releasing it slowly, trying to focus my thoughts on my new job, and not my ex. I’m suddenly distracted by a familiar voice shouting my name.
I look around and notice a petite redhead bouncing up and down excitedly, waving her arms.
“Harley,” I all but squeal as a wave of relief washes over me. We did our training together, and she was the one person I really clicked with, along with a girl called Kate.
“How are you girl?” she says in her strong New York accent
“Nervous. I don’t think I”m cut out for this.” I swallow, a nervous ache in the pit of my stomach making me rub my hand over my belly.
“Girl, stop stressing. You will be fine and if anyone gives you shit, just call me over,” she says, pointing at herself. “Actually, call Kate. I”m all talk,” she adds, poking her tongue out.
We both burst into a fit of anxious laughter. I’m grateful she’s working with me on my first shift.
“Did you get your little cuties dropped off okay?” she asks, adjusting her blouse.
“Yeah. I”m not used to spending nights away from them. It”s going to be hard not seeing them till Sunday,” I admit, staring down at my phone screen at a photo of Lexi holding Elle on my bed not long after we moved in, and they both have the biggest smiles on their faces. On the days I find it hard or if I am missing them, I use this image to remind me that those faces are the reason I”m doing this.
A tall woman in a tight black dress and a short sharp black bob appears, adjusting the headset she’s wearing while looking down at a clipboard in her hand before shouting over the crowd of staff in the room.
“Okay ladies, we open in forty-five minutes. The owners are here and want to speak to you all before we open up. There will be press and media here tonight and some VIP guests, so I need you all to be on your A-game. You all know where you need to be and what to do, so don’t let me or yourselves down. I’ll expect you all in the main room in five minutes.”
Standing at the bottom of the sprawling gold staircase, I can”t stop my mouth from gaping. I saw this place during the day when we were training, but at night it comes alive. The dance floor sparkles like the night sky, echoed by the chandelier hanging above us. I scan the room, taking it all in.
We each take a seat at the tables that surround the black marble bar, and I can”t help but search around to see who the new owners are.
Harley bumps my shoulder. ”How about meeting the owners on the first night, hmm?”
I nod, goosebumps scattering my body at the idea of meeting them. “Yeah, do you think they”re here much?”
”I have no idea, but—” She”s cut off by the sound of footsteps across the dancefloor.
I turn my head to find three men walking slowly towards us. The low lighting in here makes it hard to make them out. But as they edge closer, their faces come into view and I swear my stomach nearly falls out my ass.
Brad, Harry, and Jack step up in front of us and glance around the room at the staff waiting patiently to meet their new employers.
Dressed in black button up shirts and matching suit pants, they look like they could be on the cover of a magazine.
This has got to be some kind of joke, right?
“Holy shit,” Harley mumbles under her breath.
I match her wide-eyed expression, unable to speak, my mouth feeling like it”s full of cotton balls.
Harry steps forward, his deep voice booming. ”Welcome everyone. We’d like to thank you all for being here and for all your hard work preparing for tonight…”
I can see Jack smiling at his new employees. I keep my head down, praying he doesn”t notice me.
I can avoid him forever, right?
Memories of the last time I saw him hit me like a freight train and my heart all but stops in my chest.
Oh fuck, I need a new job. I cannot let anyone know I licked my boss!
Jack”s voice fills the room next and my stomach flutters with a herd of butterflies. That voice. His presence does things to me. I lift my head a little, checking to see if I can sneak out without him seeing, but no such luck.
The second I look up, dark blue eyes lock with mine and I swallow...hard. I don”t hear the first part of what he says. I’m too busy trying to regulate my breathing.
I know he”s addressing everyone in the room, but the way he’s looking at me, he may as well be giving me a personal introduction. I shake my head, forcing myself to focus on what he’s saying, but I only catch his final words.
“...I’m so happy you’re here.” A slow, sexy smile forms on his face as he continues to stare directly at me.