2. Bella
TWO
Bella
Lily takes a sip of her drink. “Sorry, just explain that to me again. The hottest guy on the planet invites you to join him in the shower and you turn him down? No, don’t even turn him down, just walk away without another word?”
We’re in a dimly lit dive bar a block from The Dolphin. The air conditioner wheezes weakly, doing little to alleviate the sticky heat that clings to my skin.
“God, it’s like an oven in here,” I mutter, pressing the cold glass to my forehead as I ignore her question. I glance around, taking in the eclectic mix of patrons—a group of rowdy twenty-somethings playing pool in the back, a couple in the middle of a blazing argument, and a lone figure in the darkest corner, face hidden by the shadows.
Lily smirks, pushing a stray lock of chestnut hair behind her ear. “Nice deflection,” she quips, her voice laced with amusement.
“I didn’t turn him down. I just didn’t say yes.”
“And why didn’t you say yes?”
“Come on. He turned up two seconds after I’d spilled water all over my blouse and he stared at my tits. Said he’d seen bigger. Then he said he was jumping in the shower and I was welcome to join him. You seriously think I should have said yes?”
“I would have.”
“That’s you. I’m not having my first time be with a complete stranger who probably sleeps with a different girl every night of the week.”
“Look, take some advice from one who knows. When a gorgeous rich guy offers to soap you up in a shower, no strings attached, you accept. That never happens, trust me. I’ve been working here four years and the only proposition I’ve had is from Nigel. I’ve never once had a hot guy proposition me like that.”
“Come on, he clearly didn’t mean it. He was obviously just teasing me.”
“Well, you’ll never find out now, will you? I’d have been soaping him up before you could say sudsy balls.”
I manage a weak smile, grateful for her attempt to lighten the mood. “Oh look,” I reply, picking up the sticky menu from the table and scanning it half-heartedly. “The drinks in here are as cheap as you.”
Lily leans forward conspiratorially, her eyes glinting mischievously. “So, I went to your dad’s place earlier,” she says, lowering her voice as if sharing state secrets.
“You did what?”
“When I finished my shift, I went to have a look.”
“But how did you even know where it is?”
“Because I’m Sherlock Holmes.”
“Really?”
She grins. “Looked up your Dad’s name online and found the address. Took five minutes.”
I cringe, letting out a groan. “You promised not to go looking for him.”
“I didn’t. I went to see your place. Did not break my promise. Assumed he wouldn’t be there. Thought there might be some clues as to what this is all about.”
“And?” I ask, curious despite my fear for her safety. My mind drifts to my father, his whereabouts still unknown and the fear of what might have happened to him gnawing at my heart.
“All your stuff’s there but it looked like the place had been turned over. Everything was tossed on the floor. Right mess.”
“He was never the tidiest.”
“No, this was something else. Cushions ripped open, picture frames smashed.”
“Shit. Really?”
Lily’s eyes widen in sympathy, her hand tightening around mine. “Someone was looking for something,” she says, her voice gentle. “What the hell was your dad up to?”
“I’ve no idea.”
“What does he do for a living?”
“Used to work in finance. Then he lost his job and we ate through all our savings, Mom’s life insurance too. Then he started making all these phone calls. Kept telling me everything would work out soon. That he had a plan.”
“Wouldn’t tell you what that plan was?”
I shake my head. “Only that it was all coming to a head in a month. Said we’d be rich or dead by then. By my calculation, whatever it is, it’s happening about two weeks from now.”
“Makes me wonder if it was something illegal. Robbing a bank, maybe?”
“He doesn’t own a gun and why would there be a deadline for that kind of thing?”
“I don’t know, I’m just spitballing here.” She motions toward the door. “Nigel has come to join us.”
Mr. Harris has just walked in, his steps unsteady as he spots us and heads straight for our table. I tense instinctively, my grip tightening on the glass in my hand.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my favorite chambermaids,” he slurs, his voice loud enough to draw curious glances from nearby tables. “Thought I’d find you both in here. Busy, are we? Only I’ve still got those rules to run through with you, Bella. You sure you don’t want to join me for dinner?”
Lily shoots me a sympathetic glance, her posture subtly shifting into a protective stance. “Your wife joining us, Nigel?”
Mr. Harris sinks into the empty chair opposite us, his gaze flickering between Lily and me with an unsettling intensity. “She’s home with the kids,” he replies smoothly, a smirk playing on his lips. “Leaves me plenty of time to chat with you two lovely ladies about your promotion prospects.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes, my patience wearing thin. I think of the job, of how quickly he could fire me if he wanted.
“Cut the crap,” Lily retorts, her voice tinged with thinly veiled frustration. “What do you want? You want both of us, is that it?” She sticks a flirtatious look on her face. “Think you could handle the two of us at once?”
His expression changes. “Sure I could.” He leans forward conspiratorially, his breath reeking of alcohol. “I could help you both go far in this business,” he adds in a low voice, his words dripping with insinuation. “I know all the top people.”
My jaw clenches, my fingers curling into fists on the table. “I bet you could,” Lily replies in a husky voice. “Tell you what. Go back to your office and get undressed. We’ll see what we can find to clean once we’ve finished our drinks, shall we?”
“Seriously?”
“Off you pop, big guy.” She blows him a kiss, winking ostentatiously.
“Wow, shit, great. Okay.” He looks like he can’t believe his luck, sprinting for the door without looking back.
Lily grins at me. “How long before he realizes we’re not coming?”
I shake my head. “He could fire us both for this.”
“He won’t tell a soul. Too embarrassed to know we got one over him. That’s how you handle men, Bella. You manipulate them before they do it to you.”
“Great life advice.”
“Hell, it’s dog eat dog out there.”
“Lily,” I murmur, my voice betraying my anxiety. “What if he fires me?”
Lily reaches across the table, squeezing my hand reassuringly. “He won’t,” she insists firmly, her eyes meeting mine with unwavering determination. “Trust me.”
Before she can say more, movement catches my eye—a shadowed figure in the corner is leaning forward, watching me intently. It’s him—the mysterious guest, his presence looming like a silent sentinel in the dimly lit bar.
“He’s here,” I say to Lily, my voice tinged with unease as I meet his gaze across the crowded room.
Lily looks, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “Him?” she whispers, leaning closer. “That’s the guy I saw in the lobby. Sexy motherfucker, isn’t he?”
“That’s the guy from the room. 1207.”
“What, him? The one who wanted you to help him find the soap?” She smirks playfully, nudging me with her shoulder. “I think he likes what he sees,” she teases lightly, earning a disapproving look from me. “Giving me a wide on just looking at him.”
“A wide on?”
“As in, my pussy is opening wide enough to let in that huge dick of his.”
“You really are a classy lady, aren’t you?”
She winks at me. “That’s why I work at The Dolphin.”
“Can we just go? He’s giving me the creeps.” It’s a lie but I can’t tell her the truth, how just looking at him is making my nipples tingle.
“You sure? Only you look a lot to me like you want to jump on those bones of his.”
“What if I do? I’m a penniless, homeless, virgin. Not exactly top class wife material, am I?”
“Who cares about marriage? All I want is to sit on his face, not get his ring on my finger. Well, maybe have his finger in my ring.”
“Please, stop.”
She raises her hands in mock surrender, chuckling softly. “Alright, alright,” she concedes, her tone teasing. “It’s too hot in here anyway. God bless The Dolphin’s A/C. Bet Mr. Harris is shivering in it right now.”
I nod in agreement, eager to leave the suffocating atmosphere of the bar behind. We gather our things, preparing to make our exit.
“One moment,” she says. “Wait there.”
She walks straight up to the gorgeous guy, saying something to him. He replies but I can’t hear it, then Lily’s back by my side. “Let’s go,” she tells me.
We step onto the sidewalk, relief flooding through me as we leave the dive bar and the mysterious stranger behind. “What did you say to him?” I ask as we set off back toward the hotel.
“His name’s Alex Pierce and sadly he is not willing to give me his phone number.”
“You asked for his number?”
I feel a presence behind me. I look back and he’s there, towering over me, holding a business card my way. “Take it,” he says in a deep rumble.
“So she gets your number and I don’t?” Lily says. “What did I do wrong?”
He regards her with cool detachment, his eyes assessing and unreadable. “Nothing,” he says before turning his gaze back on me. “But you’re not her.”
She winces. “Ouch.”
He leans down toward me. “I was hoping you’d make a different decision earlier,” he remarks, his tone tinged with something I can’t quite decipher. “I was not surprised to find you chose not to join me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a coward, Bella.”
“You have no right to say that to me.”
“Didn’t deny it though, did you?”
My cheeks flush with embarrassment at his bluntness, my pulse quickening with a mix of anger and apprehension. “I’ve got to get going,” I manage to say, my voice trembling with a mixture of defiance and uncertainty. “My boss is waiting for me.”
“Oh, yes. Sitting naked in his office waiting for the two of you, right? Well played by the way.”
I gasp. “You been listening to our private conversation?”
He turns to look at Lily. “Be careful who you try to manipulate. One day one of your victims might just turn around and bite you on the ass.”
She beams. “You making me a promise?”
He spins to fix his gaze on me, tapping the business card in my palm. “Call me if you ever want to prove you’re not a coward.”
He walks away without another word.