21
The bar is empty, and I sigh in relief. If one of the girls or one of his stupid partners would say the wrong thing to me, I’ll explode. He comes in after me, places his file on the round table and goes behind the bar to help himself to a bottle of beer.
“Want one?” he asks, tapping on the bottle.
“I don’t want anything from you.” I snap at him and he rolls his eyes and walks off to his regular seat.
I sweep the floor and fume to myself. I take the chairs off the tables and fume to myself. I arrange the napkins and still fume to myself. The anger is bubbling inside me, and I can’t focus on anything else.
The girls enter one at a time, chatting loudly. Charlie takes his place behind the bar and within half an hour, I have no time to fume anymore because the bar is full of perverted and annoying customers. I'm on automated mode, repeating the same sentences over and over again. I gasp in surprise when I see Johanna enter the bar, Tommy has his hand around her and she’s wearing the same clothes she wore yesterday. She goes with him to the round table quite naturally and Ralph enters with two bodyguards and sits down with them.
“Hi Elena,” Johanna is waving at me and I realize that I have no choice but to go over to the damn table.
“Didn’t you go to class today?” I ask, concerned.
“Of course I did,” she giggles, “although I didn’t get much sleep last night.” She runs her fingers through her pimp boyfriend’s bleached hair and I roll my eyes. “I am not tired at all thanks to the magic powder.” She rubs her upturned nose and I send a furious look in Tommy’s direction. “Don’t worry, I took notes for you.” She giggles again and then grows serious. “But you should stop missing classes. Two professors already asked about you.” She sniffs and stops blinking. “Anyway, you have to come help me stop the crazy rumors about you. They were out of control after class today.”
“What rumors?” I ask, surprised and notice that everyone at the table is listening on our conversation. “Professor Sawyer talked about you for a whole hour,” she says excitedly and finally blinks again. “About your commitment to school and the project, about the smart questions you asked at the conference, the good impression you made on our colleagues and your passion for the field.” She starts moving in her seat restlessly and adds, “It’s as if you put a spell on him.”
“Oh, that’s nonsense,” I reply, embarrassed.
“Nonsense that’s causing a wave of rumors,” she says seriously. “Especially because this is the first time you’ve ever missed one of his classes.”
“He told me not to come,” I say angrily.
“Exactly,” she nods as if I 've just proved her point.
I shake my head in frustration. “I can’t deal with this nonsense right now. And you really have to stop coming here.” I turn my back to them, and Ralph takes hold of my elbow gently.
“What do you want to drink?” I ask irritably and he signals one of his bodyguards to come closer. The overgrown baboon respectfully hands him a red rose, and Ralph gives it to me.
“What’s this?” I ask, amazed.
“Elena,” he says to me formally, “I've decided to take you on our date tomorrow.”
This is all I need. “You’ve decided ?” I burst out laughing and I can feel the day’s tension gnawing at my bones. “You can't decide. You ask.”
“But I already asked you,” he says, his tone hurt. “And you agreed.”
“Did I?” I wrinkle my forehead, trying to remember when I agreed to something so horrific.
“ Yes ,” he says with a smile that bears his white teeth and once again I think that he must be the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.
“Ermmm,” I take my time to try and figure out how I can get out of this, but a quick glance at Scarface, who looks shocked, reminds me why I should agree happily.
“If I agreed, I’ll keep my word.” I bring the flower up to my nose and smell it.
“Good,” Ralph leans back contentedly and looks me over from head to toe. “Now you must explain what it means to go on a date. I’ve always just paid for girls I want to sleep with.”
Johanna bursts into peals of laughter and he looks at her angrily.
“You don’t know what to do on a date?” she laughs.
“Someone shut that bitch up!” he slams his glass down on the table and she hisses a scared sentence in German in his direction. “Good German girls should not sit here,” he replies in English and I realize that I need to calm things down.
“Ralph,” I put my hand on his shoulder and he looks up at me. “It’s very simple. You need to pick me up from home and take me to a place where you like to hang out.”
“Like a hotel?” he asks seriously as I desperately try to stifle a smile.
“No. Not like a hotel.” I keep a straight face. “Like a café or a restaurant or anywhere else you enjoy going to. That way we can talk and get to know each other.”
“And then I'll pay you and take you to a hotel and fuck you?”
“No!” I scream at him. “You’re not supposed to pay me anything.”
“So you'll sleep with me for free?” He raises an eyebrow in surprise, and I smack his shoulder.
“It doesn’t work like that!” I clutch my head, frustrated. “Normal people go out together, get to know each other and if they both want to, sometimes the date can end up in bed.”
“Complete waste of time.” He drinks some beer and wrinkles his forehead. “Why waste time on all that bullshit if I just want to fuck you?”
I look at him in despair. “All right, let’s just forget it.”
“No way.” He bares his white teeth again, smiling at me sneakily. “We'll do it your way. I have an open mind.”
“Okay,” I shrug. “Now I only have to ask my boss for the night off.” I turn to Scarface who is looking at me with a furious expression on his face.
“Tomorrow's busy. I won’t be able to find a replacement,” he says coldly.
“I’ll do it!” Johanna claps her hands excitedly.
“No!” Scarface and I both say furiously.
“Let the bitch work instead of her,” Ralph says annoyed. “She is here all the time anyway.”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” I say angrily, not understanding why Johanna doesn’t stand up for herself.
There's an awkward silence, which Ralph finally ends by laughing and hitting the table again. “So, we are all set. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow night.”
I nod and escape the damn table.
The rest of the night passes quickly. Before I can even feel tired, the last girl leaves and the bar is quiet again. Johanna hugs me goodbye and leaves with Tommy, and now its only Scarface and Ralph still talking.
“I’m out of here,” I call to them.
“Hold on, I’ll take you.” Scarface puts the papers back in his file.
“No need,” I answer and hurry towards the door.
“Elena,” Ralph stops me. “Dress nicely tomorrow, I have a reputation to maintain in this city.” He laughs, and I rush outside.
I sit in the cab and sigh with relief, which is immediately replaced by a choking feeling. Why the hell won’t my body listen to all the warning signals that go off in my brain? I remember last night’s passion again, and shake my head to get rid of the memory. But nothing helps and by the time the cab stops in front of my building, I’m praying that I’ll see the black motorcycle parked there. I get out of the cab, look around, disappointed, and go inside.
I’m lying in bed. My head is tired, but my body is burning with desire. I imagine his fingers playing with my nipples, his lips exploring my body and I cross my legs tightly. Acting on my desire, last night should have set me free, but I only feel more imprisoned. And he… I shake my head angrily. He thinks that he gained the right to control my life. That I’d leave my studies…. I laugh bitterly. What makes a man become so disgusting and annoying? And why does my body still want him so much? I scold myself for losing control, shake my head again and start reciting the Maxwell equations from memory. I smile. This is much better.