Chapter 5
The bar is buzzing with lively chatter and the clinking of glasses as people unwind from their week. A low hum of chatter and the occasional burst of laughter fill the air.
I join Bianca and Chloe at our usual spot, a corner table that offers a good view of the entire bar. Bianca has been in Italy visiting her parents, and she just got back last night. It has been two weeks since we have been able to meet up for our normal Friday night drinks.
“For someone who just got a job, you don’t look happy,” she says in her Italian accent.
“That’s because she has been playing under the sheets with her boss,” Chloe mischievously adds, and Bianca gasps.
“Is that true? What have I been missing?” Bianca’s eyes filled with surprise as she looks at me.
I ignore both of them as I signal a waiter to get me a drink. With the type of day that I’ve had, I sure deserve one.
“Can I have a Dirty Martini, please? And please make it extra dirty.” In a bid to change the topic, I ask Bianca, “How was Italy?”
“Italy was good, and don’t you dare change the topic. Have you been sleeping with your boss or not? Spill the tea…” she drawls, her interest piqued.
“Of course not; it was just a one-time thing.”
Bianca scrunches up her nose in disgust. “He was that bad, huh?”
“No, he wasn’t,” Chloe chimes in. “As a matter of fact, she says it was the best sex that she’s ever had.”
I shoot her a glare, hoping it will make her stop talking, but she continues anyway, “So the day she got the job, she ended up having a one-night stand with her new boss without realizing who he was. The next day, when she arrived, guess whose office she walked into?”
“Oh…” Bianca gasps, covering her mouth with her palms. “The same guy you had slept with?” she asks, looking at me.
“Yeah, you guessed right, the same guy,” Chloe says with satisfaction. With the way she’s talking about it, you would think that she was there.
“That must have been really embarrassing. I can’t imagine working with the man I just spent a night with.”
“Well, I can,” Chloe scoffs as she brings her drink to her lips.
“Yeah, we know that,” Bianca and I both say.
Chloe once had a one-night stand and was unfazed when she found out he was her colleague. “It’s just sex,” she always says.
My Martini arrives, and I take a generous sip. “Can we change the subject? I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“And miss the chance of hearing about your sexual escapades with your boss? No.”
I groan as I take another sip of my drink. “There’s nothing to tell. It was a one-time thing, and we’ve both agreed to move past it.” I turn to Chloe. “It’s just sex, right?”
She responds with a nod, even if her eyes say something different.
“Hmm, I hope you like working there, though?” Bianca asks.
“Honestly, the pay and tips from clients aren’t so bad. But my direct boss can be very annoying. It’s as if she’s unhappy with her life and wants the rest of us to be unhappy as well.”
Nothing you do ever pleases Lysa. She’s always finding fault with something, and it gets on my nerves.
Bianca reaches across the table and gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “I know that feeling. Don’t let her get to you.”
“Yeah, thanks. So, can we please change the subject now?”
“Fine, I met someone,” Bianca announces, and we all squeal in excitement.
“Where was it in Italy?” Chloe asks.
My phone chimes, indicating a new incoming message. I get it out of my purse, sliding my thumb across the screen, unlocking i. The moment I see the content of the text, the smile on my face quickly disappears.
“Is everything okay?” Chloe asks.
“I just got a message from Lysa asking me to show up at the hotel immediately.”
“But it’s your evening off,” she says.
“Yeah, but for some reason, she wants me to go right now or kiss my job goodbye.”
Bianca scoffs. “She’s just bluffing. I’m sure she can’t fire you for not showing up at work on your night off.”
I know Bianca has a point, but I can’t risk wanting to find out what Lysa would do. “I can’t chance it, guys.” I stand up and gather my coat as I speak. “I have to go. I will see you girls later.”
I blow them a kiss before making my way out of the busy bar and hail a taxi to take me to the Grand Princeton.
As the cab swerves through NYC traffic, I try to think of the reason she wants to see me. Did I do something wrong? Did I check in a customer wrongly? Or did I not smile enough? Or was I smiling too much?
When I started working at the Grand Princeton, it took me a while to get the hang of the role and learn how to smile at every patron, even when they were annoyed, or annoying.
Reporting to her is a pain in the ass, but I still can’t afford to lose this job, at least not until I get another one. My landlord has threatened to change my keys and lock me out if I don’t pay my rent by the end of the month. This gig is my only means of doing that.
I can’t borrow money from my friends anymore; they’ve helped enough and they have their own problems.
I take a deep breath as the cab pulls up in front of the Grand Princeton, collecting myself before getting out.
As I walk in, Vivian, who’s on duty, looks up from her computer screen with a smile. “I take it that you’re the one that she summoned.”
“You mean Lysa? Do you have any idea why she asked me to come back, even though I’m off duty tonight?”
“It’s the weekend, and we always have double the clients we usually have during the week. Jane was supposed to be my partner but called in sick, and Lysa had to find a substitute.”
“And I’m the person that came to her mind.” I shake my head as I head to the elevator.
“Sorry,” Vivian calls after me, laughing.
When I get to Lysa’s office, I find her on the phone, which she quickly gets off as I walk in.
“I got your text.”
“We are short on staff for the weekend. Jane is sick, so you have to fill in for her.”
“I…”
She abruptly cuts in. “Do you have a problem with that? Because if you do, you can resign, and we will get someone who doesn’t have any issues being called in to help for a coworker.”
Watching her ramble, I want to pull her hair across the desk and tell her to shut up.
What is wrong with her? Why is she so bitter?
I paste a fake smile onto my face. “It’s not a problem. I will change right away.”
“Very good.” Giving me a disdainful look, she waves me off with her hand. I resist the urge to scream at her as I make my way out of her office.
“Hey, new girl, I thought you were off this evening?” Mr. Plaid says as I walk into the laundry room to get my uniform. He’s in charge of the hotel’s laundry section and has chosen to call me “new girl,” even though I’ve told him my name repeatedly.
“I got called to fill in for someone.”
“Uh…it’s a good thing that I already had your stuff dry-cleaned then.”
I do a little dance. “Music to my ears.’’
He walks over to the end of the room and fetches my clean clothes. “Thanks.”
I head over to the changing room to change before going to join Vivian at the front desk.
“Put on a smile. You will scare customers away with that frown of yours.” She flashes me one as she speaks.
A sigh escapes my lips. “Sorry.” I manage a sad grin as an elderly couple walks in carrying a ton of boxes.
“We would like to check into one of your presidential suites, please,” the man says to me. And I quickly get to work, getting them a room.
“Just look how happy they seem even after so many years of being married,” Vivian says in a dreamy voice, after I’ve handed them the key card to their room. As a bellboy helps them carry their suitcases, the couple bickers about whose fault it is that they have so much luggage.
She sighs and continues, “If I can’t have this with the person I marry, then I don’t want to get married at all.”
“You’re such a hopeless romantic,” I say with a shake of my head.
She gasps like I just hurt her. “And you’re not?”
“No.”
“That’s because you’ve never been in love.”
“And who says I haven’t been in love before?”
“The way you act like you’re anti-love makes me think that you haven’t.”
I roll my eyes and busy myself with checking the available rooms as a man walks up to the front desk.
I’m not anti-love; I’ve just been too occupied with trying to keep a roof over my head to have time for romance. And besides, my experience with my college boyfriend left pretty thick scars.
James was everything that no sane woman would want. But then, I wasn’t sane. I was stupid and decided to date him even when all my friends saw the signs and begged me to stay away from him.
He was an emotional abuser who gaslighted me into thinking that I was the problem.
The ringing of the landline in front of me pulls me out of my thoughts.
I reach for it, bringing the receiver to my ear. I’ve yet to say a word when I hear Lysa’s voice.
“Come to my office now,” she says, and before I can say anything, the call disconnects.
“I’ve been summoned upstairs,” I tell Vivian, heading to see Lysa. But when I get there, I’m surprised to find her chair empty. Why did she ask me to come see her if she was not here?
I decide to wait a while for her, using the time to respond to a text from my mom wanting to know how I was finding my new job. I tell her it’s great even though it’s a lie. Mom worries a lot, and I don’t want her worrying because of me.
After waiting for what feels like an eternity without any sign of Lysa, I was beginning to feel frustrated, so I head back to the front desk.
As I step into the elevator, the doors are about to close when, unexpectedly, a hand slips through, preventing them from sealing shut.
My heart skips a beat as Ethan comes into view, his sudden appearance catching me off guard. There’s surprise written on his face as he sees me.
“Jessica,” he says in a formal tone as he steps in.
“Mr. Reid.” I look ahead, avoiding eye contact.
I clear my throat, swallowing hard. Why do I keep losing my composure anytime I see him? It’s the reason I’ve been trying my best to avoid him for the past week.
The atmosphere in the elevator seems to crackle with an unspoken tension, making it increasingly difficult for me to focus on anything other than the proximity between us.
As the we inch upward, I silently pray for it to go faster, desperately trying to regain my coolness; my eyes focused on the doors.
And just when I feel like I can’t take it any longer, the elevator makes a sudden jolt, sending a shiver down my spine. Not in a good way.
The lights begin to flicker. “What’s going on?” I look up, wondering.
“I have no idea.” Ethan pulls out his phone as he speaks.
And then the light goes off completely!