Four
Aurora
My co-workers and I had been talking about this hot new listening bar called HUSH for a minute. They finally convinced me to hang out tonight. After rushing home to soak in a tub of bubbles, I picked out this cute denim outfit that had been hanging in my closet for about a month. It was nothing fancy, but it was cute and just right for a chill night. The jeans were more on the dressy side. The top was a ruffled, off the shoulders style that showed my midriff when I moved. I paired the outfit with a pair of six-inch strappy sandals. I’m a short girl and I need the height.
After bumping the curls in my long weave, I sprayed on some of my favorite smell good and headed out to meet my friends. As I passed the full-length mirror on the way out, I stopped dead in my tracks. Damn, your girl was looking kind of delicious. Maybe I would have some fun for a change. After the day from hell, I deserved to celebrate a little.
My girls, Lilly and Crystal, were meeting me at the spot. I was looking forward to the cocktail menu. The bar was known for its music selection and the dranks! I couldn’t wait to partake. My vice was sweet colorful drinks. They were fun, tasted good and came on like gangbusters. Just what I needed. Good thing I took a ride share because I was about to drink my weight in spirits.
The place was lit for a weeknight. It reminded me of a modern-day speakeasy. The decor was kind of nice with plush seating and hardwood floors. There were booths and tables throughout the area, as well as plush couches and cushy seats made for relaxing. The whole place put you at ease.
Not at all what I was expecting when Lilly told me about the bar. The listening bars I was used to in Cali were chill spots where the owners never wasted money on what the place looked like. They focused more on the atmosphere. It was clear the owner of HUSH invested some major bucks into the design. It was a great move to attract a more upscale clientele.
“Lilly, this place is nice! Back in Cali the listening bars are old and dusty.”
“Yeah, you would think this would be too considering who owns the place. But you’re right, it is nice in here. You see that framed mural on the wall over there? “
I turned to look over my shoulder to see what Lilly was pointing at. I nodded my head once I spied the mural of a beautiful black woman whose face was covered with a huge flower.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“That is a door to a hidden room where they host private events. One of my friends had her birthday party here not long ago. It was amazing. The owner is this sexy biker with long black hair and a sexy accent. Lawd, that man is fine. I hope he’s here tonight.”
Chills went down my spine at the mention of the biker. She couldn’t mean the same biker that I saw twice today. No way that was possible. I decided to dig a little deeper.
“Sexy biker? Do you recall his name?”
“I’m pretty sure his name is Sheol. He’s a part of the Sinners biker gang. They kind of run this town as far as the underworld is concerned. I’m not the girl that goes for bad boys, but that man is a hottie! I would have taken him home, but he wasn’t interested.”
Relief set in. I was extremely happy to hear that my friend had not hooked up with the man I was crushing on. I knew it would be a mistake to get involved with yet another biker, but the man was fine as sin. He also seemed nice. Maybe I could overlook his affiliation for just one night. I wasn’t fool enough to try to get into a relationship with the man. Those bikers hardly ever settled down and I was not trying to be a part of that lifestyle.
Despite my reservations, I found myself looking around the bar waiting for Sheol to materialize out of thin air. It wasn’t too farfetched since he owned the place. While I waited, I took in the place and vibed to the music. The DJ was decent and the diverse music he played really spoke to me. My music selection had always been very eclectic, so I appreciated being able to listen to country music one minute and hip hop the next.
Our small group took over the area opposite the hidden door. There was a plush leather couch and a couple of side chairs set in a little alcove. It was the perfect place to sit back and watch the entire club. We sat and a waitress almost immediately came over to take our drink orders.
“Good evening, ladies. My name is Tomi, and I will be serving you tonight. A little bit about HUSH. We are all about the music here. Unlike most bars, we do not encourage a lot of loud interactions. We encourage you to sit back, relax and enjoy the music. While talking is not prohibited, we do encourage you to keep it at the minimum to allow all our guests to enjoy the experience.”
Well, damn. That was the nicest way I ever heard anyone say shut the fuck up. We gave each other the side eye as Tomi continued.
“We have an extensive array of cocktails, wines and spirits. I see you found our menu. Does anything look good to you?”
“What would you suggest?” Crystal asked, looking like she wanted to smack the young server.
“My personal fave is the Moscow Mule. However, it just depends on your taste.”
Crystal looked like she was going to come off her seat and get at the girl, so I placed a hand on her arm and then answered.
“I think I’ll try this plush appletini right here.”
I pointed to the picture on the menu and gave Tomi a slight smile. The girl was borderline rude with her tone and the way she kept rolling her eyes like she had better things to do than to wait on us. I mean damn. Wasn’t this her job? After my girls placed their orders, the silly waitress flitted away without a thank you, kiss my ass or anything. She was definitely playing with our time and her tip would reflect it.
Just then, Bob Marley’s smooth voice came through the speakers singing about Roots, Rock and Reggae. The three of us smiled and stood up at the same time. It was almost impossible not to dance to that song whenever it came on. We stayed in our little area and simply swayed our bodies from side to side.
Tomi managed to get all three of our drinks wrong. She was really awful at her job. Instead of making a big deal about it, we decided to just drink what she brought us. Rule number one in a restaurant or bar, never send the food or drinks back. I guess little Miss Attitude decided she didn’t want a tip because she couldn’t be bothered to even apologize when Crystal mentioned she got the orders wrong. It was as if she had done it on purpose.