Chapter Nine
Josie
I hadn’t been there when the washer got fixed, and so I’d just assumed they called a service or something.
But it turned out, they had skills and fixed things themselves.
Carver hadn’t said anything except that he’d get it taken care of.
After watching Aries in action, and from what he said, I felt pretty confident that one or the other of them had handled it.
Certainly, the washer had worked well for all the customers since that night.
And it was kinda sexy watching a male at work, especially when he was only gently teasing and not implying that his skill made him the Goddess’ gift to females. He’d handled the problem with such ease, knowing just what to do to narrow the issue then solve it.
Maybe that was why I said yes when he asked me out. Calm competence. Who knew it had such sex appeal?
But I was not the least bit ready to date anyone, and I couldn’t go through with it.
Would he be mad? If so, he wasn’t the guy I thought he was.
As the evening went on, I kept expecting him to stop in and see how things were going, but none of them did.
Highly unusual. Was everything all right back there?
I’d never been past the storeroom, but I could imagine what the club was like.
Everyone dressed up and dancing, having beautiful cocktails and romance.
None of that was me.
It was just as well I had not been invited.
I’d never fit in. The night was slower than usual, not many coming in with their woven plastic baskets and garbage bags full of sweaty garments.
The air was even fresher. Despite how good all the detergents and fabric softeners smelled, that odor hung over it all.
Those who had to bring their clothes here to clean them did so because they had no facilities at their home or often even in their building.
They did jobs that got them dirty from construction or landscaping.
Their clothes were spotted with grease from cooking or chemicals from factory jobs.
After spending time with the customers, especially the humans, I’d grown to appreciate their stories. The pack had acted as if humans were barely sentient, and my occasional trips to town didn’t give me much of an opportunity to get to know any.
I buzzed around keeping things tidy, helping out with any questions.
The machines were old enough, we even had a change machine instead of being able to operate them with a debit card like the newer ones had.
And the change machine was old enough that it broke down often, so I had one of those cool change-making belts like in the old movies.
It had slots for all the coins, but I only used the quarters.
Still, it was fun to click away and make change.
Sometimes it was the little things that made my nights special.
But on this particular evening, we had very light traffic, and at one point when there was nobody there at all, I decided to lock the door for a minute and dash into the club to let Aries know why I couldn’t go out with him.
I wasn’t ready to actually talk about my past much more than they knew, but I needed to say something.
And I hoped whatever that was would come to me when I needed it to.
I went through the storage room, prepared to be underdressed, but since I didn’t keep a slinky dress or anything in the laundromat—or anywhere in my wardrobe—I had no choice.
It worried me a bit that the guys hadn’t come to check on me at all, too, so I convinced myself that this was also to check on them.
As if they couldn’t take care of themselves.
Not one male in my former pack was as imposing as any of the three of them.
Turning the knob, I pulled the door open and stumbled back as a roar of sound crashed through into the previously silent storage area. Music and laughter and loud conversation. How insulated was the area between my job and this place?
I almost gave up and closed the door, but something deep inside me insisted I be brave. I wouldn’t be staying in there very long. Just until I could find Aries, tell him I couldn’t go out with him, and apologize. Hope he didn’t take it personally.
Unsure of how to even begin to look for him, I stepped out and closed the door behind me.
The loud music was disorienting, but I could put up with anything for a minute or two.
Minutes that stretched on while I got caught up in the flow of movement through the room.
Doorways showed there were other zones, but I would start with this one and work my way around the walls.
There were all sorts of people, mostly shifters, but also other paranormals and even some humans. Every one dressed appropriately, most holding a glass in their hand, and all shouting to be heard over the music.
None of the faces looked familiar, although I received some odd glances, for which I couldn’t blame them.
They’d all put in so much effort to look nice.
What would it be like to slip into that black leather sheath?
Or wear those sky-high boots with short shorts and a leather vest. Lots of black clothes and lots of leather.
Fascinating.
“You’re new here.” Alcohol-laden breath washed over my face. “Want to dance?”
“No thanks.” I tried to take a step back, but the crowd had me pinned uncomfortably close to the male. “I’m looking for someone.”
“I’m someone.” He leaned closer. “Let’s step outside, if you don’t want to dance.”
“No? I mean, no.” I was looking right and left, searching for a sign of one of the guys.
“Come on, don’t be a tease.” He reached for my arm, but I pulled it out of his reach. “Aww, don’t be shy.”
Which was I? Shy or a tease? Or disgusted—yeah, that was it.
He would not relent, and nobody seemed to notice me trying to get away and him staying right up close to me, way into my personal space.