Hidden Sins (14 page)

Liv glanced at Sean before her eyes landed back on mine.

“Thought I should show up every once in a while, especially when Sean decides to throw out his brunettes-only rule.”

“I always thought it was a dumb rule in the first place,” Liv said, touching Sean’s chin. She’d always had a thing for Sean, but neither of them ever acted on it for obvious reasons. “She’s gorgeous. I’m actually the one who brought her in.”

“Was it easy to convince her?” I asked, clenching my fists as I waited for the answer.

“Not at all. I could tell she wasn’t from around here since she was so oblivious. But she seemed enticed by the money. I mean, who wouldn’t be. But still... I was surprised that she showed up tonight. She was really worried that this place was too good to be true,” Liv laughed, and I took a sip of the beer. “But I promised her there wasn’t anything compromising going on. That you guys take care of us.”

I hated being lumped in with this place.

“I guess that’s subjective,” I muttered, watching the men slowly begin to exit the club. The waitresses still flirted with them on the way out, leaving them with that false sense of reality.

“Right, man. Cause you’re above it all?” Sean’s brow arched and Liv started chuckling.

“One thing I’ve learned since starting here is that no man is above anything. You just haven’t found your kryptonite,” Liv smiled at me and then at Sean, before slipping off the stool.

“Don’t count on it.”

“Well, the new hire will be in tomorrow. I’m training her. You should stop by.”

“He never has before. I doubt he’ll start now,” Sean replied as Liv walked away.

“There’s always a first,” I muttered, pushing my unfinished beer away for the bartender to deal with. “Listen, it sounds like you’ve got your reasons for hiring her, but—” I stopped myself.

“Why do I think you’re not telling me something?” Sean asked.

Now was not the time to get into it.

“I’m out. I’ll see ya tomorrow.” I shrugged and walked away.

“Two days in a row? I think this Jessica thing is bothering you more than you’re letting on.” Sean called after me.

When I got to my car, I saw a new text on my cell from my sister, which wasn’t unlike her. She was a night owl just like me. She said her inspiration didn’t even start to come until after five in the evening.

Forgot to mention. I’ve got a new roommate.

Why did she have such an incessant need to get a roommate? I texted back a quick reply and took off for my house.

Of course you do. Hope it works out better than the last one. And the one before that.

Since I was still supposed to be in New England, my schedule was already cleared, and I’d be able to get a lot done surrounding Hannah’s case. I was itching to get more of my people on it.

Exactly! Hannah’s case. That was how I needed to think about it. She was nothing more than a person who needed help, a new case, and I intended to keep it that way.

A new text came in from my sister, and I directed the car to read the text aloud. The car promptly obeyed.

She’s a new hire at Buttons. I think it’s a good fit. Plus, she looks like she could use a friend.

You’ve got to be shitting me. I turned my car onto the Pacific Coast Highway and continued driving toward my house, fighting the overwhelming urge to turn the car around and show up at my sister’s house. If Hannah was in danger that meant anyone she was around would be in danger, and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I’d lost too much, too early, to let it happen again. My fists gripped the steering wheel as I drove toward home, wondering how I would take care of this latest problem.

Hannah

After spending all day worrying about when Donald Jamison would be let out, I finally made myself concentrate on getting ready for my first day on the job. Mia had been in her studio all day, which left me plenty of time to unpack and get situated. Regardless of how long I planned on staying or not staying, I was certain Mia would figure things out pretty quickly if I left all the cardboard boxes locked, loaded, and ready to go. I glanced at the clock, knowing it was time to walk over to the club. What I was experiencing was far beyond first-day jitters, but I couldn’t back out now.

I had my bag all packed and was ready to go. I locked the front door behind me and felt the warmth of the air cascade over my skin. California weather was amazing. After being locked up with air-conditioning all day, it was nice to be outside with the gentle sea breeze blowing softly. This life, imaginary as it might seem, was something I valued. It gave me hope. It told me what my life could be like someday. As long as I had hope, things would be okay.

I wandered the sidewalk, noticing the cafes and noting which boutiques would be fun to go to when I had a little cash. Once I reached Buttons, I punched in the code and opened the front door.

“Hey, Hannah,” the bartender waved. It was the same guy from the day before. I decided I better make friends since he seemed to know my name, yet I knew nothing about him.

“Hey,” I said, placing my bag on the cherrywood bar. He gave me a quick handshake and smiled.

“I’m Kevin,” he replied. “If you ever need anything, I’m your guy.”

I started laughing.

“That sounded cheesy, didn’t it?” His deep grin showed off the sharpness of his features. He was good-looking with his dark hair and deep-set brown eyes, but meeting Kevin reminded me of my reaction to Luke, and my non-reaction to Kevin, which was similar to the reaction I had toward my fiancé. But at least I wouldn’t have to worry about Luke anymore since I’d left the last place he knew where to find me.

“It could’ve been worse,” I assured him. “So how long have you been working here?”

“Two years. There are three other male bartenders, but I’m the best looking.”

I laughed harder and his gaze steadied on mine. “Another bad one, huh?”

I shrugged. “They could be fabulous lines for all I know. I’ve been out of the dating world for far too long to know.”

“Really?” He looked puzzled as he flipped a bar towel over his shoulder. “You’ve got a boyfriend?”

I shook my head. “No. I was engaged.”

At least that sounded halfway normal.

“Oh,” he nodded. “Did you…he…”

“I broke it off.” I smiled.

Kevin leaned over the bar and smiled. “Listen, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask me or anyone behind the bar. We hear and see everything from our vantage point.” He tapped the beer tap and pulled back and smiled.

“Thanks. I’ll remember that. Now I guess I better go and get ready for my first shift,” I said.

“Is that my girl?” Liv hollered from the other side of the room. “Get your butt down here before the doors open.”

My stomach immediately went into a free fall as I waved and hurried over to Liv. This was it. I’d finally get to see what everything was about inside these walls. I glanced up at the swing and wanted to kick myself.

Why did I look up?

“So you got your outfit for tonight?” she asked, pulling me down the hallway.

“I do.” I didn’t want to tell her what it was for fear of it being vetoed.

“Well, make it snappy and we’ll get through this. The first night is always the hardest.” She swung open the door and led me to a corner vanity and small closet. “This will be where you can get ready. Although it looks like you’re all already to go, except for your clothes.”

“Yeah, I did my makeup at home.”

Liv smiled and nodded. “Awesome. So you’ll be working my tables tonight, and I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.”

I placed my bag on the chair and looked at Liv, hoping she’d get the hint. She didn’t. I opened my bag and turned my back to Liv as I pulled my dress over my head. I was in one of the few matching lingerie sets that I owned, which even though it was matching was more toward cotton comfy than lacy racy. I said a silent prayer that Liv wouldn’t notice and slipped the button-down over my head. I quickly buttoned up the shirt and turned around to see Liv, her mouth gaping.

“This is brilliant. Why didn’t I ever think of this? The men are going to love it.” She reached over and unbuttoned a couple of the buttons up top where I had just securely fastened them and smiled. “There. All better.” Then her eyes dropped to the bra that was edging out from under the white cotton. Her mouth went into a disapproving pout, followed by a huff. “At least it’s black.”

“Exactly,” I agreed.

Liv took a step back to give me a once over, and my fingers immediately pulled down at the hem of the shirt, trying to stretch it to my mid-thigh area.

“That’s a no-no,” Liv said. “No fidgeting.”

“Sorry. Things are just breezy.”

Liv laughed and glanced at the clock on the wall. “We’ve got fifteen minutes before the members can start to arrive. Tonight might be a little slow, which will be good for you.”

I reached into my bag and grabbed the water I’d brought along, taking a swallow. “Thank you so much for telling me about this opportunity, by the way.”

“Hopefully you’ll still be thanking me after your first shift.”

I was startled by her honesty but couldn’t help crack a smile as I began to feel a little less anxious.

“Believe me. We all go through the first week jitters. I remember I was always on-guard, thinking that something awful was going to happen or that something more was expected of me that I wouldn’t be comfortable with. But that never happened and to this day, I’ve never felt bad about my time working here. Think of it as Hooters for wannabe millionaires.”

I nodded and put my water back in the bag before following her out. The music had just turned on, and I was shocked at how quickly the club had changed. It felt far more intimate but strange.

“Tonight’s theme is the Phantom of the Opera.”

“There are themes?” I looked around trying to see how the Phantom fit in with what the room had transformed into. The curtains surrounding certain booths had been changed out to black velvet, and there were large floral arrangements placed around the club, but the theme was lost on me.

She nodded. “It keeps things fresh. See over there?” She pointed to the corner. “It’s subtle.”

I saw nothing that referenced anything to do with the Phantom. Instead, I was looking at a huge ice sculpture that was meant to look like something, but I had no idea what. It spilt onto a glass table where shot glasses and rose petals were scattered.

“I don’t get it,” I said, turning back to Liv. “How is this the Phantom at all?”

Liv laughed and motioned for me to follow her over to the table. As I got closer to the sculpture, I recognized a man’s face covered with a mask carved into the ice.

“Oh, okay,” I said, nodding. “That’s kind of stretching it.”

“We all have to wear a mask.” She smiled.

“Seriously? The whole night?” I asked.

Liv twisted her lips, scanning across the room. “Yup.”

Knowing that I’d be able to hide under a partial mask made me start to feel less exposed and more at ease. I could do this. At least tonight I could do this. All I could do was take it one day at a time.

“So follow my lead. We take drink orders, food orders, and we stop to listen, to chat with the members. You need to learn to read their moods, their expressions,” Liv replied. “Our job is part server and part listener. One thing I’ve learned is that men don’t necessarily want to discuss things that are bothering them. Meaning they don’t want to hear our take on the matter. They just want to vent and take a swig of whisky.”

I nodded, worrying that there was still something more behind this job than she was letting on, but I guess only time would tell. I also liked to think that men were more complex than Liv’s assessment. As I glanced around the club, I focused on the fact that only members would be in here tonight. This was one of the safest jobs for a person in my predicament, and I needed to quit worrying needlessly. I could handle this.

Kevin, the bartender, gave us a slight nod, which seemed to tell Liv something. She walked us over to the back hallway where one of the girls, who I hadn’t met yet, was handing out the white masks.

“It’s showtime.” She squeezed my hand. “Here’s to a night of splendid tips and easy customers.”

I smiled, unable to resist her jolly attitude. I turned back around and watched as a hostess led two men to one of the seating areas in the center of the club. One of the men sat on the couch, while the other sat on the ottoman. They were deep in discussion, and one stood back up to take off his suit jacket before sitting back down. The hostess took it from him and walked back to the front.

“Do we need to go over there?” I asked.

“That’s not our section. Tonight, we’re covering the exterior booths.”

I nodded and she secured the mask over her face and I did the same.

“Too bad this doesn’t cover up my whole face,” I laughed.

“That’s the spirit,” Liv said, rolling her eyes. “Looks like our first table is being seated. Have any questions?”

I shook my head. “Not yet.”