Page 8 of Scarred King

“OK…” he answers and narrows his eyes suspiciously again, “then get back to work.” He sends me back and I see the tables slowly emptying as the customers start going upstairs. I clear the glasses, clean the tables and yawn.

“You’re not done yet. The night’s still young.” Scarface is standing behind me and his voice caresses my ears. I stifle another yawn and sit down in an empty chair. “Get out of that chair!” He raises his voice and I jump up panicked.

Two men enter and sit down casually at two separate tables. This time, since they don’t have dates, I avoid my regular flirtation and suggest that they start with a soft drink. I realize that they’re waiting for the evening’s first round to end and I sit down on the barstool. Charlie sits down with Scarface and I take advantage of the small break I have and look through one of my textbooks. Within seconds I am lost in explanations of electromagnetic fields, my magical and familiar world enveloping me safely.

“Elena, you have a customer.” Charlie yanks the book away from me. I fume silently and stand up.

“Where?” I look around at the tables. I can’t see anyone apart from the two men I’ve already served.

“Ralph.” Charlie points to Scarface’s table and I choke down a shocked cry. Ralph looks like a male version of Johanna, my roommate. His hair is light and his blue eyes are almost transparent, but unlike her, he doesn’t look fragile at all. His features are so hard that I can’t understand how he can open his mouth and actually move it to talk.

I approach their table but they are not looking at me. I feel tension cutting through the air, as if they are getting ready to arm-wrestle. “Would you like a drink?” I ask Ralph, surprised that his presence excites me.

“Something strong.” His German accent is stronger than Johanna’s. “I’m sure that a man like you knows exactly what he likes…” my voice trembles.

“I don’t like to be bothered,” he cuts me off rudely and looks at me for the first time. “What is this?” He asks Scarface without taking his eyes off me. “New merchandise?” There's a mocking tone in his voice and the excitement I felt a moment ago is completely gone.

“You call your girlfriends merchandise!” I blurt angrily and immediately shut my mouth panicked. His right eyebrow rises slightly and he bangs his fist on the table and laughs.

I sneak a look at Scarface and he looks amused as well. “Believe me, Liam,” The German is still laughing, “finally something has made me laugh today.”

“That something is Elena, our new waitress,” Scarface tells him calmly and winks at me with the eye on the angelic side of his face.

“It's refreshing to see a girl here who is not half-naked,” he says, looking me over with great interest. “I think that she is exactly what I need to survive tonight.” He rubs the back of his neck and stretches his mouth into a wide smile. “Want to go upstairs with me?” he asks, motioning with his head toward the staircase.

I hold my breath.

“She doesn’t work upstairs,” Scarface says in a hard tone. “Tell her what you want to drink and let her get on with waitressing.”

I can’t tell if I am flattered or shocked by this man’s proposition.

“You said that about the one who was here before her,” Ralph is still smiling while he talks. “And fact is, she made a different choice.”

I really don’t feel flattered anymore. I 'm appalled.

“Elena,” Scarface says to me, “Bring him a glass of Johnny Gold.”

“Wait,” Ralph says and grabs my arm, his touch gives me the chills.

“Don’t touch me!” I say firmly and he drops his hand. “If I haven’t given you permission to touch me, you can’t.”

I don’t wait for his reaction and stalk off to the bar. Charlie, who has been watching from a distance, tries to smother a smile. “The animal wants Johnny Walker,” I say and close my eyes for a moment. If I can just rearrange all the data in my head again it will be easier to deal with everything that’s happening here. Within seconds, it’s all laid out again on my imaginary whiteboard and I nod with satisfaction.

I return to the table, place Ralph’s drink in front of him and immediately take a step back.

“You amuse me,” Ralph says and leans back comfortably on the leather seat. “So how much would it cost to get permission to see what's under all this fabric?” he points at my cotton dress.

“Leave her alone.” Scarface sounds impatient. The German pulls some bills from his pants pocket and puts them down on the table. “Thirty dollars. Will you come upstairs with me?”

His insulting suggestion makes me laugh out loud. “I might consider it if you added three zeros.” I am still laughing and he looks shocked. He takes a sip of his drink and puts the glass down on the table. A few drops spray on the smooth surface and I go over to the bar, take a cloth, and come back to clean them, and place a new paper napkin by the glass.

“Get me another,” he says harshly and points at his empty glass. I leave right away and when I return I see that they're both looking at the page with the names and numbers.

“The Poles have a 120,000 dollars debt,” Scarface says to Ralph, pointing at the page.

“123,000 dollars,” I say and turn pale as they both stare at me. “I’m sorry,” I mutter in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to interfere.”

They both look back at the table and nod at each other. “123,000 dollars,” Scarface corrects himself and signals me to leave.

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