Page 37 of Muted

I slip inside and buckle up as he greets me. “Morning, Susu. Did you sleep well?”

Smiling to let him know I did, even if it is a lie, I set my bag between my feet and sit back, comfortable for the somewhat short drive to work. Chester hands his phone over to me with his music app open. “Passenger’s choice this morning.” He winks at me as I take his phone.

I want to chuckle at his upbeat attitude.Apparently, someone’s a morning person.As I scroll through his playlists, I raise a brow at some of the songs I see listed. There’s a variety across various decadesandgenres. I suppose that should be expected, considering he owns a bar which is centered around music.

Pressing play for a song from the early 80s, I wait until he realizes what song I’ve chosen. The moment Bonnie Tyler’s voice flows from the speakers, I bite my lip to keep from giggling as Chester tosses his head back, bursting out in laughter.Total Eclipse of the Heartis such an amazing but also ridiculous song that I knew he’d at least crack a smile.

He turns up the radio and immediately starts singing the lyrics, never missing a word from start to finish. I find I’m filled with a ton of pleasure as I watch him sing and move his head to the beat. He even gets dramatic during the chorus. My Lord, it’s endearing.

Laughing, he says, “I’m not sure it was the smartest thing to give you control but pick another.”Another fucking wink.Jesus, why is that so hot?I don’t think I’ve ever been winked at before and although I’m sure he doesn’t mean anything by it, those little flutters of butterfly wings in my stomach flit around every time he does it.

This time, I search for a specific song and put onI Want You Backby NSYNC. Chester doesn’t laugh the way he did with the first. He scowls at the road in front of him and bites out, “Fucking boy bands.”

I’m not surprised. I played this to fuck with him, but when he begrudgingly starts singing along, an actual chuckle slips free. His eyes flick over to me before he looks back at the road, never stumbling over the words or faltering in pitch. Blood rushes to my face and I look down at the phone for a moment to breathe through it. In case it’s still there once I’ve calmed myself, I look out the window and bob my head to the beat.

I don’t care what anyone says, NSYNC was badass, and I’ll fight anyone who says differently.

We spend the rest of our drive with me playing the next best song I want to hear him sing, and on our last song when we’re blocks away from the bar, I find myself mouthing the words along with him as he sings. I could feel him sneaking glances at me from time to time, but I pretend not to notice.

Instead of pulling into the parking lot, he stops in front of the entrance and puts the car in park without turning it off. Then, turning to me, he holds his hand out for his phone. I reluctantly drop it into his open palm and watch as his fingers close over the screen, making the device look miniature enclosed within the thickness of them.

“I have to run to the grocery store to pick up garnishes for drinks that we’re running low on. Cliff is already inside. Theo should be here within the hour, along with our opening bartender.”

The joy I’ve felt on the drive dissipates so quickly that I’m rocked by the extreme low I’m feeling now. I look toward the building and scream to Chester in my head.I don’t want to go in there alone. Your friend scares me.

I know he can’t hear me, but that doesn’t stop a small rush of irritation at him that he doesn’t, nonetheless. Chester shouldknowthat Cliff isn’t a good person. He’s looking at his phone, swiping through the music before he puts on another song themed with the morning vibes I started him on.

Plastering on a fake smile, I nod once and shove the door open before he can lean over to open it for me. There’s a flash of tightness in the corners of his mouth; maybe annoyed I didn’t wait for him, but if I stay here longer, he’ll sense my mood shift.

With a quick wave over my shoulder, I slam the door and rush inside. There’s no way he can see me through the darkened glass, so once it closes behind me, I freeze and analyze my surroundings. My eyes find every corner of the main room, looking for any shift or body coming toward me, but I see nothing. There’s a small thump, but it’s muted. Could be from outside, or the backroom.

If I stay quiet, hopefully I’ll stay under the radar until more people show up instead of being alone here with Cliff for an hour alone. I tiptoe to the office and peek into the space, letting my shoulders relax when I don’t find him at his desk.

Chester always leaves my accounting book and the receipts and invoices that need to be entered and balanced. I grab my stack and then walk with controlled steps to minimize the squeak of my shoes on the bare floor over to my regular table. Just before I sit, I look around and decide to grab a booth that’s sitting in lower light. I’m short enough that the back will hide me if he does come in.

Settling onto the bench, I set my work down gently and pull out my pencils from my bag. The book shuffles lightly as I open it, and after blowing out another relieved breath, I get to work.

There are a few more random thumps and muffled curses. Cliff is definitely in here. Although I can’t hear his words clearly, his tone and sharpness rings through the walls clearly. I’m able to work in peace for another fifteen or twenty minutes before I hear the creaking of the supply room door as he opens it.

Sucking in air, I hold it until I hear his footsteps, steady, but getting louder as he walks in my direction. There’s no way he sees me, but I realize that one of the pages I was using is laying toward the edge of the table. If he comes any closer, he’ll see it and know I’m here.

Thankfully, his steps halt for a brief second before they disappear at a clipped pace in the opposite direction. I assume he made it into the carpeted office, so I whip my hand over to yank the loose paper away from his line of sight. My heart is racing, and I strain to hear over it, wanting to know if he’ll come back.

I barely get to hope before I hear the fast clicking of his heels and my heart sinks when I know he’s heading toward me. Shoving the papers into the page I’m working on, I gather my things hurriedly to get up before he reaches me.

Just as my ass slides to the edge, this fucking asshole sits down directly next to me, blocking my escape. Without a word, he slides over so he’s fully on the seat, bumping against me, forcing me back toward the wall.

My breathing comes out short and fast, like I just sprinted up a hill, and I look around wildly for an escape. The front door is justthere, but no shadows of someone about to walk through.

“I need you to do something for me,” he says, his coffee breath wafting toward me, then pushed forcefully into my face when the air is displaced as he slams a paper on the table. “I need you to swap out this invoice for the one you’ve got and update the records.”

My eyes fall to the paper his meaty hand is laying over, then up at him. He’s waiting, completely self-assured that I’ll do exactly as he asks. I look back at the paper, and with a smirk I see from the corner of my eye, he lifts his hand. Using a single finger, I slide the paper toward me and then flip it over to see what it is.

It’s an invoice from the supplier who does weekly alcohol deliveries. Running my eyes over it, it doesn’t seem off until I drop my eyes to the bottom number. Wrinkling my brow, I page through the papers that Chester left for me and pull out an almost identical invoice, same dates, but different prices and total owed.

I hold it up, showing him I’ve already got the invoice. I’m not sure what he’s giving me. Cliff rolls his eyes and picks the original invoice out of my fingers, then nods his head toward the one he brought over. “That’sthe invoice you need to log.”

I look down at it again, frustrated because it’s not what Chester gave me. My head only shakes no once before Cliff leans in and snarls, “This is the correct invoice, Susu. Make the change.”

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