Page 6 of Dirty Work
Chapter Five
I guess I’ve decided to go out to Bryan’s birthday party tonight, even though I feel insane for being so into this random guy already. I slip a simple black mini dress over her head and smooth it down against my hips. I take my hair out of the low ponytail it’s been tied back in all day. I feel like a total cliche. I feel like the dorky girl in a ‘90s teen comedy who takes off her glasses and pulls her hair out of her ponytail and suddenly transforms from a dweeb to a beauty queen in two seconds flat.
Except I’m not a beauty queens. Not even close.
I check myself in the full-length mirror behind my door. I wish my hair was shinier, my hips a little slimmer, my stomach a little flatter. Bryan is way out of my league.
My phone beeps, and it’s Liz, one of the nice girls I met at work that day and exchanged numbers with.
Hey, lady. Any chance you’ll come out tonight?
I’m about to respond that, yes, I would be coming out, and was looking forward to it. I certainly wouldn't mention that she was excited and nervous to see Bryan and that it’s my absolute fantasy to make out with him, even though we work together and it’s all sorts of inappropriate and against the employee code of conduct to engage in that kind of thing with a coworker.
And as I’m about to text Liz back, my phone buzzes again.
Bryan is asking about you.
Crap.
My heart jumps into my throat and sinks into my stomach, all at the same time.
No other girls at the bar to occupy him, I guess.
Iknowguys like him. Hell, I’ve even made out with a few of them. I know that Bryan must have bedded dozens of women - some of the hottest girls in New York City. I know what I look like. I am cute. Pretty. Not hot. I am too young, too inexperienced.
And Bryan is asking about me? Bryan from work? Bryan with the tattoos?
Oh, really? What did he say?
I want to get some information before rolling up to the bar. I don’t want to be blindsided and I want to know what to expect out of Bryan before getting there. I want to know if he is asking about me in a friendly, new coworker way, or in another way.
He said he wanted you to come.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. I gather up my things and make my way out to Second Avenue, hailing a downtown cab and setting off for the bar.
_____
“You’re here.” Bryan makes his way over to the door from the bar, past the crowd of people there on a Friday night, and takes my coat from me.
He doesn’t look happy to see me. Oh, great. I screwed everything up before it even started.
“You still aren’t wearing a scarf,” he says, filling me with relief. “I’ll have to buy you one.”
“Do they sell scarves here?” I scan the room, lightly ribbing him.
“Very funny. Let me buy you a drink first.” He disappears into the crowd, as quickly as he had appeared a moment earlier.
“Anne!” Through the din of the room I can hear Liz, calling my name and rushing toward me.
“Hey!” I respond. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long. Bryan, Greg and I got here about an hour ago. I amsoglad you’re here. Listen,” Liz grabs me by the elbow and guides me to a corner table at the bar, where it’s as secluded as it can be, given that it’s a Friday night in the frattiest area of Midtown and it seems that every finance and law dude is out for Bryan’s birthday.
“Liz, what is it?” I feel the tenseness in my voice choke out my question, but I’m not sure what I’m afraid of. Maybe she needs to tell me that Bryan’s already move on from me and is working on another girl now. Maybe the drink he’s buying for me is just a friendly drink.
“Nothing bad! It’s just that Bryan has not been able to shut up about you all night. He is, like, freaking out over the fact that you came here instead of going to hang out with your boyfriend.”
“Wait, what?” I scoot around in my seat a little, unable to get comfortable. My panties are getting wet, and all I’m thinking about at this point is the idea that he actually knows that I exist.
