Page 12 of The Book Reader
I lean back in my chair. “I’ll have a word with Mekhi, and as for the girl who handed in her notice, I’ve known about it for a while. I’ve already got another girl on call ready to start,” I tell her as I pull my phone out, opening my emails and scroll through until I find her message. “Here it is… Eden.” Handing my phone to Lucy, I grin. “She has worked in clubs before and is a dancer, too.”
Lucy reads the messages, then looks up. “Can she come in for an audition?”
I nod my head. “She’s ready to go when we call her.”
“Is she nice?” Lucy worries about her lip. I know she hates having new people coming into the bar. We have such a great bunch of girls, we want nothing to mess it up. Standing slowly, I move to the window and look out over the field next door. We picked this spot in town for the club because it was at the end of the main street, more private for all our VIPs.
“Yeah, she is. I’ve only spoken to her a few times. She has a two-year-old daughter, but from the sounds of things, she knows our world very well.” I turn to face Lucy, who smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I know that look all too well, and I know she has something on her mind.
“Want to talk about it?” I say, giving her thelook, the one that says,“You know you can’t hide things from me. I can read you like a book.”
She starts to shake her head, then leans back in the chair. “No, I’ve just not been sleeping that well. I’ll be fine”
Lucy brushes me off, and for now, I’ll let it go. She has been spending a lot of time in her room lately. I’m wondering if she is getting scared again. When we found her, she spent many days not wanting to leave the house, and I didn’t blame her.
Our world can be scary at times.
“I think we need to strengthen the wards around the house. Just to make sure they are still holding. We don’t need another Luka.”
At the sound of his name, both Lucy and I burst out laughing. Luka was a daemon we’d met at the club that spent the better part of two weeks outside our house, sending gifts to us because he wanted us both.
“Remember what he said? That he’s more than enough daemon to please us both and would pay gold for the pleasure to prove it?” I shudder.
“Oh my god, yes, and that his two cocks would please us in ways we could only imagine.” Lucy giggles.
“Do you really think he had two? Like, that would actually be really hard to… er… get in.” I wonder.
Lucy and I both laugh harder, and it pleases me to see my friend happy again. I was going to tell her about the daemon in the park, but I’ll leave it for now. She has enough to stress about as it is. If whoever he is turns up again, I will handle it.
“We would have to be some kind of contortionist if we were to try.” There are tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.
“I can’t even believe he thought that could work,” I say, sobering up as I take another sip of water.
“Let’s not talk about him. As funny as it was, it still gives me the creeps.” Lucy shudders.
“Why don’t you go home and get some sleep. I can lock up, and Manny can always walk me home.” I tell her.
“Okay, are you sure?”
I nod. “Manny will. He hates it if either of us walks home alone late at night. I need to go over my order again. We have a Burlesque night next week, and I need to make sure the costumes arrive on time. I’ll come straight home after.” I walk to the door and pull it open. “Go… get an early night.”
“Early? It’s one o’clock already.”
I laugh. “Okay, go get some sleep. Oh, and don’t forget, I’m going to see my aunt tomorrow, and I’ll be gone for the rest of the week, so Kat’s covering for me.”
Lucy nods. “Will you bring me back some carrot cake?”
My aunt always sends me home with an array of baked goods, which we end up having to freeze because there are so many. Wednesday is the twentieth anniversary of the day my parents were both killed. I always spend that week with my aunt, my mom’s sister, and this year will be no different.
After my parents were killed, I went to live with my aunt and my grandfather; they were the only family I had left. My aunt raised me just as my mother wanted her to.
I realize my thoughts have carried me away again as I’m pulled into Lucy’s arms for a hug. I didn’t even see her cross the room to me. She whispers, “Do you want me to come with you?” I hug her back tight, feeling the sting of tears behind my eyes. I miss my mom so much that it hurts.
“No, I’ll be fine. I don’t even know what she wants to do this year.” Last year we had a party with just the two of us. I got very drunk, and we cried a lot. “I’ll call you.”
“Promise?”
Smirking at her, I nod, “Yes, I promise.”
