The Club

by Mandasue Heller

  ‘Course not. And don’t worry about that delivery. I’ll come in early and help you with it.’

  ‘No need, I’ve got it covered. You just stay in bed till you’re good and ready.’ Leaning towards her, Fabian kissed her on the cheek. ‘Happy New Year.’

  ‘You, too,’ Jenna said, sitting down wearily on one of the tall bar stools.

  Stepping out of the way to let Fabian past, Kalli put her hands on her non-existent hips and gazed around at the mess of glasses, plates and overflowing ashtrays littering the bar. Pushing up her sleeves, she set about clearing up.

  ‘Leave that,’ Jenna told her. ‘The cleaners will do it in the morning. Come and have a drink – I think we all deserve one.’ Looking around at them all now, she said, ‘Thanks so much for everything you’ve done, guys. You’ve really helped make it go well tonight.’

  ‘We were pretty damn good, weren’t we?’ Austin crowed, going behind the bar to pour the drinks.

  Straddling the stool beside hers, Vibes said, ‘I hope you’re including yourself in that, Princess, because you were fantastic.’

  ‘Hear, hear,’ Kalli agreed, sitting on the other side of Vibes. ‘You were brilliant, Jenna. Nobody would ever guess it was your first time.’

  ‘Like a virgin,’ Austin sang camply, popping the cork out of a half-full bottle of champagne that Maurice had left under the counter.

  ‘Shut up, you idiot,’ Kalli scolded. ‘Jenna’s trying to relax.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ Jenna assured her. ‘I don’t mind a bit of music. Subject of,’ she said then, turning to Vibes. ‘You were amazing.’

  Dipping his head, Vibes gave a modest shrug. ‘I was okay, I guess.’

  ‘Oh, come on, you were way hot!’Austin chipped in enthusiastically, laying four glasses out on the counter. ‘When the doors opened and you hit it with the Big Ben chimes, I thought I was gonna die, it was that spine-tingly. And the way you came out of that gospel version of “Auld Lang Syne” and blasted straight into that Kylie remix . . . Oh, my life!’ Closing his eyes, he hugged the champagne bottle to his chest. ‘It was like getting into an ice-cold shower after a sizzling sauna!’

  ‘I think we get the picture.’ Jenna laughed. ‘Now, do you think we could get the drinks?’

  But it was true what he’d said. Vibes had turned the room on its head tonight, drawing people onto the dance floor and holding them there, never giving them a chance to think about sitting down as each track raised the pace of the last. But his real brilliance had shown itself in the final hour, when he’d started to mellow the mood, subtly slowing the pace down to the final laid-back bluesy smooch.

  ‘Fantastic,’ Jenna murmured, sighing happily.

  ‘Isn’t he?’ Kalli agreed, resting her chin on her hand. Blushing then, she added, ‘I meant as a DJ.’

  ‘Me, too,’ Jenna said quickly.

  ‘What-ever!’ Austin murmured amusedly.

  Smiling, Vibes looped his arms around their shoulders and hugged them to him. ‘You are one pair of terrific ladies – you know that?’

  ‘What about me?’ Hand on hip now, Austin tilted his head and pouted flirtatiously. ‘Don’t you get hugs round here if you haven’t got boobs?’

  ‘You, my friend, get a high five!’Vibes laughed, slapping palms with him across the bar. ‘I’d like to propose a toast,’ he said then, picking up his glass. ‘To friends . . . and to Jenna’s success.’

  ‘That’s two toasts,’ Kalli said, smiling slyly as she noticed that Jenna and Vibes couldn’t seem to look each other in the eye for more than a few seconds at a time.

  ‘Oh, who cares, Little Miss Perfect?’ Austin tutted. ‘Button up, and bottoms up!’

  Reaching for her glass, Kalli said, ‘You’d better take it easy, ’cos you’re not having another one after that. And I am not cleaning the taxi if you throw up in the back again.’

  Letting Kalli and Austin out a short time later, Jenna set the alarms and locked up, then stood with Vibes outside the front door to wait for his cab. He’d booked it from the same firm as the rest of the staff, but everyone else’s had been and gone a long time ago and there was still no sign of his.

  It was pitch dark outside, and absolutely freezing. Jenna was shivering, and her nose felt like an icicle, but there was no way she was leaving Vibes by himself. There had been too many reports of gangs attacking lone men in the city lately, and she’d never live with herself if that were to happen to him.

  ‘You should go,’ Vibes told her. ‘It’s too cold to be hanging around out here.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she lied, smiling to disguise the fact that her teeth were chattering. ‘What time did they say they’d be here?’

  ‘Twenty minutes ago.’

  ‘Bloody hell. I didn’t realise they were that late. They’ve probably forgotten.’

  ‘No worries.’ Shrugging deeper into his jacket, Vibes stepped forward to look down the deserted road. ‘I’ll give it another five and start walking.’

  ‘Don’t be daft,’ Jenna said, glancing up at him. ‘My car’s out back. I’ll take you.’

  ‘Nah, it’s cool.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t want to put you out.’

  ‘You won’t be,’ Jenna said firmly. ‘But if you stay out here for much longer you’ll be too ill to come to work tomorrow – and that’s no use to me, is it?’

  ‘If you’re sure?’ Vibes peered into her eyes – then glanced quickly away when it suddenly struck him where he’d seen that shade of green before.

  The sea in Tahiti, when I took a honeymoon stroll on the beach with Aliya, just a few short hours after we later figured that Tashei must have been conceived . . .

  Shaking the memory away before it took hold and burned, Vibes said, ‘Second thoughts, I think I’d best just wait. That cab’s probably gonna come racing round the corner any minute, and I wouldn’t want to miss it and waste the guy’s time on a day like this.’

  Jenna knew better. Turning, she walked away, calling back over her shoulder: ‘Come on.’

  Catching up with her when he realised that she wasn’t taking no for an answer, Vibes adjusted his stride to match hers. He’d never noticed quite how petite she actually was, and the glow from the street lamps gave her hair a beautiful blue sheen.

  ‘You’ll have to direct me, because I don’t know my way around Withington,’ Jenna said when they were in the car.

  Rubbing his hands together as the heater blasted delicious hot air at him, Vibes said, ‘Left at the corner and keep going straight.’ Falling silent then as Jenna reversed out of the yard into the narrow alleyway, he leaned his head back against the rest and thought about how well the night had gone.

  Fabian had done himself proud with the guest list, and the rest of the staff had really pulled their weight to make sure everything went smoothly. Particularly Kalli, from what he’d heard. But then, he wouldn’t have expected any less of her. She might be the smallest and youngest of the waitresses, but it was to her that they all turned when they needed help or advice.

  ‘She’s a good kid,’ he said out loud. Adding, ‘Kalli,’ when he realised that Jenna wouldn’t know what he was talking about.

  ‘She is, isn’t she?’ Jenna smiled fondly. ‘I haven’t known her as long as you have, but you just get the feeling you can really rely on her, don’t you?’

  ‘That’s because you can,’ Vibes murmured. ‘And that’s good, ’cos we all need someone to rely on.’

  ‘Very true,’ Jenna agreed. ‘Bit of a rare luxury for me, these days, though, because I lost touch with most of my friends when I left Manchester. I’ve met lots of new people since I came back, but it’s not the same, is it?’

  ‘I hear that,’ Vibes said softly. ‘Many faces in the picture – few close to the heart.’

  ‘Very poetic.’

  ‘Very safe,’ Vibes said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Dawn was only just beginning to break, and the dull street lamps were casting long shadows across Jenna’s tired face, but she was
still one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. There was a proud tilt to her chin, and a dignity in the way she held herself which told him that she would be a faithful lover, or a lifelong trusted friend.

  Or both, if a man were lucky enough.

  Shaking the thought away, he sat up straighter and concentrated on staying awake as they travelled out of town and into Withington.

  ‘It’s the next turning on the left, then second right,’ he said when they reached the village centre. ‘First house on the left.’

  Pulling up at the kerb outside the corner house a minute later, Jenna smiled when she saw three grown men chasing each other around the garden with water guns. ‘They look like they’re having fun.’

  ‘Oh, man, I thought the party would have been over by now,’ Vibes groaned. ‘Gina must be having a fit. It would have been murder getting the baby to sleep with these fools making so much noise.’ Sighing now, he unclipped his seat belt. ‘Best go see if I can get them to cool it.’

  Reaching for the door handle now, he hesitated, unsure how to say goodbye. It was New Year’s Day, but should he kiss Jenna on the cheek and wish her a good one like he would have any other female friend? Or would she think that completely inappropriate because she was his boss?

  Opting for the cautious approach, he nodded at her. ‘Right, well, thanks for the lift. And I’ll, er, see you tomorrow, I guess.’ Smiling shyly, he added, ‘Don’t go falling asleep at the wheel on your way home.’

  ‘I won’t,’ Jenna assured him. ‘See you tomorrow.’

  Hopping out, Vibes stepped back to the gate to wave her off.

  ‘Who’s that?’ Kenneth asked, coming up behind him with a sly grin on his face.

  ‘My boss,’ Vibes said, pushing the gate open.

  ‘Hot momma.’

  ‘Wouldn’t let Gina hear you saying that.’ Strolling up the path, Vibes nodded at Kenneth’s friends, who were sitting on the doorstep now, skinning up. ‘Happy New Year, guys.’

  ‘Certainly is,’ one of them called back in a loud whisper. ‘I’m happy as fuck, me. Fancy a puff to see it in, mate?’

  Shaking his head, Vibes said, ‘Thanks, but I’m gonna hit the sack.’ Touching fists with Kenneth then, he said, ‘See you in the morning, man.’

  ‘Sweet dreams,’ Kenneth called after him as he made his way inside.

  Knowing exactly what he was getting at, Vibes flipped him the finger.

  4

  Fabian had barely slept, but nobody would have guessed it to look at him when he was getting the club ready for opening that night. His hair was perfect, his nails buffed, and his skin glowing, thanks to a visit to Toni & Guy in between overseeing the cleaners and sorting the delivery earlier that day. It was an expensive indulgence but, in his experience, women appreciated a well-groomed man – especially a well-groomed man in a suit. And his midnight-blue Armani and silver-grey shirt couldn’t have looked better if it were being strutted down a catwalk in Milan.

  But he didn’t just look good. He felt good, too.

  Coming down off the coke in the restless early-morning hours had mellowed him enough to think the Melody Fisher situation through more rationally, and he’d come to the conclusion that she wouldn’t dare tell her boyfriend what had happened. If everything was honest and open between her and Tony Allen she wouldn’t have had to engineer getting Fabian alone like that – she’d have come right out and asked him for the coke in front of Tony. But she obviously hadn’t wanted Tony to know, and that gave Fabian something to hold over her if she got out of line.

  With the weight of that gone from his shoulders, he was on top form when Jenna arrived. Greeting her with a kiss on the cheek, he told her about the dozens of calls they’d received from last night’s guests and customers, saying how much they’d enjoyed themselves and asking if they’d be open tonight.

  ‘Is that good?’ Jenna asked, shrugging out of her jacket and blowing on her icy fingers.

  ‘It’s great,’ he assured her. ‘Believe me, people don’t usually bother giving feedback. But the machine was chocker when I got here, and the phone hasn’t stopped all day.’

  ‘Wow,’ she murmured, impressed by his enthusiasm. ‘Hope it lasts.’

  ‘Oh, it will,’ he told her confidently. ‘I’ve got a feeling we’re going to be right up there with the best before too long. You watch.’

  ‘Fingers crossed.’ Jenna gave him a nervous smile. Glancing at her watch then, she said, ‘Best go drop my stuff in the office while I’ve got time.’ Walking away, she turned back to call, ‘You’re looking good, by the way.’

  Smiling, Fabian called, ‘You, too.’ And he meant it, because she looked sensational again, in a figure-hugging black halter-dress, and emerald necklace and earrings that perfectly matched her eyes.

  The front door opened just then, letting a blast of icy air in. Turning to see who was using the out-of-bounds customer entrance, Fabian frowned when he saw that it was two of the waitresses, JoJo and Vanessa.

  ‘It’s fucking freezing!’ JoJo yelped, stamping the slush off her shoes and shaking the snow out of her hair onto the polished floor.

  Smile gone, Fabian marched towards them, barking, ‘How many times have I told you to come round the back? Let me catch you using the front doors again and you’re out! Now get that mess cleared up before someone slips on it and breaks their neck. And hurry up – or I’ll dock your wages.’

  The queue was even longer tonight, the crowd just as skimpily dressed despite the heavy snowfall and icy temperatures. After just half an hour, Fabian went out front and told the doormen to stop letting people in – which didn’t impress those at the back of the queue who had been waiting for hours. But no amount of flirting from the girls in their best fuck-me outfits worked, because Fabian was determined not to reach their full quota with Joe Public punters if it meant having to turn celebrities away.

  Inside, Jenna was doing the rounds: chatting to the customers who’d been lucky enough to get in, and making sure that everybody was happy. A fair few regulars from her dad’s day were here, but there were many more new faces – which was a great sign, as long as they didn’t drift straight back to their usual clubs as soon as the novelty wore off. James Lorde had never succeeded in luring the hard-core clubbers and A-list celebrities in, but Jenna was hoping that the funky decor would change all that. And, if last night was any indication, they were definitely on the right track.

  Finished with the lower floor, she made her way up to the VIP lounge and looked around, happy to see that several of last night’s celebrity guests had come back. And there were lots of soap and sports stars who hadn’t made the party but had come to check the place out on the recommendation of those who had.

  Spotting her just then, Tony Allen strolled over to say hello. The picture of elegance in a charcoal-grey suit, his jet hair slicked smoothly back from his brow, he said, ‘Hey, look at you. You look beautiful.’

  Jenna was a little surprised when he pulled her to him and kissed her on both cheeks. It was a bit familiar, given that this was only their second meeting, but she supposed it must just be the American way. Fighting the urge to fold her arms when he let her go, she said, ‘Nice to see you again. How are you?’

  ‘Cool,’ Tony said, putting his hands in his pockets and gazing around. ‘Had a bit of free time, so I thought I’d come and check the place out again.’

  Edging in beside him just then, Melody linked an arm through his and gave Jenna the once-over. Satisfied that she looked way hotter than her, she gave her a glowing smile. ‘You’re looking lovely, Jen.’

  Rolling his eyes ceilingward, Tony muttered, ‘Christ! Why does she always have to clip the end off of everyone’s goddamned name? See, if she calls me Tone one more time, I swear to God I’ll rip her fucking tongue out.’

  ‘Aw, shut up,’ Melody scolded, playfully pinching his cheek. ‘You’re such a grouch sometimes.’

  Shaking his head wearily, Tony said, ‘Be a good girl and go amuse yourself some
where else for a bit, will you? I wanna talk to Jenna.’

  Melody would have been furious if he’d dismissed her like that a couple of seconds earlier, but she’d just seen Fabian making his way to the bar. Glad of the excuse to escape, she gave Tony a kiss and told Jenna that she’d see her later. Then she tripped away through the crowd, her hips swaying sexily.

  ‘Cent short of a dollar,’ Tony murmured, watching her go. ‘But you gotta love that ass.’

  Jenna smiled. They were such an odd couple: Melody a blonde bombshell;Tony short, dark and squat, and almost handsome in an ugly sort of way. If you took them at face value, you’d wonder what Melody saw in him. But there was obviously far more to Tony Allen than met the eye, and Jenna sensed that he would be deeply loyal to few – and deeply dangerous to many.

  ‘Have you got a minute?’ he asked her now.

  Jenna was faintly amused when he immediately placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her to an empty table, pulling a chair out for her when they got there and waiting until she sat down before taking his own seat. Strange manners, considering she hadn’t actually agreed to talk to him – arrogant presumption mixed with olde-worlde charm.

  Silent as ever, Eddie sat down and folded his arms, watching the room with unreadable eyes.

  ‘How’s about a drink before we get started?’ Tony said, looking around for a waiter. Spotting one, he clicked his fingers in the air. ‘Yo! Three large JDs – and don’t take all night about it.’

  ‘House white for me,’ Jenna chipped in quickly, a little less amused that he was presuming to order for her now.

  Shrugging, Tony said, ‘And a house white.’ Clicking his fingers again when the boy turned to go, he pointed towards Melody, who was standing at the bar with Fabian now. ‘Give her whatever she wants, and tell her not to rush back, yeah?’

  Leaning towards Jenna when the waiter had gone, he nodded in Melody’s direction. ‘What’s with that guy?’