by Iverson, Ivy
As she was about to log off, she heard the musical beeping that told her she had an incoming Skype call. She checked the caller ID and smiled, Janet. Friends since high school, they had worked at the same restaurant when they were in their teens and had remained friends ever since. She quickly answered the call. “Hey,” she said, feeling a pang of jealousy when Janet gave her a bright grin, looking full of the energy that Courtney definitely lacked.
“Thank God,” Janet said. “I've been trying to get a hold of you for, like, hours. Where have you been?”
“I've been working,” Courtney said and grinned at Janet's squeal of excitement.
“I was hoping you were!” she said. “The interview went well, I take it.”
“Uh, it's a little complicated,” Courtney replied. “I'm on a trial but I have a pretty good feeling I'll keep the job if my work ability was any indication.” As long as my common sense isn't in the equation I should be fine.
“Any employer would be crazy not to keep you. Where is it? Maybe I can go there sometime and persuade you to have a quick meal with me on your break.”
“I doubt you'll want to do that,” Courtney said. “It's a strip club. Suds.”
Janet's brow furrowed. “Suds? You're working there? I thought that place closed down.”
“It did. Or at least it declared bankruptcy but Nikolay Tonov bought it and long story short, he's my new boss.”
“Sweetie, you are a terrible dancer--”
Courtney laughed. “I'm still a server,” she said. “It really isn't that much different than working at a regular bar except that my outfit is a little more provocative.”
“Okay,” Janet said, satisfied that her friend wasn't going to be making a fool out of herself on stage. “So, did you actually get to meet Nikolay? What's he like?”
“I did and he's... interesting,” Courtney said. Her mind flashed back to the kiss and her body grew hot at the thought of it.
Janet giggled. “I'll say he is,” she said. “Unless it's the camera that's making your face turn red all of a sudden.”
Courtney covered her cheeks with her hands. “He's my boss. I don't think about him like that.”
“Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that.”
“Really! Hey, can we talk some more tomorrow? I just got back from work and I'm ready to call it a night.”
“Of course. Seriously, I'm happy for you and I hope this job works out. It's about time that you were able to put all of that behind you.”
Courtney looked down at her tattoo and rubbed it nervously. “Well, it's not behind me yet but it's getting there,” she smiled at her friend. “Talk later.”
“Bye!” Janet called out before hanging up. Courtney closed her laptop and slid it to the side under the pile of clothes again before curling up in a ball to sleep. After all, she had a long day of work the next day too.
Chapter Eight
Courtney woke up at about eleven that morning, feeling much better rested after last night. She fired up her laptop and pulled up eBay. She had been supplementing her meager savings by buying textbooks for cheap online and then selling them to used textbook distributors for a small profit. It had never been enough for her to live off and she found it incredibly boring, but it slowed down the constant shrinking of her savings, which were getting incredibly pathetic. While she waited for her email to load, she put some water on to make noodles for breakfast.
She had one new email from Nikolay.
Courtney bit her lip as she stared at it.
(No Subject). Well the subject line doesn't say you're fired, so that's promising. She opened it up and looked over the brief email.
Courtney,
Here is your schedule for the rest of the week. Remember, you need to take at least one fifteen minute break a night if you want to stay employed. I also want to apologize for my lapse in judgment and professionalism yesterday. It won't happen again. If there is anything I can do to make up for it, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Nikolay Tonov,
Owner of Suds Gentlemen's Club.
His lapse in judgment? What did that mean? Although she felt guilty for what had happened, she didn’t think it was a lapse in judgment. After all, she was the one who kissed him first. He simply turned his head too soon. Or was it intentional? Courtney looked at her schedule long enough to know that she was working the same shift every day this week.
Clicking on iTunes, she selected her favorite list and bobbed her head as the first song started. While her laptop speakers made the music sound tinny and a bit garbled, it broke the monotony that the quiet brought. Grabbing the noodles off the hot plate, she munched on them as she surfed online looking for the best book deals.
As hard as she tried to concentrate, her mind kept going back to the... incident last night between her and Nikolay. She had only meant to give him a grateful peck on the cheek, which was forward enough, but she wasn't thinking straight that night. She was still recovering her strength and she was feeling the effects of sleep deprivation when she had done that.
It must have been a mistake when their lips met but oh, it felt good. The kiss had seared her flesh as effectively as a red-hot poker and she knew he wasn't unaffected either. His eyes had practically been wild with want when they broke apart. She smiled at the thought of a man as attractive as Nikolay Tonov actually wanting her.
Shaking her head, she reminded herself that nothing good came out of men's lust. It didn't matter if they were good-looking. She had to do something to quell whatever feelings of attraction they had for each other, which would be difficult considering she wore little more than underwear at her job.
At noon, there was a knock on her door. Courtney was just stepping out of the shower and she quickly wrapped herself in a towel and grabbed her clothes.
“Who is it?” she shouted out.
“It’s me.”
Running to the door, she unlocked it before darting back to the bathroom. “Come in,” she called. “I'll be out in a second!”
Courtney heard the front close and a few moments later, she emerged, brushing through her hair to get rid of the thick tangles.
“Hey, I thought I'd drop by for a bit.” Janet said, shaking a bag of takeaway. “And I brought your favorite.”
“Thanks, you really didn't have to do that.”
“How could I not?” she asked. “It's about time you've had something to celebrate. Seriously, Court, it's like you are a ghost. A really depressing, skinny one.”
“My life isn't depressing,” Courtney replied defensively, sitting down on her sleeping bag. “It's just practical.”
Janet rolled her eyes and pulled out small cardboard boxes full of thick burgers and fries from Gaeghans, a popular bar and grill that was one of Janet's favorite places to eat when she was with her friends from Maine Edge, the popular Maine paper that she worked for. Courtney could already smell tantalizing scents coming out of the boxes.
Janet opened her box of food to reveal a big, juicy burger with a side of fries. “Come on, where's your youth and vigor?” she asked. “You’re not even twenty-five.”
“It's been beaten out of me by life,” Courtney replied as she got out the last of the tangles from her hair. She threw it up into a ponytail before grabbing her own food.
“See? Your life is officially boring.”
“Hey,” she said. “I work at a strip club. My life can hardly be called boring.”
“Sweetie, it's a strip club in Maine.” “I know the people who go in there and let me tell you that can definitely be called boring.”
Courtney smiled but had to concede. There was no lack of pervs and sleazes but they all had the same bad pick-up lines and the same moves, even though many of them were well into their fifties or local college boys. At least, it was well paid, even after ten percent of her tips went to the house. She might even be able to afford her tattoo removal surgery within a year.
As if on cue, Janet nodded to the number scraw
led on the wall. “What’s with the $800?”
“Tattoo removal. I looked it up online. That's the best deal in the area.”
“I don't doubt it,” Janet said. “That shit's expensive.”
Courtney bit into her burger and almost groaned. After a steady diet of noodles and cheap hot dogs, the burger was pure heaven. “I miss real food,” she said.
“Don't worry,” Janet said, grinning. “Now that you're taking big bucks from rich womanizers, you'll be back eating bar food like the rest of us.”
“I wish,” said Courtney. “Unfortunately with my student loans and my tattoo removal, I'll still be eating noodles for a while. And I need to save money for medical school. I'll need some cushion when I have to cut down on my hours at the club and make tuition.”
Janet wrinkled her nose. “You are such a buzzkill. You really don't have to take Dave Ramsey's advice completely to heart.”
Courtney smiled. “I know,” she said. “But at the same time, I kind of do so I can relax more later.”
“Sweetie, you're going to be a doctor. Rest is not going to be part of your life.”
Chapter Nine
That night at Suds, Courtney took her mandatory break during a slow period of her shift. She covered herself up with one of the black silk robes that hung in the break room and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge. She sank down into the overstuffed couch and rested against the cushions.
She slipped off her heels, rubbing the soles of her feet, but she kept the gloves on. Even though the lace was slightly itchy, it was nice not to be reminded of that night every time she happened to glance at her hand. It was a stroke of genius on Nik's part, even though he would never know how much it meant to her. Especially since he's been hiding in his office tonight.
Courtney couldn't help but think that he was avoiding her. Aside from a polite and distant hello when she came in, she hadn't seen him all evening. At least she wasn't the only one who was feeling awkward about the kiss.
The door swung open and Scarlett walked in. She smiled at Courtney and grabbed a robe. “I hope you don't mind me joining you,” she said.
“Not at all,” Courtney replied, scooting along the couch. She smiled at the bartender. Even though they had only exchanged a few words in between working and training, she had already taken a liking to her.
Scarlett poured some water into a mug and put it in the microwave for tea. “So,” she said. “How are you liking Suds so far?”
“It's... interesting,” Courtney replied. “It takes a bit of getting used to.”
“You seem to handle yourself well on the floor. No one would ever know that you're new at this.”
“That's a relief. I definitely don't want to stand out in a bad way.”
“Trust me,” said Scarlett, “You don't. At least not in a bad way.” She grinned as the microwave beeped. She took the mug out and tossed in a green tea bag. Courtney's mouth watered at the thought of a hot beverage. It got cold wearing so little and a hot beverage sounded nice. Maybe tomorrow, when she took her next break, she would help herself to the tea instead of the water.
“So how long have you been working here?” Courtney asked.
“Oh, since it opened. Nik and I have been friends for a while,” she said. “So he made me his right-hand woman when he took over this place.”
“Oh wow. I didn't know you and Nik were that close. I mean, he doesn't seem like someone to trust anyone especially with business matters.”
“We've been good friends since he came to America. One of my girlfriends helped him get his citizenship.”
“Has he always been an aloof jerk or is it a recent addition?” Courtney said, half joking.
“I'm not going to say much, but I will say this: he has good reason not to trust people so easily. I won't say any more, but cut him some slack, okay?”
Good reason? What would that be? Courtney nodded and smiled. “Okay,” she said. She decided to let it go because she didn't want to ruin her tentative friendship with Scarlett. She would definitely need a friend to survive this place and it might come in handy being friends with the second-in-command.
Courtney drank the rest of the water and looked at the clock on the wall. “I guess it's been fifteen minutes,” she said, getting up.
“It's still pretty slow out there,” Scarlett replied. “You might as well stay awhile longer and rest up.”
Courtney smiled. If she didn't need the money so badly, she would probably stay and chat. She definitely wasn't looking forward to being felt up for an entire night. “There must be something I can do,” she replied. “And there are a few customers out there right now, so I'm sure they'll want attention.”
Scarlett smiled and took a sip of her tea. “If I didn't know better, I would think you were after my job.”
“Hardly,” Courtney grinned. “It's just that if everything goes according to plan, I'll soon be in a world of debt from medical school.” She slipped off her robe, hung it up, and turned around just in time to bump into Nikolay as he was entering the break room. She jumped back, flushing, acutely aware of the amount of skin she was showing. Hell, if he had a good imagination, then I might as well be naked. And unfortunately, Nikolay didn't strike her as being uncreative.
Nikolay’s eyes looked down at the ground, at the wall, anywhere but at Courtney. “Ms. Melard,” he said.
“I was just finishing my break, Mr. Tonov,” she said, her voice overly polite. “If you'll excuse me.”
“Certainly,” he said, moving aside to let her pass.
Courtney rushed past him and breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she was out of there. It looked like things were still awkward between them. Hell, they were probably going to be awkward for a while.
As she went to wipe down a recently vacated table, she heard arguing at the front door. Cindy was there with a man and they didn't look happy. She kept her head down and tried to ignore them as much as possible until she heard a door slam and Cindy turned to go into the bathroom to change.
As she turned, Courtney caught sight of her tear-stained face and a bruise on her temple that was poorly disguised by foundation. Cindy met her eye and quickly arranged her platinum blonde hair to cover the mark before going into the bathroom. Courtney's brow furrowed as she went back to washing the table. Just then, a man signaled her for another drink, and she went to the bar to grab another beer, but she couldn’t push the image of Cindy's bruised skin from her mind. Since it was still slow, she darted over to the bathroom.
Pushing the door open, she entered quietly. Walking up to the closed stall, she heard crying as she knocked softly. “Cindy? It’s me, Courtney, is everything okay?” The crying stopped immediately as she heard shuffling in the stall.
“I’m fine, Courtney, really.”
“Are you sure? Because I thought I saw a bruise--”
“It’s nothing. I…had an accident. Slipped on the ice. Not a big deal. There’s no need to bring it up to anyone, okay?”
“If you’re sure…”
“Definitely.”
*****
Courtney didn't see any more of Nikolay that shift, nor did she get the chance to talk to Scarlett as business picked up quickly from the brief spell of peace. At the end of the night, she was exhausted but she worked quickly finishing up so she wouldn't be caught alone with Nik again.
You're acting as if you are afraid of him.
She wasn't afraid of him. She simply felt... awkward around him. It was only natural considering what had taken place the night before. It didn't matter if it was natural or not, though. She wanted to be gone.
Just as she was about to leave, Nikolay came out of his office and locked the door. He caught her eye for a second before he looked out at the floor, where the stripper poles looked like ghosts in the dim light. “Goodnight, Ms. Melard,” he said.
“Goodnight, Mr. Tonov,” Courtney replied, the polite tone tasting strange in her mouth. She hesitated before she left. Should she tell him about
Cindy? No. Most likely he wouldn't care and he would tell her to mind her own business. Or he already knew about it. Maybe both.
Besides, she easily could have been mistaken. Cindy had told her that she had fallen. So she slipped out, hoping she wasn't making a huge error.
Chapter Ten
With her tips supplementing her income nicely, and putting her way ahead of schedule for getting her tattoo removed, Courtney decided to splurge on a night of normalcy and went with Janet to Paddy Murphy's that Saturday.
As they waited for their food and drinks to arrive, they played tic-tac-toe on one of the activity pads stacked on the table for bored customers. A live jazz band was playing a cover of a Miles Davis song on the bandstand and employees bantered and bickered while going about their work.
Courtney smiled. It reminded her of the old days, when she was a carefree teenager and new adult, waitressing her way through college and hanging out with friends every weekend. If she could close her eyes then she was almost back to those days...
“Hey, you're not going to believe this, but the Tonovs just walked in,” Janet said.
Shit. Courtney's eyes flew open and she risked glancing to the door for a fraction of a second to see the brothers walk in with a woman who had curves to kill for and possibly the world's largest handbag. She groaned and slammed her head right on the activity pad. Why did they have to ruin this?
“It's okay, they probably don't even recognize you,” Janet said, as the waitress brought them their food and drinks; a beer for Janet, tea for Courtney.
The party of four seated themselves just behind the two women. Great. Courtney could feel her pulse jump and dipped her head behind the menu. She could hear Nik's voice as he said something to the woman with the handbag.
She knew it was his voice because he was using the same tone he used with many of his employees, opposed to the business-like, subdued tone of his brother Valov and the cruel sneer that was a permanent part of Dimitri.
