“Look, why don’t we share a cab? I’d drive your car home for you, but I’ve had a few glasses of wine.” He seemed to think about it for a few minutes before he finally nodded his head, and then I dialed the cab company I’d used a few times since being on campus.
We walked out of the restaurant and I leaned against the brick wall, waiting for the cab. I hoped it would show up quickly because things were getting a little awkward. Carleton was blatantly staring at me and I kept waiting for the drool to start dripping down his chin.
“You’re a very beautiful girl, Monroe. I’ve wanted to tell you that since the first time I saw you.” He took one step closer to me.
“Um…thank you. Could you give me a little bit of space?” I held up a hand, but it didn’t do anything, he kept moving closer until our bodies were mere inches apart, and I pressed my back against the building even harder, causing the lacy material of my dress to dig into my skin. “And what do you mean, the first time you saw me? Have you seen me around campus before?”
“Nope,” he answered with a pop. He placed one hand above my head, the smell of liquor heavy on his breath. “At your place of employment. What do they call that place…Pure?” He snorted. “Far from anything pure, but I don’t mind.” My stomach dropped into my toes and I froze. I knew something like this was bound to happen, even going a couple of towns over from the university. I needed to make sure he didn’t tell anyone else. There was no way Franklin knew or Amelia would, too.
“Please don’t tell anyone that I work there. I was strapped for cash and I took the job as a last resort.”
He laughed, tipping up my chin with his finger. “Isn’t that what they all say? They only work there because they have to? That’s bullshit, you have a choice. Not that I minded seeing you in those tiny shorts with half your tits hanging out.”
I sucked in a breath, not liking the way he was looking at me or his assessment of me at the club.
I had truthfully never been in a similar situation. Back home, Carter was always with me and no other guys paid attention. I ended up being one of them most of the time. And now, I was too busy with school and work to even notice if anyone was interested. Carleton was interested and a whole lot more. He was the kind of guy that got what he wanted and I was scared it might not matter how he got it. “I’m just not interested in a relationship right now. Amelia kind of sprang this—”
“I don’t need a relationship to get a good fuck,” he interrupted, pressing two fingers to my lips. I turned my head away quickly, squirming in place, but not making much of a difference. Both of his arms were caging me against the wall, his body pushing up on mine, and he was a whole lot bigger than me. “I could tell that you were just playing dress up. This might be expensive.” He touched his fingers to the hem of my dress before letting them fall onto my bare leg. I craned my head around, looking for anyone to come to my rescue, but it seemed as if the area was completely vacant at the moment. Just my luck. “But what’s underneath isn’t? You’re just a cheap slut, aren’t you? Not looking for a relationship? I know what you’re really looking for. And I don’t have a problem giving it to you, so let’s go back to my place. Or we could just do it right here. A girl like you would probably like that.”
“Stop it!” I demanded, pushing forward but barely able to budge him from blocking my path, fear coursing through me. “I’m not a slut and nothing is happening, here or anywhere. You’ve had way too much to drink. Please, quit being an ass and let me go home.”
“You think I’m being an ass?” He laughed straight into my face. “Sweetheart, this is me—”
Carleton was abruptly cut off by a quick shove from the side and someone shouting, “What the fuck are you doing?” The voice filled the silent, dark night and my whole body sagged in relief when I heard what sounded like a fist connecting with flesh. My body collapsed against the wall, my back scraping against the brick as I slid down to the sidewalk.
Everything seemed muted and fuzzy, and I couldn’t pay attention to what was happening. Someone waved a hand in my face and then grabbed both of my shoulders, gently lifting me up.
I turned my eyes forward to find Miller standing in front of me, his hands dropped down to his sides, his chest heaving and those warm brown eyes looking so concerned. I didn’t see Carleton anywhere and the relief that washed over my body caused my legs to give out again, but luckily, Miller caught me. It was like straight out of a movie, the way that he held me, dipping me backward and staring deep into my eyes. I wish I could’ve appreciated it, but I was just happy that I didn’t have to deal with Carleton any more.
“Thank you,” I whispered and he nodded his head before straightening us both up, keeping one arm wrapped around my waist.
“Are you all right? He didn’t do—”
“No, he was drunk and being stupid, thinking I’m a whore that was going to put out for him just because he wanted some. That’s not me.” I crossed my arms over my chest, more angry than anything now that the danger was gone.
Miller’s lips mashed into a thin line, his jaw clenched tightly. He held out a hand to me. “Let me get you home, all right?” I nodded my head once and let him take my hand.
Miller began to mess with the radio and soon some sort of classical music drifted quietly through the speakers. It was quite soothing, exactly what I needed. I gave Miller directions to my apartment, quickly zoning out after that and replaying everything that happened tonight in my head. I should have went with my gut on Carleton. But no, I had to be the nice girl and make sure he got home all right. Guys were complete assholes, only wanting one thing. Well, except maybe Miller. So far at least, it seemed.
“We’re here.” Miller pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex and shut off the engine. He jogged around the front of the truck and opened my door to pull me out. My body didn’t want to cooperate, suddenly completely exhausted and Miller must have understood because the next thing I knew, he was cradling me in his arms and heading toward the stairs. He took my purse out of my hands when we got to my door and searched around for my keys before opening it.
Without asking, he walked down the hallway, finding my bedroom easily since there was only two doors to choose from. He laid me on my bed, pulling a blanket over me, before looking down with a concerned expression. I could see his warm, dark brown eyes searching mine in the darkness, asking if I was okay without saying the words. In the short amount of time I had known him, I learned that Miller wasn’t much of a talker, he was a doer.
“I’m okay,” I said quietly, not knowing who I was trying to reassure. “Honestly, I’m just overreacting about the whole thing.” I closed my eyes, shaking my head before letting myself collapse back onto my pillow. “Nothing happened, so I should be happy about that. Thanks for coming to the rescue.” I attempted a smile, but my lips just formed into something awkward—I wasn’t even sure what it resembled.
“You’re not overreacting. That asshole should’ve taken no for an answer and left you alone.” He cautiously reached out a hand to stroke my cheek and I was surprised that I didn’t flinch at the touch. Carleton’s hands briefly being on me without my permission was still fresh in my mind, but there was something about Miller that was comforting.
“I’m not that type of person, Miller. I don’t do the whole ‘poor me’ thing. I don’t have time for that.”
“I get it. You’re a strong girl. That’s a good thing, but it’s okay to let go sometimes. Do you work tomorrow night?”
“Yes.”
“Not any more. You’re taking the night off.”
“What? I can’t afford to do that. Look around.” I motioned toward my sparsely furnished bedroom. The rest of my apartment pretty much matched it. “Does it really look like I can take a day off? I said I was fine. There’s no reason I can’t work. I’ll be there.”
“No, you won’t,” he snapped and I closed my eyes once again, not wanting to argue with him. I would just show up for my shift like I normally did. M
iller was rarely there and Randy wouldn’t care. He always complained about being short-staffed anyway. “Do you need anything before I leave?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks for bringing me home.”
“It was the least I could do. I’ll make sure the door’s locked when I leave. Try to get some rest, Monroe. I’ll see you soon.”
And with that he was gone.
And so was that warm, comforting feeling he brought with him, which led to the situation that happened slamming straight to the front of my brain again, causing tears to freely flow from my eyes and run down my cheeks. I wasn’t a crier, but with the thought of what I went through and how it could’ve escalated, I deserved a good cry. I dragged the blankets over my head after turning my phone off, really not wanting to have to explain anything to Amelia. I’d deal with it in the morning. First, I needed sleep, and luckily when my eyes finally drifted closed, instead of Carleton’s rotten self popping into my dreams, it was Miller and that warm sensation I got when he was around that let me have a peaceful sleep.
I SLAMMED MY car door shut, pulling my ringing phone out of my purse at the same time, and physically cringing when I saw Amelia’s name pop up. I’d been avoiding her all day. I think I lost count of how many times she actually called. I worried she knew what happened and would tell me that I was a bitch or something, Who knew what Carleton had already told them? I was afraid he had called Franklin and blamed everything on me somehow. Amelia probably hated me; it might have ruined things between her and Franklin.
I didn’t really have time to deal with her. I was already running behind, but I figured it best to just get it over with instead of letting my imagination get me more worked up about it.
“Hello?” I briefly closed my eyes, bracing myself for what she was going to say.
“Monroe!” she screamed through the phone. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day. I looked for you all over campus. Are you avoiding me? What in the hell happened between you and Carleton? He showed up at the frat house with a black eye. I know your tiny tush didn’t do that. I need details. Now.”
I still couldn’t tell if she was angry with me or just wanted the juicy gossip, but I explained to her exactly what happened as quickly as I could while I walked into the club through the back entrance. Vanessa was fixing her hair and she mouthed something to me as I pulled my jacket off and I held one finger up as I finished telling my story to Amelia. I left out the details of why Carleton assumed I would be more than willing to be an easy lay. I was surprised that he hadn’t told Amelia my secret himself. I would most likely be on edge around her all the time, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I just needed to come out and tell her the truth about my job.
“Well, that explains a lot. I feel like such a bitch for setting you up with him. And then I just left you with him? This is all my fault. I’m so sorry, Roe.”
I could tell she was upset and I instantly felt relieved. I didn’t know what I would do without her. “Amelia, it’s not your fault and I’m not going to let you blame yourself. Listen, can we talk about this later? Or maybe just be done with it? I don’t know if I can keep reliving it over and over again. I just got to work, so I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Anything you want, Monroe. I owe you big time. I still can’t believe—” She abruptly stopped talking, hiccupping loudly. “Sorry. I’m done talking about it, I promise. Have a good night at work.”
I tossed my phone into my purse after saying goodbye and found a hair tie to pull my hair up for my shift. Vanessa was still standing there and I gave her a small smile. “Sorry, I didn’t catch what you were trying to say when I walked in.”
“Well, I was just wondering what you were doing here. Randy took you off the schedule for the night.”
I groaned as I stepped out of my shoes and slipped on the pair of heels that were well worn in since I ran my butt off every night that I worked. “Well, I’m here. I guess I’ll go talk to him and make sure that it’s okay if I work. I need the money.”
“Oh, I know that feeling, girl. I’ll catch up with ya in a bit then.”
I headed out into the club, which was packed. It was the most people I had ever seen in there at one time. Randy was standing near the bar, talking to the bartender, so I took off in that direction.
“Hey.” I tapped on his shoulder twice to get his attention and he briefly glanced at me, doing a double-take once he realized who it was. His eyes darted past me for just a second and when I followed his line of vision, I saw that he was clearly checking out Vanessa as she stepped onto the stage. He shook his head once, like he was forcing himself to look away, before focusing on me.
“Monroe, wasn’t expecting you tonight, darlin’. Couldn’t stay away? Mr. Buchanan said you needed some time off.”
“I decided I didn’t want the time off. Could you still use another waitress tonight?”
“Sure, sure,” he replied with a wave of his hands, effectively dismissing me. “Find Bianca, she’s working two sections. You can take one of hers.”
I found Bianca quickly, who surprisingly gave me some of her tables. I expected some kind of fight from her since she liked to act as if she were in charge, but money was money so I didn’t question it. I was glad to see a few of my regular customers seated in my section and it seemed to help the night go by quicker. When I first started working at Pure, I was worried that I would constantly get hit on or have to deal with a bunch of drunks fawning over the half-naked women on stage, but that really wasn’t the case. Most of the people were just there to have a good time and occasionally, there were even a few women sprinkled into the mix.
Then I saw Gary and my whole fantastic night came to a crashing halt. Gary was the exception to my usual customers. He was an older guy that always came by himself and drank. A ton. And somehow, he always ended up in my section. I don’t know if he requested it to be that way, or what.
At first, I felt sorry for him and tried to pay more attention to him than the other customers who came in with groups of friends or their girlfriends. But then he started making comments here and there about wanting to see me up on the stage or how good my legs looked on that particular night. Next came the accidental touches when I brought him a drink, or how he somehow always needed to use the bathroom whenever I came by and he would brush past me.
Maybe I was overthinking the whole situation and they were just coincidental, but after last night, I didn’t feel like dealing with him. Bianca probably stuck me with him on purpose. “Hi Gary. What can I get for ya?”
“Ah, my Tink is here! My night just got a whole lot better.” His lips curled into a grin underneath the graying mustache that only helped to add to his creeper status. Tink was a name that just sort of stuck. When I first started, one of the regulars said I reminded them of a dark-haired Tinkerbell, and according to the girls, it was safer that way so if I ever did decide to dance, I didn’t have some weirdo trying to stalk me armed with my real name. Gary would probably be the first one in line.
I forced a smile onto my face, nodding along as he began to talk my ear off until he finally told me what he was drinking for the night. He liked to mix it up and I think was attempting to try every kind of alcohol that was available at the bar. I made a few rounds before delivering his drink, and he leaned in as I sat it down on the table for him, his fingers brushing against my arm before I yanked it away.
“Don’t touch me,” I snapped, tired of assholes thinking it was their right just because of my place of employment. He sat back in his seat as if I’d slapped him, his bushy eyebrows knitted together, and I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. “I’m sorry, Gary. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just—”
“Is there a problem here?” A deep voice vibrated from behind me with that southern twang that made my stomach flip flop every time. I felt a hand land on my elbow as I was pulled back against Miller’s chest.
“Of course not, Mr. Buchanan,” Gary replied, throwing his hands up
in the air. “Just enjoying my drink. You got yourself a fine waitress here is all. Just a misunderstanding, I suppose.”
Miller grunted from behind me. “I see. Well then, can you excuse us? Enjoy your night.” Miller tugged on my elbow and I hurried to keep up with his fast pace as he headed away from the stage. Instead of taking me to the back, he went in the opposite direction down the hallway that I knew led to his office. After opening the door and shutting it behind us, he ushered me toward a leather couch. “Sit,” he demanded as if I were a dog or something. I reluctantly listened, but sat right on the edge, not wanting him to think that I was being too cooperative. “Didn’t I tell you to take the night off?” He crouched down in front of me. His full lips pursed together as he steepled his hands under his chin. “What in the hell are you doing here, Monroe?”
“Randy said it was okay. I didn’t think you would be here.” I tucked my hands underneath my legs and rocked forward slightly. I could see why pretty much everyone was intimidated by him. With the way he was looking at me, I wanted to run and hide in the corner.
“So, you figured it was okay to work? You do know I own the place, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“But nothing. You’re off the floor for the night. I’ll deal with Randy.”
“Miller. The main reason why I came in was because I need to get paid. I have bills and I just had to get my car fixed. I’m doing fine, I swear.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “After last night, you don’t need to be dealing with the shit that happens out there. Why are you even working in a place like this, Monroe? I can tell you aren’t the usual type.”
“Is there really a usual type? Vanessa doesn’t seem like she should be in a place like this either.”
He stood up, crossing the room to sit behind his desk where he picked up a picture frame, tapping it twice before setting it back down. “Vanessa has her reasons for being here. But she could also find another job. She might not make as much money, but she could still do okay. Did you know I offered her a job at one of my other companies, making a salary with benefits, and she refused? Even if she doesn’t seem like she likes the attention, she does. I saw your application; you’re a student at the University. Don’t your parents help you out?”
Midnight Ballerina Page 7
