Jen leaned in closer to me. "It’s complicated. They’re on and off quite a lot, but it’s never anything serious."
"I give it a week before they have their tongues down each other’s throats again," Xavier added, handing over a drink to another customer.
"Mhm," Jen agreed before smirking at me as she opened the cash register. "You being around will put pressure on her to make a move on him faster though."
"Why? It's not like I'm pursuing him." Dean may have good looks and a perfectly muscled physique, but the smoking and the attitude weren't exactly qualities I found attractive in a person. His involvement in organized crime was also a big no-no. I had only helped him that night because I felt I was morally obliged to do so.
"No, but you still touched Roxy's man," Xavier said as he poured a mixed drink.
As the night went on, I pushed Roxy's problem to the back of my mind. Well, I tried with her dark, elegantly painted, cat-like eyes on me.
She spent most of her time behind the bar, leaning against the back wall beside the shelves of alcohol as she watched me closely. At first, I believed maybe she was the one Antonio asked to keep an eye on me, or she was making sure there wasn’t a repeat of what she assumed happened with Dean until she seemed to grow bored and slipped into the staff room.
Focusing on the tasks Xavier and Jen had me do helped keep me distracted. The first was to carry a tray of drinks to a booth. Balancing five drinks at once was daunting, but I managed to get to the table without smashing anything and even earned my first tip. I also learned how to spot the difference between clubgoers and gamblers. Unlike the clubgoers, who were only there to enjoy the music and drinks, the gamblers would order one drink and beeline to the back room. They didn't talk much, or waste any time getting to the basement.
The music also got gradually louder when more people came in, eventually reaching the point where customers were yelling for their drinks.
Jen mentioned we were allowed two 15-minute breaks during our shift. which could be taken either in the alleyway via the door off the corridor, in the staff room, or inside one of the less crowded booths.
"We aren't allowed to go downstairs," Jen said loudly over the music as she wiped the countertop for the umpteenth time. "The basement is strictly off limits to the front of house staff."
"Jen learned that the hard way," Xavier said after overhearing our conversation.
"What happened?" I asked, straining to hear my voice over the music.
"It was my first shift. Couldn't find a parking spot out front so went to the back. They had free parking," she shrugged. A guy at the bar gestured for two beers and she continued telling her story as she handed the drinks over. "I came through the back door to the basement mid-fight. Was almost taken out by one of the bodyguards for trespassing."
Xavier laughed. "Roxy practically dragged her upstairs."
"It was so embarrassing." Jen rolled her eyes.
"How come Roxy is allowed down there?" I asked curiously, thinking back to how casually she had walked in with Antonio earlier today.
"If you haven't noticed already, Antonio likes to play favorites," Jen said. "Especially if they're of Italian descent like himself."
"It also helps that her dad is one of Antonio's..." Xavier looked over his shoulder before mouthing the word associates as if someone would hear him over the music. “He’s some well-known chef from Manhattan.”
At around midnight, Roxy ventured out of the staff room, paying us no attention once again as she made her way through the crowd to the basement. She wasn't down there long. Returning 15 minutes later, she straightened her dress and wiped the corner of her mouth. Her red lipstick looked like it was freshly reapplied.
She looked pleasantly pleased with herself as she returned to the staff room, letting the door swing shut behind her.
I hadn’t thought much of it, and truthfully didn’t want to be caught staring for no reason, so I went back to stacking several dirty glasses. Xavier however had chuckled to himself while Jen sent him a knowing smirk.
“So much for lasting a week,” he said, unscrewing the cap on a bottle of vodka.
“I don’t get it.” I smiled warily as I looked between them.
“Did you see her knees?” Jen asked, the corner of her mouth twitching.
“Well, yeah, they looked a little red— Wait. Did she?”
“Yep,” Jen nodded.
“With him?”
“Uh-huh,” Xavier grinned. “She only ever looks that happy after catching up with her Romeo.”
I frowned in disgust which caused them both to laugh. Jen looked a little more sympathetic before she pulled her arm around my shoulders and cooed, “Bless your innocent little heart.”
