“Allnight,” Karla said as she pulled out a chair and sat down. “You should have come, Elizabeth. I bet Carina went back on Saturday evening as well. Did she share that she found someone special?”
“What! You didn’t say anything. Tell me everything,” Elizabeth demanded.
Carina gave a brief overview of someone hassling her and getting thrown out. “They don’t allow anyone to mess with the attendees. You asked people to back off once, and if they didn’t, security booted them out.”
“Carina’s guy is the head of security. I think she got her own body search,” Karla said, teasing Carina.
“What? You go to Nightfall at the grand opening and meet some hottie?” Elizabeth said. Her voice rose in her excitement, drawing attention from nearby tables.
“Shhh!” Carina hushed Elizabeth before glaring at Karla. “You’ve got a big mouth, Karla.”
“I do. But I’m telling the truth. Confess. You had a great time, and you’re in love.”
Carina ducked her head and unpacked her lunch. She stared at the array in front of her: a quartered sandwich with the yucky crusts cut off, some mandarin oranges, zucchini and carrot sticks with a small container of ranch dressing, and a chocolate chip cookie. He’d created a healthy meal for her with her favorites. It was colorful and appealing.
“Wow! Who made that for you? Your lunch is usually a hunk of cheese and some pretzels.” Elizabeth dumped out her cute, reusable lunch bag and wrinkled her nose. “I’ve packed cold pizza and a bruised apple. Want to trade?”
“No way,” Carina answered and laughed. This felt like a school cafeteria conversation.
“Of course not,” Elizabeth said and peeled off a pepperoni to eat.
“I’ve got a peanut butter sandwich. I didn’t make it to the grocery store this weekend,” Karla shared. “Too bad I didn’t meet a hottie there. We had so much fun, Elizabeth. You’ll have to come with me next time.”
“Tell me about the interior. Is it incredible?” Elizabeth asked.
As Karla and Carina described the nightclub, Carina noticed several tables had started eavesdropping. Before long, they were fielding questions from other people intrigued by Nightfall. The allure of the stark building’s exterior made passersby wonder about what waited inside, and the exclusivity of getting inside had skyrocketed the nightclub’s appeal. Everyone wanted a chance to see the interior.
Their meal break flew by. Kept busy answering questions, Carina hadn’t finished half of her lunch. She gathered the rest when she needed to head back to her cubicle and regretted not even having a chance to eat her cookie. Maybe she could munch on it in the middle of the afternoon as a pick-me-up.
A yawn threatened, and Carina squashed it quickly. A nap would be awesome. Too bad she couldn’t be Little every day. Pushing the thought of her Daddy tucking her under the covers in the beautiful crib out of her mind, Carina dived back into her tasks. She could sense the presence of other employees coming to talk to her but focused on her work. She’d found that people didn’t interrupt her if she wore her headphones and didn’t make eye contact.
A thump landed on her shoulder. She whirled defensively and yanked off her headset as she stared at Gloria. Carina tried not to hate anyone. Gloria was the person who tested Carina’s resolve most frequently.
“I heard you bragging in the lunchroom that you have an ‘in’ at Nightfall. I need to attend on Friday. Get me a pass or something so I can skip the line,” Gloria demanded.
If the request had come from literally anyone else, Carina would ask Marcus if there was some way to help her squeeze in. She wouldn’t bother him when Gloria demanded her help. “Sorry, Gloria. You’ll have to get in line early to make it in.”
“I’m not standing in a line for hours. You can’t get me in? Are you actually dating someone who works there, or did you invent a boyfriend? That would be so you.” Gloria rolled her eyes and shook her head in disgust.
“I didn’t….”
A deep voice interrupted her. “Hey, Carina. I’m sorry to interrupt.”
The two women turned to look at Marcus, who took up the entire path through that section of cubicles. He appeared more massive than usual inside the close quarters. “You left without your insulated drink this morning.” The large beverage container he held resembled a bathroom-sized Dixie cup in his hand.
“Thanks, Marcus,” Carina said, carefully avoiding calling him Daddy in front of Gloria.
“This is the guy you’re dating? You met him at Nightfall? I don’t believe for a minute that you’re a couple,” Gloria scoffed.
“Okay.” Marcus turned, cutting her out of their conversation with his sheer bulk. His answer and actions showed how much he cared about Gloria’s opinion. “Drink all of that, Carina. Will you be home about five thirty?”
“Yes,” Carina assured him. She held her breath as Marcus stepped forward to cup her jawline. He lowered his lips to hers in a soft, brief kiss. When he stepped back, she added, “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Marcus nodded and held her gaze. Silent conversation flowed between them as he told her he missed her and wished they didn’t have an audience. Their connection was already closer than she’d ever experienced with a boyfriend. They simply fit together perfectly.
“This is cute and all, but still totally unbelievable. You’ll never be able to get me in,” Gloria said and flounced away.
“A friend of yours?”
