She’s a cute girl. Actually, that’s not even the right word for her. Her large green eyes and auburn hair make her light skin look creamy and smooth, and for a moment, I contemplate what it would feel like to run my thumb across her high cheekbone, but I don’t because we’re at work, and I don’t date employees.
Well, that and I’m pretty sure there’s blood on my hands.
The woman has a figure, too. I’d noticed her perfect, perky breasts before when she’d doused me with whiskey, and now, I can’t help but linger on her narrow waist and shapely legs. I shake my head to clear it. Then, I proceed to remind her of the one thing she needs to keep in the front and center of her mind. “You don’t want to know the details of what went down here, or why, Meg,” I say in a serious tone as I take a step away from her, trying to keep the situation as professional as possible, which isn’t easy considering the topic at hand. What happened with Jonathan was personal.
I continue, “Just trust me, he deserved it. He made his choice. We’re all better off this way. Sometimes, I might have to do things I don’t want to do. I might have to do things that, if you hear about, you might not approve of. But just remember, the world is a better place because of what goes down at Club Limelight, okay? We’re the good guys.”
She looks at me like I just tried to convince her the moon is made of frozen yogurt, but she’s nodding, and that’s all that matters at the moment. Perhaps I’ve finally swayed her into trusting the fact that she needs to keep her mouth shut about all of this.
Then she asks, “Who do you think you are? Fucking… Superman?”
The way she asks, in a cynical, sarcastic tone makes me laugh. “Well, I don’t want to brag,” I say with a humble shrug.
She shakes her head, red locks dancing around her face. “Superman didn’t need a gun.”
I can’t help but contract my bicep. “Neither do I.”
She shakes her head, and it looks like she wants to say something mouthy again, which I love, but then her eyes go back to the spot across the room that’s lingering here like another entity.
I realize we’re standing in a room with brain matter on the wall, and I need to let my cleaners get in here and straighten this place up before the blood starts to sink in and can’t be removed from the paint or out of the carpets and furniture.
“Why don’t you head back to your shift?” I ask. “Or better yet, take the rest of the night off.” I flash her a winning smile, letting her know I really am a good guy.
“My shift is already over,” she says, and then her eyes fall on the broken glass, and she mutters, “Shit.”
“We’ll take care of it.” My eyes flick to the wall across the room for a minute before I add, “All of it.”
She is looking at the blood again, too, and that’s the last thing I want, so I take her by the arm gently, and move her out into the hallway, keeping my hand on her in a casual manner as we head back toward the club. I see the cleaners coming, and one of them mouths “Nine?” to me, and I nod to let him know that’s the room number in question. It usually is. No reason to spread these things around if it can be helped.
Meghan walks alongside me, but I can tell she’s still in a daze. Part of me feels bad for her, but I’ve got a lot to do to take care of this situation, and I don’t have a lot of time to be sympathetic to her. Still, I want to make sure she’s safe. We look out for our own here. “You need a ride home?” I ask, thinking she might not be all right to drive.
She shakes her head, snapping out of it a bit. “No, it’s okay. I can drive. It’s not far.”
Meghan seems to be a bit calmer now that we’re out of the room. She’s a smart girl. I can tell just from talking to her, and while I’d like to appreciate her for both her body and mind, since I don’t date people who work for me, I’ll have to appreciate her for her brain instead of those curves.
“And do you work tomorrow?” I ask. “Because if you need to take another day off, that’s cool. Just give me a call.”
“I’m fine.” Her tone conveys to me that she’s not fine—she still sounds like she saw a ghost and is trying to rationalize it all in her mind, but I’m not going to be able to convince her that she didn’t see what she saw, so I’m going to have to make sure she’s not going to tell anyone about it.
I see Ethan, the club’s primary bouncer, standing at the end of the hallway, and I can tell by his expression he’s waiting on me. It’s also the only reason why he’d be away from his post.
“Well, if you change your mind, give me a call,” I say, flashing Meghan my winning smile again. All this nice guy shit is making my cheeks hurt. I haven’t smiled this much in ages. “I’m free to take your call any time of day or night.”
“Okay,” she says, her voice still more than a little vacant. I wish we could go back to the playful banter from before, but now is not the time, and I can tell by her face she is on the edge of flipping out. I need some backup for this. I have other things to do, and this exchange is becoming too personal for me all of a sudden.
“Ethan,” I say, stopping in front of the muscular man, “everything okay?”
He shakes his head. “Got a client at the front with a gold key, boss,” he says. Then, his eyes shift to Meghan. He knows what I’ve been up to, and I can tell by the questioning expression on his face he wants to know if she is aware, too.
“Who is it?” I ask, referencing the client.
He replies, “It’s a celeb. Important client—standing in the entryway, near the front door. Anything I can help you with?” Ethan is fiercely loyal and one of my best friends. He’d do just about anything to maintain the integrity of Club Limelight, and I respect that. He’s just the backup I need in this situation.
“Yes, actually, there is something you can do,” I say, my hand still on Meghan’s shoulder. I need to stop touching her, but I can’t not touch her…“Meghan here has had a little bit of an…unpleasant experience. Thankfully, her shift is over. We need to make sure she gets home safely. Walk her out for me.”
“Absolutely,” Ethan says, lunging a bit at the waitress, who shrinks back a little.
I shake my head slightly and pull him aside. “She’s scared,” I whisper and pat him on the back. “And dangerous after what she saw. She could be a whistleblower. I don’t want a girl like her to be collateral. Be nice.”