Ultraviolet

Chapter Seven: What's Your Number?

Hadeon's "meeting" with the security guards lasted until 7:30pm, and I used that time in the empty apartment to have a nap. I was woken up by Jessica who sat on the end of my bed, lightly nudging my legs.

"Hey, Violet." She hummed. Jessica was dressed in similar clothes to what she wore the night I tried to sneak into the club. "Are you excited?"

I sat up slowly in my bed, rubbing at my eyes. "Excited? For what?" I groaned.

"Well, I thought maybe you could have your first shift tonight."

"Really?" I asked. "Hadeon was being a pain about it. He was pretty determined to change your mind about me being a bartender."

"Hadeon worries to much." She laughed. "You'll be fine. Get up and get ready. We open in an hour."

After a quick shower, I threw on a plain black long sleeve t-shirt and some dark jeans before heading down to the club. The boys I'd met early stood around in the same dark clothes as before, only their expressions had changed. They now looked tough and scary, almost as if they were getting into character.

"Hey, Violet." A familiar voice said, my heart clenching slightly in my chest. Andy walked up to me and grinned. "So I hear you need a supervisor at the bar. I'm happy to volunteer." I tried and failed to hide my discomfort at the idea of being stuck behind a bar with him all night.

"Andy, piss off!" Jack said from behind the bar. He leant closer to me as Andy left to grunt, "He's a mutt. Latches onto any girl in his vicinity. If he makes you uncomfortable, we can fire him. I'd be more than happy to."

"Oh, no thats- Its fine, really." I stuttered. "He's really nice, I just think I'll be less nervous tonight if I'm with someone like you, who I already know."

"I get it." He nodded. "Hadeon already assigned me as your supervisor."

"Let me guess," I laughed. "He asked you to make tonight a living hell so I'm begging to be demoted to daytime cleaner."

"He mentioned not liking the idea of you bartending." Jack agreed.

"Do you think he'll ever warm up to me?" I joked

"Hadeon is... difficult."

"You can say that again."

"But he means well. He's just a tad overprotective."

I couldn't imagine Hadeon actually caring for my wellbeing, but I didn't argue with Jack. Him and Hadeon seemed close, maybe he knew him a little better.

Or, more likely, he didn't want me badmouthing his friend.

Jack double checked that I knew where everything was and then called out to Andy who hit the lights and turned on the colourful LEDs that flashed and jumped with alongside the beat of the song playing. A DJ was in place behind the giant raised turntable, but he was simply standing around with headphones on. Jack explained that he just presses play on a pre-made playlist and that, once the floor fills up, he'll start jumping around and keeping up the energy. My brother-in-law then nodded to Quincy, who opened the door and stepped outside, ready to greet the long line of people awaiting entrance.

I stared in awe as in a matter of minutes the club had filled up almost to capacity and I was serving customers and making drinks like I had been doing so my entire life. It was rather simple really, and I was growing confident enough to multitask. But, then again, this was only the start of the night. Once everyone had some alcohol in their system, the crowds would become rowdier and I would become a prime target for slurred verbal abuse.

"You're doing really well." Jack grinned as we had a break in customers- a popular song from the early 2000's had come on and everyone was jamming to the throwback.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it." I boasted.

The night continued slowly, and my initial confidence slowly sullied and my charming customer service voice become more exhausting to put on.

"What can I get for you?" I asked a man who looked in his mid-thirties. Sweat glistened in his furry brows and a suspicious stain on his shoulder turned my stomach. He wasn't quite intoxicated enough to deny service, but he was leaning a little too far over the counter and smiling devilishly, actions that I felt were the result of a substantial amount of liquid courage.

"Your number, would be nice." He chuckled. I leant back slightly and turned down to the monitor of the cash register.

"Would you settle for another drink instead?" I asked uncomfortably.

"You wanna go out for drinks?" He purposely misheard. "I'm free tomorrow night, babe, how about it?"

"No, thank you." I smiled as politely as possible. "But I can make you a drink." I offered yet again.

His slimy face curved into an unsettling smile as he neared closer. "I'll pick you up at seven, take you out for dinner. I can treat you the way a real woman ought to be treated. How does that sound?"

The way his voice almost snarled as he spoke sent a shiver down my spine. I could practically taste his breath, which reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. He snatched a strand of my hair and twirled it around his finger, and I suddenly felt the urge to vomit. I grabbed my hair out of his hand and took a step away, calling out to Jack frantically.

I turned to where Jack had been before, but the bar was empty. I turned back to the man, my heart beating out of my chest. I didn't want to again offer him a drink, in fear of what else would tumble out of his mouth, but the angry look that grew with every moment I remained silent terrified me also.

"Hey!" A voice called. Hadeon stepped out from behind him and pulled him away from the bar. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

In a split second the man became infuriated. "What the fuck? No, you're not kicking me out! I didn't do anything!"

Hadeon rolled his eyes, but continued. "Don't touch the bartenders. It's a simple rule in almost every club or bar."

"That was a misunderstanding." He chuckled. Hadeon looked far from amused. "We were just chatting."

"I saw you grab her hair." Hadeon stated simply.

"It was innocent flirting, kid." My mouth went dry at the excuse, and I turned to Hadeon hoping he wouldn't believe it.

"She wasn't interested. Now leave before I have to call the police."

The guy glance back at me for help, but I refused to meet his eyes. He grunted loudly, throwing his hands in the air as Hadeon walked him out. I made a note to thank Hadeon later, but for now I continued to serve the other customers.

The night ended rather suddenly. When we stopped serving drinks, the crowd thinned to nothing in half an hour, and as soon as they'd left, so did the security guards. The only people left in the club were Jack and Jessica, and Hadeon was already upstairs.

"Good job today, Violet." Jessica praised. "You can really handle being under pressure."

"Thanks, I had fun." I answered through stifling a yawn. My tiredness had kicked in the second we locked our doors, but I still had to tidy up the bar.

"Jack and I have got this." Jessica said, gesturing to the mess of glasses, bottles, cans, and straws that littered the bar area. "You can go upstairs, go to sleep."

"Are you sure?" I checked, Jack and Jess both nodded encouragingly. "Thank you. See you later, I guess."