Wed or Dead

V

There were ten of them. Ten girls were called back after the job interview.

The club Himeros turns out to have a low staff turnover and the salary was better than in other places so even when they were recruiting for just a one-day event there were a lot of candidates for the job.

Eliana arrived at her new, temporary workplace two hours before the opening. Some girls were already present. There was one lady who was certainly a permanent staff member. She had platinum blonde hair and lips painted with bright red lipstick. She was standing in front of a row of girls, some of them I saw on the job interview.

"Hello my name is Catia, I am responsible for preparing you for today's event, if you have any questions, ask me. If I'm unavailable,  my co-worker Melissa will help you, she should be here in a minute. All of you are already experienced with customer service so I expect you to know how to serve drinks and smile nicely"

"Are these doors for a staff?" Eva asked curiously and my gaze shifted towards the door she was speaking of. They were huge and looked as if they were made of steel. They had two bodyguards standing like statues on each side.

"The doors you're pointing at are leading to the boss's office. Don't go in there uninvited, is that clear?" Catia said in a voice colder than she had used a moment ago.

"Of course"

"My question was directed at everyone. Is that clear?" She said with newfound sternness to her voice.

"Yes," we replied in chorus.

"Great," she chirped. "The costumes for you are prepared in the staff room, if someone can't find their right size let Melissa know," Catia said just as Melissa peeked through the door to invite us over.

They all rushed to obey her instructions.

Eliana should be glad to be here, but when she saw the French maid costume she was about to put on, she felt as if my soul was leaving her body. The outfit is one thing, but the nail in the coffin was a headband with cat ears. Okay, this is not the time and no place to chicken out. You're unemployed and you're trying to stay alive. Focus, Eliana. Beggars can't be choosers. The hourly wage is great it's all that matters. 

After they changed Catia showed up again and started explaining something about the drinks service policy. Eliana didn't know, she wasn't listening. She glanced at Eva and she had that determined look on her face, Eliana was really worried about how that night is going to play out.

After that, I was pulled by Eva to the bathroom stall.

"I look like an idiot!" Eliana said completely embarrassed by the costume.

"You look great," Eva contested. "Don't think about it now. We need to find the Vincenti brothers, that's our mission for today."

"How am I supposed to find them if I don't know what they look like?"

"Here's the problem. I tried to find some pictures of them and there's nothing. I even dug up my yearbook album and of course, they didn't show up on the day where pictures were taken. Anyway, it doesn't matter. You focus on serving drinks, I'll just look for them myself "

"Fine" I agreed.

Eliana was being very self-conscious about her outfit, she couldn't help it so my face was permanently red. As she predicted the job at the nightclub was not for me. Her jaw ached from the false smile that she had to bestow on every rich sleazebag that looked at her as if she was a piece of meat, not a human being.

"Have you found them?"

"I think they're not here, probably. This place is huge, so I can't be certain"

"Well, at least we tried," Eliana said already feeling discouraged.

"Why do you have to give up so quickly?" Eva asked feeling frustrated with me.

"Because I don't have the strength to-,"

"Wait," she interrupted me. "Look, Rafael Vincenti is here."

Eliana looked around and then she saw him. A person for whom the dancing crowd parted only so he could pass easily without any disturbance. This tall, muscular man was accompanied by four bodyguards, she couldn't take her eyes off Rafael, he was mesmerizing.  He was slowly and with indescribable grace walking past the crowd and it felt like a time stopped for her.

Eva and Eliana were just one of many people staring at him as he passed through, he looked like a person was used to this sort of attention.

I woke up from a dazed state just when I realized that the steel doors are closing behind him.

The door closed. Fuck. They just lost their only chance to talk to him.

"We need to get inside," Eva said determined as if she just woke up from a dream as I did.

"You're right"

There is one problem. How do we enter the huge anti-tank door guarded by two bodyguards? There's no way.

Because of a little time and zero ideas, Eliana nearly dropped the tray of drinks when she saw Melissa entering the "forbidden" door. She was carrying a tray with several bottles of alcohol, I saw her reaching into her pocket and taking the silver card against the scanner installed under the doorknob. The bodyguards did not react to her presence in any way. The previous entrance Rafael was completely different he didn't need any card to get in and bodyguards instead of ignoring him bowed respectfully as soon as he stopped in front of them.

Anyway. For her and Eva there was a problem. They needed to get a fucking card to get to Rafael.

"We have to get in there but how?"

"We need to steal that card"

"How?!"

"Shhh... I have a plan. Give me several minutes. Just go back to work"

Eliana did what she said and just after she finished serving my next table she noticed how her crazy friend stumbles with a tray of champagne glasses right in front of Melissa, pouring the liquid all over her.

"Fuck, watch where you're going!" Melissa yelled "Oh great, you're dirty as well," she said angrily and pointed at my friend's dirty clothes.

Eva looked at the ground as if she was genuinely sorry but the moment Melissa turned around, my friend winked at Eliana.

On the way to the staff room, Eva restrained herself from talking back to the blonde who was still complaining about what happened and cursing under her breath. "Because of you, we have to change, we're wasting the damn time" It was Eva's only chance to pick up that damn card. "It's a pity that there's no additional outfit in your size, I am afraid you finished for today," Melisa said and smiled meanly after announcing the bad news.

The thing is Eva didn't actually care. She almost rolled her eyes at Melissa's smooth-looking face.

"Too bad, indeed," Eva said casually and left the staff room wearing her private clothes with a silver card in her pocket.

Moments after the champagne accident happened, Eva came back to me and thrust the card into her hand.

"Take this and go inside, if anything they will look for me because I stole it. This is your chance"

Is she really doing it? She felt like she was about to throw up from all the nerves she felt but her legs guided her towards the steel door.

Eliana almost had a heart attack when she stood in front of two towers in the form of bodyguards, but they didn't stop her, they just watched as she puts the plastic card to the door.

Eliana was in.