Lalisa,Mine.

Chapter One

      Smooth, bass-heavy pop music pulsed through the room. The patrons drank, danced, and lounged on plush chairs under glittering lights. Gorgeous women adorned in diamonds and designer dresses flirted with rich businessmen in Italian suits. B-list celebrities flaunted their wealth, throwing away wads of cash on two thousand dollar bottles of champagne.

Lisa walked over to a table occupied by a young woman and a man who looked old enough to be her grandfather. She cleared the empty glasses from the table. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Another bourbon on the rocks," the man said, not bothering to look up at her. "And another of those fruity things for her."

"Coming right up." Luckily for him, Lisa remembered what cocktail 'that fruity thing' was.

Lisa returned to the bar and relayed the drink order to the bartender. She plucked a soggy napkin from the bottom of her shoe. Just another night at The Lounge. Part high-end bar, part nightclub, it was one of the city's most exclusive night spots. Or so she was told. When she wasn't working, Lisa spent most of her nights at home or at the library, writing papers and combing through law textbooks.

Lisa delivered the drinks to the couple on a silver tray, then took another order. She went back and forth, serving drinks and wiping down tables until her feet ached and her muscles burned. Mercifully, by that time her shift was almost over.

"Hey, Lis?" Simon, her manager, beckoned her over to the bar."

"What's up, Mon?" Lisa leaned down on the bar, grateful for a moment to catch her breath. She'd spent the whole day in classes and had been on her feet all night.

"Here." Simon handed her a large envelope. "It's your new contract."

"Does this mean I'm off probation?" Lisa flicked through the pages. Everyone who worked at The Lounge started on a probationary period due to the clientele's high standards. The patrons expected nothing short of the royal treatment, and they did not tolerate mistakes. Lisa had never worked at a club before starting at The Lounge, but she was a fast learner.

"Yep. I recommended you for a permanent position weeks ago, but I've been waiting for the owner's approval. He likes to have the final say in everything."

Lisa found that surprising. The identity of The Lounge's owner was a complete mystery. No one seemed to know who he was, and none of the staff had ever met him. As the manager, Simon was the exception, but all he would tell anyone was that the owner was an extremely private person.

Lisa signed the contract and handed it back to Simon.

"Congratulations, you're one of us now," he said.

"Thanks." Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. A little job security was a huge weight off her shoulders.

"By the way, a few of us are going out for drinks after we close. Wanna come?"

"Thanks, but I have a paper to finish." It was one of her standard answers. A paper to finish, an exam to prepare for, some supplemental reading to do.

"Come on, Lis. You're always here or at law school. Do you ever do anything fun?"

"I go running sometimes."

"That doesn't count."

"I have a social life. Really." Lisa didn't mention that her 'social life' mostly involved going to law school networking events.

"Okay. But you're missing out. If you think the crowd at The Lounge is wild, you should see us after a few drinks."

"Maybe next time," Lisa said.