“Isn’t this place great?” she asks, leaning in by my ear. “Red’s really updated the place from when he first bought it.”
I plaster a fake smile on my face while she goes back to her drink. This is updated? I think to myself. What the hell did it look like before this? Rolling my eyes at the thought, I pull my drink to my lips and let the tequila work its magic. Ricca waves at someone and a short, pudgy, bald man walks toward our table. I can smell his overpowering cheap cologne before he ever gets close to us. Its pungent scent is nearly enough to make me throw up.
“Red, this is the girl I was telling you about for the waitress job,” she says, pointing to me. Pulling me from my stool, she practically shoves me at him in her semi-drunken state. God, was she drinking at the house before we left? How did I not catch on that she was already two sheets to the wind?
“Meet your new waitress, Red. Isn’t she perfect? You’ll get more of the younger crowd with a stone cold fox like her working the tables.”
Red’s eyes scan up and down my body as I try to keep the tequila in my stomach. “She sure is, Ricca baby. She’ll make all the boys howl.” He mimics a howl as I look on in horror “What do you say, Dani? Want to join the Red Rocket team?” He’s joking, right? He makes it sound like a five-star restaurant. This isn’t a team atmosphere; it’s a fucking train wreck.
“See, I told you that he’d want you at first sight,” Ricca drunkenly whisper-yells into my ear. Shoving her away, I stare at them both. “Come on, Dani, you’ll make a metric shit ton of tips judging by the guys watching your tits and ass tonight. Come on, just do it. You know you need the money,” she continues to plea while swaying to the music blasting out of the speakers.
Red moves closer to me and runs his fingers down my face. “Come on, baby, I’ll make sure that you’re taken care of here. I’ll pay you under the table just like Ricca mentioned. You can be my dirty little secret,” he says as the smell of the liquor on his breath fills my nose. “I’ll even give you the best hours if you’ll show off those gorgeous tits of yours to the kiddos.” In my attempt to move away from his stench, he grabs me by the arm and yanks me closer to his putrid smell. “You don’t want to refuse me, Dani. I’m your best shot at a job around here. Well, at least a job that doesn’t require you to sell your body or drugs on the street corner.”
Red repulses me, but I know he’s right about needing this job. Maybe if I can just block out his stench and the state of the bar, I can trudge through it until I feel safer applying for a normal job or get a good fake ID. “Fine, I’ll work for you,” I say, pulling my arm away from his grasp. “But, I won’t be your or any of your patron’s fucking play thing. I just need the money, not a fucking STD-laced grope fest from a forty-year-old virgin. You got it?” I say, pressing hard into his chest.
“Anything you want, darlin’, as long as your ass will be here at eight tomorrow night. Ricca will show you the ropes.” His eyes roam my body again. Jesus, am I doing the right thing? “Just wear something revealing and shove your tits in their faces. They’ll be too drunk to notice how much of a prudish bitch you are after a couple of drinks... .” Ricca starts doing the happy squeal again at my reluctant agreement to work for Red. “You make sure she’s looking this good tomorrow, Ricca. The only ugly woman we have working this bar is my wife, and I plan on leaving it that way. Now, you two sirens go have fun. Drinks are on me.” He smacks my ass before he walks away and into the back room, making me retch from his touch.
“He’s not so bad, right?” Ricca asks as two more drinks show up on our table.
“Not so bad? What the hell have you been drinking? You need to lay off the bullshit Kool-Aid and see him for the scum of the Earth, perverted bastard that he is, Ricca.”
“I guess you’re right, but that bastard is your boss now. He’s not that bad once you get past the smell and the grabby hands. Just keep his customers happy and you’ll be fine.”
Downing the drink in two gulps, Ricca waves at the bartender for another round and shoves my drink into my hands. “Come on, Dani, let’s celebrate!!” Three buttery nipple shots and two more tequila sunrises later, she drags me out onto the dance floor. The alcohol blurs my vision and my inhibitions begin to fall away. Dancing by myself, I see Ricca is grinding against one of the bikers from the corner. His hands roam her curves and dig into her hips as her ass circles his crotch. I can tell she’s into the man groping her when Ricca leans back and kisses him. I wonder what her boyfriend would think about that guy’s tongue shoved into her mouth. Hell, maybe the guy is one of those freaks who like to watch, but I’m definitely not cool with cheating of any kind. Dipping to the floor, she rubs her ass on him harder as his fingers slide under her short dress.
Starting to feel uncomfortable watching them together, I begin to walk back to the table before a very masculine set of hands pulls me back against a broad, hard chest. My new dance partner’s hands grasp my hips as he moves to the beat of the music against me. Leaning back into him, I let my body take over and sway with the music against him. I can feel his dick hardening in his jeans as the song plays and our dance continues. I’m not sure whether I should be flattered I’ve turned him on or repulsed, but the alcohol makes me just not care anymore.
Rolling my hips with the beat, I can feel his hot breath tingling against my neck. His cologne is as intoxicating as the shots that arrive from one of the waitresses. I didn’t order another drink, but I shoot back the pretty blue concoction in one swallow. Hell, maybe this girl will get a little lucky tonight with a strange biker. Heaven knows my pussy needs to be dusted off after sitting unused for years. Jesus, the alcohol is talking tonight. Maybe it’s time to slow it down on the liquor before I do something completely reckless.
He grows harder with each gyration from my hips while his fingers explore my luscious curves. My mind wanders in speculation of what my dance partner might look like. Is he handsome or he is just another Red with good dance moves? I turn to set my eyes on him but as I do, Ricca grabs me by the wrist, dragging me off of the dance floor. In trying to pull away from her and return to the man on the dance floor, she throws up on my shoes and all over herself. I usher her into the club’s bathroom to clean her up. By the time I’ve sorted her out and cleaned off my shoes, I discover that the biker group and my mystery man are now gone when we return to the bar. Damn, I guess it’s just not my night.
Taking that as a sign that the night is coming to an end, I get the bartender to call us a cab since neither of us are sober enough to drive. The cab arrives ten minutes later and I shove Ricca’s ass into the back seat. After we make it back home, I get Ricca undressed and into her bed, remembering to carefully position her on her side so she doesn’t choke on her own vomit before heading to my own room. I pull the comforter up over her shoulders and put a trash can next to the side of the bed. I have a feeling she’s going to feel this party tomorrow morning. I know I sure as hell will, but I’m still too drunk to care about the consequences yet.