“Noooo, you go talk to him for me. Pleeeease, Myssa? You’re so much better at it than me.” Nik pouts, sipping her margarita while eyeing a guy at the end of the bar.
Staring at her, I sigh, not amused.
“Fine, but you’re going to owe me for this one,” I say, motioning to the bartender for a refill.
Snapping out of the memory, I turn my attention back on Vix.
“Look, Vix, trust me when I say this guy wouldn’t give me a second glance. He was all swagger and sex—and then there’s me. That’d be like putting a Prada bag with a Target special.” I laugh.
“Whatever, girl. Hopefully, fate will do its duty and have you cross paths again. I wish you could see you through my eyes, Myssa, because I think you are beautiful.” She grins.
I’m not good with compliments, so now the conversation has turned into an uncomfortable silence for both of us.
“Was that a call about your interview?” I quickly change the subject.
“Oh. Yeah,” she says, nonchalantly taking another sip of coffee.
“And?” I prompt with eagerness.
“I got the job!” She squeals. She taps her feet on the floor in a mini dance of triumph. “I start tomorrow afternoon, just to learn the bar and meet the staff.” She sets down her coffee.
“Vix, that's awesome! Congrats.”
“Thanks.” She beams. “Though, you know that means now I have to go out and get new clothes.” She checks the time on her watch and abruptly stands up.
“You want company? I have nothing else to do.” I get up, and throw my muffin wrapper in the trash, still nursing my coffee.
“For sure. You can help me pick out new outfits for this gig. Maybe we can finally change your look up a bit and get some outfits for you. It’s been six months, and we need to get you back out there,” she tosses over her shoulder as she opens the door to let me out.
The thought of going back out after everything that’s happened forces me to realize what that means. Shivers of panic roll through me, along with the guilt of moving on. I swallow it down for now as I follow her out the door. “Ha! We shall see,” is all I can muster.
Chapter 3
Zayne
Walking through the back door of the club, I take my sunglasses off and look around to find Dave, my liquor delivery driver, leaving the last box by the elevator.
“Hey, Z.” Dave turns to look at me while he pulls the inventory slip out of his back pocket.
“Hey, Dave, how are you?” I ask, as he hands me the paperwork.
“Good, Good. You’re my last stop of the day.” He beams. “Next stop, to get something nice for the Misses for our anniversary. She thinks I forgot our twenty-fifth, but boy, is she in for a surprise,” he states proudly, rocking on his heels.
“Twenty-fifth! Wow, that’s really awesome, Dave, Congrats. She’s a lucky lady.” I continue to go through the inventory and make sure everything is there and sign the paperwork.
Dave rips off my copy and hands it back to me. “Have a good rest of your week.” He salutes me and heads out the door.
“You too.” I can’t help but envy Dave. I’ve been hoping to find my someone special for a long while, but it seems the powers above are against me.
I look around, still amazed that this is real. Opening Frequency here in Chicago was always a dream. For years, I would host pop-up raves all across Chicago in abandoned buildings, under bypasses—anywhere we could set up, really. When the popularity became greater than we’d anticipated, I finally had to find a more permanent place. Savings from the raves and an inheritance I wasn’t expecting made this dream a reality much quicker than I thought possible.
I take the elevator to the second floor, and spotting Jack behind the bar, I make my way towards him. His tall stature and long red curls make him look like a beacon in this bar of black decor. Jack was one of the people who’d helped to make this happen, and why I felt confident putting him in charge of the bartending staff.
“Hey, Jack.” I gesture towards him as I lean up against the bar.
“Oh, hey, Zayne. I didn’t know you were coming in so early.” He starts filling the ice machine.
“Yeah, wanted to get some paperwork done before we open.” I lean on the bar. “Listen, Dave dropped off the last shipment downstairs, so can you get someone down there to put it away?”
