Jensen, who could still feel the wrinkles in his shirt from where Daniel’s hand had rested during their walk, ducked his head. “I did too. Thanks.”
Daniel shot him a blinding smile before turning on his heel and walking back the way they had come. Instead of staring after him like an abandoned puppy, Jensen took a deep breath and started toward the hotel entrance.
It had been a good evening. The best one he’d experienced all year, maybe longer. His stomach was full, his skin warm, his feet slightly sore, his spirit alight, and he’d only embarrassed himself a few times. Well, a few times if the architecture seminar he’d delivered counted as a singular instance. It was incredible that his plan to spend his time shut in his room fretting over floor plans had somehow morphed into some of the most exciting hours of his entire life.
“Hey, Jensen,” Daniel’s voice called out.
Jensen turned around and looked at him. “Yeah?”
“You never said whyyoulike art nouveau so much.”
Jensen’s cheeks heated, and he hoped the crimson from the setting sun would cover his embarrassment. “It looks elvish. If elves were real, it’s the type of places they’d build.”
A laugh burst out of Daniel as he shook his head. Even though it was directed at Jensen, he didn’t feel like he was being laughed at. There wasn’t ridicule in the sound. There was no disdain in Daniel’s gaze. “Who are you?” he asked for the second time that day.
Jensen could only smile, rooted to his spot on the sidewalk, as Daniel spun back around and kept walking. Warmth spread through Jensen’s chest, loosening every knot and tense muscle in his body.
Daniel’s question felt like banter, like comradery. It felt like Jensen had surprised him in a good way. Like he’d succeeded and won the interaction. And Jensen didn’t quite know what to do with these unfamiliar feelings or his desperate desire to do it all over again tomorrow.
4
“What happened to Tyler?”Daniel asked, elbows resting on the tall check-in desk.
Lucinda exhaled loudly and put down the stack of papers she was shuffling through. “That’s not any of your business.”
He leveled a look at her. It was unwise to question his boss or demand answers from her. He knew that. Every person that worked for her knew that as well. Only the relationship they’d built up over the years he’d worked for her let him feel comfortable enough to press on the regular bartender’s situation.
She must have known Daniel deserved some explanation for the massive upheaval, because she pursed her lips for a moment before relenting. “Fine. Lord knows how fast rumors spread in this place. Tyler has appendicitis and is scheduled for surgery today. He’ll be out of work for at least a week.”
Daniel slumped against the hard wood, the fight leaving him. When Lucinda had called earlier that day informing him he’d be covering the hotel bar rather than its patrons that night, he was hoping he could talk his way out of it.
Making drinks wasn’t that difficult, mostly due to the simple orders people requested. All the patrons in the Lillian wantedto exude wealth and status. They wanted to be taken seriously, which was hindered by piña coladas and the like. Most men just ordered their preferred liquor on the rocks, and most of the women stuck to wines. No one wanted to get so fucked up on sweet drinks that they couldn’t fully enjoy the real reason they were at the hotel.
So it wasn’t taxing, and he had enjoyed his brief stint working at a rundown off-campus college bar once upon a time. The thing he hated was the pay discrepancy. He could make over a thousand dollars on a Friday night by pulling. Standing behind the bar, he couldn’t suck down multiple dicks in an hour or convince a man to book him for the night.
“I can’t afford to cover the bar. Isn’t there anyone else you can call on?”
“Ricardo is in Mexico visiting family, which means you are the only person here that has an active license.”
“Okay, but what about?—”
“You better not be about to suggest what I think you’re suggesting.” Lucinda cut him a glare that had his mouth shutting. Standing at five foot eleven with shoulders wide enough to carry an illegal enterprise with ease, she was more than a little intimidating. Her chocolate-brown eyes were colder than should be possible with laugh lines rounding the corners, and her appearance was always perfect, like the clothing adorning her frame wouldn’t dare to wrinkle in her presence. But this was also the woman that had committed herself to a nunnery to escape an abusive stepfather, then gone on to operate a successful brothel. There was also a rumor she’d scared off her stepfather and every man that tried taking advantage of her Columbian mother, who was often unlucky in love. “Only my people work at this hotel. I don’t trust anyone else, even if they are from our sister locations.”
“I have bills, Luc,” Daniel pleaded. Even one weekend away from the game could significantly impact his bank account. The last time he took that much time off, he had to choose between late fees and food.
“Come see me at the end of the night and we’ll work something out.”
He wanted to kick the stupid asymmetrical desk. It was hard to turn away from his boss and walk toward the bar, but throwing a tantrum wouldn’t solve anything. He would figure it out like he always did, and pissing off his boss was not going to help. The last thing he needed was to get fired.
Besides, Jensen would never forgive him if he damaged the front desk. Not that he planned on seeing the man again or confessing his sins. But Daniel could just imagine the horror on his face if he found out someone abused the thing. The thought nearly brought a smile to his own face. Almost but not quite.
He slid behind the century-old bar, going to the cleaner and rags to start wiping down the workstation before anyone showed up. He did not want to find a rogue spot of grime that had been missed on its last scrub while preparing a drink later. That might just send him over the edge. And not in the sexy way, though Daniel would be just as vocal in response.
“You’re working the bar tonight?” Melanie asked, sitting down on one of the stools and fixing her cleavage. The dress she wore tastefully hugged her body, a coy advertisement of what her pulls would find underneath.
She was possibly Daniel’s favorite coworker, not that he would ever admit it. Of course, he’d throw hands with any asshole that treated the other employees like trash or thought they were entitled to their time or bodies. Just the other month, he’d put himself between a too drunk man and their newest coworker. But that was the issue. They always had new coworkers. He and Melanie had been there the longest, butmost didn’t last a couple years. More thought they wanted this life, thought it would be glamorous and fun, only to resign a few months in. Even the cleaners got sick of washing jizz out of sheets and scraping used condoms off the floors. The only constants were Lucinda and the dated interior Jensen adored so much.
“Seems so.”
