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“I can do that, Emily.” Teddy held out his hands.
“I don’t have any more tables for the night.” She shrugged as she slid the glass stems between her fingers. “It’s easier on you.”
Teddy beamed. “Thanks.”
She weaved her way through the tables to the bar and gently placed the glasses on the back counter near the sinks where Luke would clean them.
“How was your first night in the big S-One?” Petra, a Section Two server Emily was friendly with, asked.
“Interesting,” Emily said. “Not quite what I expected.”
Petra laughed. “They do seem a little classier over there. Sometimes.”
“Yeah.” She’d know more in an hour. “I have to get moving.”
She went into the back and checked the side-work chart. As she thoroughly cleaned the areas she was responsible for, she kept an eye on the time. She wanted to get home before David arrived so she could shower and have a drink. The alcohol would dull the pain of whatever he had in mind.
Ten
By the timeEmily finally arrived back at her building, after taking two wrong turns, she was exhausted. She could have taken a cab, but she hadn’t wanted to waste her first night’s tips on car rides when she could easily walk the same route.
She unlocked her door and pushed it open with her shoulder, closing her eyes with a sigh. A few minutes of solitude before what was sure to be a long night.
Ice clinked in a glass and Emily froze in the entryway. Another clink and she sucked in a shaky breath. Who was in her condo?
She crept forward and peeked into the living room. A man relaxed on her couch, a glass in his hand, looking out over the city lights. She let out a shaky breath.
The man caught her eye in the reflection of the window. He stood and turned around. David Powell, from the Café. “I’m sorry if I scared you. Roger let me in.”
“Wh-what are you doing here?” She took a step back, then realized there was no escape.
He smiled. “You said you’d be here in an hour.” He glanced at the heavy platinum watch on his wrist. “It’s only been forty-five minutes. I thought I’d have a drink while I waited.”
“Oh.” She blinked, unable to move any other part of her body.
“You thought I’d wait and arrive after you got home?”
She nodded.
He chuckled. “Sometimes I do, but I was ready for some quiet. And a fantastic view.” He motioned to the wall of windows overlooking the city.
She nodded again, still frozen in place. He’d removed his jacket and tie and hung them over the back of the white couch.
“Did you want to shower or clean up or anything?”
She nodded a third time and he smiled. “Go ahead. I’m not in a hurry. My wife is out with friends. Or at least, that’s what she told me.” He chuckled again and sat back down on the couch, spreading his arm along the back.
Emily stared at the back of his head for a long moment before turning and hurrying to her bedroom.
Would Roger the doorman let anyone into her condo? Would she be woken in the middle of the night by a man creeping into her bedroom to do something terrible to her?
She closed the bedroom door behind her and sat on the plush king-sized bed, staring at the floor for a few minutes before she shook her head. She needed to clean up so she could be ready for David. For whatever he wanted to do to her.
The hot water felt divine as she washed the scents of the Café from her body and hair. She wrapped herself in a soft satin robe and braided her hair before returning to the living room. But David wasn’t on the couch.
She heard a sound from behind her in the kitchen and turned to see David pouring a glass of cinnamon whiskey from her new bottle. “Want some?”
“Yes, please.”
