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I stared at Barry, daring him to refuse the only available table.
He nodded. “Yes, chaps. You’re in for a treat.”
Then he stared straight at me. “The manager herself will be serving us in the private room. The cost surely dictates such service.”
I had the best staff on tonight, being a busy Saturday night, so unless the kitchen caught on fire, they wouldn’t need me too much.
“Of course, sir,” I said smoothly. “This way.” I walked the party of four to our only private room, seated them and gave them all menus.
“I’ll be back soon with the specials and to take your orders.”
Barry was an ass, but his money was as green as anyone’s.
The rest of the night went amazingly fast. Between managing the staff and our temperamental chef, I was busy enough. Add in Barry and his clients, and the bottles and bottles of wine they consumed, I was run off my feet.
Barry picked up the bill with only a slightly grudging manner, and the men he dined with left me a nice tip. It was, all in all, a good night.
“Thanks everyone. You did great tonight.” I waved off the staff and sat down to look at the reservations we had for the following evening.
“Thanks for taking care of that guy for me, Charity,” Tania said as she slung her handbag over her shoulder.
“Oh, you know it’s no problem,” I answered with a smile. “I’m always there for you.”
It was the biggest payoff for me with this job. The staff were underpaid, but between good tips and a good working environment, I hoped I helped to make up for any negatives.
The staff went home, then it was time to lock up. Part of me had expected retribution from Barry for tricking him into paying for a very expensive dinner, but he’d been so jolly by the end of the evening, he’d practically rolled out the front door.
I locked up and stepped out into the cold night air. My apartment was only a few doors down, luckily. I hurried along the street, keeping an eye out for anyone and anything that might be a danger.
Even in a small town where I knew every second person, it still wasn’t totally safe for a woman at night.
I reached my building’s front door, opened up, raced inside and locked it again.
My heart had been pounding too fast, again, and I was a little disappointed with myself. Despite the fact that I’d taken self-defense classes since I was young, I was too aware that I didn’t have much hope against a man with a knife, or a gun.
Feeling truly safe was a luxury I’d never had.
I climbed the stairs to my second story apartment and took deep breaths to slow my heart rate. It was almost two a.m. and I was exhausted. Even so, I had a quick shower, washed off all my makeup and the staleness of a long day.
Once clean I made myself a cup of peppermint tea, put on my warmest pajamas and climbed into bed.
I clung to my mug of tea and glanced over at the romance novel I was reading. It lay on the bedside table, tempting me, but the time was moving toward three a.m. now. Did I really need to read more tonight?
If I was being honest with myself, part of the reason I was putting off going to sleep was because of the disturbing dreams I’d been having lately.
The book I was reading was a paranormal romance novel featuring dragon shifters and princesses. And ever since I’d started reading, I hadn’t been able to stop the erotic dreams. I wasn’t even up to a sexy part of the book, yet, but with every page I devoured, it felt like I was drawn into the world, and as soon as I was asleep, I was in that castle. I became the princess in the story book, being ravished by a sexy dragon prince.
After an internal debate about the need for good quality sleep, I didn’t reach for the book. Instead, I drank the rest of my tea, pulled up the warm blanket on the bed and snuggled down beneath the covers.
If I didn’t read anything tonight, then surely I wouldn’t wake in a hot sweat amidst the hottest orgasm of my life?
It was sad that my dreams far surpassed anything I’d ever experienced in reality.
I closed my eyes and relaxed into my fluffy pillow. I was as single as a dollar bill and that wasn’t changing any time soon. Perhaps I should start looking forward to these dreams? After all, I thought, as I began to drift off, they were probably the closest thing to romance I was ever going to experience.
The carpet beneath my naked feet was soft and thick. I wanted to bend down and run my hand across the fibers, but I had to keep moving. We were playing hide and seek, and he was coming for me.
I hurried a little faster, through the dark, warm castle. The sconces on the wall were lit with candles that glowed bright, and there wasn’t another soul to be seen.
