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Morii—the desire to capture a fleeting moment.I decided that this was my favorite new word.I’d never heard of it until today.It was the name of the elite club that I’d just been hired at in Ocala, Florida.Gypsi and I hadn’t made it that far when we left Miami.Mostly because I had been low on cash from not working enough while I was dating Micah.I meant to rectify that by working somewhere the paycheck was good and the tips were high.
Silas Tatum, the manager over the servers within the club, had seemed overly relieved by my interview.They had just fired two of their servers for breaking the rules.He didn’t say what rules they’d broken, but I’d been asked to sign a contract stating that the members of the club, as well as their guests, were private.I would never divulge names, repeat anything I overheard, along with about fifty other things.
My age was something Silas had seemed pleased about.He mentioned that the other servers were younger, but due to the appearance requirements of the servers at Morii,it was difficult to find females over twenty-eight, which, until me, was the oldest server they’d hired.My being more mature was much-needed, apparently, among the servers.There was, as he’d put it, unnecessary drama.I was raising a teenage girl.I wasn’t scared of female drama.
I followed Silas down a long hallway lit by elaborate chandeliers.He finally stopped at a wide, ornate white door with a fancy gold doorknob.
“This is the dressing room.All servers will enter through the back entrance you came in today, come directly to this room, and follow all the steps necessary before entering the Hughes Floor.The Winchester Parlor is where you will train by shadowing Eliana.She’s not who I typically have train the new servers, but she’s the only one capable of it tonight.However, she’s been here the longest among our current servers.”
He turned the door handle and pushed the heavy door open, then waved a hand for me to enter the room.I stepped inside, not surprised by the opulence at this point.It seemed every inch of this place was extravagant.White velvet lounge chairs were set in the middle of the room under yet another chandelier.The walls were made of mirrors, and a line of dressing tables were against the back wall.Black cocktail-style dresses hung on a long silver rack with glass embellishments to the right of the room.
Silas pointed at the rack of dresses.“You will find sizes zero through six in dresses, and there are three different styles that you may choose from.We prefer that our girls aren’t all identical.It gives visual variety to our patrons.However, we only allow black in color so that you blend in enough and don’t stand out so much that you make any female visitors feel uncomfortable.Classy is our goal.Make sure the size you choose isn’t too tight.”Silas paused and looked me over.“I think you’ll require a six because of your breast size, although if it is too loose in the waist, go down to a four.”
He pointed then to a wall I hadn’t noticed near the door we’d entered that held shoes.All were black heels.Like the dresses, there were different styles to choose from.“Shoes are sizes six through nine.You are a seven, and we have all styles in abundance in that size.You should be able to find one that you prefer among the selections.Now, the showers are through that door beside the dressing tables.”
I didn’t see a door.I started to ask him, but he must have already guessed my question because he continued, “Just push the mirrored panel by the left of the last table, and it will swing open.You are to shower here, using only the body wash we supply, then apply the lotion from the selection of three different scents you will find on the counter before dressing for your shift.No other perfume is permitted.If you wear any, it must be cleansed from your body before working.Once you’re washed and moisturized, take one of the robes hanging back there and go to your table.Apply your makeup with the products supplied in the drawers at your table.Yours is the fourth one.There is a cabinet beneath it with a keypad.Your code to unlock it is the last four of your Social.Keep your personal things in there.Your hair must be pulled up or back.The options you have with your long length are a side braid that lies over your shoulder, a bun on your head, or curled and pulled up in a twist.Dressing will be last.Please give yourself one hour or more if needed to do all the steps required before you are expected on the floor.
“Allowing a new server to train in the Winchester Parlor is not common procedure.It’s the most exclusive room we have here.Not every member is allowed into the parlor.Eliana is always in the Winchester Parlor, so that is where you must be too.With your age, I am trusting that you can handle the pressure.”
The more Silas talked, the more nervous I became.The hourly pay was more than I’d ever made in an hour, and the tip money Silas had mentioned was hard to pass up.I should have realized that with that kind of money, it wasn’t going to be some easy server gig.
The fact that I’d gotten an interview today was sheer luck.Silas had been picking up a to-go order at a restaurant when I walked in and asked if they were hiring.Before the younger girl could answer me, he spoke up and asked me if I had experience, and it had all just happened from there.
“I’d like for you to begin at six this evening.That gives you two hours.You might want to take the two hours to prepare since it’s your first time.”
I nodded.All the steps that were required of me seemed less daunting if I had two hours instead of one.I would give tonight a shot.See if I could do this and if it was worth the money.
“That would help,” I replied.
“Very good.”Silas seemed pleased.“I feel like you will be an excellent fit here.When I saw you today, I assumed you were twenty-seven or twenty-eight.I knew we needed some more mature servers, and your appearance fits our requirements.I believe having someone with your maturity is going to change things for the better.I hope I’m right.”
That was the one thing that didn’t make me nervous.I could handle catty females and their drama.This other stuff, however, seemed entirely too over the top.We had to smell a certain way?Did the members here truly care about what body wash and lotion we used?I wanted to roll my eyes at the entire thing, but this money—for even one month—could set Gypsi and me up for a while.We could afford campsites in coastal towns along the East Coast.That would be exciting.The one I had us in now made me nervous.I had to move us as soon as I could afford it.
“I do too,” I finally replied.Because I needed this money.
He nodded and went back toward the door.“I’ll leave you to it.Eliana will arrive within an hour to prepare.I’ll let her know now that you are to shadow her tonight.”
“Thank you,” I told him before he closed the door and left me alone in the bougie-ass dressing room.
Sighing, I turned around, slowly taking it all in.
“Looks like you’ve got yourself another adventure,” I whispered.
Three
Fawn
Eliana had barely spoken three words to me before we left the dressing room.She appeared to be in her early twenties with dark red hair that fell to her waist.She’d twisted it up with curls cascading down to her neck tonight.Her high cheekbones, cat-shaped brown eyes, and porcelain skin were a stunning combination.She belonged on a runway somewhere in Paris.
Other than a scathing once-over from her and short, clipped responses to the three questions I’d asked her, trying to make conversation while we prepared, she didn’t acknowledge me.It was clear she didn’t think I belonged here.If the other servers also looked like young twenty-year-old fashion models, I was going to have to agree with her.The size zero strapless dress she’d chosen showcased her thin, perfect limbs and flawless skin.
When she reached the dark wooden door with an engraved brass plate that saidWinchester Parloron it, she paused and glanced back at me.“Don’t speak unless spoken to.Don’t make eye contact with the patrons.Even when I converse with them on friendly terms.You don’t have that privilege yet.If they choose to acknowledge you, which is unlikely, then you’ll be allowed to make eye contact.”
I nodded but wanted to ask why it was unlikely.Did one need to look like her to be acknowledged?I was here for the money, and I needed those tips.Silas had seemed sure that I’d do well here, but Eliana was not in agreement with him.She had made that very clear with her stunted use of words when it came to me.
Eliana opened the door and sauntered inside as if this were in fact a catwalk.I followed her, closing the door behind me.The speakeasy feel of the large space made me smile.I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but the blue velvet couches, low lighting, soft jazz music playing, and the glass wall of expensive bottles of liquor behind the dark wooden bar made me want to curl up and stay awhile in one of the corners, where there were areas with more private seating.From here, I could see curved buttery-yellow leather sofas in those spaces.
She led me over to the bar, where two men in white dress shirts and black slacks stood, talking while making drinks.“Felix, Leo, this is Fawn.Silas hired her today, and she’s shadowing me tonight.”Eliana continued to speak of me as if I were distasteful.
