Page 55 of Scarred King
“I shouldn’t have been such an asshole this morning,” he says apologetically and bites my bottom lip.
“That’s right,” I stroke his chest.
“But listen,” he chuckles, “you’re such a strange girl.”
“Why?” I ask, insulted.
“I’ve never seen anyone who can sit for as long as you did without noticing anything around them.” He laughs and kisses me again. “And your face when you type…” he wrinkles his forehead. “It’s like you’re talking to a whole bunch of people at once, and not just staring at the computer.”
“He gave me some new tasks,” I tell him excitedly. “I felt it was a kind of test and I did really well.”
“Who? The professor?” His voice grows cold.
“Forget it. Let’s go.” I tug his hand and refuse to get into a discussion that will only make me miserable.
Thankfully, he doesn’t insist. We get on the motorcycle and the garage door opens. He rides out to the street and starts driving like a maniac. It’s only when we reach the bar that I realize the blue Volvo is behind us and that there are three extra guards at the entrance.
He pushes me inside, and when the door closes behind us, he exhales in relief. In addition to the two regular bouncers inside, there are two new ones. Otherwise everything is exactly the same. Charlie is already behind the bar and some of the girls are sitting around, waiting for customers. I manage to calm down. I start working, serving the girls drinks, arranging napkins, cleaning the bar and humming the song I heard last night during the private show I gave my strange man.
I sit down on the bar stool and Liam stands in front of me. His face is glowing and he’s smiling with desire on his face.
“Have you noticed that you’re dancing around the tables?” he asks and bends down towards my neck.
“I finished all my work for the university. I’m happy.”
His lips are on my neck. “And I thought it was because of me,” he fakes an insulted tone.
“Stop it,” I push him away. “They’re watching us.” I look at the girls uncomfortably and he laughs and catches me by the back of my neck.
“Who the hell cares about them?” he kisses my lips hard, and I give in to my desire.
Tommy and Mike walk in, pass by us and sit down at the round table. Liam kisses me again, and then joins them. A minute later, Ralph walks in with his two bodyguards. He stops next to me.
“Elena,” he says with his usual indifference, “I apologize for dragging you into this shitty situation.”
“I think I dragged myself in.” I answer sadly.
“Anyhow,” he taps his fingers on the counter, “Whatever happens tonight, remember I apologized.” He lowers his head in a slight bow and sits down at the round table.
I don’t understand what he’s talking about. I’m in a good mood and I won’t allow my thoughts to be dragged to dark places. I pick up the bottles of beer and go over to the round table.
“It’s more complicated than I thought,” Tommy says, playing with his bleached hair. I place the bottles in front of them. “A phone call apologizing for Giovanni’s public humiliation didn’t help. The father asked for a meeting.” The three of them are looking at him tensely, and I arrange napkins by their bottles. “If they hadn’t involved her, I’d tell them to fuck off,” Tommy continues irritably, and I hold my breath. “But that’s how it is. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Great,” says Liam and drinks some beer. “We’ll offer them a compromise, and end this thing.” I choose to believe that tonight I’ll be free again, and I breathe again.
He asks Charlie to clear out the customers and close up. I have no work now, and I sit down on the barstool and swing my legs restlessly.
The front door opens and three men in elegant suits walk in. I recognize Giovanni immediately. He is in the middle, walking between an older man with white hair and another man who looks exactly like him but slightly older. They are escorted by three bodyguards.
The men sitting at the round table rise, and each in turn shakes the older man’s hand and then the hands of the two other men. They sit opposite each other. This strange situation reminds me of a scene in a Hollywood gangster movie. I look at them curiously and wonder if I should leave now. I decide to stay.
“Carlito,” Liam speaks first, “we are glad that you chose to honor us and come here, and we intend to do everything we can to put an end to this matter.” The men at his side nod, except for Ralph, who has an indifferent expression on his face.
“Go ask them what they want to drink,” Charlie whispers from the other side of the counter, and I’m terrified as I realize that I’ll be taking an active part in this scene.
“No!” I shake my head in panic. “Take out three bottles of beer, three glasses of wine and three glasses of whiskey,” I tell him. He squints in confusion but does as I ask. I take the beer bottles to the table, trying to make myself as invisible as possible and after I put them down, I escape back to the counter.
“I’m glad you said that,” Carlito replies and pushes the beer bottle away.