Page 1 of The Veil

1 New Beginnings

Do you ever believe you have your life entirely planned out, only to be met with a different reality? It is nothing like you imagined it would be. It does not mean it turned out bad, but sometimes, an insignificant decision can change our entire world. That is exactly what happened to me when I left my small hometown in Ohio to pursue a life in New York City.

I never anticipated that my life would end up the way it was today. When I relocated for college, I ended up falling in love with the city. So, I planned a career here. Having been a small town girl, New York City was the place I always dreamed of being. I loved the busy streets, the traffic, the lights, the park nestled among the concrete jungle; I loved almost everything.

Overall, life was going well for me in so many ways, but there were changes I longed to make. Soon after I relocated and got settled, I obtained a job at an upscale bar to make ends meet. In New York, that seemed almost impossible. It was no secret the city is a pricey place to live, but I was determined to make it here, doing whatever it took to survive.

As the months passed, I found myself growing tired of the same routine. Work, to school, then back home to my quaint apartment about a mile away from my job was the routine. What I did not expect was that it was all about to change, forever.

Wednesday night came faster than I had hoped. It was normally my night off, but I picked up a shift for another waitress at work. Closing time was approaching quickly. One customer lingered at the bar, perched on a stool as he quietly sipped on his sixth drink. I made myself busy by tidying up and drying glasses as they came out of the dishwasher. Every few moments, I was interrupted as my boss kept finding excuses to walk past me, grabbing my backside. Sometimes he was subtle. Other times, not so much.

His name was Jesse and he stood around five feet ten inches. He was balding but refused to give up what was left of his hair. So, he would comb it over with gel, giving it a greasy appearance. His beer belly hung proudly over his slacks, peeking out from his sweat stained shirt. I never understood how he was allowed to work in a place with high standards when he looked like a used car salesman from the bad part of town.

Regrettably, his perverted remarks and fondling were both an ongoing occurrence here. I did not even know why I put up with it for so long other than I needed the money. Living in a big city was financially draining for my roommate and me. We even tried moving out of downtown, but the commute took way too long and public transportation was always unpredictable.

If we were late, we were verbally humiliated. So yes, I continued to put up with my brute manager while I searched for another job in my spare time. I remained positive, believing that a greater opportunity was just around the corner.

This particular Wednesday night, just as we were about to close, four men strode in chatting amongst themselves. They were dressed in pricey suits which was not uncommon for our swanky establishment. I glided across the room in their direction, my long, light brown ponytail swinging back and forth in perfect sync with my stride. The men were so distracted with their conversation that they did not bother to acknowledge me as they waited to be seated.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” I cleared my throat, “we're actually closing everything down.”

I had their undivided attention at that instant. The most attractive of the men slowly rotated his head to me, his voice trailing off from his sentence. His gaze lingered over my body before it met my blue, almond shaped eyes but he did not smile.

“I see you have someone already sitting at the bar,” he glowered as he lifted his chin, gesturing toward the man.

I nodded sheepishly. His commanding tone promptly intimidated me. A shiver inched up my spine, triggering my skin to respond with goosebumps. I struggled to avert my gaze, but his eyes were extraordinarily authoritative and mysterious. I identified his accent as Italian, which rendered him more fascinating to me. He articulated his words with great concentration. Extremely entranced in him, I inhaled deeply, pulling myself together.

He sighed, rolling his eyes while examining his wrist. “According to my watch, you close in five minutes,” he added sharply, “which means by law you have to serve my friends and me.”

There was something about the way he saidserve, that sent a tremor down my spine. He smirked, indicating he knew the effect he had on my body. His statement was essentially correct. We did close in five minutes, but I wanted to leave, so my statement was rather selfish. My boss had been drinking all night, as he often did, so I wanted to get out of work as quickly as possible.

I opened my mouth to speak but immediately snapped it closed when I heard Jesse. Spinning around, my eyes widened as I witnessed him furiously waving his hands back and forth in the air, shouting obscenities in my direction, rapidly marching toward us. I remained professional as he grew closer, but I internally rolled my eyes knowing he would only see the money new customers brought him. This was going to result in a late night for me.

“No no no,” he shouted, planting himself between the men and me.

He did not want them to witness his angry face. He made sure to position his back toward them so he could attempt to frighten me. I winced, half expecting him to hit me. When Jesse was drunk, he was unpredictable.

“You will seat these gentlemen,” he grumbled, clenching his jaw. He then spun to the men with a fake smile plastered on his face. “I apologize for her,” he chuckled nervously, “I've had issues with her since she started working here.”

That was untrue, and he knew it, but it did not stop him from lying to them. I was a fantastic employee and always worked hard. I never complained to anyone other than my roommate, and I was very faithful to my job. Unfortunately, Jesse saw it otherwise.

All four of the men glanced toward me except the most attractive of them. He scowled off into the distance, pursing his lips. It was hard to determine what he was contemplating. A fake smile suddenly washed over my face as I cheerfully leaned around Jesse.

“I will seat you guys,” I declared as I gestured toward the dining area. “I apologize.”

It was now after closing time, but choosing to comply with my manager, to avoid further embarrassment, I escorted the men to a booth near the back. The most alluring one inspected the bar area then pivoted himself to face me. He pointed to another half round booth nearby, but it faced both the dining area and bar.

“May we sit here instead?” he requested as he lifted his hand to his chin, stroking his black stubble. “I think I'll like this one better.”

I nodded willingly, “Of course.”The customer is always right.

He positioned himself on the back side of the table, so that he was directly facing me. The other men arranged themselves around him. I handed them the drink menus I had swiped from the hostess stand on the way.

“Our kitchen is closed, but I will be happy to make any drink for you,” I offered, making eye contact with each of them. “I'll give you a moment to look over everything and will be back in just a second.”

I casually strode to the bar where my boss was taking another shot of tequila and chatting loudly with the lonely man on the stool. I cautiously approached them to ask the man if I could call a cab to take him home.

“No, sexy,” he shook his head roughly with a smirk, “I’m walking tonight.”