CHAPTER 6: BITTER SWEET DAY

The restaurant shifts went really well and Jess was kept occupied for a good chunk of the day. On certain days of the week, the restaurant has a two for one offer on selected menu items. Those days were the busiest time in the week, and all the staff avoided the shifts on this day. Jess liked the work on these days because the tips were generous. She went through the day with the energy that was required. She was forced to cover the shift that she had cancelled because of the extra workload. The manager had requested for her assistance, while promising her two shifts off the next day. She finally got to take a break at about six when the evening shift was about to begin. Her phone rang just as she was rubbing her feet from exhaustion. It was Leslie on the line.

“Hey. Where are you,” Leslie was shouting because she seemed to be in a noisy place.

“Between shifts. Where are you?” Jess asked. Leslie gave her the name of a popular club named Spree, where many of their college mates frequented. The club often hosted about two hundred guests because it had numerous sections and dance floors.

“Please come. I miss you,” Leslie said in a childish voice. “

“I promise we can meet tomorrow. I have to work,” Jess replied.

“It’s fine but if you bail tomorrow, then we are no longer friends.” Leslie said then hung up. Jess scrolled through her phone while worrying about Leslie. They spend a lot of time together and often called each other every day. Jess had not been able to talk to Leslie because of her back to back shifts and recent obligations. Her thought process was interrupted by a text message that had been sent earlier. It was the hotel informing her that she was not required during the evening shift. Jess froze in her seat as she wondered if her activities in the morning had been discovered. The phone in her hand suddenly rang and Pete spoke when she answered. 

“You are three hours late,” he said calmly. 

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to cancel the shift. I can come right now.” Jess said. Maybe he would know if something had gone wrong with her shift.

“Okay. Spree in the VIP lounge.” he said and hung up. Jess changed out of her uniform and headed over to the club. The cancellation of her shift meant that she would get to spend some time with Leslie while also concluding her business with Pete. In about twenty minutes, she was at the club.She called Leslie when she got to the entrance but there was no response. It would be impossible to find her without clear direction so she just chose to find Pete first. She headed to the VIP lounge where the music was loud but manageable. There were two groups of revellers dancing and drinking. The first group had a combination of about four couples who looked like the music was bothering them. They were concentrating on their partners, and occasionally attending to their drinks. The second group were an uneven mixture of men and women who were chatting and laughing. Pete was seated among the second group. Jess recognized a few people from her former college and she was pleasantly surprised to see Todd. She greeted everyone then asked Todd where Leslie was. Before she finished her question, Leslie hugged her from behind.

“You came,” she shrieked happily.

“I was trying to call you just now,” Jess said when the hug ended. 

“Come sit with me,” Leslie said, dragging her to a nearby table. 

“Give me a minute,” Jess said, glancing towards Pete. “Can we talk?” she asked Pete. He patted the empty seat beside him and she sat down reluctantly. Everyone was looking at her in surprise because the two of them had not been associated with each other before. Pete ordered her a drink before she could say anything else and then he asked.”How was your day?” 

“Fine. But it's not like you care,”she said. Leslie had gone to sit with Todd and they both looked at the odd pair.  “When did this happen? Todd asked.

“Don’t ask me. I’m as surprised as you,” Leslie said. Jess was fidgeting nervously imagining what everyone was thinking. The waiter returned with her drink and Jess took a deep gulp. She grimaced when she realized it was unsweetened wine. She liked the sweet kind. Pete was just looking at her with amusement written all over his face.  She turned to face him but blushed a little when she saw how he was looking at her. 

“Did anything go wrong this morning?” she asked.

“It was perfect. Why do you ask?” he asked, frowning. 

“The hotel asked me not to go in for the evening shift.”

“So you are free all night? Let me get you something stronger,” he said, summoning the waiter.

“I’m not staying,” Jess said quickly. “By the way, how do you know Leslie?”

“Todd is my longtime friend but you wouldn’t know it because you were always too busy to just hang out,” Pete said.

“Can I go now?” she asked.

“Sure. We’ll talk on the way home when I’m dropping you.” he said. She nodded then picked up her glass to leave but he took it from her then leaned into her face close enough to kiss her. “No talking about business,” he said, then kissed her lips lightly. Everyone in the gathering was watching them closely because it was unlike Pete to be so affectionate with women. He had never introduced any girl to them officially, although he had many female acquaintances.  She walked away from him and went to sit near Leslie. Leslie then moved from Todd and led Jess to a table not too far away. When they settled down, Leslie grabbed Jess’s hand. “When did this happen?” she asked. Jess could feel herself blushing furiously so she touched her burning cheeks. 

“Not too long ago. We just met at work and we started talking a lot. Last night we had dinner and we are still trying to figure this out.” Jess was surprised at how seamless this lie was becoming. However, she was not going to expose her best friend to any danger. She would lie as much as possible if it would keep her loved ones safe. She was also not sure what they were doing with the business, so she could not clearly explain it. 

“But you guys never even talked in school,”Leslie said. 

“I know,” she said. “Infact, our first meeting was the day after graduation, and we had a huge argument because he trashed a room at the hotel. I found his wallet, and I guess I can say that the rest is history.”

“So you are dating and kissing someone after just three days?”Leslie asked in surprise.

“Don’t make it sound so scandalous,” Jess said, slightly embarrassed. This story made her seem like a desperate girl who was moving too fast. Jess had always been conservative after she broke up with her long term boyfriend about a year ago. They had dated since she was in high school, and through a significant period of her campus life. She had found him with another girl,to whom he got married to shortly after he graduated. His friends had told her that he got tired of the constant problems that Jess and her family had. Jess had stayed away from relationships since then so Leslie was not convinced about this sudden romance.  

“I’m not judging you. I’m just surprised,” Leslie said. “ How did you even find us? I thought you were working tonight.”

“My shift was canceled,” Jess said. She told Leslie all about the extra shifts she had taken at the restaurant, in addition to the two hotel room cleaning shifts. She then told her about how close her father was getting to Margaret and how she had already started applying for jobs. Leslie told her loads of stories about herself and Todd and how serious their relationship had become. They wanted to get married but their parents opposed the hasty marriage. Leslie’s parents promised to give their blessing when Leslie had a stable job, while Todd’s parents wanted them to wait for a year. 

 "We want to move in together before then," Leslie said. "I want to be with him."

"How will you guys pay your bills?"

"My allowances will cover food and the other bills then Todd will cover rent. He started working with Pete recently." Jess almost choked on her drink when Leslie said that.

 "So what does he do?"

"He's the scout for Pete's tour and travel company. He goes round the hotels and gives them ratings. Pete will be training him to negotiate hotel rates so that the hotels are included in the tour packages."Leslie said. Jess was quiet for a minute as she wondered why Pete had her doing an illegal business while he had a legit business. 

"Then maybe you don't need to move out just yet."

"Why?"Lesliw asked puzzled

 "You can still spend time with Todd if you just travel with him. That way you can save money for your own place. Then get a job too so that you don't depend on Todd or your parents."

"I'm working on it, " Leslie said, brushing Jess off. Jess was sure that she was not that serious about it and she decided to let it go. The girls danced a bit and then they continued drinking and having fun. Jess walked to the bathroom with Leslie to freshen up after some time and that was when she noticed one of Pete's friends who kept looking at her. When they got to the silence inside the bathroom, Leslie brought it up. 

"Jess, did you notice how Luther kept staring at you?"

"I did. He's so weird," Jess replied.

"Pete looked like he would kill him when we were coming here,"Leslie said giggling. "It would be awesome if you caused a fight."

"How would that be awesome? "

"You'll see,"Leslie said giggling. 

"Don't do anything crazy or I swear I won't go anywhere with you ever again. "Jess threatened. 

When they got back to the vip lounge, Todd met them at the entrance.  He led Leslie to the dance floor and Jess walked in alone. Pete had been talking to another guy who left almost immediately. Jess walked over to him because he signalled her over. He immediately put his arm around her waist when she sat next to him. "I think the hotel drops will do so much better. It's safer than the restaurants ,"he whispered into her ear. 

"So all the packages in one go like before?"

"Yes but we'll switch things up sometimes."

"So how long do you want me to do this? "

"Not for long. I'm working on a solid plan to move more paper. I can fill you in if you are interested in a bigger game." he said. 

"No. Don't tell me anything. Just let me know how long this will go on so that I can budget for me money. "

"Alright. A couple of weeks then we go big. You'll have to behave like my girlfriend till then," he said grinning."I'm really loving the affection you are showing me," he said then took her hand and placed it on his chest. She resisted every impulse to pull away and instead she sat there calmly. He was also fighting the impulse to laugh out loud as he saw the expression in her eyes.

"Let's dance,"Pete said, then he pulled Jess to the dance floor. They barely danced for two minutes before the police came storming in. The commotion only lasted a few minutes because they were only after one person. Todd. He was handcuffed and the police left with him. Leslie began to cry but before Jess went to comfort her she turned to Pete.

"I know this is your fault. Why would Todd be arrested just when he just started working for you?"she asked, hitting him on the chest with her small fist.

"I don't know what is going on,"he said, then he took out his cell phone and stepped out. Leslie hugged Jess and then they got their stuff and walked out of the club. They met with Pete at the parking lot then he gave Jess his car keys. "I'm going to the police station. Take her home then I'll come for the car later."he said. 

"I want to go with you," Leslie said. 

"No. Let me sort this out."Pete said.

"Then let me take Todd's car. Jess will drive me."Leslie said. 

"The police took it.”Pete said

"Why?"Jess asked

"I don't know yet but I'll find out. You two get home." Pete left and Jess and Leslie went to Jess's home together. Jess regretted ever meeting Pete all the way home. She did not know just how wrong she was this time.