CHAPTER THREE

GIANA POV

“Clean here too Giana, what are you? A princess?” one of the women mocks spilling a drink on the table.

Thankfully the manager offered me a job after I approached him, he had wanted to ask me to join the strippers to earn my wages and my stay in the bar but he suddenly had a change of mind I was cleaning, and the other girls made sure to make fun of me for it.

Weirdly they all saw me as some sought of threat, or something to play with while they were bored.

“Fatty!!” one of the girls smacks my ass walking past me as I wipe down the table.

“Don’t mind the girls, they will warm up to you soon, they are never friendly with new girls” the manager turns to me with a shrug

I nod at him when the doors are pushed open, the night I got hired, there was a man here, he was protected by a lot of other men in black and gosh was he handsome, glorious even.

His feet hit the floorboards, his honey-brown eyes shine in the low-lighted room, soon they land on mine shocking me to my core, he moves his eyes away taking a seat.

“Who is that?” I whisper to no one in particular but one of the younger girls, answers me, “Handsome right?” she giggles, “That is Maximilian North, he owns this establishment and many more” She turns to me slightly “You don’t know him?”

“Never heard of him,” I say my eyes following his exposed arms covered in layers of tattoos, his black beard shines in the room with a strike of white at the side.

“How old is he?” I raise a brow at her mopping as I go, music piping right behind us, girls dancing on poles and men, drinks being served like every other night.

She smirks “Way too old for any of us, the older women have their claim on him” she shrugs hugging her drink, she hands me another cup

I shake my head in a no-gesture

“I'm the only woman who has been friendly to you since you got here, if I say drink, you drink, or your life will remain a living hell here for as long as you're here,” she says her voice hard and serious like I insulted her “And it won't get you drunk” she rolls her eyes, “It’s apple juice” she shrugs passing the drink to me.

I nod taking the drink from her grasp and turning everything down my throat.

“Good” she smiles walking away

I frown, hoping I dont get myself in trouble, I have a comfortable room here, a job that pays well and I will be out of here in a month if I save up well, they feed me, and cloth me, even if it's not the best of things but it’s comfortable, it’s mine and Dante can never take this one from me.

My fingers wrap around the mop stick, last I heard, Dante and Piper were getting married this weekend, so quick, so fast, no remorse or regard for me.

I bit my lip my vision going a bit blurry, I shook my head standing up.

“Giana!!” the manager calls my attention to the bar.

“I'm coming sir” I yell over the music rushing to meet him, he hands me a tumbler and a delicate jug of Rum.

“You see that man at the edge?” he points over to Maximilian, “Go and serve him his drink,” he says, the girls giggling with each other at the corner

“Me?” I frown turning to the manager and back to Maximilian, “But I clean the floors” I reply.

“You serve drinks now too girl, now go!!” he exclaims his voice sharp and intense.

I shake my head my eyes blurry, my movements shaky but I make it across the room to the corner with the man, the lighting around his area is a darker blue, more private I guess.

“Si..r” I stutter reaching the table, my blue eyes turn to meet his intense brown ones, his fingers intertwined and his tattooed knuckles on show

“And you are?” he turns to me his voice heavy and deep, almost seductive.

“Giana Sir..” I frown my eyes going blurry again as I pour the drink, I miss the glass.

“Shit!!” his deep voice is loud enough for anyone to notice, for everyone to hear, “you spilled the drink on me!!” he says his voice as intense as before, not angry but annoyed, maybe irritated?

“I’m so sorry sir, oh my gosh!!” I exclaim my hands reaching out to wipe away the drink but stop once I realize it's on his crotch

“Giana!!” the manager walks up to me, “I'm fucking done for”

“Sir, I'm so sorry, she's newly hired, in fact, go to the back Giana you are fired,” he says turning back to the man

He doesn't say anything, doesn't defend me, he just accepts a wipe from one of the ladies wiping away the drink on his family Jewel's.

“Sir please” I try to beg one more time, tears glazing over my eyes, begging for a listening ear but they turn away from me.

It's fast and quick, the girls get my belongings so quickly, the girl from earlier who handed me the drink leading them.

“Also yeah, don’t trust everything they give you to drink here or you won't last long” she whispers to me throwing my bag at me in front of everyone.

Embarrassed I grab my belongings and leave the room just as I came.