Bartender Tales

"...And she took everything, you know? The house. My car. My children. She even took my dog! She completely set me up, the nerve! That bitch..."

In front of me was a mid aged man, maybe on his early forties, on a dark brown business suit, drinking his pain away. I sighted as poured more tequila on his awaiting shot glass.

I left the bottle down again as I prepared a martini for the lady waiting on the far corner of the bar, who's husband she was sure was now sleeping with his secretary, who happened to be her high school friend.

On the next room, the dance floor, the music was loud and some people were dancing to an upbeat song, some others were outside the lounge, on the first floor Terrace, smoking or having a drink with friends. I was thankful that the bar was located separated from the dance floor, so the music wasn't as loud.

Today wasn't full house because it was Wednesday, but it was still a busy night. I put a martini in front the blond lady and turned around. I grabbed the Jagger from the upper counter and prepared another Jagger bomb for a college student, whose crush was currently dancing with his brother, before someone grabbed it from me. I turned to come face to face with Mariah.

"Hilary," she said, "You already covered your shift. Why don't you go home and I finish this one and catch up with you in a while?" She ended with a smile, already getting a beer for the drink.

I smiled back. To tell you the truth I was indeed tired. I covered Julia's shift earlier, as well as my own. From 4 pm to 3 am.

I looked around the club, Isabella, the most exclusive, expensive and popular club in town. With three story building, each level with its own theme. With only two bars, this one being the biggest and the second located on the second terrace, upstairs. The bars at Isabella were cataloged as the most exotics because of the drinks we prepared and the show offs we pulled. Being a bartender here was demanding.

I sighed, leaning my back against the bar absently as I studied the gathered patrons around the club. Busy night . . . But not as bad as Friday and Saturday.

"I will just clean the stool and wait for you, okay?" I said to Mariah as I started my cleaning task.

"You sure are stubborn." She looked at me with a disapproving look while I just smiled to myself. Mariah is my best friend and my roommate; we share an apartment not too far from the club. She is a pretty girl, with her exotic golden eyes and pink hair was quite the sight to look at. Many guys at the bar were throwing themselves at her, but she just ignored all the poor souls. She claims she hasn't found the right one yet, so she hasn't had any serious relationships, just a guy once in a while, but nothing serious.

As for me, Mariah claims I'm the center of attention at the bar. Sometimes boys will try to hit on me and in some occasions I would have girls trying to get my number or had me comeback to their houses afterwards. I let out a chuckle. Nonsense, I thought.

I considered myself a good bartender; I loved to mix drinks with style and sometimes pulled out some pretty stunts that usually left my audience open mouthed. But I was quite famous for being the secret box of confessions. Many people; rich, snobs, business men, college students, doctors, lawyers, came by the same stool I was cleaning, for a drink and to pour their hearts out.

"Hello there," I looked up and mentally groaned but discarded the cleaning cloth and found a shot glass.

"Hello Harriet," I murmured, sounding less than enthused. "The usual?"

"If it includes you, then of course," the woman said, flashing her eyelashes at me. I quickly prepared her drink and handed it across the bar. A Bloody Mary.

"Sorry, I don't come with the drinks, Harriet," I said. She pouted, but smiled, "I don't give up easily" she said as he turned away.

I heard Mariah ask who she was before I got back to my previous cleaning task. Finishing cleaning, I started.

"Her name is Harriet Ford. She's the wife of the England ambassador and she's always looking for new lovers to add to her collection. Unfortunately, I seem to be next on her hunting list," Mariah snickered. "Her husband is constantly away on diplomatic meetings and allows her to do as she pleases, as long as she's the good 'wife' when they're in public together and keeps her 'one night stands' in low profile. She's a big tipper, so I put up with her . . . but I wish she would keep her fake eyes lashes and hands to herself." Mariah ended up laughing as I collected my tips from today.

"Urgggg," to tell the truth I am pretty much straight. Only interested in guys. But some ladies here seem to not care about it. Not that I had any boyfriend at the moment, after a fiasco I had two years ago with a jerk, I hadn't dated anyone.

"It amazes me how you know everything about everything," Mariah said while handing over a Corona to a tall black guy, who I recognized to be a local banker whose son moved to Brazil with his boyfriend. "I mean, when people ask me for a drink, I just hand it over. But when they turn to you, it's like they are confessing or something."

" What can I say? I'm like a public diary. I hear them out and serve them drinks. I don't go gossiping it all out," I honestly didn't know why people saw me that way. But as long as they were happy with it, I had no problem.

I finished collecting my tips and turned to the back door, "I will wait for you at the back!" I called over my shoulder to Mariah, as I took a cigarette out from my back pocket and stepped outside into the cold night.

I tightened the coat around me and lighted my cigarette. Blowing the smoke out my mouth, I looked up to the sky. Cloudy night, I thought. The weather was a bit cold for it was middle of autumn.

I could still hear the music from the club as I leaned against the wall outside. I loved my job, it paid well and many people knew me; from every social circle, everyone knew who 'Romi' was. I smiled to myself. But few knew that Hilary Tatibana existed. And the only three people who knew that Hilary and Romi were the same person, worked on the same club as I did: Mariah, Julia and my boss, Hiro Granger, the owner.

Looking down I saw a puddle of water with my reflection on it. Ruby eyes, long fiery red hair, pale white skin and red lipstick. I chucked while I let my hand take out the wig I was wearing letting my middle length brown hair fall freely.

Here, at the club I was a feisty, sensual and sometimes wild, bartender. But during the day I was just your average twenty-two year old.

At night I worked at Isabella. During the day I was a teacher assistant on the community center for Kids with autism. I had a degree on creative writing and also a degree on teaching especial kids. I guess, I have two personalities, polar opposites from one another. Perhaps it was because I grew up on a quiet town, with catholic parents and calm environment. So at the age of eighteen I was looking for a big change, for something exiting so I moved away to the big city met Hiro and became a successful bartender. Well paid too, thank you very much.

I can't say I don't like the way my life turned out. I live in a big apartment with Mariah; with our salary the high rent was not a worry at all. Love both my jobs. Have two best friends.

But sometimes I just felt that I was missing something. And other times I just wished that something different and adventurous happened. But, I knew this was the real world so I just had to deal with my actual life and keep watching action movies.

For anyone my life would look pretty much perfect, but it was far from it. Love life? Non-existent. Adventure? As if. Family life? Not stable, as my parents won't talk to me. Social circle? A small chuckle escaped my lips; it depended on who I was referring to. Romi: well known. Hilary: nobody. (Except for a few friends).

Urg, I hate when my mind wanders like that. I hate to over think things.

I pulled my hair into a ponytail and then into the wig again. As much as I loved my brown hair, I couldn't afford for anyone to really see me. That would complicate my life. To tell the truth, since moving from my birth town I hated complicated things.

I threw my cigarette to the floor and stamped my feet on it to kill what was left on as I heard the door open and close behind me. I turned around to face that I thought Was Mariah.

"I thought you were nev-" I stopped mid-sentence as a man with a black long coat and a pair of penetrating crimson eyes stared down at me.

Definitely not Mariah.

Silence filled the air as tension I didn't know was there, surrounded us. I felt the strangest feeling of all. I couldn't quite breathe well. I have never seen eyes like his before, so deep. I felt as if this man could see right thru me and, even though it was pretty dark on the back ally, I could make out a little bit of his face and body: obviously Gorgeous eyes, built up body, tall and handso- Wait. What the hell?

I snapped back into reality.

"Sorry," I started, "I thought you were someone else. And that's the employee's only back door, by the way" I turned around, not wanting to stay any longer on the presence of this man. He might be good looking and mysterious, but sure as hell was intimidating...and Hilary Tatibana was hard to intimidate so I decided that I could wait for Mariah outside the ally.

As I passed by him, he grabbed my arm and pulled me against the wall. His body pressed into mine as I felt his hot breath by my ear. My hands where pinned above my head by his strong ones. He had a leg between mine and I could feel my own heart pounding so hard that I thought it would stop beating at any moment. I was sure I was about to have a heart attack. He stared down at me for a few seconds before lowering his head. His lips were so close to my own. Suddenly, he moved so his lips were by my ear.

"Be quiet," his deep voice whispered. It sent chills down my spine. Then he hid his face into the creek of my neck, not longer moving. A warm feeling started to travel my whole body, as if someone had turned on the heat.

I suddenly realized what he just said to me.

Excuse me?

The hell I was going to be quiet. Survival instincts kicked into me and I started struggling. I was about to get killed or raped - or both! - For God's sake. I don't care if I had to go all karate-judo-tae-boxing-ninja on him.

"Who the hell are you? Let me go! HELP M-" I stopped moving as I was silenced by his lips being placed upon mine. A total stranger was kissing me. My eyes widened. I stopped breathing. Fear started to really kick in. Was I really going to get raped? I was about to have a mental collapse. His lips started to feel somehow…good. What the fuck did I just thought?

As if on cue, I heard some voices coming from the entrance of the ally.

"Do you see him?" I tried to scream for them to help me but it came out somewhat as a moan. Shit. The guy started moving his lips against mine. Was that his tongue? Oh dear Jesus, Saint Nicholas, Buddha.

"No. Did you check the ally?" I heard light footsteps approach, the guy pressed his body a little more against mine and suddenly the footsteps stopped and started to walk away quickly.

"He's not there. Just a couple getting it on..."

I heard the footsteps getting away as the mysterious guy, ended the kiss. Somehow I was craving the feel of his lips against me once again. Scared as I was, I also felt hot…and exited.

I watched as he stared at the same spot the men were previously standing at the entrance of the ally and then turned again to look at me. And, again, I was paralyzed.

"I apologize." He said as he let my hands go and pulled himself a few steps away from me.

My mind was racing a hundred thoughts per second as I only stared at the mysterious guy.

What the hell just happened?

Mysterious guy tightened his coat around him and turned around and started to walk away.

Oh, no. He was NOT going to just walk away after THAT stunt!

"HEY! Who do you think you are?" He stopped a few feet from the ally's entrance and turned around to face me. The street lights somewhat illuminating his face. I gasped. The guy was really handsome. Pale skin. Two toned blue hair. Tall and, for what I could tell, muscular. His crimson eyes stared directly at my ruby one's and, for like the millionth time, felt my heart race. And he smirked.

"Nadeyemsya na yeshche odin potseluy" and with that he walked away.

I didn't understood what he just said. But working on a bar, in a city with people from all over the word, I was damn sure that was Bulgarian or Russian.

Behind me I heard the door open and close again. I turned on my heel just in time to come face to face with Mariah.

At least it was not another wannabe rapist.

"I'm sorry I took too long, Romi! I was jus- Hey, are you okay? You look kind of pale." Mariah said while placing her hand on my forehead.

"No… It's just…" Should I tell my best friend about my encounter? Should I just forget about it? What if I was delirious and I just imagined that? Scratch that...it did happened.

"Riah, are you still friends with that Bulgarian guy from your science class?" I looked at her in the eye.

She was confused at first "Whom? Bulgarian?" Her eyes wandered to the floor. She was thinking. "OH! You mean Bryan?" She laughed, "Hil, he's Russian!"

I took out my phone and typed away what I thought the guy said and showed it to her.

She looked at the phone screen, then at me as if I was crazy, "I knew you should have gone home after Julia's shift!"

"You don't have idea how right you are." again the 'are you insane?' Look. I signed.

"Let's go home. It's been a long night..."

Later that night I took a shower and was currently resting in my bed replaying the night's event in my mind, over and over again.

"Hilary?" I turned my body in the bed to look a Mariah who entered my room.

"Yes?" Why was Mariah looking stressed?

"Bryan traduced what you thought you heard, and the actually knew what you meant" she paused "but It's kind of weird. Where you heard it from?" She asked me as she sat on the bed by my legs.

I tried to act cool and just shrug my shoulders. "You know, just curious." She gave me another strange look. "I heard a guy talking to a girl in English and he left her and said that. "

She looked as if she didn't believe me. "If you say so." She handled me a piece of paper with her handwriting on it. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning" and left me to my thoughts.

I opened the little piece of paper and felt my heart skip a beat.

Oh, boy.

I look forward for another kiss.

…

Hope you enjoyed,

Rika