CHAPTER 04
"Isabella, Isabella. Open your eyes and look at me." The quiet command made my heart rate speed up and I did as I was told slowly. He was leaning over me, his red eyes staring down into mine.
"Did you think I had forgotten you? Years mean nothing to me, Isabella; they pass as quickly as minutes do for you. I am watching you, always watching you. And one day soon, I will come for you."
My reprieve from the enforcer was a wake- up call and I determined to keep my head down. For the next couple of weeks I was kept on day duty, which suited me fine. It had shaken me up being so close to being... well I didn't even know what Emmett might have done. And that frightened me all the more.
"Bella, you ok?" asked Rosalie one day. She was sitting on the windowsill in my room, the window wide open so that she could smoke.
"I... I guess. I've just not been sleeping too well," I said. "Rose, what would Emmett have done to me?"
She smiled down at me and shrugged.
"Have you been losing sleep over Emmett, Bella? He would just have roughed you up a bit. He wouldn't have hurt you too bad, probably just a couple of slaps. Mr Cullen is much scarier." She shivered. I gulped and then tried to push the thought from my head.
"I thought Mr Cullen was supposed to be back a couple of weeks after I started," I said.
"Ha! He's a law unto himself," she snorted, stubbing out her cigarette and flicking the butt out of the window. "And I wouldn't be in any hurry to meet him. Trust me, if you think Jasper and Emmett are harsh... well let's just say he's not someone I would want to catch the eye of. Bella, you've got to forget about the other night. We all have bad nights. Honestly, leave it. You'll soon be back in the swing of things. Alice won't keep you on daytimes forever."
"I don't mind. I like daytimes..."
"I don't. The day crawls by and it's a lot of hours. Give me a night anytime; busier you are the quicker it goes. Shame you don't dance."
"Only as a comedy act!" I giggled, thinking about how uncoordinated I was.
"Come on, we'd best get a wriggle on or all the breakfast will be gone." Rosalie got to her feet, with a smile.
I followed her down to the kitchen.
"Isabella, can you come with me, please." Alice's voice made me start and I looked over my shoulder to see her heading towards me. "I just need to go through your shift with you."
"Go on, I'll make you some breakfast," said Rosalie, with a smile.
Alice led me to her own office, a bright room, with pink curtains hanging at the window, a desk with office chair to one side and a cream sofa with pink cushions on the other. She sat down on the sofa and patted the seat beside her, giving me a friendly smile.
"I am very impressed, Bella. There's not many can make a friend of Rosalie," she said, brightly.
"She's been great," I said, with a shrug.
"Good, it's time she had a friend other than me." She didn't elaborate and I didn't ask. "Anyhow, Jasper has asked that you serve the manager's table tonight. There is a very... special man sitting there tonight and it is vital that you impress him."
"Why would he want me?" I asked, remembering his fury just weeks earlier. Part of me wondered if it was a trick to try and catch me out.
"Because I have asked him to," she replied, with a carefree shrug. "You are too good to waste on a day shift, Bella and it is high time he remembered that. Look, between us, Newton is scum. He might be a good customer because of his wallet, but he is a decidedly bad customer for our girls. And to be honest, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't throw the drink over him deliberately. Even Emmett wanted you to have done it deliberately just a little. Not one of us likes the sleazy little twit. Hopefully that little stunt the other night will keep him away for a while."
I giggled, a little nervously and she smiled, tucking a stray hair from my face.
"I will help you get ready. I think tonight a little make-up would do no harm and wear your hair loose. He'll like that."
I nodded, feeling a small thrill of excitement as much as trepidation at what the night might bring.
Alice, as good as her word, pampered me that night, using minimal make up that highlighted my features rather than covered them. She put a clip in the top of my hair to stop it falling over my face, but curled the ends so they hung down my back. When she was done, she fastened my bracelet around my wrist.
"Not that I think you'll need it tonight," she said, with a smile. Suddenly, impulsively, she leaned in and kissed me on my brow. "You look beautiful Bella. I am certain he will approve."
I walked across to the manager's table, a complimentary glass of deep red wine on my tray, trying to control the trembling of my hand, as I saw who was sat there. I recognised the mess of bronze coloured hair, but the man was leaning back now, his ankle rested on his opposite knee. Eyes the colour of gold watched me approach from an angular face, full lips relaxed in a strong jaw line. He did not smile at me as I placed the glass in front of him and I felt a twinge of nerves.
"Good evening, sir. I am Isabella and I will be serving you tonight," I said. "What can I get for you?"
"You can get me a bottle of merlot, Isabella," he replied, in a voice like dark chocolate, smooth and rich.
"Of course, sir," I said, making the mistake of looking up to find him staring into my eyes. Large golden orbs looked straight into my eyes, as if they could see into my very soul and I was frozen to the spot. For a moment I recognised what a rabbit must feel when it is fixated by a cobra. He glanced away and I blinked, remembering that he had ordered a drink. As I headed to the bar, I was sure I heard him chuckle behind me, but I resisted the urge to look back at him. When I returned to the table he was swirling his glass between his fingers, those golden eyes fixed on me. I was not going to make the mistake of looking directly at him again and so I kept my eyes demurely lowered.
"Would you like me to pour for you, sir?" I asked when he had finished his first drink.
"Yes, Isabella. I would like that very much," he said, sounding amused. I picked up the bottle and poured him a glass, my hand still trembling a little. Luckily, I managed to not spill a drop. I handed the glass to him and he took it, brushing my fingers briefly with his. I placed the bottle very carefully on the table to avoid dropping it after the shock of his touch. His hand was like ice, marbled ice. Another dark chuckle at my reaction. There was a long silence as he drank and then he looked up at me. "Tell me, Isabella, what are you doing here?"
"I... I work here, sir," I said, surprised by the question. He swirled the wine and then nodded.
"Of course. Most girls have a story to tell though."
"I came for an interview and I got the job, sir," I said, as politely as I could. I didn't want to talk about Charlie, or the nights on the street or living with Jacob. Or being so desperate to get away from the life I had before.
"But you were not employed by the manager?"
"He is away, sir. I was hired by Mr Hale."
"I see. You have not done evenings for several weeks, Isabella."
I stiffened at this and glanced down at him, to find his gaze once again fixed on me.
"No, sir," I replied, not offering any information. He scowled and then gestured at his glass. I picked up the bottle and leaned over him to pour. He sat up a little straighter, leaning towards me.
"Isabella, what perfume is it that you wear?" he asked, suddenly. I started and looked down at him.
"The same as the other girls, sir. We are provided with toiletries."
He breathed in deeply and sighed.
"Yes, of course the scent is not artificial; it is your own." The words were spoken so quietly that I thought I had misheard him. He leaned back and watched me over the rim of his glass. "Jack Daniels, on the rocks." He said it so sharply that I flinched, but then hurried to the bar to get what he had requested. When I returned, he downed the shot in one and then got up, leaving the club without another word to me. I watched him go feeling a wave of confusion flood through me. Why had he suddenly become so annoyed with me? I turned to see Emmett watching me from across the club, his dark eyes narrowed slightly, but he smiled when he caught my eye and nodded towards the staff area, effectively giving me permission to clock off.