Sorry for the delay – there will be a new chapter coming up each day for the next few days!
Bon appetite!
May the Best Man Win
Chapter Seven
ENZO
This was the type of establishment people wanted but refused to admit wanting, and for that reason it was exiled to the fringes, in that neglected strip of land between the city and the suburban housing. There was an abandoned parking lot outside, with only a few truckers parked, sleeping between shifts, and there was one lonely car sitting beneath the dim street light outside the door.
'Joey Blue's Blues and Bar,' said the door. A green neon sign buzzed over it, 'OPEN 24/7.'
Enzo was sitting in the window booth next to the door. He cast his gaze outside, past the blinding glare of the neon sign, into the deep. The distant skyline of New Orleans was speckled with yellow lights hovering like lightning bugs in the benighted horizon.
With a casual stretch, he shifted in his seat, directing his eyes to the women at the bar. They did not seem to mind the dancing girls on the stage or the lascivious beat from the saxophone player that heightened the mood and drew all eyes to the lithe motions of the dancers. All eyes except Enzo's – Enzo watched the women at the bar with a studious air.
The women giggled between each other, a naïve and nervous laugh as they watched the show and gave flirtatious glances to the other men at the bar, one man in particular. And with his growing indifference at each glance, the women's flirtation only increased in intensity.
"Thierry," the bartender addressed the man. Thierry took his hat and readjusted it on his head, lifting his chin at the bartender in acknowledgment.
"Want another?" asked the bartender, and Thierry nodded.
"That'll be on us!" shouted one girl, reaching over a hand and tapping it firmly on the bar with her shot glass.
Thierry threw a ten dollar bill on the counter, and the bartender grabbed it while pouring a stream of vodka into Thierry's glass.
The girl groaned when she realized they had once again ignored her.
"What's a matter, darling?" Enzo said, sidling up next to the woman at the bar and slinging an arm on the counter nonchalantly as he gave a wide, disarming smile, "Are the boys not playing fair?"
The woman sucked in a breath at Enzo's sudden appearance. Looking over his smile, she arched a brow and leaned forward to place a gentle hand on Enzo's forearm.
"Oo, nice accent!" she remarked, with one last glance toward Thierry, hoping he might notice. Enzo tossed his eyes back, to see that the entry door had opened. In walked a tall, muscular man, dark skinned and well groomed, catching Thierry's notice immediately. With an exaggerated sigh, Thierry snatched his drink and downed it all in one swig. Placing down the glass with a firm thud, he left the bar and walked to a back room. The tall man followed him.
Enzo looked back at the girl in front of him; he could see her disappointment at Thierry's exit.
"Forget about him," Enzo said, leaning forward, "Nice hair, by the way. What is that – pink?"
He pointed to a thin streak of hair flowing around the girl's cheek.
"Uh-huh, you like it?" she said, "I just got it done!"
"Of course you did, darling," Enzo winked, "It suits you. Now, might I ask, what are your friends drinking?"
He leaned over the bar to look round the girl and at her friends, "Ladies? What can I get you?"
They blushed, "You don't have to do that!"
"Sure, I do," Enzo winked again, "I owe a drink to every pretty lady in this world – it's only good manners."
"Jaaaane," one girl crooned, with a playful push of the woman next to Enzo, "You've found yourself a proper gentleman!"
The woman rolled her eyes, twirling the pink strand in her hair around a finger.
"Chivalry is dead!" she remarked.
Enzo gave a vehement nod, "Indeed, Ms. Jane! Chivalry is dead, but, you know, so am I!"
He knocked his knuckles on the bar, and the bartender approached.
"Pick your poison, ladies!" Enzo said flashing a smile their way.
—
Thierry walked back into the bar to find half the dancers and all the women at the bar crowded around a handsome young man with a distinctly British accent.
Narrowing his eyes, Thierry saw that Jane was with the rest of them, half drunk, red in the face, with an arm slung round the Brit's shoulder.
"Think about my offer," a voice said, coming up from behind. Thierry glimpsed back with a stiff clench of his jaws.
"Look, Marcel," Thierry waved a hand, "the answer's no, not 'maybe,' not 'I'll think about it.' It's no."
He straightened his back, meeting eye-to-eye with Marcel, and they passed a moment in stern silence. It was broken when one dancer let out a snort and a cackle, slapping her knee as the rest of the Brit's admiring crowd laughed with her.
Marcel placed a hand on Thierry's shoulder, and Thierry glanced down at the hand with a restrained disgust.
"Think about it, Thierry," Marcel said, "Just think about it."
With that, Marcel lifted his hand and left the building. Thierry watched Marcel exit, but with another wave of laughter, his attention turned to the bar.
"You knew Cary Grant?!" one girl shrieked, "I don't believe you!"
Enzo gave a humble shrug, "What else can I tell you? I've lived a very…interesting life, to put it mildly."
All the women around him locked eyes on him, ogling as each syllable left his lips.
"Well," one woman urged, pulling the strap of her tank top over her shoulder, "what was he like?"
Thierry walked up to the bar silently, ordering another drink and watching on without a word as Enzo put on a show for his admiring audience. The bartender handed him a beer with a knowing glance as the women laughed.
With a bitter scowl, Thierry took a sip at his beer and wiped off the froth on his upper lip with his sleeve.
Before he could stop himself, he heard his voice call out.
"Jane," he said. But Enzo was still talking, and the women ignored him.
Thierry took another sip and then placed aside the glass and walked up behind Jane.
"Jane!" Thierry shouted. Everyone froze and looked at him.
Jane pulled away from Enzo and turned around, placing her hands on her hip.
"What?" she spat out and looked Thierry up and down with a snarl.
"I want to talk to you," Thierry said.
Jane threw up her hands, "Oh, so now you want to talk to me? Fuck off!"
With that, she turned back around, showing her back to Thierry.
Thierry took a step forward, but as he approached, Enzo sidled in between the two and blocked Thierry from going any further.
Thierry ignored Enzo, his eyes still on Jane, "Jane, I need to talk to you. It's about Marcel."
Jane visibly reacted at this, crossing her arms, but she refused to turn back around.
"If you would please, sir," Enzo said politely, while a hand hovered over Thierry's shoulder, "There's no need to ruin the ladies' fun."
Thierry wrenched away, taking a step back, with the color rising to his face as he gazed viciously at Enzo.
"I wasn't talking to you," he hissed.
"And you're not talking to her, for as you can see, she isn't interested in talking," Enzo glanced back with a smile, "Aren't you, darling?"
"Nope!" Jane said without looking back.
"There you have it!" Enzo said, "You aren't talking to me, you aren't talking to her, so it would seem that you're talking to yourself! And that's a bit unhealthy, don't you think?"
Thierry frowned at Enzo, perplexed, but Enzo only smiled.
"Who the fuck are you?" Thierry finally said after a long pause.
"Call me Enzo," Enzo flourished a hand and bowed.
"Well, Enzo, who the fuck invited you here?" Thierry grabbed his drink from the bar and threw back a long gulp.
He took a breath and looked back at Enzo, "I've never seen you in Vamp Quarters before."
Enzo jerked a shoulder in response, "I'm just passing through."
Thierry shook his head slowly, putting the drink back on the bar and approaching Enzo until their faces were a few meager inches from each other.
"No one just passes through this bar – you only come here if you don't want to be seen," Thierry said in a hoarse whisper, "So tell me, what're you hiding from?"
Enzo stood his ground for a moment, but as Thierry's gaze sharpened, Enzo averted his eyes and stepped away, backing down and retreating to the bar. Jane slid up next to him with an accusing glance at Thierry.
"Oh, leave him alone, Thierry," a dancer hollered out, "You're hiding from the king like all the rest of us."
"Yeah, back off, man," the bartender shouted as he poured Enzo another drink, "They're just having a few drinks."
But Thierry did not take his gaze away from Enzo.
"I want to talk to Jane," he said in a low, slow voice, "Jane, will you talk for a minute?"
Jane snuggled up to Enzo, throwing an arm around his shoulder.
"No," she snapped and nabbed Enzo's glass from his hand right before he took a sip.
"Yeah?" Thierry wagged his head in disbelief, "Well, have fun with Mr. Darcy here! I'm leaving."
He stormed off, and the door clattered shut behind him.
"Byyyye!" Jane waved after him with her middle finger.
Enzo chuckled and looked at all the women around him.
"Am I the only one that took that Mr. Darcy comment as a compliment?" he said.
—
As the night passed, the dancers trickled out and the sky began to lighten, brightening the skyline into a subdued purple blue. As the clock over the bar ticked on, Enzo glanced up his eyes.
3:35 A.M.
When he gazed around the room, he realized it was only him and her and the bartender. A couple of Jane's friends had lingered on but were slumped over in a booth, snoring loudly. The stage was empty; the musicians were long since gone.
"You know, I just realized," Enzo said, interrupting Jane mid-sentence, "We're still talking, aren't we?"
Jane lifted a brow curiously, "Yeah?"
"Well, look!" Enzo beckoned at the room around them, "It's empty! You should head back before the sun comes back. You wouldn't want to burn that pretty hair of yours."
Enzo's fingers stroked through the silken pink locks.
"Oh, I'll just stay the night," Jane shrugged, "They have spare rooms out back anyways."
Enzo nodded, "Or you could come with me…"
Jane tilted her head.
"You know, Jane, I know you seem to have something going on with that chap from before – but I can't help but ask," Enzo said, leaning across the bar and peering intently into the young woman's eyes, "would you be interested in meeting a friend of mine? I can tell just by looking at you, he'd eat you up all in one sitting."
Jane smiled.
"Okay," she said.