Page 2 of Come As You Are
My face flamed. In truth, I’d eaten my last packet of ramen the night before and was going to stop off at the store to purchase a few more on my way home. “Breakfast,” I lied. “I had oatmeal and toast.”
Half a ham sandwich appeared next to me, and my mouth began salivating at the smell of the bread and meat. “Nice try, dear, but we’ve all been there. You can have this.”
I took the sandwich with gratitude and ate it in three bites to the amused chuckles of those around me.
“All right, everyone, back to work. I’m not paying you to mother hen every stray that walks through the doors.” Orsino made his way through the crowd which began to disperse. He squatted next to me and handed me my wallet. “Needed to checkif there was an emergency contact. Not much in there. You keeping off people’s radar for some reason?”
Taking a sip of water to stall for time, I took a moment to look Orsino in the eye. He wasn’t angry, just tired. And while I’d initially thought he was older, up close he only looked about my dad’s age. He had my dad’s color eyes, too. I took another sip of water. Swallowed. “No, sir. Just don’t have a lot to keep in my wallet at the moment.”
Orsino smiled and shook his head. “Wish I could help you out, kid, but we’re not hiring at the moment.”
Stormy still squatted at my side. “Orsi,” she said, drawing out the syllables, her voice a confusing mix of masculine and feminine, bass notes and flirtatious high tones. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
With a shrug, Orsino motioned her to the side.
“You wait here, dear, I’ll be right back.”
Stormy patted my shoulder before standing, and I admit, it had been so long since someone touched me with any affection, I leaned into it wanting the contact to last as long as possible. The last thing my mother did, while my father was demanding I leave the house, was hold me and pat my back, telling me to stay safe.
Too soon, the warmth from Stormy’s hand disappeared, and I was left still sitting on the floor wondering what Stormy wanted to talk to Orsino about.
I didn’t have long to wait before they were back to my side, helping me stand and escorting me to a chair at a small table. Orsino sat heavily across from me and put his hands on the table.
“So, we can’t hire you here, but Stormy reminded me that you’d fit in really well at Illyria. You’re exactly the kind of kid Olivia likes to hire.” The smile he gave seemed like it was trying to be engaging and friendly, but something whispered in the back of my head to be careful.
“To do what?” I asked.
Orsino shrugged. “Almost anything as long as they’re pretty. See, we’ve got the girls and Olivia’s got the boys, and you would fit right in.” He pulled out his phone. “I know someone over there and can put in a good word for you if you’re interested.”
At that moment, my stomach growled. Half a sandwich doesn’t go very far when you’re already down so many meals you can’t even count them anymore. So, I found myself nodding. “That would be great. Thanks.”
“Terrific,” he said and stood up. “Give me a minute to make a call, and I’ll get you all set up.”
I watched him walk off, wondering if this was going to be another dead end. But what choice did I have? If the universe was handing me an opportunity, I had to take it, right?
Stormy slid into Orsino’s vacated seat and slid some bills across the table. I looked at her in confusion.
“I need you to do me a favor,” she said. “We used to have a bit of a friendly competition with Illyria when Olivia’s brother was running the place, but he died a while ago and now she’s spreading some shit about how we run our club. We know she’s got someone here who’s working for her, so I was thinking, if she hired you, you could kind of check things out and let us know what’s happening over there. Maybe figure out who she’s got working for her.” Stormy tapped the bills with a long, red fingernail. “That’s a hundred. You come back when you get the job and there will be another hundred waiting for you.” She smiled. “You understand what I’m asking you?” Her smile got broader when I nodded, the effect heightened by her bright red lips and elaborately done makeup. “And you don’t have to tell Orsi about this. He’s too proud to admit how hurt he is by that bitch, but it’s killing him inside. He and Antonio were such good friends, and she didn’t even let him go to the funeral.”
She left the money on the table when she stood, and then looked back down at me. “Put that in your pocket, okay, pumpkin?” She waited until I’d done it before walking over to Orsino and whispering in his ear.
Olivia
I ran the numbersa second time, but they still didn’t make sense. No matter how many times I tried to deal with the books, Illyria was hemorrhaging money, and the bills were starting to pile up. The club my brother had poured his heart and soul into was in danger of going under, and the thought that I was the reason, that I couldn’t manage Illyria well enough, filled me with grief and guilt.
Antonio was the only person in my family to embrace me as I truly was, accepting without question that the younger brother he’d practically raised was, in fact, a sister. He’d helped me transition, hiring me to be the assistant manager at Illyria three years ago so I could have health insurance to cover my medical needs, and weathering my mood swings as my body adjusted to a different hormonal balance. He’d even helped me buy my first bra, dealing with an asshole of a salesclerk at Macy’s thentaking me to the Cheesecake Factory afterward to celebrate the milestone over tiramisu.
My brother had known me better than anyone. Including our parents. He’d stood by my side when I came out to them, helped them understand that I’d always been a girl even if my body didn’t reflect my true self. I’d chosen my name from his favorite Shakespeare play to honor him. His death in a car accident two years ago nearly devastated me, which was why I needed Illyria to flourish even though it would have made my life easier if I had sold the club to Sergio Orsino when he’d made an offer the week after Antonio’s death.
With a silent prayer to Antonio for help, I turned back to the computer screen and stared at the dismal numbers as I scrolled through them once again. And once again, they failed to make sense because Illyria was packed almost every night. We had the hottest dancers, the best bartenders, were consistently rated the best of the best in the Castro, and our Yelp ratings and reviews were phenomenal. Or at least all that had been true up until about six months ago.
I stared at the numbers until my vision blurred, recriminations swirling in my head like angry bees, their sting twice as sharp as I thought how disappointed Antonio would be if I failed him and the people who now worked with me. A knock on my office door saved me from myself, and I called for whoever was outside to come in, relieved to find Sebastian opening the door.
Illyria’s lead bartender—mylead bartender was a handsome man who was more than partly responsible for the crowds the club attracted. Six-two, with a chiseled jaw that was always dusted with dark scruff, and mesmerizing hazel eyes that sparkled with mischief, the man had earned the nickname “Bastian the Bastard” because of the broken hearts he left in his wake. I’d had a bit of a crush on him when I was younger,but as he worked his way through Illyria’s regulars and quite a few employees, his reputation turned me off, and I’d stifled any attraction I felt for him.
As a potential boyfriend, Sebastian wasn’t what I was looking for, but as my lead bartender, he was amazing, and I trusted him implicitly, which is why, my stomach tightened with anxiety and a sense of foreboding at the troubled expression on his face.
“Do you have a moment?” Sebastian asked from the doorway. As usual, he didn’t enter my office until I motioned him inside.
