That’s what it was like living in the city. After moving here from a rural town in the middle of the country, I realized how this place was doing everything it could to live up to the stereotypes. But there was nothing else I could do and there was nowhere else to go. Nobody in my family had their arms open. I had to go out on my own and make it by myself. Without a job and nothing but a car that was running on empty, I made my way out here to see if I could fend for myself. That’s how I ended up here, at this bar.

The Arrested Bar was located in the middle of the city, right between the dry cleaners and a seamstress. Across the street was a drug rehab center, where we get a lot of our customers from. This place wasn’t much to look at. There’s a big-screen television in the corner of the room. The pool table, where most of the patrons waste their time, needed some new felt on it. The tables and chairs were scattered throughout the place. To the side, there’s a dance floor where people moved to the beat of the live band. The guys in the band only came here when there wasn’t another worthwhile gig available.

The lights were dim. Either the bulbs needed to be replaced or wiped clean from all of the dust they’ve collected. The tarnished wooden floors and walls looked even dirtier underneath the dingy lights. The faint smell of alcohol always filled the air, even when all of the glasses had been cleaned and stocked and all the bottles sealed.

Despite all my misgivings about the place, I didn’t know if there’s somewhere else I’d rather be. There might be some place nicer but the authenticity of how unclean this bar might seem was an almost endearing quality. I’d like to think that that’s why so many people came in here, besides an opportunity to get drunk. I’d even say that I was lucky to be here.

After noticing the “help wanted” sign stuck to the window, I stepped inside and Frank immediately took a liking to me. Frank was the owner of The Arrested Bar but it would be hard to tell. He liked to get his hands dirty, doing everything that he paid his employees to do. If he wasn’t behind the bar making drinks or serving them along with his waitresses, he was making friendly chat with the regulars, giving them another reason why his bar was the one place on this street you would want to frequent.

His silver hair was slicked back over his head and his chubby face was hidden underneath a thick beard. His gut stuck out just a little bit over his waist but that didn’t stop him from wearing these tight polo shirts and a pair of slacks every night. Maybe he thought it added a little class to the place.

But people weren’t here just to see Frank, if at all. He told me I had what he was looking for. I never thought that I was much to look at but it was good enough for him. I was a plain brunette. My skin had a slight tan from living out in the country and I wondered if it would go away from spending so much time indoors in the city. I didn’t think that I was special. And when he hired me to be a waitress, I thought that he was just being kind to a girl who had nowhere else to go.

Summer was probably the most popular waitress at the bar. Her long golden locks fell down past her shoulders so perfectly, I wondered how long she spent to make it like that. She had this beige tan that accentuated her pearly whites every single time she smiled. She showed her body off all of the time, dressing in spaghetti-strap tops and shorts during every shift. Guys would give her extra attention and along with it, all of the tips that attracted waitresses to the job in the first place. On her back, she had a tattoo of several rose petals falling down one of her shoulder blades. You could pick her out from across the room, even if she wasn’t beautiful enough.

It wasn’t just Summer either. There was Sasha, this demure brunette that had a smile that always made it seem like she was hiding something. She was open and honest with me and I pitied the dozens of men lining up just to talk to her since she had her pick of the litter.

May was a black-haired Chinese girl that always seemed to attract a bunch of guys to her because of her ‘exotic’ look. She was a sweet girl who helped me a lot when I was learning the ropes about being a waitress here. I considered her a close friend.

Zoe was a spunky little thing that barely looked 18. Her blonde hair was really short and the way she zoomed around the bar made it seem like she was on roller skates. Sometimes I wished that her energy and enthusiasm would rub off on me so that I could work a little harder.

Those were just a few of the pretty girls working at The Arrested Bar. I never thought I was as good-looking as the rest of them. When I looked in the mirror, there wasn't anything special. A plain brunette with brown
eyes always stared back at me. The women here had bodies that would make anybody envious, including me. I was grateful that all of the hard work was enough to keep me in good enough shape so that I didn't stick out too much from the rest of them. Despite my own vanilla appearance, they all did their best to help me fit in. Frank was protective of his waitresses and not just because he was using us to potentially bring in new customers. This bar was his pride and joy and in here, he wanted everybody to have a good time, especially his employees.

But tonight, there wasn’t anything particularly special going on. There was no line for the pool table as a couple of guys played several games in a row by themselves. A woman leaned with her back up against the wall and playfully flirted with a good-looking man who was towering over her. The live band was playing music but it was ambient noise at this point, since the dance floor was completely empty. Summer was chatting with one of the customers, one of the many men who was no doubt infatuated with her. But besides that, The Arrested Bar wasn’t getting any action. Tonight, it was dead.

I leaned up against the bar, waiting for customers to come in so that I had something else to do. Frank was speaking with one of the bartenders, lecturing him on how not to waste too much of the alcohol when making a drink. Zoe sat next to me and started blowing raspberries, trying to pass the time.

“Ugh! I’m so bored,” she sighed. “What’s going on? Why isn’t there anybody here tonight?”

“It’s a Thursday,” Frank explained to her. “It doesn’t usually get busy until later. But it will get busy, don’t worry.”

“But I’m bored now,” Zoe said to him. “I need something to do.”

“Fine, you want something to do, Zoe? Go into the utility room and get the mop and bucket. You can clean the floor of the backroom before the customers come in. Make sure you dry mop it, too.”

“Ugh, no thanks,” Zoe sighed. “I think I’ll just stay here instead.”

Frank rolled his eyes at his waitress’s sudden change in demeanor. I laughed at their exchange and continued to wait for business to pick up. Just as luck would have it, a few businessmen walked in. Before I could take their order, Zoe jumped out of her seat and swooped them up. May took the seat next to me as I watched Zoe’s enthusiasm suddenly reappear.

“You’ve got to be quicker than that,” May said to me.

“It’s all right,” I told her. “I’ll take what customers I can get. I’ll make enough in tips by the end of the night.”

“You can do better than that though, Ariel. Just once I’d like to see you take some initiative.”

“Initiative? What do you mean?”

“You see the girls like Zoe and Summer? You see how big their piles of cash are at the end of the night? It’s because they know exactly what these guys want. They don’t come here just to get drunk. They’re here for the experience.”

“You make it sound like we’re prostitutes, May.”

“I’m not saying you have to sleep with them, Ariel. But there’s more to it than that. These guys get drunk because they want to get away from it all. They’re stressed from work, their wives and families, all of the bills they have to pay. Talking to a pretty girl like you provides them some temporary relief from all of that.”

“I don’t think it’s as complex as you’re saying it is.”

“It is, Ariel. It is. It’s just that women like Summer and Zoe and everybody else who makes a real comfortable living here, they’re so good at it that they don’t even realize what they’re doing.”

May raised an eyebrow at me as if to coax my mind into thinking about the bigger picture of being a waitress in a bar in the middle of the city. I could only hold myself back for a second before I started to smile and laugh. It definitely wasn’t as complicated as it seemed.

I sat there and continued to wait for business to pick up. While I was waiting, I turned to the television and saw the breaking news report.

“This just in,” the reporter explained. “Police have discovered two unidentified bodies in an abandoned warehouse in the city.”

“Frank,” I said to him. “Could you turn up the volume on the television?”

For some reason, the disturbing picture had caught my eye. I leaned forward and watched the report, completely captivated.

“Police describe the scene as more brutal and violent than anything in recent memory. The grisly murders seemed almost ritualistic in the way the bodies were treated. Several lacerations all over the bodies seemed to indicate that they were slashed repeatedly and they most likely died from severe blood loss rather than any other trauma inflicted upon them.

“This is the latest in a string of shocking murders that have suddenly occurred in the northside. Police say investigations are ongoing and the commissioner vows that the perpetrators will be apprehended. In the meantime, residents are advised to remain safe, as always, by staying alert.”

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I nearly jumped out of my chair as May placed an arm on my shoulder.

“Hey, are you okay, Ariel?”

“Yeah-yeah, I’m fine…”

“Are you sure? You’re not letting those murders get to you, are you?”

“No… It’s just… I live a few blocks from that warehouse. It just gives me a bad feeling, that’s all.”

“...You’ll be fine,” May said to me as she rubbed my shoulder, trying to comfort me. “Stuff like that happens in the city all the time, unfortunately. There are millions of people living here though. Whoever it is, the police will catch them.”

“Yeah…”

There had been a string of murders recently taking place in the city. It didn’t seem like the regular kind of crime that normally took place. There were bodies being found, completely mutilated and barely recognizable. It looked like more than the work of petty thugs. These were violent criminals. Even though I wasn’t as concerned for my own safety because I never put myself in harm’s way, it wasn’t something that I could ever get used to. I hoped that I never would.

Sasha took a seat next to me and together, we continued to wait for the night to grow old. A few more customers piled in and May urged me to take them. But I didn’t for whatever reason, instead telling Sasha to take care of them. Despite May laughing at my reluctance, I could see a bit of frustration in her eyes.

I had been working here for several months now. Even now I still wasn’t completely comfortable in my own skin. While most of the other women wore skimpy outfits to show off their bodies, I always showed up to work in a tight pair of blue jeans and a blouse that made it seem like I was a customer and not an employee. I just wasn’t ready to start making the big money in tips that some of the other girls had grown accustomed to.

“The next guy who walks in here,” May said to me. “I want you to walk up to him and talk to him. Make him feel really comfortable. Make him pay just a little bit more for that beer he’s about to drink.”

“I can try—”

“No, I want you to do it, Ariel.”

“Fine.”

It was like May had given me an ultimatum. It’s not something I had a problem with. It was getting late and I had to go home with some money that night otherwise it would have been a waste of time. Just then, a suave-looking man in a business suit walked in by himself.

“Well, the next guy,” May said to me.

It was her boyfriend. I laughed to myself as she got up out of her seat. I watched her as she greeted him with a kiss and a hug and then pulled him away to the corner of the bar. I sat there by myself, no longer bound by May’s suggestion but still wanting to fulfill her wishes.

“The next guy,” I whispered to myself. “The next guy…”

The bar was more crowded than it had been earlier. Frank knew what he was talking about. But there still weren’t enough customers to go around. So I sat there and waited for an opportunity to be the waitress Frank had hired me to be.

I didn’t notice him at first. I was staring down at the ground, lost in thought to keep myself occupied. He took a few steps inside of the bar and looked around and when I raised my head up to see him, our eyes met.

Our eyes locked on each other for only a second but it felt like more than that. It was like I was looking at him in slow-motion. We stared at one another while time stood still all around us. It’s not something I would easily forget.

His deep blue eyes seemed to shine like sapphires even underneath the shadowy lights of the bar. He had a light scruff over his strong jawline, the remnants of what seemed like a hard day of work. His long, blonde hair was slicked back over his head and tied into a ponytail that pointed down across his back. A black leather jacket and white v-neck t-shirt housed his broad shoulders. His pair of blue jeans were ragged from what looked like years of wear and tear.

Other books

Fungus of the Heart by Jeremy C. Shipp

We Shall Rise by J.E. Hopkins

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

8 Oral Sex Games For Ultimate Fun & Pleasure by Sonia Borg

Sacrifice by James, Russell

More Than Just One Night (The Selwood Sisters Novellas) by Baxter, Claire

Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes by Joanne Demaio

Malavita by Dana Delamar

Más Allá de las Sombras by Brent Weeks

Beyond Repair (Broken Girl Book 1) by Hughes, Annie