Meeting Mr. Mogul(4)

"Don't worry so much about me, peanut. I'm going to be fine. You take  care of yourself and enjoy life," he whispered to me as I remained in  his embrace.

"I know, Dad. I know," I whispered back and gave him one last gentle squeeze before letting go.

I wanted to cry my eyes out at that moment. I knew he wasn't okay. I  worried that since his treatment was a bargain, he might not be okay.  The doctors are only helping me keep him alive for as long as he can. I  don't want to lose him, and for that, I was willing to give up  everything. My life, my future - everything. But life doesn't work that  way. It never does.





As I entered Terry's apartment, the place was empty. There were no signs  of him. So, I grabbed the opportunity for some alone time. I went in  the bathroom and started filling the tub with warm water. When there was  enough water, I poured a little bit of white colored bubble bath, which  was one of many of Terry's secret stash. Then, I soaked in the tub, not  really caring that the water was still hot enough to scald my skin.

I didn't know how long I submerged in the tub. It wasn't until I heard  Terry's loud voice calling my name that I realized I fell asleep. But  before I could get up and answer him, the bathroom door suddenly opened.  I screamed as a man, wearing square glasses, a fitted white linen  shirt, and jeans, burst in.

"What the-Get out!" I threw the nearest bottle at him in mortification.

"Andy, there you are!" Terry exclaimed as he appeared behind the  stranger, looking at me with relief. "Oh," he breathed in alarm as soon  as he grasped the situation.

I looked at him in anger and embarrassment and pointed at the door. "Get  out! Both of you!" I snapped, which made Terry and the stranger walk  out of the room frantically. This had to be the most humiliating  encounter I have had with a man, straight or not.   





 





Three





When I finished my bath, I silently slipped out of the tub, made sure to  close the door behind me, and got myself dressed with the clothes I  brought in. I took a steady breath before stepping outside, where I  heard Terry's voice. He was talking to someone.

"Hey," I greeted as I stopped on the threshold leading to the living  room. They were sitting in my makeshift bed, a.k.a Terry's couch.

"Andy, I would like you to meet Andrew," Terry said proudly. He was  smiling from ear to ear as he said those words. It was the first time I  saw him glow with happiness since I met him.

I walked towards the couch and offered Andrew my hand, which he shook  without hesitation. "Nice meeting you, Andrew," I said with a friendly  smile. "Do you need some alone time?" I asked Terry after releasing  Andrew's hand.

"No. We are good," he replied with a small smile and then looked away.

I didn't reply after he said that. I understood clearly from the way Terry blushed and turned away that he felt sheepish.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you something this morning. Are you still looking  for a job?" Terry asked when his expression turned back to normal. His  eyebrow slightly rose in question when I didn't reply.

"Yes, I'm still looking," I replied after a moment, glancing at Andrew  on the couch, who just looked clueless. But when he caught me looking at  him, he quickly averted his gaze. From the way he looked away from me,  it was clear that he was embarrassed.

"A friend of mine is looking for an assistant. It pays well," he  emphasized the last word, clearly luring me with that last statement. He  knew that I needed the money, and a job that pays well is very welcome -  as long as it doesn't involve me selling my body.

I stayed silent as I cautiously thought of an appropriate reply. After a  few moments, Andrew broke the tense mood when he stood up. "I think  I'll be going now. I still have some things to finish up."

Terry jumped up from his seat and turned to Andrew. "I'll see you out.  Andy and I have to get to work in a few minutes, anyway," he said softly  to him.

Andrew nodded in reply and turned to me with a friendly smile. "It was  nice meeting you, Andy," he said as he stood up from the couch.

I stayed in the living room and sat in my makeshift bed while I waited  for Terry to get back. Terry wouldn't be returning for a couple of  minutes, so I took that time to get ready for work. When I was done, and  he still hadn't turned up, I sat on the couch again and waited for him  to come back. By the time he did, he abruptly stopped a foot away from  the couch, looking at me with curiosity.

"You're very friendly and accommodating today. Why is that?" he asked, still eyeing me suspiciously.

"Is it that hard to believe? I don't always have a foul mood," I replied with a smirk.

"True. But you looked like you wanted to say more," he disputed with a  soft chuckle as he sat beside me. "So are you ready to go?" he asked,  looking at me from d to toe.

"This doesn't look ready to you?" I asked, feeling a little insulted.  Maybe my plain white shirt, jumper, and Converse aren't an appropriate  outfit for him.

"I may not be the kind of guy you expect, but I still know fashion, woman," he stated cockily, his lips twitched in amusement.

I lightly punched his shoulder before standing up. "Let's go before you  receive more than a punch from me. I don't want to murder anyone yet.  It's still too early in the evening for that," I said as I grabbed my  jacket and satchel, shaking my head in disbelief.





Peak hours in the restaurant started at seven in the evening. I was  jumping from table to table, taking orders, and serving meals. The night  started out like any other. The only difference was that I didn't have a  whole roster of douches I had to cater.

"This must be your night, Andy. No douches yet, and it's almost nine,"  Terry remarked when he passed by me as I got a tray of orders from the  counter.

I rolled my eyes at his words and stuck my tongue out like a kid, which  only compelled him to tease me more by mentioning what I said last  night.   





 

"So, you have a thing for tall and muscular blonds?" he asked as he stood next to me as I punched in an order.

"Really? That's what you're using against me?" I asked him in disbelief when I finished.

"Yes. Why ever not?" he asked, talking in a British accent.

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "If you were straight and talked like  that to a girl, she would swoon," I remarked with a menacing grin,  voicing my counter attack. I would not let him get away with teasing me  about that.

"You know we can talk about men, right? After all, I am -" he explained, trying to reason with me.

"Don't even start, Terry," I interjected, shooting him a deadly stare,  as though I was daring him to contradict. I know that he doesn't like  talking about his relationship (even men in general) and only opened up  the topic to tease me. Besides, he knows that I had almost zero contact  with men since my father and I came to the city for his treatment. And I  had a good reason for my lack of dating prospects.

"I wasn't saying that you should sleep with the guy, Andy. I was only  implying that he was your type," Terry stated, sighing in defeat.

I looked at him, feeling slightly guilty for getting worked up. "I know  what you mean. And yes …  maybe, once upon a time, he was my type," I  admitted reluctantly.

Terry was about to tell me something else when the manager interrupted  by telling us to stop chitchatting and get back to work. Well, there  goes the immunity I thought I had due to yesterday's incident.

That night, I decided that I would tell the manager I had to change my  shift to accommodate my new job. However, it dawned on me that I had no  idea what the job was about. So, I had to wait for Terry to finish his  shift since he was the only one who knew about it.

I immediately asked Terry about the job when I saw him outside our  locker room. I had to be quick, too, because he might forget the subject  if I delayed mentioning it.

"You'll be working at my friend's club. And if you are wondering, yes,  it is the club I always go to at night," he replied with an evil grin.

"Are you really that desperate to get me to a club that you had to kill  the previous worker to get me this one?" I asked after I regained my  wits from that revelation.

"Yes. I am," he replied with a booming laugh. "Actually, the previous  worker got this new, hotshot job in another state and disappeared when  he got hired. He was a prick, so I told Jack about you. I also told him  you play nice as long as no one messes with you," he added after he  slightly calmed down.

"Good. Bartending it is," I said in defeat. I looked up at the heavens  for a second and shook my head in disbelief. I can't believe I'm doing  this out of desperation. And I am desperate for a job.

The ride to the club wasn't long, maybe ten …  fifteen minutes tops. When  we arrived there, I got off Terry's motorbike as he was turning the  engine off. And after I carefully took off the helmet, I found myself  studying the exterior of the club. There was a huge neon light sign  above the door that read ‘Black Jack'. The walls outside the club were  made of brick and painted black. All in all, the place was very gothic  chic, but it smelled like trouble.