“I have no one to look after him. It’s a one time thing, I swear.”
I hoped nobody had mentioned to him that I’d taken Bruno with me all week. From the corner of my eye, I saw Leon winking at me.
Jack narrowed his already small eyes. “I don’t want dogs in my bar, especially not that one. Get him out of my sight.”
“Just this once,” I half pleaded. I didn’t know what else to do. If he said no, I’d have to cancel my shift for the evening and I was pretty sure that Jack would kick me out if I did.
He muttered something I couldn’t hear, then he said. “Only this once. But lock him into the staff restroom. I don’t want to see him attacking guests again.”
I didn’t mention that Bruno hadn’t exactly attacked the couple. Their grunting and groaning had probably just excited him and he’d jumped at the guy, who’d dipped forward. Unfortunately that had propelled his girlfriend’s hands into the toilet bowl. Needless to say there had been lots of screeching. It hadn’t exactly helped that in a wave of inexplicable snark I’d said that the toilets weren’t a place for fucking. I still wasn’t sure what had gotten into me that night. Probably one too many puppet comments from drunk customers.
Without another word Jack returned into his office – if you could call it that; it was more like an extended storage room.
“He must be in a good mood,” Leon said. I nodded absentmindedly. With a quick smile in his direction, I led Bruno toward the staff toilet and shut the door. At once, he started scratching and yapping. Sighing, I returned to the bar.
I plopped down on a bar stool and buried my face in my palms. “Could you turn on the music so I won’t have to hear Bruno barking?”
Mona took a seat beside me. “You look like something’s bothering you.”
“My life is a bit...stressful right now,” I murmured hesitantly. And that was a big understatement.
Leon cleared his throat. “If you need someone to talk to, you know where you can find me.”
“Or if you need a woman’s advice…” Mona trailed off.
I thanked them and told them that I might take them up on that offer some day, but I knew that my problems were a bit too extravagant to talk about. Only Amy could help now. It still felt surreal that Adrian Black had asked me to go on a date with him. Why the hell had he done that? Maybe he was just trying to humiliate me. There really wasn't any other explanation for it. I wasn't as beautiful as the women he usually spend his nights with and I wasn't experienced, but he didn't know that of course and it was probably better if it remained that way.
Later that day, after work, I didn't return to my apartment but knocked at Amy's door. I didn't know if Jared was already home, but I needed to talk to Amy right now, or I was going to lose my mind.
Amy opened the door, dressed in a burgundy silk camisole and what looked like Jared’s boxers. She smiled brightly when she saw me. “Nora! Home from work?”
I nodded and set Bruno down. “Can’t you tell?” I smelled of stale smoke and beer. Bruno walked into Amy's apartment instantly, probably searching for something to eat. Amy’s gaze followed him and she giggled. She thought Bruno's antics were cute. Her laughter, however, stopped when she saw my expression.
“Wanna talk?” she asked, stepping back so I could enter.
“Desperately,” I half groaned and walked past her into the kitchen of her apartment. Jared wasn't anywhere to be seen and I was quite glad about it, since this conversation classified as girls talk.
I plopped down on a kitchen chair and buried my face in my palms.
I felt Amy's presence next to me and smelled her vanilla perfume but she waited for me to start speaking. Usually patience wasn't her strength but she seemed to notice that I needed some time to gather my senses.
I raised my head from my palms eventually and looked at her. “I met Adrian Black this morning.”
Amy's eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement. She lowered herself onto the chair across from me. “So...what did he say? Was he angry? Or did it turn him on? Does he want you to keep watching him?”
My head started to hurt but I tried not to snap at Amy, since she was so nice to listen to my pathetic problems. “At first I'd thought he was angry, because he started shouting and accused me of having been set up by someone. Honestly, I don’t even know what that was about.” Anger still welled up in me when I thought of it. One moment he’d acted like a jerk and the next he was his charming self.
Amy was watching me with wide eyes, waiting for me to go on.
“But then he asked me on a date,” I finished lamely.