(I) Bitter
It was bitter, like Felix downed the shot of vodka himself rather than pass it to the lowlife in front of him. Not that he needed it, his world spun from the strobe lights and sweaty aroma alone.
“You look young.” Her eyes darted over Felix methodically akin to a predator and its prey. “Why don’t you show me what’s under that shirt of yours, Mr?”
Felix’s body tensed at her request, under the sheerness of his white dress shirt. Even now, he still believed the black waistcoat was too fancy for a place like this, but it was his only protection from hungry gazes from people like her. For once, he embraced it as tightly as it embraced him. She must be looking for a meal, but Felix liked to think he still had his dignity.
He liked to believe he still belonged to someone else.
But he could use the friendly bartender tip.
A deep chuckle burned Felix’s throat. He could never hide his disgust behind any faux charming expression he managed to muster. “I like to keep it professional in here, Ma’am.” His hand crept upward just to double check that his name tag was still concealed by the overhang of his towel. It was. “Can I do anything else for you?”
“When do you get off your shift?”
“I’m only twenty.”
“See? You must be good in bed then.” Her hand fell over one of his on the countertop and he fought the sudden urge to jolt away. “Young and strong.” The was a grit to her skin—almost worn—and nothing that Felix could ever desire to feel on any part of his body.
Felix shivered in the wrong way despite not meaning to. He couldn’t find it in himself to pretend to care who she was and what she thought she could offer. He was used to being handled but not quite the lust of a woman older than his mother.
Still, Felix did what he could.
It took an eternity to shake her off. Felix entertained her for a few moments longer than he hoped for the night and allocated too much energy into dodging her frequent attempts at touching or grabbing him. But everyone hit their limit eventually and she even slipped him a fifty in hopes he would ‘give in’ sometime next week. He would never, but rent was rent.
Felix stuffed the tip into his pocket along with the other crumpled notes he earned over the five hours of his shift so far. A part of him wanted to finally buy a pair of shoes to replace the ones he’d worn out over his daily runs, but school was close to slitting his throat. Three hundred wasn’t going to do much with pushing back his inevitable debt, but it sure helped.
“One peach daiquiri please, Mr. bartender sir!”
Felix slid the kind middle-aged man his gin and tonic before turning around to the pest in the other corner of his bar. He knew she’d drop by but didn’t think Ryan would let her in at all. “I’m going to need to see an ID for that, Ma’am.” His eyes dropped to her wrist to see the fresh stamp Ryan must have given her.
Behind her, Ryan stood not too far away. Arms crossed and staring at Felix for any sort of confirmation. No part of him looked worried. Felix simply nodded and Ryan returned the gesture before moving back towards the front entrance.
Zara frowned as she crossed her arms defiantly, turned her head away like a child in an argument. “I didn’t come here to be patronized by you.”
“What brings you here?”
Propping her elbows on the countertop, Zara stared at Felix fondly. She pouted. “I wanted to visit my best friend at his job. What better reason is there?”
Felix saw it time and time again. Her voice was a sound so sweet, she trapped most men that took even a mild interest in her good looks. Of course, he wouldn’t be her friend if such tricks worked on him. He sprayed her elbows with cleaning fluid and immediately wiped the surface beneath her. Some drunk spilled a tad of cocktail there not too long ago and he hadn’t had the chance to clean it yet. Must have been sticky.
Zara didn’t like sticky. He was doing her a favor.
“Felix!” She growled as she leaped forward to snatch his towel.
Feigning interest in the spray bottle, Felix spun it around in his hands. “It’s not toxic. Could be organic, actually”
She wiped off her forearms before flinging the cloth back at him.
It hit Felix square in the chest. Damp, it could use a tight wringing. There was a dry replacement in one of the nearby cupboards.
“I saw that lady flirting with you.” Zara snickered. “I didn’t know you were into cougars.”
“I’m into money,” he corrected her. “She looked rich.”
“Are you going to make me that drink I asked for?”
Felix raised an eyebrow at her. “What’s in it for me?”
“I got you that date last week! He was cute, wasn’t he?”
Although true, he was too happy for Felix’s conscience. “Wasn’t my type.” Oh, but he was. Felix could see himself adoring him but that was the problem. He was too unscathed, and he looked stable. Felix’s presence would taint someone like him, and he hated to ruin anything good the guy had going on.
No use thinking about what was done, Felix made the drink for Zara. There was one thing he believed, and it was that he could never thank her enough. She pulled him through enough rough patches, and a daiquiri wasn’t such a grueling task. If Zara slipped past the bouncer, who said Felix would be wiser?
“You got better at this,” Zara complimented as she stirred her drink with the metal straw.
“I’d hope so; don’t want to get fired.”
“It’s a little sketchy in here, isn’t it?” Zara leaned in closer to Felix so he could hear her over the music. “I know that lady was trying to get onto you, but I saw her try to pick up a few other dudes our age.”
Just the memory of her touch made Felix’s face scrunch. “Because I wanted to be her only boy toy.” He motioned for her to follow him further along the bar. Dirty glasses piled up at the sink and he was still the only bartender in the building. If no one arrived soon, he was going to be in for one hell of an hour. “Didn’t I tell you the interview process for this position? They took one look at me and let me in.”
“Must be all that muscle.” Zara winked as she punched his arm over the bar. “It’s your sex appeal.”
“And what sex appeal do I possibly have?”
“A broody bad boy! Straight faced, mysterious. Angry but sexy.” Zara listed every adjective with a finger gun jazz hand type of move like it was supposed to lighten Felix’s mood.
Felix only frowned. “I sound like an asshole.” Was that the vibe he wanted to emanate? If anything, he was quite polite in most situations. He didn’t want to attract the wrong type of people.
“Only on the surface, Felix! You’re a sweetheart. You know I know that.”
“I don’t think I’m a sweetheart either.”
“Too bad. That’s what I told this one guy-”
“Zara,” Felix warned her. “I don’t need another date. I can barely support myself.”
“He’s rich.” Zara offered the trait as if that was going to change his tone.
“That’s worse.”
Being the youngest on duty turned Felix into a hot spot. Objectification wasn’t something he enjoyed, but an extra twenty was too tempting to turn down. If someone wanted some sweet talk or a little show as he made their drink, he rarely had issue delivering. But if they expected Felix to be an easy hookup in the bathroom, they could get hurled on on the dance floor and he wouldn’t waste a towel on them.
The night thundered on, and two other bartenders finally arrived to help alleviate Felix’s load. Well past midnight now, he cut Zara off from any more drinks. He even found the time to call Tobias to tell him to standby once Felix sent her off in an Uber. Heavy on his wallet, Felix loved Zara enough to do it anyway. The thought of her getting hurt was too much to bear.
Felix loosened his bow tie as he circled around to the front of the club. He wanted to say bye to Ryan before heading out. For a six-hour shift, Felix was tempted to sprint his way home with all the cash he managed to earn in the night, but he couldn’t risk scuffing his work shoes. As much as he wanted to pocket it all, he knew what wouldn’t be spent on classes would be spent on rent and that was just the way his life rolled. This outfit was the best he had and it was his uniform.
How embarrassing.
It was a shame Felix couldn’t see the stars tonight or any night. Manhattan was just too bright a place. The city looked awake at every hour of the day, and he would do almost anything for a break.
“Watch where you’re going, idiot.”
Felix’s shoulder collided with a lighter body. It barely rocked him at all. “If you were paying attention, why didn’t you move out of the way?” he retorted, flashing the boy a bored look. “What the hell are you doing wearing sunglasses at 2 a.m. in the morning?”
Why did Felix ask? He didn’t care.
The man pulled them off his face quickly and continued to glare at Felix.
Felix didn’t know what else to think other than the obvious fact he was pretentious—screamed money—as the man shoved the sunglasses into a pocket of his black velvet trench coat. Felix looked closer, decided to scoff at the realisation he wore a white silk shirt under it.
“It’s part of the outfit,” the man told Felix while looking him up and down. He grimaced in response. “Better than what you’re wearing. Boring. No flair.”
Holding back a laugh, Felix rolled his eyes instead. “Sorry my uniform offends you. I’ll get on my way if you’re so appalled by it.” And Felix continued to walk because he broke a cardinal rule, and it was time to get back on track.
Never stop for a crazy person in New York.
Felix didn’t look back but decided the man was an amusing distraction to the fact that he was starving and sorely missing his bed sheets.
“That’s it?” he called out to Felix. “That’s all you’re going to say to me?”
Again, Felix broke the rule. “I’m sorry. Was I supposed to beg for your forgiveness? It’s two in the morning, dude. Some of us have places to be.”
