The Dealers

Chapter 1 - Lena

As the Saturday night rush died down and a sense of calm settled over the club, I started cleaning up the bar area as I waited for the inevitable last call orders to come pouring in soon.

    Scanning the chic club from where I stood behind the glass top bar, past the stragglers on the dance floor and across to the back corner of the club near the vip section, I made a mental note of how many drinks I would have to make before we closed. I spotted a few regulars that came in every weekend—the same students from the nearby Morrow College—and the few townies that were either banned from the local pub or hoped to pick up college chicks here instead.

    After working at the club for two years, faces became familiar and I began to learn the stories of the people who planted themselves at the bar and had no one to talk to but me, the bartender. As a grad student at Morrow College myself, I ran into classmates or teachers here way too often.

    Taking a second to myself before last call went out, I glanced into the mirror lining the back wall of the bar and tried to look presentable. After working at the club for so long, I had lost the urge to doll myself up before each shift in the hopes of getting bigger tips. Now, I was more than content wearing jeans, my Chateau Club uniform t-shirt and a pair of Converse.

    Noticing that my long, dark brunette curls had unraveled from my messy bun, I took down my hair and debated if I should secure it back up with my hair tie. Giving up on taming my hair at all and since it was close to closing, I let the thick hair fall to my back. I scanned my face in the mirror and wiped away some stray eyeliner that had traveled down to my cheek.

    Blinking my dark brown, wide eyes in my reflection, I sighed at the dark circles underneath. Working full time as a bartender at this place plus going to school full time to finish my masters degree was weighing me down. As much as I felt overwhelmed and exhausted every single day, I made it a point to get up and get it done. No one was going to do it for me and I didn't need help. I brought myself this far—putting myself through my undergrad and now grad school while working crazy hours—and the finish line was in sight. One more semester and I would be officially done with Morrow College and the small town life of Cedar Falls, Maine.

    The house DJ's voice echoed from the speakers as he announced last call. As expected, everyone turned and did their best to catch the cocktail waitresses attention. Slowly but surely, the drink orders started coming in as the cash register printer behind the bar started printing order after order.

    Haley, the natural blonde turned redheaded cocktail waitress, ran back and forth through the club trying to take everyone's orders. Lisa, the other waitress that usually worked Saturday nights was out sick and we were already short staffed. I did my best to get the drinks out timely so that she could close out the remaining tabs for her customers.

    With my back facing the club, I slung bottles of liquor back and forth, shaking and stirring different cocktails. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I didn't even notice a new patron sit at the bar.

    Startled, I nearly dropped the beer bottle that I was in the midst of opening. Turning around swiftly, I let the customer know that I'd be right there.

    When I finally finished the order I was working on, I grabbed a nearby rag to wipe my hands and turned to face the bar top where a handsome stranger sat patiently with a grin on his face.

    I was caught off guard by the sharp, direct gaze of the stranger as he examined me carefully. His deep, grey eyes were piercing and for a moment, I forgot that I hadn't yet taken his order.

    Sitting there with a smirk, the broad, muscular gentleman didn't speak as he waited for me to introduce myself. Getting past his gorgeously chiseled features and luxurious, long dark hair that grazed his shoulders, I shook myself back to reality and spoke, "what can I get you?"