It was that dead start to the year. New Year had been and gone but the Christmas decorations still hung there like some bloated drunk who didn't know it was long past time to go home. O'Malley's Bar and Grill stood open but at four in the afternoon it had all the appeal of a drained vodka bottle. Janine leaned with her back against the broad mahogany bar as she polished glasses. Breathing in, she smelled stale beer, old steaks and fries all overlaid by disinfectant. Life had to be better than this but next summer, she'd finish her degree and then she was off. Anywhere out of this dump.
She glanced up into the mirror but the bar was as empty now as it had been ten minutes ago. She sighed knowing the place would start filling up in an hour. Was it better to have nothing to do or too much? At least time went quicker when she was rushed off her size fives.
A light rap on the wood broke into her thoughts. Janine jumped forwards, startled, her heart beating faster. She turned around and saw a man leaning towards. As she calmed from her surprise, she saw that the man wasn't their usual sort of customer who tended towards crusty pensioners or groups of blue-collar men.
"Sorry. Didn't see you there," she said.
"I've been waiting a while, but I've plenty of time." He smiled and, even in the dimly-lit bar, she saw that his teeth were Hollywood white and even. Despite the cold January rain outside, he wore only a plain white shirt, with the top buttons undone, revealing a gold chain which went with his cufflinks.
She returned his smile, looking into his night-dark eyes. With his chiseled looks, he was more handsome than all the men who came in here. He smoothed a hand through his raven hair and ran his tongue over his lips. She blinked.
"What can I get you?" For a moment, she half hoped, half feared he'd say, "You."
