"She's not home."
Kara joined Rick in the living room of her mother's house. Jenny's room was empty and there were no signs of recent activity.
"Neither is my mother."
"I think she's on a date with my father." Rick said.
"What my family sees in yours is beyond me." Kara said.
Rick pulled out his phone and called Jenny again, pacing as he waited. Kara stood patiently wearing her trophy outfit. Rick was still drunk, but less emotional. She took the rum away from him and gave him water to start the sobering up process. The last thing she wanted was to babysit an incapacitated Rick when her sister was unaccounted for.
"I think they're at Decor tonight." Rick said. "We need to tell my father. He'll know what to do."
Kara never thought about it, but since her incident, she hadn't stepped foot in the restaurant. Could she really go back to the place full of so many painful memories? It was a hill she'd eventually have to climb, and if it was for Jenny, then that climb was going to be tonight.
"I'm going to grab some clothes from Jenny's closet." Kara said.
"Why?"
"To change into."
"You're still on my clock."
"Are you serious, Rick? Jenny's missing and you're going to make me parade around like a whore."
"You changing isn't going to affect our search."
Kara crossed her arms. It was like dealing with a child. She didn't know how Jenny got along with him. The reason he wanted her to stay in the outfit was to show her off. A practically naked girl walking around with him at a highly populated restaurant where the chances of running into anyone important was almost guaranteed. Who wouldn't want army candy?
Kara begrudgingly accepted the situation. The goal was to find Jenny, not fight with Rick. They both exited the house and headed for Décor.
***
Kara looked up at the Decor sign. It was covered with glass to protect the two girls posing, one girl being the person responsible for seducing and freezing Kara in what seemed like ages ago. Kara recognized her standing at the end of the sign barely wearing any clothes. A far cry from the careless, but respectable free spirit she first met. Being on display as a sign didn't sound fun. It was high enough that people might miss and far away enough that you couldn't even tell it was a real person. But who was she to judge?
Rick walked in first followed by Kara. The first thing they saw was the glass case set up for the occasional Selma display. Kara had considered coming to see it, but the thought of returning to Decor kept her away. Which was unfortunate because she was a huge Selma fan. Maybe Rick could work something out when Jenny was back.
The two hosts were the same with the same models in the background stuck in silly poses. Despite new ownership, everything stayed the same. Rick was struggling at keeping a sober composure as he walked up to the hosts.
"Have you seen Mr. Lawson tonight?" Rick said.
"And who's asking?" the host said.
"His fucking son." Rick said incredulously. He shot an annoyed look back at Kara.
The host's hands trembled looking through the reservation book.
"Sorry about that Mr. Lawson. Your father should be at the back in one of the private rooms." The host said. "Would you like me to take you there?"
Rick put his hand up and motioned Kara to follow. She passed by the hosts and smiled. Even for a place like Decor, the hosts had a hard time keeping their eyes off her. She was completely under-dressed anywhere they went.
The music, lighting and layout were all exactly the same. Kara felt like she was back on her date with Paul, seeing all the craziness for the first time. Waitresses being drawn on, scantily clad women posing around the room and men enjoying the whole thing. Why did she ever feel the need to come to Decor in the first place? Thinking back, it was Paul that pushed the idea more than her. The only reason she agreed was because he bought her a new dress for it. All it took to win her over was a dress. Just like when he convinced her to go to Rick's event. The thought of Paul was bittersweet now. She still hadn't confronted him about the cards and with Jenny missing there were bigger priorities.
Rick walked through the crowd without a care in the world, even ignoring the many waitresses who tried to make eye contact. He was loyal to Jenny; she'd give him that. Kara noticed the looks she was receiving with the hunger in men's eyes. If it were up to them, she'd be quickly placed on display so they could mentally violate her body even more.
Kara stopped in her tracks near the back of the restaurant as Rick continued. There it was. The table where it happened. Where she was violated thanks to Rick. A group of friends were sitting and having a blast. One girl was standing where Jenny once stood, and one girl was lying where she once laid. The night played out vividly in her mind. She looked across where Paul sat. He had the perfect sight lines, but with all those people it would have been hard to tell.
Kara took a deep breath. It was her past now. She needed to leave it there. To dwell on it would only make it hurt again. Her life was different now. She looked down at her outfit. But was it better? She currently worked as a frozen decoration for the man she hated the most. The same man who was banging her sister. Her fiancé was hiding something from her and in turn she was hiding both her night at Decor and her flings with Lexi from him. And to top it all off, Jenny was missing. All because of the stupid girl and her stupid camera. Thinking on it, being part of a sign that no one could appreciate was the perfect job for her.
***
Melissa wiped down the private room table. Mr. Lawson was schmoozing another mystery woman, one that would likely end up as another decoration in his museum. When Bill told her about Mr. Lawson's extra circular activities, Melissa found it quite strange that women just gave up their lives to be decorations. At least at Decor, it was temporary fun. But to only be on display for a full workday, how was that enjoyable? Didn't the pleasure eventually wear itself out?
Mr. Lawson never struck her as the collector type, but as she learned with Selma, people are good at hiding their true colors. The door opened and Mr. Lawson's son, Rick walked in. Melissa knew who he was, but never met him. His disheveled look and the way he moved suggested he was drunk. Years of waitressing told her that much. But there was fear and concern in his eyes.
"I'm looking for my father." Rick asked.
"He just left with his date. I think they're doing the usual."
Melissa didn't know how common knowledge Mr. Lawson's museum was, but she wasn't going to be the one to give it away.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"He's going to fuck her." Melissa said.
She went back to cleaning the table. Rick didn't leave. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, pacing back and forth. The door opened again and in walked what appeared to be Rick's whore. It was a bold move brining a prostitute to his father's restaurant. The girl patiently waited for Rick to get off the phone. She looked like a virgin to the business, standing awkwardly and looking timid in such a risqué outfit. Poor girl never learned the proper technique of slowly revealing the mystery of the female body. By giving it all away at once, she wasn't really setting herself up for better future payments. Why pay more when you already get the whole show?
The girl, tired of waiting for Rick, approached Melissa.
"Excuse me, have you seen Mr. Lawson? Or a blond lady?"
Melissa eyed the girl up. She seemed familiar.
"As I told your john, he just left with a blond to fuck her."
