Chapter 9: New Determinations

(Beth's POV)

The weekend flies by with little notice as I prepare for Monday and my first day at my new job with Anthony. Early afternoon on Monday, I find myself standing between two outfits. A pair of nice signature jeans with a crop top or a simple black dress. He told me to not overdress, so jeans?

After debating the subject for twenty more minutes, I decide that blue jeans are perfectly fine and if he has a problem with it, oh well… He did say casual is perfectly fine.

Trying to find things to keep myself occupied until I have to leave, I found myself running back and forth from room to room bustling around. Should I call a taxi still? Would Anthony keep his word?

My heart is starting to race in worry that I'm going to be late. Gathering my bag, I start back downstairs mentally arguing with myself. If there isn’t anyone out there waiting for me then I most definitely will be calling a taxi.

A fancy black car with dark tinted windows pulls up moments later after that thought passes through my brain. The window rolls down and a man’s voice asks, “Miss Gale? My name is Harry. I apologize if you’ve been waiting for me. Traffic is brutal right now. Please get in and I’ll take you to Mr. Funari.”

Cool. Curbside service. I climb in and Harry speeds off into traffic. Harry doesn’t say much while driving unless muttering about bad drivers and young kids with cell phones count.

Once inside the club, I find it empty and clean. It’s incredible how different this place looks when it’s closed. Even more so when there isn’t any music playing. I wander through the building in search of Anthony. By the time I reach the employee area, I locate Anthony.

He’s currently sitting inside his office yelling into a cell phone and quickly turning a bright red color. Hm. I wonder who p*ssed him off. Not letting him see me, I listen in on the conversation.

“… No… NO! You can tell him to kiss my *ss. I already had this conversation with him and I’m not having it again. Tell Rocco to swim with the fish willingly or I’ll personally see to that he has assistance.” Anthony yells into the phone.

All is silent for a moment until the person on the other end says something that has Anthony shoving an item of sorts off his desk with a loud clatter. Given that I don’t know the other half of the situation, I can’t say this with confidence. However, Anthony might need anger management.

“Do it or I’ll see to your demise as well, Hunter. One more man gone means jack squat to me. Do it or you’ll regret everything you’ve ever said to me.” Anthony threatens and pauses.

“Thank you. I must go now. I have a lot of business to take care of tonight. Keep me updated and everything will go smoothly for you.”

There is a sound of a chair rolling over the surface of the floor and grunting as Anthony stands. I clear my throat and innocently call out, “Anthony, are you back here? I thought I was going to be late. Traffic sucks.”

“Sh*t…” Anthony mutters under his breath.

Bet I wasn’t supposed to hear that. Heh. Oops. But I did have many questions. What was Anthony threatening that Hunter guy over and why was murder brought up? Anthony did mention that questions shouldn’t be asked if they didn’t pertain to my current duties. So, I think I’ll play dumb.

Anthony walks around the corner to find me perched on the end of the sofa smiling brightly. “Hello! How are you doing…? Oh boy, what’s wrong? Your face is red!” I gasp, feigning any knowledge of the previous conversation.

“So, you didn’t hear my yelling?” Anthony questions me doubtfully. He eyes me up and down, lingering a little bit too long on my breasts covered in the tight black crop top I’d put on earlier.

Shaking my head, I answer back, “No. Didn’t you hear me tell you traffic sucks? I just walked in the door.”

Anthony raises an eyebrow suspiciously, “Uh-huh, sure. Anyway, it isn’t important. Come in here and sit and we’ll discuss what you and I are going to be doing tonight.”

I follow him into the office, and he sits down behind the desk. There is no evidence lying around that anything broke or is out of place. “Bethany, did you hear me?” Anthony questions, waving a hand in front of my face.

“What? Sorry, I was admiring your office. It’s very pretty.” Wow… Could I lie any better than that? That was a terrible one. His office is nice but rather plain and boring. Shoulda thought that one through a little bit more.

“Thanks, I think. As I was saying, we are going to be staying at this club tonight so I can show you the ropes of things and let you get a feel for your new job. I want you to ask me as many questions as you need to. I want this to be a successful and welcome career for you.”

I nod, almost immediately asking about the phone call but bite my tongue, knowing that it would probably be safer for me in the long run. “One last thing before we start welcoming in the nightclub staff working tonight, I want you to wear this bracelet. Never take it off. It’s the only requirement I have for you to wear as long as you are my assistant. Understand?”

I nod once more and hold out my wrist to watch him clasp a tiny silver bracelet with a cute red crystal pattern etched along it. “It’s beautiful. But why do you want me to wear it?” I ask while examining the bracelet.

“Just an important little detail you don’t need to worry about right now,” he says, already sidetracked with another task.

“Okay… What’s first?” I knew I wouldn’t get any actual answers. But somehow, I think I am okay with that.

“Right. Yes. We need to turn everything on and get it ready for the staff. Follow me.” Anthony instructs.

The rest of the night goes by very smoothly and I catch on to everything I’m supposed to be doing rather quickly. Honestly, I don’t understand why he is paying me what he is to do this job. At this point, I’ll thank the universe and carry on.