Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Even with that long of a run, though, I remembered each individual show. I could tell you which moves I messed up on the twelfth show, which note I flubbed on the seventeenth, and how relieved I was to see the contract come to an end on the twenty-second.
But I’ve sung my set, largely unchanged since Rouge insists on sticking with the “tried and true” classics, far more than twenty-two times. I’m probably in the hundreds by now, and the performances are blending together.
Is this what I’m going to do forever?
I pack up my bag after my final set and exit through the server’s entrance out of the ladies’ restroom. I’m in the same two-bedroom apartment I started renting when I moved back into town, but I’ll be moving to a nicer one in a high-rise right in the middle of the Loop soon. Ever since I started taking clients into the private suites behind the velvet curtains at Aces, my income has quintupled. It’s been nice returning to the lifestyle I grew up with. And at the low cost of throwing my dignity to the wind whenever a gentleman at Aces enlists my services.
But I abandoned that the day I slept with Mr. Shippe at the Reflections callback. Once you pop, it’s hard to stop.
I walk up the three flights of stairs to my apartment. I won’t miss the daily climb. My new place will have an elevator that opens right up to my apartment. Rent is steep, but I can afford it now.
I’ve barely closed the door and latched the chain behind me when a series of loud knocks reverberates from the other side.
I put my eye up to the peephole. It’s Jack.
Shit. Did we have plans to hang tonight?
I completely forgot if we did.
I open the door, pasting on a smile. “Jack. I’m so sorry, were we supposed to do something tonight?”
He shakes his head. His eyes are wide, like he’s seen a ghost. “No, we didn’t. But can I come in?” He glances over his shoulder as if he’s expecting someone to be following him. “There’s something I need to talk to you about. Now.”
“How’d you even get here?” I ask. “I usually give you a ride. And you guys aren’t allowed to have phones, so it’s not like you could have called an Uber.”
“I hitchhiked.”
I gasp. “Jack! That’s so dangerous. Any weirdo could have picked you up and hacked you into pieces.”
“Just goes to show how much I needed to talk to you.” He walks into my apartment and slumps down on my couch. “Do you have any booze?”
“I’m afraid not. I usually only buy it when I’m expecting to have people over.”
He runs his hands through his sandy hair. “It’s okay. Probably best to say sober, anyway.”
“Would you like a glass of water?”
He blinks a few times. “Sure.”
I pop a few ice cubes out of the tray in my freezer and put three in one glass and a single one in another. According to Jack, Americans are obsessed with their drinks being cold. In Europe, ice is rarely included in water. I hold the two glasses under the tap and fill them up, bring them into my living room, and place them on two coasters on the coffee table.
Jack leans over and grabs his, brings it to his lips. “Thank you.”
I sit down next to him. “What’s going on?”
He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath in. “I guess I’d better start at the beginning.”
I smirk. “A very good place to start.”
We just watched The Sound of Music the other night.
Jack ignores my quip. “Rouge approached me yesterday after we closed up. Told me she wanted to talk with me about my ‘career.’ Said it was important, that she was considering me for a promotion.”
“That’s great news!”
“So you’d think. She told me she’d carve an hour out during tonight’s service. Said she’d have the Two of Hearts cover for me so we could discuss what she had in mind.”
“And?”
“So tonight, a few hours into service, I knocked on her office door. And she welcomed me in, told me to take a seat. She told me how happy she was with my work ethic, with my loyalty to Aces since my contract started back in March, and that there was an opening for a new King of Hearts.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She told me I was allowed to speak, so I asked what it would entail. I mean, I know the Kings work security, but there always seemed to be more to the gig from what I could tell. So Rouge told me the Kings are her confidantes, and they also serve as her personal assistants. They do things like pick up her dry cleaning. Apparently the King of Hearts is the King she depends on the most, so it was a big deal to ask me. I guess the last guy didn’t live up to her expectations.”