Read Online Helluva Luxe by Natalie Essary - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Natalie Essary
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your booth and relax. Play something swanky. I’ll mix the drinks. This is it, know what I mean?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Don’t make it easy for her to decide, right?”
“Cha-ching.”
I watched her walk away as I swept up eight inches of her blue-black hair. I could tell she felt better by the way her boots hit the floor. I didn’t have a chance to do her face or change her clothes, but honestly, she didn’t need it.
I was patting my shoulder and fancying myself the fairy godmother of downtown when I spotted a monkey in my machine. Zayzl was waiting in the DJ booth, and he wasn’t alone.
You met Wolf, I’m sure. He’s the meathead at the door with the two-tone eyes. And yes, he’s just as scary as he looks.
When Zayzl started feeling a little outnumbered, he grew a pair in the shape of a bouncer. He put an ad in the paper and hired himself a lackey. The two of them were waiting with their arms crossed over their chests, fogging the place over with testosterone. That little weasel was so geared up he pounced on Ash the second she hit the top of the stairs.
“You won’t be spinning the show,” he said. “Wolf is here to take you up to your room for the night.”
Ash just smiled and shook her head like she thought he was a real piece of work. She set her beer down by the board she’d recently put back together and started flipping through her music. She hardly looked at them.
But Zayzl wasn’t kidding.
“If you don’t go with Wolf, you leave me no choice,” he said, and he held up a small baggie filled with white powder. “I haven’t decided how to use this yet. But Lily could certainly stand to hear about it. Maybe you’ve got some suggestions, since you seem to think you know what she wants.”
“That’s not mine,” Ash said. She was still flipping through her books.
“It’s not?” He feigned shock. “I’m pretty sure Wolf found it on the floor of the booth just this morning. In all the rubble you’ve conveniently cleaned up. Didn’t you, Wolf?”
Wolf grunted.
“And you’re the only one who comes up here, Ash. Besides, people have been talking lately. About your extracurricular activities.”
She looked over at him slowly. I saw her fingers curl, but her face was stone. “Maybe you dropped it,” she said.
“I wouldn’t bring drugs into my bar.”
That got a laugh out of her, and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut anymore. I was feeling ballsy ’cause I had a push broom in my hand. “That’s enough, Zayzl,” I said. “The bar’s not yours. And your attitude blows.”
He kept his eyes locked on Ash. “Tonight is important to me, Rorke,” he said. “Your girl here’s been off her game lately, and a haircut doesn’t make her sober.”
“Don’t be a jackass. She could run that board from the grave, and you know it.”
“Well, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but I guess it’s an option.”
Then Kendol popped his glossy head in the booth, and I felt like I was in a fucking variety show.
“I’m sober. You need a jock tonight?”
He’d materialized right on cue, grinning like a fiend. And I knew damn well he wasn’t sober.
Ash turned, took his drink out of his hand, and tossed it in his face. Then she stomped down the stairs. Zayzl motioned for Wolf to follow her, and Kendol took a dive off the deep end.
It was startling. The Merlot made a paste of his party makeup, and he was shrieking like a woman. I grabbed a bar rag, but he pushed my hand out of the way and yelled for his sister. I just shook my head. I didn’t know what else to do. He was too much to take seriously.
But then I saw Lily.
She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, very confused and looking across the dance floor after Ash. She turned to me. I pointed and mouthed, Follow her!
But she didn’t. She pushed by me. She went to Kendol.
“I asked you to leave her alone, didn’t I?” she said. She grabbed the rag out of Zombarbie’s hand and started stabbing at the stain on his
“Yeah,” she said. “Don’t make it easy for her to decide, right?”
“Cha-ching.”
I watched her walk away as I swept up eight inches of her blue-black hair. I could tell she felt better by the way her boots hit the floor. I didn’t have a chance to do her face or change her clothes, but honestly, she didn’t need it.
I was patting my shoulder and fancying myself the fairy godmother of downtown when I spotted a monkey in my machine. Zayzl was waiting in the DJ booth, and he wasn’t alone.
You met Wolf, I’m sure. He’s the meathead at the door with the two-tone eyes. And yes, he’s just as scary as he looks.
When Zayzl started feeling a little outnumbered, he grew a pair in the shape of a bouncer. He put an ad in the paper and hired himself a lackey. The two of them were waiting with their arms crossed over their chests, fogging the place over with testosterone. That little weasel was so geared up he pounced on Ash the second she hit the top of the stairs.
“You won’t be spinning the show,” he said. “Wolf is here to take you up to your room for the night.”
Ash just smiled and shook her head like she thought he was a real piece of work. She set her beer down by the board she’d recently put back together and started flipping through her music. She hardly looked at them.
But Zayzl wasn’t kidding.
“If you don’t go with Wolf, you leave me no choice,” he said, and he held up a small baggie filled with white powder. “I haven’t decided how to use this yet. But Lily could certainly stand to hear about it. Maybe you’ve got some suggestions, since you seem to think you know what she wants.”
“That’s not mine,” Ash said. She was still flipping through her books.
“It’s not?” He feigned shock. “I’m pretty sure Wolf found it on the floor of the booth just this morning. In all the rubble you’ve conveniently cleaned up. Didn’t you, Wolf?”
Wolf grunted.
“And you’re the only one who comes up here, Ash. Besides, people have been talking lately. About your extracurricular activities.”
She looked over at him slowly. I saw her fingers curl, but her face was stone. “Maybe you dropped it,” she said.
“I wouldn’t bring drugs into my bar.”
That got a laugh out of her, and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut anymore. I was feeling ballsy ’cause I had a push broom in my hand. “That’s enough, Zayzl,” I said. “The bar’s not yours. And your attitude blows.”
He kept his eyes locked on Ash. “Tonight is important to me, Rorke,” he said. “Your girl here’s been off her game lately, and a haircut doesn’t make her sober.”
“Don’t be a jackass. She could run that board from the grave, and you know it.”
“Well, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but I guess it’s an option.”
Then Kendol popped his glossy head in the booth, and I felt like I was in a fucking variety show.
“I’m sober. You need a jock tonight?”
He’d materialized right on cue, grinning like a fiend. And I knew damn well he wasn’t sober.
Ash turned, took his drink out of his hand, and tossed it in his face. Then she stomped down the stairs. Zayzl motioned for Wolf to follow her, and Kendol took a dive off the deep end.
It was startling. The Merlot made a paste of his party makeup, and he was shrieking like a woman. I grabbed a bar rag, but he pushed my hand out of the way and yelled for his sister. I just shook my head. I didn’t know what else to do. He was too much to take seriously.
But then I saw Lily.
She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, very confused and looking across the dance floor after Ash. She turned to me. I pointed and mouthed, Follow her!
But she didn’t. She pushed by me. She went to Kendol.
“I asked you to leave her alone, didn’t I?” she said. She grabbed the rag out of Zombarbie’s hand and started stabbing at the stain on his
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