It had been a month since I'd been working at Circle Eight, and finally I had developed a routine for myself. In the morning I left my apartment to go for my job as a painter. I come back from my first job at two pm, then took a nap and woke up around seven. After that my shift at Circle Eight started which lasted well through the night.
Jason and Mike have become close friends of mine, and tried their best not to give me too much work due to my pregnancy.
I was glad I wasn't showing yet, didn't want the people to gossip. But the morning sickness hadn't exactly subsided. Other than that I suffered from frequent headaches and was thinking about making an appointment with the doctor about them.
All in all my life was going pretty smoothly. As smoothly as it could for a pregnant, poor woman.
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It was another busy night at the club. The dance floor was packed with people going wild. The bar area was filled with patrons throwing orders and demanding refills. Every single staff member was rushing about in order to satisfy the customers.
"Yo, get me a double scotch." A guy in a red polo yelled, making me role my eyes. Can't these people be nice for once? I nodded and went to make his drink.
The night continued pretty much like this. Rude customers kept barking orders and I did my best to make their drinks as fast as possible.
However, my night took a sudden turn when I turned back to ask the latest customer for their order and found myself coming face to face with Malcolm Bennett.
It looked as if he came straight from work, if his attire was anything to go by. He was wearing a gray suit with a white dress shirt, looking formal and really handsome. My heart started thumping rapidly at the sight of him. Calm down my poor organ, the guy hates my guts.
"Hello, Ariana." Malcolm said with a smug smile.
"Good evening, Mr. Bennett, what can I get you?" I asked him formally. I was not going to refer him by his first name.
"I'll take a scotch, make it double." He told me, the smug smile not leaving his handsome face.
"Coming right up." I turned to grab a glass and put it in front of him. Then grabbed the bottle of scotch and poured it in his glass.
He didn't bother saying thank you, and I didn't expect it from him either. I left Malcolm to his drink and went to deal with the other customers.
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As the night wore on I begun to feel anxious. Malcolm hadn't moved from his spot since the moment he came over. He just sat there looking, not even drinking much.
Was he here to see me? No no, he hates me why would he want to see me. But then why was he here? Maybe he was meeting someone here. Yeah that had to be it.
I tried my best to ignore him, but his magnetic presence was not something that could be over looked.
After my shift ended - well when the club closed - I went around the counter to help clean the tables. Malcolm was still there, sitting on the round chair.
A few minutes passed and all of a sudden I found myself to be alone. Mike and Jason weren't in sight. I shrugged and begun scrubbing the table with utmost care.
"Let's talk, Ariana." Malcolm said suddenly causing me to jump.
"I'm busy, Mr. Bennett, maybe next time." I told him. I didn't want to talk to him. After what he did, my heart was in no positions to listen to his accusations.
"Sit down, Ariana, don't argue with me." Malcolm sounded annoyed, but I didn't care.
"As I said before, I'm busy, Mr. Bennett. And frankly I don't want to talk." I answered bluntly.
"Ariana, sit down otherwise you can kiss your job goodbye." Malcolm threatened, making fear bubble in my gut.
"You can't do that." I glared at him and cursed his influence, his power.
"Oh my innocent girl, you are mistaken. I can get you fired with a snap of my fingers. Not only from here but from everywhere, so don't test me and sit down." Malcolm replied, causing my eyes to narrow.
"You know what, Mr. Bennett, go ahead, get me fired, I don't care, but I'm not talking to you, so please leave me alone." I retorted hotly.
Malcolm's eyes hardened, his mouth sit it in a straight line. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. No, I was terrified of the sudden change in Malcolm, and I was in no mood of wanting to witness it.
"Ariana, sit down, now. Before I not only ruin your life but your baby's as well." Malcolm threatened. My heart lodged in my throat, afraid for my baby's life.
Even though I wanted nothing more than to run away from him, I pulled a chair and reluctantly sat down, my palms getting clammy due to me being nervous.
"See, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Malcolm asked rhetorically. Arrogance was radiating out of him in waves, making tears of anger prick my eyes.
"What do you want?" I demanded harshly, wanting to leave.
"Watch your tone with me," Malcolm took a chair across from me and sat down, "I'm here to talk and we are going to talk, Ariana." He told me.