chapter THREE
Amazed I made it to the bottom of the stairs without my legs collapsing under me, I pressed my back to the cool stone wall, trying to get control of myself. The bouncer didn’t even glance at me, but forcefully stopped a young couple trying to get past him. The craving for a long pull from a bottle of whiskey seized my body stronger than it had since I started detoxing.
The music had softened with a change of DJs. No one on the floor even glanced at me, but on the balcony Vittorio leaned on the railing, watching me, and blew a kiss. I returned a weak smile, then resumed my walk to the bar.
I wanted to calm my racing heart before driving home. After collapsing onto an empty stool, I flagged down the bartender and asked for a glass of water.
“What on earth did you do to him?” she asked when she handed me the glass.
“What? Who?”
“Vittorio. He’s completely enamored of you.” She grinned.
“How do you know?”
“Felicia, his waitress, told me. She’s been working the VIP area for years. His moods have become second nature to her, even though she never sees him outside the club. She said he’s never reacted to a woman the way he reacted to you.”
Unsure of my ability to form a coherent account of the encounter, I left my reply at, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? How can you not? What did you say?” She wiped down the bar while we talked.
I drained my water, desperately wishing it was something - anything - alcoholic. “I just went up and introduced myself to him, thanked him for the drink…that was really it.”
“That’s it? You must have said or done something extraordinary.” She nodded to the balcony. I turned my head and saw Vittorio still watching me.
“I promise you I didn’t.”
After waiting on a few more customers, she returned with more water.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Bryn. And you’re Elena.”
“Gossip travels fast here,” I said.
Bryn nodded.
“Alright, Bryn, I’m going to go home and try to figure out what the hell happened to me tonight.”
“When will you be back?”
“Who said I’ll be back?”
“I don’t know a woman in this place who wouldn’t want to be in your shoes right now.”
I didn’t bother trying to lie to her. “Probably sooner than I’d like. I’m not all that sure I like Vittorio’s attentions, though.”
I walked out to my car in a daze. Somewhere in my back of my head, I knew I needed my wits about me. The Chapel was Midtown, where rent was low but so was security. A few blocks east, you’d be perfectly safe walking back to your car after seeing a musical at The Fox Theater, but stray too far, or visit on the wrong night… I shook my head, trying to figure out where the night had gone wrong. If it had gone wrong at all.