APRIL
April finished washing up the dishes with a very subdued Khall.
She knew they couldn’t flirt or carry on in front of the children, of course. But there was something else going on with him and she couldn’t put her finger on what.
And that was a real shame, because now that Vlax D’agryx had shown up, she longed for Khall’s advice. And of course, she also wanted to warn him about the fact that a dangerous man was looking for her.
She glanced up at Bo, but the little one was ensconced in her favorite chair with her favorite video game. There was no chance at privacy unless she asked Khall to step out of the room with her.
And the vibe she was getting from him is that the request might make him angry.
The truth of it was everything she didn’t want to admit to herself.
That she had intended not to let him have enough of her heart to hurt her, but that she had given too much of herself to him already.
That in spite of his incredibly caring actions last night, today he was clearly having cold feet.
And that obviously one of Ulfgard’s great heroes, a man who was well-established in his career and his personal life, would hardly have a sincere interest in cultivating a serious relationship with a young woman of little means, whose prior employment was scandalous enough to lose her the support of her own parents. Even if he had made it through the morning with no regrets, those doubts would have surfaced before long anyway.
She tried to convince herself to be glad he was putting her out of her misery quickly, but it was a bitter consolation.
She was trying to think of a way to talk to him about all of it, when his comms began chiming and he stepped out onto the balcony to take the call.
Ready to admit defeat, April headed to her room. She might as well use her weekend time off to check on her bonus and send a few comms to the girls back at the club.
She curled up in bed with her glass and swiped to check on her bank account.
Though she knew the bonus was coming, it was still shocking to see such a large number of credits there.
Too bad she wasn’t going to be able to keep any of them.
She pulled up Vlax D’agryx's digital profile and set up a funds transfer.
She had never agreed to dance for him. So, she didn’t really owe him anything. But that wasn’t the way he saw it. And he wasn’t the type of man people said no to. At least not people who like all of their limbs intact.
All of this had happened because of one night when she had been working late. The other waitress, Aryx, had left early with her boyfriend, which meant April was cleaning and locking up alone.
While she was wiping down the sound station, she accidentally hit a sensor and one of her favorite songs came on. It was a rare piece by the Zyxrian Fourth, with violins and a choir running behind the lead singer. It never failed to remind her of her classical dance training.
She found herself abandoning her cleaning supplies and slipping onto the stage, not so much dancing as allowing the dance to flow out of her in response to the melody.
She spun and leaped, letting it carry her. And for a few minutes she was weightless, breathless, powerful. And best of all, she felt like her authentic self again.
But when the music stopped, she heard a slow clap emerging from the bar.
“You’re going to make me so much money,” Vlax D’agryx had said.
“I’m a waitress, not a dancer,” she said, scurrying off the stage and feeling smaller than ever.
“You’re not a janitor either,” he pointed out. “But I always see you cleaning. You provide services as needed and I need you to dance.”
“My contract doesn’t say that,” she told him quietly. “I negotiated.”
She had negotiated herself down to a wage that barely allowed her enough to live.
“Then you’ll freelance for me,” he said, his eyes lighting up.
“No,” she told him.