“No, I need you to start tomorrow. It’s urgent.”
Maybe he’s calling Johnny and trying to get him back, so he can fire me once and for all. I laugh knowing Johnny won’t be back for a while. Darby’s head whips around to the sound of my laughter, and I don’t look back as my hand touches the cold metal of the door.
“What’s so amusing, Miss Cavanagh?”
I pull the door but before I can sneak in, his hand touches it, blocking me from going any further. He’s too close, and now I can smell him. Fuck. Some men should not be allowed to be near a woman who’s horny when they smell the way he does. That just makes life unfair. This whole thing is unfair.
“Nothing, Mr. Darby,” I say not knowing his last name. I think I see his lip quirk up, but I can’t be sure. I take a step back, not wanting to smell him for a second longer, afraid of what I might say. ‘Hey, you smell so good, want to fuck?’ I’m sure then he would hate me more than he does already. Plus, I could actually get fired for real this time. So, I pinch my lips together with my teeth, waiting for him to speak.
“You do know you don’t have to be here so early?”
“I like to have plenty of time to set up for the day.”
He pulls the door open, waves a hand for me to go in first, and as I pass Darby I hear him take a deep breath. I wonder how I smell. I’ve only just showered, my hair is still wet, but it will dry before the club opens its doors because it’s so fine.
“I won’t be in tomorrow.”
My head whips to him as he shuts the door, encasing us both in darkness. My hands shoot up when I feel him step closer, and I touch him. He grunts loudly, and the lights flicker on. I don’t do well in dim light, and that was utter darkness. My heartbeat slows a little, and when I open my eyes, Darby’s staring at me with his piercing eyes.
“Don’t touch me,” he seethes, so I quickly take a step back.
“I didn’t…”
He shakes his head then walks off.
My hand falls to my heart, and I try to slow it down.
I’m okay, everything is okay. The dark cannot hurt me.Darby came down a few times, and not once did he speak to me or even acknowledge me. I’m not sure if it makes me happy or angry.
Walking out the door as my shift is finished, I find a man standing there, a smoke to his lips as he looks up at me.
“You work there?” His head nods to the warehouse I just stepped out of. I ignore him, keeping my head down and walking to my car. He whistles loudly. “Nice car. They must pay you good, right?” I hear his footsteps come closer. “Bitch, you ignoring me, woman? Answer me, bitch.” I hear the door open again, footsteps come closer as the stranger’s hand reaches out to touch me, but my knee comes up and hits him straight between his legs. I watch as the cigarette which was in his mouth falls to the ground while his mouth opens in shock. Then he falls forward in utter agony. I step back, my rear hitting my car as he starts swearing at me.
“You bitch… you fucking bitch,” he curses.
Just before he can stand up, hands pull him backward. Those same hands start moving, fast. Hitting the stranger in the face, over and over, until I touch Darby’s back making his head whip around to face me.
“Leave,” Darby growls.
I nod my head, sliding into my car, and starting it up with shaky hands. Tears roll down my face as I make my way home, and the minute I arrive at my house, I run inside, locking the door behind me while trying to calm my breathing.
Crawling on my hands and knees, I reach for something, anything, and my hand comes in contact with a knife I dropped this morning. I grip it and sit in the same spot until I can think straight again. Until my mind calms enough for me to realize I’m fine, and that I can move to turn on a light. That this time the darkness won’t consume me. Flashbacks try to resurface in my mind and my hands automatically go to my belly, touching it.
“I’m fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine.” I clap my hands and every light in the apartment turns on simultaneously, surrounding me in bright, white light. My breathing starts to even out again as I reach for my phone, seeing I have a missed call from my daddy.
“Baby,” he says when I call him back.
I want to break down—I should break down, but I won’t. That would just prove to him I should be home instead of living my own life the way I want to, the way I need to.