Chapter 6
Zane
It was still early, but The Machine was already filling up with people, and I knew it was going to be a very busy Saturday night. The DJ was setting up – he would start spinning at nine, which was still a few minutes away – and the buzz raised my energy level.
I gazed around me, trying to see the place from the eyes of someone who hadn’t visited yet. I didn’t think Kathryn had been here before. The place was still impressive—fluorescent LED backlights showed off the moving gears on the walls. The Machine was a one of a kind concept, taking a steampunk theme and removing the ‘geek’ factor, adding swank and charm in its place. One of the bars upstairs looked like it had been taken right out of a graphic novel, set up in clean lines that were asymmetrical with metallic colors everywhere, while one of the three bars downstairs looked like something out of the twenties, a modern speakeasy.
But the crowd was vastly varied, with everything from upper crust wealth dressed to the nines down to those who trended toward the punk or emo style with expensive taste and a lot of class. I knew some of the patrons here couldn’t really afford the cover or drinks at a high end club downtown, but they would forego paying a phone bill or pay a late fee on their car note or electric bill to spend an evening here.
“Hey, man, good to see you,” Kale greeted as I passed by the simple, small bar toward the back of the ground floor. He paused just long enough to shake my hand while one tall glass of beer filled under the tap.
I nodded and tugged at the rolled up sleeves of my suede blazer and shrugged to make sure it sat right on my shoulders. “You, too. Looks like you’ve already got your hands full.”
He chuckled. “Yes, sir! I hope you can get back here and help me out. The DJ’s about to have this place hopping, and I don’t know if I can get this alone tonight.”
“I’ll be around, I promise.”
I wandered on, checking in with a couple of small groups of women who seemed content. After all, I was the ‘schmoozer’ here tonight. But as I smiled and greeted people I knew who came in often – and made new acquaintances with club goers who had come specifically for the DJ – I had a different objective entirely. I was watching for Kathryn, and I couldn’t figure out whether I was looking for her because of a desire to see her, or to run away from her. But I had to focus—my job was to make people feel engaged, important, and most of all, like they wanted to come back. I had to charm the hell out of the clientele, so I shrugged off my concerns and honed in on the people now swarming into the club.
A couple of pro football players came in, and I greeted them with smiles and handshakes, beefing with them about their most recent loss. “Chalk it up to a bad day after a good night,” one of them said with a wink, and I laughed. They had been here the night before, and I saw them leave with several women. It had likely been a long night the coach would not approve of.
Nicole, the daughter of a state senator, waltzed in, her entourage in tow, and I marched straight up to her and greeted her with a kiss on each cheek. I twirled her and pretended to assess her with interest. “And exactly how many hearts are you trying to break tonight?”
She waved it off. “Oh, hon, you know me. My conquests are limitless.”
“Touché,” I replied and let her go as I scanned the crowd again. I still saw no sign of Kathryn or her boisterous little friend, and I started to relax a little. It looked like she’d decided not to show. It was for the best, really, and next time I’d keep my big mouth shut.
A tap on my shoulder got my attention, and I turned to find Dale, the owner of my favorite pizza joint. We’d become friends over the years, and I always enjoyed when he came to the club. “Hey, man, how’s it going?”
He shrugged. “Business is good. Not much else to say.”
I understood; he’d lost his wife in an accident a little over a year ago, and he hadn’t been the same since. He also hadn’t gotten back out in the field, and coming to The Machine was about as close as he came to dating. I told him, “Well, you came on the right night. I guarantee there will be enough action and plenty of women here tonight to give you a good pick-me-up.”
He elbowed me. “You know I get a good boost being here anytime, man. See you around?”
“Sure thing!” He walked off and I noticed a couple of young women who looked lost. Walking up behind them, I caught their attention with an arm around each of their shoulders. “Good evening, ladies, and welcome to The Machine. Is this your first time here?”
One of them, with large eyes, nodded. She pointed to her friend. “She brought me to see the DJ for my twenty-first birthday.”
“That does call for a celebration,” I told them. “Come with me, and I’ll get you a drink on the house as a toast.” I took them to the back, where I could slip behind the bar and mix them each a shot – a kamikaze, which I knew would slide down easy for anyone, even if they had never had liquor before. I wished the girl a happy birthday as they toasted and giggled, and told them to enjoy their evening as I went back to the grind.
A half hour later, I could barely weave through the crowd that had gathered. I finally made it to the DJ booth, where our guest waited alongside our regular DJ. He had his setup almost ready, and I stood just outside the small space to greet him. There wasn’t enough room for our regular guy, Roundhouse, and me inside. Shaking his hand, I told him, “You’ve definitely drawn a crowd tonight.”
He was pleasant and down to earth. “Yeah, this is one of the best turnouts I’ve had on this little tour. My biggest following is here in the south.”
“You’re welcome here any time,” I assured him. “I love your work, and apparently, so does Houston. Well, I’ll let you get finished setting up.”
I stood there for another couple of minutes, looking out over the crowd and plotting a way to get through to the back bar without spending another half hour forcing my way through the crowd. It looked like things were getting crazy at the bar, and I wanted to help Kale. I saw a small break in the throngs close to the back wall, so I skirted around there, taking my place behind the bar to help relieve the five-deep crowd surrounding it.
I’d finally cut the wait to less than five minutes and gotten back to the task of working the crowd as the DJ’s first set started. I wandered back into the mass of people and stopped to talk to a few more guests, including a set of twins who garnered as much media attention as the Kardashians. They flirted wildly, something that got them in the tabloids all the time, and I carefully teased back, making sure no one paid too much attention to our interaction.
And as I checked around, my gaze landed on Crystal. I watched her on the dance floor, and she draped herself over every man within a five-foot radius, obviously enjoying the way they fawned over her. But I was glad to see her for one reason only.
A few feet from her, Kathryn stood, and I could tell she pushed up on her toes and then fell back down before rising up again. She was searching for someone, and since Crystal wasn’t far from her, I assumed she sought me out. My guard went up out of nowhere, and I considered ducking and disappearing. I was glad she’d come, but I suddenly didn’t want her to find me. I hastily pardoned myself from the twins with apologies.
Shit. I’d fallen too far into fantasy land back at the Purple Dragon. I’d wanted to see Kathryn again, so I’d asked. But now my worlds were colliding, and I realized what a bad idea it was to have asked her here.
Looking for the quick escape, I glanced around me, and I spotted the door behind the DJ booth not far away, which led to the storage room and back offices. I knew it would disappoint Kathryn if she didn’t find me, but she’d get over it. After all, she had her boyfriend. There was nothing between us, and there never would be.
But as I checked back to make sure she hadn’t seen me, I realized I’d taken too long. She already wore a determined expression as she pressed through the crowd in my direction. Her eyes locked with mine, and she smiled brightly at me. I took a deep breath and smiled back. I would play this cool and take care of the situation. There was no need to make it into an issue.