What Is Going On?

Reed asks, "So, what does his drink say?"

I reply, "Well, the spice hints at a wild side, one that no one has yet tamed. The smoothness of it shows that he's charismatic and used to getting his way.  The finish reveals the seductive side of a Playboy, either past or current." I grin triumphantly, because I know I'm good.

Reed busts out laughing. I can't help but join in. Mystery man says, "Don't you even say it, man."

Reed exclaims, "She's got no clue who we really are, yet she just summed us up in two drinks."

I say, "Well, I said your answers would lead me to the type of drink, and that the drink says a lot about you. I wasn't kidding. In addition to what I learned from your drink choices, I noticed the tension between you both, but as you hung out at my bar, it lessened.  So I'll deduce that you both have a long history that became rather rocky, and now you're both attempting to repair the potholes of the past that line the road toward your future common goal."

Jake comes over, "Damn, you're good, sugar! But can I get one more drink, please?"

I make him his drink, and he goes to tip. I yell, "Don't you even pay!" I grab a nearby knife and hurl it, so the hilt catches the handle on my tip jar. It sends it across the room, where the knife tip lodges into the bullseye of the dartboard, and has the jar hanging from it.

Reed says, "Well fuck! I didn't expect that!"

Jake just shrugs and puts his money into the jar. I sigh exasperated, "For fucksake!"

Jake says, "Nice try, sugar, but I do what I want. Plus, you earned it, because now I know to never challenge you at darts!"

I notice how the mystery man just watches me intently. "What Mysterio?" I ask.

He chuckles, "So knives? Is that the plan for finishing off your ex?"

"Why did you go through my phone?"

He says, "I said that you passed, that's enough of an explanation."

"Like hell it is!"

Reed says, "Maddie, you have balls, I'll give you that."

"If you had my shit life, you would too. Plus, I was raised by a true warrior queen in her own right."

Jake informs the guys that some of the others are heading out. Mystery man informs Jake that they can leave their cars, and Bart will store them. I'm trying to process this...Oh fuck! Bart set me up. He encouraged me to play with these guys. I'm going to kill that man!

"Maddie, what's wrong?" Reed asks.

"I just realized Bart set me up, and letting me come in late is a reward for being here. He's a dead man and he just doesn't know it yet!" I say.

Kiki says, "You won't kill him."

"But I will torture him. Just wait for tomorrow's routines," I say with an evil smirk.

Kiki seems to think that he'd fire me one day, but I know he won't, because I do too much around here, and seeking payback isn't a reason to fire me. That man started this. I get Kiki back to work. She calls me ‘boss lady’ and I roll my eyes. Mystery man says, "That's a bad habit."

"What?"

He says, "Eye rolling."

I reply snarkily, "Well, you don't own them, so they shouldn't be a concern of yours."

Reed chuckles. Mystery man shakes his head and says, "You're just trouble personified, aren't you, Maddie?"

As I'm wiping down the bar, "I've been called worse."

Reed says, "Don't you ever stop moving?"

I say, "Gran taught me that idle hands are the devil's playthings. Quite frankly, I can think of way better things to do with my hands than allow them to do nothing!"

Kiki wrapped up her closing shift, wiped her hands on her apron, and sauntered over to the bar with that grin she saves for the end of a long night. She leaned in, tapped the counter, and asked for her usual—the infamous five-shot lineup she calls her “sextour.” The name always gets a laugh, but the drinks themselves are dead serious: a Blowjob, an Ass, a Big O, Sex on the Beach, and, just to top it off, Death by Sex. Always in that exact order. I lined them up, announcing each one as if I were emceeing a game show, and the guys down the bar started cheering her on.

Kiki thrives on the spotlight, and she played it up, teasing me about getting lucky tonight. She’s always trying to play matchmaker, especially when the crowd’s as good-looking as this one. I’ll admit, the temptation was there. But I’d just met most of them, and I wasn’t about to let her peer pressure turn into a walk of shame.

After she downed her last shot, Kiki leaned over, eyes sparkling, and told me, “If I’m not here tomorrow, it means Death by Sex finally got me.” I couldn’t help but laugh. When she wants to, she’s absolutely hilarious. I gave her a tight hug and sent her off into the night.

By the time I finished wiping down the counter, the place had emptied. It was just me, Bart, Reed, and the new guy whose name I still hadn’t caught. The night felt quieter, somehow, now that the show was over.