AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Zia sighed and stared at the gleaming bunch of silver keys the caretaker dropped in her hands. He began with a series of explanations, do’s and don’ts, about things she didn’t bother to hear before he walked away with a cane aiding his steps.
All she could fathom was her current reality. From a mid-century modern house to an Airbnb.Just great.
She slid the key into the keyhole, and the door creaked open. First welcoming gift? Dust. Lots and lots of it. She rolledher boxes in and shut the door. At least it had everything: a mattress, a nightstand, a mirror, and a tiny bathroom. It just lacked perfect sunlight, an amazing view of the world beyond through tall floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and a working coffee machine—and, yeah, a bunch of other things that made life better.
Well, at least it was better than sharing a house with a cheating asshole.
Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she took it out to see the noon alarm blaring. She combed her fingers through her hair and stared hard at the screen, teary-eyed, with an aching heart. There were only six hours left until she had to report to her new job.
No parents, no siblings, no boyfriend, no cool house. Just a wacky Airbnb and a new job as an assistant manager at an event-planning company. A cheap place to sleep and something else that could bring the money rolling in.
It should have been enough to put a smile on her face, right?
Wrong.
Zia put a hand on her hip, stared at the dusty mess, and sucked in a deep breath.
“Things are going to get better,” she mumbled repeatedly. “They’re going to get better.”
She dropped her hand, releasing a long exhale, and searched around for a rag. Best to start an early clean-up.
Five hours later, there was less dust and more air fresheners in the room, and an anxious Zia scrambled through the creaking door on her way to work.
“Shit,” she cursed and rushed back into the room, stopping by the full-body mirror.
She swished her brown curly hair held up in a ponytail, teased the bangs on her forehead, and assessed the brown thigh-slit below-the-knee skirt and nude crop shirt she’d paired with it.
“Too much?” she twirled. “Or good enough?”
Another twirl.
She sighed.
It was a club, after all. She had her first try tonight. Some politician’s kid rented out the club to celebrate his twenty-first, and Zia’s new bosses were hired to make sure things ran smoothly.
“Good enough.”
Satisfied, she grabbed her purse, hurried out again, and locked the door behind her.
The drive down to the famous and exclusiveCloud 9was shorter than she wanted it to be. Her tummy danced with excited and anxious butterflies. She desired to put her all into it—drown her sorrows with work—and hopefully impress her new bosses in the process.
Colorful strobe lights flashed, strippers rehearsed on the stage, and expensive-looking customers trickled in as the hands on the clock went by. Zia wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and fixed a forced smile on her face while the introductions went on between her and her new colleagues.
It was brief, and soon, the club’s manager sent them on their way and “chop-chopped” her to start.
Someone sidled up to her with blonde hair, a strong citrus fragrance, and red-painted lips.
“Enjoying yourself, already?” she giggled, and Zia spun to the side.
“Amy?” She smiled, leaning in for a hug. “Gosh, I was wondering where you’ve been. You weren’t here for the introductions.”
Amy twirled her finger in the air with an eye roll, gesturing to her smoky-eyed fix-up on her face.
“Duty called.” She had to fix her makeup.
Zia wore a genuine smile for the first time in an hour. It was a relief to spot a familiar face amongst the crowd.
She squeezed the chirpy blonde’s hands and felt herself relax a little. “Thank you for putting in a good word for me. You’re amazing.”
