Chapter 2

“Mila!” shouted a voice on the second floor. I moaned softly. “The little boss is calling...” Kendall said maliciously. 

“It doesn't start...” I pointed an accusing finger toward him. I crossed the area near the track with small round tables and chairs that had at its end the shape of a shell. I passed under the iron structure attached to the ceiling, taking care not to bump into the tables that were almost stealthy in the darkest place, before tripping up the extensive metal staircase with colored leds on its steps. 

The entire nightclub was customized with iron structures that resembled gears. I knew they were far from being real gears, especially concerning their weight being considered very light. The sign with a blank space with "Memento Viveri" written in firm handwriting hanging on the wall shone against my eyes when I reached the second floor. 

Kim Campbell was the owner of the nightclub with a Latin name and considered one of the most visited in Manhattan. Despite being young, that place was one of the fruits of his wonderful heritage. She united the useful with the pleasant; the passion for going to nightclubs and the business experience. She was not the only one in the family who worked there, there was also Tyler, her beautiful and unbearable brother.

The two looked a lot, both in appearance and authority. Possessing a beautiful pair of blue eyes and silky brown hair, they knew they could conquer the world if they wanted to. I always found it very funny the kind of family that completed itself like this, not least because this was never a reality for me. My father was American and after years of writing stories about the end of the world, he became a teacher at NYU.

My mother was French and a real estate broker famous for never losing a sale in her long twenty years of career. They met during his visit to Cannes, France. Even with the physical aspects and the accent that not even after years living among Americans I was able to lose, there was never a place for me in France. I did not hesitate and much less asked to stay when my father said that we would leave the day after his divorce to his hometown, New York. 

Over the years, his incurable depression began to reflect on me. Becoming bitter enough to ignore my sister's calls, and avoid spending school holidays or festive dates with my mother. France has become a non-existent country for me and I intended it to continue like this because even without understanding the reason for my parent's divorce, I thought I would never forgive my mother. Somehow, my parents' love experiences served to further perfect my belief that love was a game of luck.

The more you played, the more you became addicted, and then came the moment when your luck changed, and there was nothing left but a heart in wreck at the end. I've always been the most unlucky person in the world. And it was this little childish detail that gave me access to my most depraved and dirty side. I used my body so that no man could have any control over me. I had a not praiseworthy fame, but I didn't care. Sex was important to me, and never done with the same man. I was always the type who easily got tired of repeated things and had a strong tendency to follow what they considered wrong. It was fun and nice to act worse than my reputation called. 

One of the buckles of my long boot came to lose the moment I opened one of the doors of the VIP rooms. Running to the moon-shaped leather sofa, I leaned one of my legs and leaned over. My hair covered my face as a result of the effort I made to look down, completely ruining the right and very straight hairstyle that it took me hours to get. My vision was summed up in a tangle of copper-colored hair and damn golden buckles that didn't fit, so I stood out when I heard a loud sound coming towards my back. I raised my head and threw my hair to the side, having a glimpse of long legs covered by dark jeans. 

“If I knew I would have a view like this early on...” commented the owner of the legs. I grumbled softly, finally holding the buckle of my boot and getting up from the couch. I threw my hair back, destroying the rest of the hope I had in keeping them straight and controlled. I turned in front of Tyler, my second boss, leaning one hand on his waist to keep the pose firm. 

“What did you want?” I asked abruptly. Tyler frowned and compressed his lips into a thin line. 

“Are you in a bad mood? What happened?” I shrugged, diverting my attention from his blue eyes to the box with colored glasses he was carrying. He lifted the box and his muscles jumped over his tight black shirt. I could see how many gummies were in your belly. 

“You looked beautiful as a rabbit, redhead.” There was a time when I was fallen for Tyler. This time lasted exactly five minutes. I didn't even like things for a long time. 

“Will I be fired if I tell you to go to hell?” I asked walking out of the room. He followed me. 

“Probably yes, but if you accept to go out with me who knows I won't get a lifelong job at my nightclub?” Tyler asked as soon as he reached the stair railing, leaning the cup box against his body. He turned to me. 

“How about that?” Rule number one in the life of a woman who cannot maintain herself in serious relationships: Never, under any circumstances, fuck with men who are part of her workplace. Even if they have the ideal physique, a trembling smile on their legs, and a tempting voice. It has never been a novelty that satan has always been trying to weaken our flesh by creating a human being who screams at sex. Tyler Campbell was one of such sinful works. 

“Good try, Ty”, I replied, laughing. “Maybe the other day.” Before I had time to recompose my indifferent pose and pretend that your invitation didn't mess with a certain part of my body, Tyler grumbled and threw the plastic box in my arms. 

“Can you and Kendall tidy everything up in three minutes? Kim didn't come today and the new security guards are lost about the nightclub's opening hours.” I leaned forward and looked at the watch on his wrist. “It's already eleven and two. Why don't we open it yet?” 

“That's exactly what Kris would say.” Tyler snorted. “I could list for you everything that happened, but that would make me even later. In short; the delivery man took a long time with the drinks, the glasses were in the warehouse too and it took me too long to find all of them.” He didn't wait for me to answer anything before flying towards the other door between the ten that led to the VIP rooms. I looked at the spiral ornaments on the ceiling and moaned with frustration.

Reload's remixed beat hit my ears the moment I went down the metal stairs. The light effects followed the beat of the music that became louder and louder, illuminating the points that used to get fuller during the peak of the night. Kendall was already organizing the drinks in order when I arrived. I had to scream for her to listen to me above the music. 

“We have to organize the glasses. “ I warned you. Kendall rolled her eyes and approached to get the box. 

“Let's put it there, along with the glasses of...” She abruptly threw the box into one of the closet doors below the counter, causing all the glasses to fall into a huge mess. Smiling at herself, she got up rubbed her empty hands, and gave me an innocent look. 

“What did you say?” Trying to control my fit of laughter, I realized that the Strippers started dancing and two of the boys who also worked at the bar jumped the counter to take their positions. They greeted me and Kendall with a nod. I only recognized one of them, Henry, a boy with extremely short hair and piercings scattered around his body. He caught the attention of many women, but he didn't provoke anything in me.

The other guy had dark hair and a muscular body, and apparently, education was lacking. He didn't want to perform, and, knowing that we were at the last minute, I preferred not to start any kind of interaction. Tyler appeared shouting orders above the song, and the security guards positioned themselves below the two stairs that followed opposite directions and in front of the double entrance door. He waved towards us, waiting for a nod as an answer to know that everything was fine. I took one of the vodka bottles over the closets without doors behind me and stopped in the middle of the two boys. Kendall approached the counter and jumped on its surface, stopping next to Chopp's tap. The blue led lights flashed in tune with the music that raised a tone every second. Kendall raised five fingers for me. 

“Five hundred for the most beautiful of the night! “ she suggested, moving his lips slowly. Smiling and shaking to the rhythm of the song, I folded one hand around my mouth in the shape of a shell before shouting: “Time for the show, sis!”