Daniella woke to the sound of her doorbell. She sat up on the air mattress, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her palms. The sun was high in the sky and shining through the slats of her shutters. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was and what had woken her.

Reluctantly she pulled herself off the air mattress and slipped her robe over her pajama shorts and a tank top, then padded her way down the stairs. She peeked through the small viewer in the door and saw two men standing on her front step. At first, her nerves jumped, but then she heard the deep voice of Mr. Wong, the property manager.

Slowly she opened the door, blinking at the bright sunlight bouncing off the front concrete sidewalk. The men turned to see her standing in the doorway, her fluffy robe covering her tiny frame, her feet bare, and her hair falling across her face.

“Are you Daniella Jefferson?” one of the men asked with an amused smile.

“Yes,” she said, glancing behind the men to Mr. Wong who was instructing four men where to place the sod and another two where to plant flowers.

“We have a delivery for you. Please sign here.” He handed her a pad of paper with an invoice on it, and she signed where he pointed.

“What is it?” she asked with a yawn.

“It’s a bedroom set from Paul Revere Furnishings.”

“A bedroom set? I didn’t order anything.”

“I believe this will explain the delivery.”

The man handed Daniella a small envelope, then turned and walked to a delivery truck sitting at the curb. She moved back into her condo and sat at one of the folding chairs next to the card table. She slipped her finger beneath the flap of the envelope, turning it over to see her name and address printed on the front. Inside was a small pale blue card with a bouquet of red roses embossed on the front. On the back was a short note.

For a very special daughter who has given us years of joy and happiness.

Love,

Dad and Mom

Daniella felt the tears forming in her tired eyes and held the card close to her heart. She turned as the two men returned, carrying a large nine drawer wooden dresser. She instructed them to take it to her room and hurried ahead of them to pull the air mattress she’d been using the past few weeks out of their way.

Forty-five minutes later, and she had a room full of furniture. She couldn’t help herself, as she fell onto the thick pillow top mattress, giggling. It was a far cry from the makeshift bed she’d used the past two and a half months.

She sat up and looked around her room, smiling brightly. The bed was a huge king-sized creation of cherry wood. Large posts stood at the four corners of her bed, holding up a curved canopy. Delicately carved vines wound their way around the posts, with a large knob at the very top. The headboard and footboard were solid pieces of thick wood, with the same beautiful vines decorating the borders and an upholstered center of deep burgundy leather.

The dresser held nine drawers with a large mirror sitting on top. Two-night stands sat on either side of the bed, and a vanity with a three-sided mirror was pushed against the wall near the bathroom door. Each drawer of every piece of furniture held the same delicate vine carved border.

A burgundy leather upholstered rocking chair sat in the sitting area near the balcony door with a small three-shelf bookstand, a small round table, and a beautiful lamp with a tiffany style shade. There were two matching lamps beside the bed, and a standup full-length mirror stood in the corner of the room, completing the set.

The vanity seat was upholstered in the same deep burgundy leather as the chair and the bed, and the mirrors held a vine carved border that matched the bed. A large hope chest sat at the foot of the bed. A full scene of workers in a vineyard decorated the top and sides of the box, and inside was the sweet smell of cedar.

Daniella couldn’t help feeling giddy. She worked late last night, arriving home just before dawn, but as tired as she was, she couldn’t stop the excited feeling that tingled inside of her.

She picked up her phone from the charger still plugged into the outlet beside the closet and pushed the button for her father’s cellphone. She waited anxiously for him to pick up, and when she did, she practically squealed into the receiver.

“Daddy, it’s great!” she shouted, causing the man to chuckle at the opposite end of the phone. “I love it. The bed is so comfortable, and everything is beautiful. I can’t thank you enough.”

“You’re more than welcome, sweetheart,” he told her. “It was your mother’s idea to buy you a housewarming gift that you could use, and she was the one who actually picked out the design. I wanted to go with something a little less girly, but I guess she knows best.”

“Oh, Dad, it’s perfect. I can’t wait for you guys to see my place. My bedroom is going to be my favorite room in the whole house.”

“Have you talked to your mother yet?” Scott asked with a voice that echoed his broad smile.

“I was going to call her next,” Daniella answered.

“How is your new job going, sweetheart?” he asked, concern echoing over the phone’s receiver.

“It’s good, just exhausting. I never appreciated the work waitresses did until I started doing their job. It’s a lot harder than it looks.”

“You’re not spreading yourself too thin, are you? You know it’s not good for your health to work two jobs.”

“It’s alright Dad,” Daniella said with a soft laugh. “I only work three nights a week, so I have plenty of free time to teach if I ever get called. Until school starts, I’ve been putting in some overtime, so I can pay my car off quicker.”

“How are you doing otherwise?” her father asked. “Do you need anything? Is there anything we can do to help?”

“No, Dad, I’m fine. I have everything I need, except sheets,” she chuckled. “Now I have an excuse to go shopping.”

“Are you coming home Sunday?” he asked, knowing this would be his wife’s first question.

“I’ll try, but I’m not sure if I’m going to have to work or not. We’re shorthanded right now, so I need to be available. I’ll call Saturday and let you guys know.”

“Alright, sweetheart. But please try and make it home. I know your sister really misses you, and we haven’t seen you in over two months.”

“I’ll give Mary a call later. Maybe she can spend a few nights here, just until school starts again.”

“That would be a great idea. She’s been moping around the house like a lost puppy since Robert left for school. It would do her good to get out. I’ll give her some money, so she can get her school clothes while she’s there. Maybe that will cheer her up.”

“I’m sure it will,” Daniella laughed. “You know how she is with shopping. It’s her favorite pastime.”

“That is so true,” her father chuckled. “I have to go now, sweetheart, but I’ve enjoyed talking with you. It’s not the same without you around to talk with every day.”

“I know Dad, and I promise I’ll call more often. I love you.”

“I love you too. Be sure and call your mother.”

Daniella promised again to call home and hung up the phone. She set the phone aside and hurried into the shower. She knew once she started talking with Alice, she was going to spend more time arguing with her about her current lifestyle than she had with her father. Daniella would rather be ready to leave so she could tell her mother she was too busy to discuss her relentless objections.

Two hours passed before Daniella pulled up in front of Max’s Victorian mansion. She had kept her promise to her father and called home to thank her mother for the furniture. As predicted, she was left on the defensive, insisting her life was going exactly as she planned – except for her ideal job. Though she had to admit, the job she was working at wasn’t as bad as she first thought it would be. She was making very good money and had most of the week free.

Daniella arranged for Mary to spend a few days with her before the new term began. She told her little sister that she would take her shopping, and they would get their hair and nails done, and spend the entire day pampering themselves. Before she hung up, Mary seemed a little happier.

Angela hurried out the front door of her grandmother’s house, waving enthusiastically to Daniella. She opened the door and practically jumped into the passenger seat, immediately rambling on about how much money she’d made over the past nine weeks working at the club.

Daniella hadn’t bothered adding up her tips. She simply stuffed them in a box in her closet and ignored them, but after Angela told her she’d made over four thousand dollars, she was curious about what she had saved up.

Somehow, it seemed embarrassing that she was taking money from men who pinched her butt, caressed the back of her thighs, or looked down her shirt when she set the drinks and snacks on the table. A part of her thought about how a prostitute felt, but she had to remind herself, she wasn’t selling her services, she was simply serving drinks.

Still, her bottom was tender from all the fingers that pinched her, and she found small purple bruises dotting her delicate alabaster skin. After all these weeks, she could only hope that her bottom would toughen up sooner rather than later.

The rest of the day was spent shopping for drapes for Daniella’s new home. She purchased three sets of sheets, two new blankets and a thick satin comforter in a lighter burgundy shade than the leather on her bed. The last stop they made was at Paul Revere Furnishings. She knew it was the most expensive shop in Massachusetts, but it also had the finest furniture and the longest guarantee of all the stores in the state. Besides, her parents’ friends owned the company, so why not use their influence to get a deal, which she did. Nearly everything she bought was at a third of the normal cost, simply by telling the manager who her parents were.

It only took two hours for her to find the perfect living room set, dining room set, television, stereo, and two guest bedroom sets, both in queen sizes. Both were similar in style to her own but different enough to keep hers special. Reluctantly, she applied for credit, at the insistence of Angela, and arranged for delivery the following Monday.

The two friends stopped at the mall for a late lunch, then found themselves window shopping at the many different stores. She bought more clothes, more shoes, and spent over an hour at the salon Brian had an account with.

Angela had her routine body spray tan applied, and her private bits and pieces waxed, while Daniella relaxed with a facial and manicure. After that, they spent an hour at the gym on the treadmill, then went for a swim before leaving. By the time she arrived back at her condo, she was exhausted. She was just glad she didn’t have to work. That meant she could relax and go to bed early.

Daniella decided to take a long hot bath and set her phone to a local radio station that played relaxing music, then filled the tub full of lavender-scented bubbles. She applied a thick layer of green mud to her face and neck, then arranged six flameless candles on the back ledge of the tub and sank beneath the hot water.

With the jets bubbling contentedly against her tender flesh, she found herself slowly drifting into a relaxed slumber. There was nothing she loved more than to come home at the end of her shift and soak in her tub. If she could, she would start and end every day in this basin.

The annoying buzzing of her phone vibrated against the floor beside her, waking Daniella with a start. She sat up and reached for the black box, cursing loudly as she got the screen wet with suds.

“Hello,” she snapped, reaching for the towel above her head.

“Daniella? Are you alright?” a deep voice asked on the other end of the phone.

“No, I just got my phone wet. Who is this?”

“It’s Brian Hancock. I need you to come to work. Melanie called in and Takeko and Caroline are the only servers here, and they are being slammed.”

“Brian, I’m in the tub,” she complained. “I was planning on going to bed early.”

“If you come in, you’ll get double time, and I promise you’ll have tomorrow night off. I won’t call you even if all the servers call off.”

“Fine,” she said reluctantly, feeling the stab of guilt for not wanting to help the man out.

“You’re wonderful. Thank you. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

The phone disconnected, and Daniella growled, tossing it to the pile of clothes she had discarded at the end of the tub. She quickly dried off and unwrapped her hair from the top of her head where she had piled it before filling the tub. She walked into her closet and pulled a pair of jeans off the hanger. She learned the hard way her first night on the job, that panties didn’t go well with the uniform, so she stepped into a white, lacy thong, and pulled on her jeans. She slipped her arms into a white bra and pulled a thin green tank top over her head, then grabbed her white sneakers from the shelf and sat down on the bench, tying them on her feet.

After retrieving her phone and purse, she left her bedroom, glancing back at the freshly made bed and sighing. She would have to wait to snuggle deep into the mattress until later.

The drive to the club was rather quick since it was after nine o’clock and most of the roads were clear of traffic. Daniella pulled her SUV into the back of the club as normal and hurried inside. She passed by Brian and Jerry on her way to the dressing room, ignoring the shocked expressions on their faces.

Without stopping, she stowed her purse in an empty locker and took the key, then hurried into the dressing room to get ready. She undressed as fast as she could and slipped on the tight uniform, then sat down at the mirror to do her makeup.

With a sharp gasp, she looked at the green face that was staring back at her. In her haste, she forgot to wash the mud mask off before leaving the house. That might explain the looks she got when she arrived, she thought, then began laughing.

Without knocking, the door pushed open and Brian stepped in, frowning at the woman who held her face in her hands. She was laughing hysterically, and all he could do was smile behind her.

“You really need a few more mirrors in your house,” he teased, sitting down on a stool next to her.

“I wasn’t expecting to be called in tonight,” she answered, wiping the moist green mud from her face, where her tears had fallen.

“I’m glad you were willing to help out, I’m just sorry I interrupted, what I can only assume, was a very relaxing bath.”

“It was, thank you. But somehow, I don’t think I should go out there looking like this. I’d hate to take attention away from the dancers.”

“Go take a quick shower,” Brian chuckled as he placed a warm hand on her bare shoulder. “I’ll meet you out front.”

Daniella watched him leave, then moved into the bathroom where she washed her face in the sink. She had just taken a bath, or what was meant to be a bath, so the shower wasn’t necessary. She just needed to tuck the incredible hulk away for the night.

It took less than ten minutes for her to apply a layer of makeup on her clean face and pull her hair into a thick ponytail at the back of her head. She walked out to the main bar, feeling the overwhelming sensation of being engulfed by the loud music. Takeko offered her a tight hug and thanked her for coming in, then told her to take section two.

Daniella’s eyes widened as she looked around the room. Section two was the largest of the divided areas, with ten tables full of thirsty customers.

“You’ll do great,” Brian said moving up beside her. “If you need help, just signal. I’m working behind the bar tonight. Kevin’s wife went into labor this afternoon and he’s at the hospital with her.”

“Is she okay?” Daniella asked with a frown as she accepted the tablet and pencil the man handed her.

“I haven’t heard, so I’m hoping no news is good news. Now go to work. There are customers getting irritated that they haven’t found anyone to wait on them.”

Daniella spent the next five hours moving between one table after another, as the customers ordered drinks, nachos, and burritos, and pinched her butt. As soon as one table emptied, it was filled with another group of paying guests. By the time last round was called, she was completely exhausted. Her feet ached, her back felt like it was permanently arched forward, and her bottom was sore from all the fingers that had pinched her.

If she didn’t need the money, she thought, she’d throw the towel in and go home.

The noise of voices ceased, and the music turned off, allowing those left inside the club to relax while they cleaned up after the customers. Caroline helped Daniella with her closing duties, wiping down the chairs and stacking them upside down on the clean tables. They swept the floors and took the hundred or so glasses into the back room to be washed.

Twenty-nine large plastic trays were filled with dirty glasses, each one with a different color or size. They slid the trays onto a conveyer belt and set the automatic dishwasher, then left the machine to do its job.

Takeko sat on Katsu’s lap, the two embraced in a passionate kiss that nobody seemed to notice but Daniella, who looked away quickly. She helped Stanley Wise and Jose Garcia close the bar and watched as Brian took a quick inventory of the empty bottles used that evening.

“Why was it so busy?” Daniella asked a little while later as she sat on a barstool next to Caroline, sodas in their hands.

“There was a bachelor party for Mayor Westley’s nephew,” Caroline answered. “They were going to do it on Monday, but the Mayor has to be in Boston all next week, so Brian let them come in tonight. Because of who he is, more than a hundred guests were invited. That’s why we had all four dancers here tonight.”

“I thought there was only one party a night? I mean, it is Wednesday, but there were a lot more people here than I have ever seen.” Daniella said, taking a handful of peanuts from the bowl.

“Normally, there’s only one party scheduled every two hours, but this party was special. Brian didn’t have a choice but to allow two parties, and the Mayor’s party lasted the whole night with people coming and going. Usually, the entire thing is charged to the party. Like tonight for example. Since there were four dancers, two bartenders, and the three of us, the price it would cost to employ us for the night is charged to the person who booked the party. In this case, the Mayor, but since there was another party going on, even though it was much smaller, the cost was divided,” Caroline said, taking a drink from her soda.

“The club takes care of the extra bouncers needed for the night, and the cost of the alcohol is usually divided in half, but tonight, the Mayor picked up two-thirds of the party, and the other third was given to the other party, so they got off cheaper than what they were quoted. It can be expensive to book the club, but we’re the best in the state, so people are willing to pay for us. Unfortunately, Brian had to rearrange two other parties that were booked for the night, so we’ll have one party tomorrow and one Friday, as well as the private members.”

“So, the cost of the staff is divided with the parties tomorrow and Friday?” she asked with a frown, trying to understand the strange arrangements.”

“Not this time,” Caroline answered. “The other parties were offered a flat rate deal to push them off, but normally the staff is paid for by the parties.”

“That’s outrageous,” Daniella said, mentally estimating the cost of the employees alone. “That’s like two thousand dollars just for the employees for tonight.”

“Two thousand three hundred and fifty dollars,” Brian said as he stepped up behind her. “That’s excluding the cost of the drinks and food.”

“Who can afford something like that?” she asked with a frown.

“Not many, but tonight was unusual. There were a lot of guests invited. Usually, the parties consist of a couple dozen people at the most, so it’s much cheaper, and I don’t have to call in extra staff.”

“How often are there parties this large?”

“Maybe a couple of times a year,” Brian said smiling down as he reached for the nuts on the bar beside her. “Usually around the holidays, and usually for big corporations.”

“I’m exhausted,” Caroline said as Jose stepped up behind her. “I’m going to head out. I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked looking at Daniella.

“I’m off tomorrow, right Mr. Hancock?” she said, raising an eyebrow to the man who chuckled softly.

“A promise is a promise,” he assured her.

“Then I’ll see you later,” Caroline smiled, offering Daniella a warm hug, and thanking her again for coming in to help.

“I guess I should be going as well,” Daniella said as she watched Caroline and Jose walk out, arm in arm. It didn’t take much to realize there was nobody else in the bar.

Takeko and her husband left while she was talking to Caroline, and Stanley took the trash to the dumpster on his way out. That left the two of them alone in the empty bar.

“Give me a few minutes to finish and I’ll walk you out,” Brian said.

“That’s alright. I can see myself out.”

“No, you won’t,” he said sternly. “You are never to leave this club alone. Do you understand that?”

“What’s the big deal?” she asked with a frown. “There’s nobody around. Anyone with half a brain is home in bed.”

“I said no, and I’m not going to argue with you. Come to my office and wait for me while I close the books.”

Daniella wanted to argue, but there was something in his eyes that warned her not to try. She shrugged her shoulders and climbed off the stool, taking her glass with her. They walked silently to his office, where he held the door for her to enter, then followed her and closed the door behind them.

“Make yourself comfortable,” he told her, pointing to the sofa. “I won’t be long.”

Daniella sat down and kicked her shoes off, tucking her sore feet beneath her. She sipped on her drink as he silently punched the keys of his computer. The long day was quickly starting to close in around her, and she found herself dozing off, only to jerk herself awake again.

She looked to Brian who didn’t seem to be paying much attention to her and moved closer to the end of the sofa. She laid her head against the soft leather arm and patiently waited for the man to finish.

Slowly, her eyes began to close, and the sound of typing seemed to cease. The silence was intoxicating, and she found herself falling victim to its strong embrace. The sensation of warmth surrounded her, and she felt as if she were floating on a cloud. The soft musky scent of soap filled her nostrils and she smiled, snuggling closer to the protection of the night. She no longer thought of the hours that passed by, or the morning that would soon approach. All she wanted was to sleep, safe, warm, and protected until the rays of daylight woke her to the promise of a new day.