I catnapped on and off till mid-morning. I couldn’t get comfortable sleeping in the passenger seat of the Eldorado. I looked over my shoulder seeing Chris and Jared’s truck still sitting at the service entrance. My neck was stiff and my throat was dry so I decided to give up on getting any sleep.
“Hey Jennifer, we’re making headway!” Jared exclaimed as I entered the club.
“Still think you’ll make the 3:00pm deadline tomorrow?” I asked, hoping for a positive answer.
“Sooner.” Jared answered, smiling. “We’ll be done before noon tomorrow.”
“Marcus is coming in around noon.” I stated. “He’ll be here with you till early evening. I’ll be back around midnight or so.”
“Cool, we’re going to quit around six and get some sleep.” Chris said. “We’ll be back around midnight, maybe a little later. We’ll work till we’re done.”
Climbing the stairs to my office, I realized how much my legs hurt from sleeping in the car. I must have slept in an awkward position. Marcus arrived at the club around noon. We chatted with Chris and Jared on their progress before I left for home.
Amber wasn’t home when I entered the apartment. I figured she was either out shopping or with friends. I felt much better after I got a hot shower; at least my legs had quit aching. I took a couple of aspirins and stretched out on the bed, gradually falling asleep. I tried to put thoughts of Steven out of my mind, but it was difficult not to think about him and his sons. I had ended our relationship abruptly, not handling the situation well at all.
I woke up around 7:00pm, getting dressed in casual jeans and a t-shirt. Putting on a fresh pot of coffee, I grabbed a cigarette while it brewed. There wasn’t much on television so I sat out on the patio, gazing out over the lake. There were several people out on the lake, enjoying the evening’s cooler temperature. I thought about Andrea, hoping she’d be able to get out of her drug arrest somehow but I feared the worst. I didn’t know if she could even afford a good lawyer, knowing she was having financial difficulties. I sat on the patio till it was dark, drinking one cup of coffee after another. I fixed a frozen entrée in the microwave just to appease my appetite before heading back to J.R.’s.
Chris and Jared knocked on the service doors around 12:30am. They both looked tired from working the long hours. I propped both service doors open, knowing the cleaning service would be arriving shortly. I sat at the bar watching the two men working on connecting in the new sound system. The main stereo system was still sitting in several cardboard cartons next to the stage. I was getting anxious to hear it in operation. There were still several other improvements yet to be made, but the new sound system was the most important.
I went out for donuts around 5:00, knowing the guys were bound to be getting hungry. The three of us sat at one of the tables drinking coffee and enjoying our breakfast.
“So, how’s the studio coming along?” Chris asked. “Almost ready to shoot the first movie?”
“Still a ways from being ready.” I answered. “Supposed to pick up the sound and camera equipment up in Chicago today but I’m going to have to make other arrangements.”
“You hired sound technicians yet?” Jared asked. “I’ve got some friends who’d definitely be interested.”
I told him I hadn’t hired anyone yet. I knew Jared was interested so I figured I’d hire him and maybe one or two more technicians. Camera operators, who were experienced in making adult movies, might be scarce. I really didn’t want someone with little or no experience.
It was around 8:30 when I left the club, heading for the studio. Jackie was already there when I arrived. She offered me a cup of coffee but I’d had enough.
“Frank should be by with the van.” Jackie stated. “Probably be sometime this evening before he gets back from Chitown.”
“I doubt if Frank will even be by at all.” I responded walking towards the men working on the cubicles.
Amber arrived, tossing her purse on the conference table. She went to get herself a cup of coffee and a bagel. I stared out the window waiting for Jackie to join us. I was secretly hoping Frank wouldn’t show up. I wasn’t prepared to face him. My hopes soon turned to dismay when I saw a large white van pull up to the building.
I didn’t wait for Frank to enter the conference room, meeting him at the makeshift coffee bar. I wanted to talk with him in private, not in front of Jackie and Amber.
“Looks like the guys should finish up the cubicles sometime today.” He stated. “The plumbers are supposed to start tomorrow. They should be done by Wednesday.”
“Frank, we need to talk.” I muttered. “I guess you haven’t talked to your son, have you?”
“Yeah, I did talk to Steven.” He responded. “Talked to him this morning as a matter of fact.”
“Well……….did he say anything about what happened between us?” I asked, not understanding his casualness.
“Yes, yes he did.” Frank replied, walking towards the conference room.
The four of us discussed the day’s activities. I was anxious to get back to the club and see how the guys were coming along. Jackie was going to work around the studio, cleaning up after the carpenters. Amber had something she wanted to do, not going into any details. She wouldn’t be at the club till shortly before opening. I could tell she was still upset with me.
“Jennifer, I need to get going.” Frank spoke. “You got the money for me.”
I took the envelope from my purse, sliding the money across the table to him. Frank tucked the envelope in the pocket of his sportcoat.
“You don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to.” I stated.
“I know, I know.” Frank replied, rising to his feet.
I watched Frank leave the building and get into the white cargo van. I sensed Jackie and Amber’s eyes staring at me. I gathered up my purse and attaché, heading for my car.
When I entered the club, the new sound system was playing. My mouth dropped to the floor, instantly noticing the difference. Music filled the entire club, no harsh sounds, no raspy background noises and it wasn’t blaring. Chris and Jared were sitting at the bar, operating one of the remote control units.
“Well, what do you think?” Chris asked. “Better or not?”
“Wow, it’s completely different!” I exclaimed, grinning. “It’s so much better. I won’t need the cotton stuffed in my ears anymore.”
Chris and Jared were pleased with my remarks. The money I’d spent was more than worth the results I’d gotten. I gave both guys a big hug, showing them how much I appreciated their efforts. Jared showed me how the remote controls operated so I’d be familiar with it. I wanted to make sure Marcus, Fawn and Amber were familiar with their operations. I’d have a control unit up in the office; the other unit would be under the bar.
“We can do your lighting, even you fan controls if you’d like?” Jared said. “Want us to work you up some figures?”
I thought about it for a minute before agreeing to see what they could come up with. The lighting was definitely outdated, new lighting fixtures might not be a bad investment.
Jared showed Marcus how to operate the sound system with the remote controls as well as directly at the sound system itself. He loaded in several cd’s to make sure he had the hang of it. He agreed with me, the sound system was much, much better.
I stayed at the club till Fawn and Amber arrived. Marcus went through the operating procedures for the sound system with both of them. Hopefully, our customers as well as the dancers would also appreciate the investment I’d made.
I left J.R.’s around 4:30, hoping to beat rush hour traffic. I planned on getting some sleep before returning later in the evening. I almost went to sleep on the drive home, drifting from my lane into the path of a large truck next to me. I exited the by-pass, taking to the side streets for the rest of the trip home.
After getting some much-needed sleep and a bite to eat, I quickly showered and got dressed. It was after midnight when I pulled around back to my usual parking space at the nightclub. Walking towards the service entrance, I noticed Frank’s white van parked at the far end of the parking lot.
