The Opening of The Rage

"I'd love to stay at your place." she smiled as she watched him look for the business card. "It's in the Rollodex in the second drawer." she informed him. "You're always welcome to serve at my bar." she said and added "I don't mind Lyssa, I just don't want her mixing and keeping Kris away is for your benefit." she laughed. She opened the door and stepped out, "You could use some competition you know. You always get what you want." she teased him over her shoulder. She threw her head back and laughed as she walked back over to the bar.

Lyssa was still waiting where Mona left her. Mona put her arm around her, "You're not ready to mix drinks yet" she told her nicely but seriously, "We'll make you a pro as a waitress and then we'll see about you getting behind my bar. Ok?" Lyssa nodded in agreement. She knew she wasn't ready for it but was still excited to learn none the less. "I'll make you so good a waitress you won't even need that order pad to remember the drinks." Mona smiled at her. "Can you help me unload the martini glasses and have the kitchen cut up some fruit and veggies for me. It's mad scientist time." she grinned at Lyssa.

He looks in the Rolodex in the second drawer "damn, She knows me too well" he says as he pulls the card out and makes the call. The call went pretty smoothly, mainly because he was a hard ass an knew how much the labor was and was cutting the bullcrap when he spoke the guys on the phone. He hangs up and says over the intercom "No work tomorrow guys and gals, new A/C is being put in". He gets up and makes sure everything was going smoothly enough that he could head to the bar.

She looked at Lyssa while Nero made the announcement. They both smiled at each other and high fived. She could sleep all day, she hadn't done that in a while. She began mixing martini's, she started with a classic one made with Three Olives vodka and then went on to make an appletini. She'd never admit it to anyone but it was one of her favorites. She decided to try a green sparkling appletini with a "cherry" on top. It had green infused vodka at the bottom, a shot of champagne and grenadine that settled at the top. She was staring at it, trying to figure out a name for it when Nero walked behind the bar.

Nero walks behind the bar and looks at the drink..."hmmm thinking of a name i suppose?" he asks, before taking a sip "not bad...not a martini guy, but i could enjoy that" he says, putting the glass down..."maybe call it a Red Cap?" drawing from is odd knowledge of mythological monsters.

"Do you think other people will like it?" she asked. She always worried too much about a new drink which always ended up being a hit in the end. She turned toward him and crossed her arms, "Red Cap? Enlighten me. I have no idea who or what you're talking about."

"its nice...A Red Cap is a sort of troll that would kill you unless you said a certain bible verse" he says leaning on the bar "enough of these and you'll want to be quoting the bible" he laughs as he turns. "I am going to go make lunch, would you like anything?" he asks the two girls

"Really now? Then that's definitely the perfect name for it." she laughed, "Can you make me a cheeseburger with bacon, extra cheese, barbeque sauce, those fried onion thingies and some pickles?" she asked "Oh and some fries?" she smiled sweetly. She was never embarrassed to eat a lot. She always stayed relatively thin.

Lyssa stared in shock at what Mona was ordering, "Can I just have a chicken wrap?" she asked, afraid to order the same thing in case it went straight to her hips.

"No prob, I'm gonna need some help...Lyssa. Come." he said in a tone that Mona knew meant serious conversation as he walked into the kitchen and started grabbing the items needed to make lunch.

"You truly are the best!" Mona said after him. She stared daggers at Lyssa's back as she went to help Nero. If she tried anything it would be her little ass....

Lyssa followed dutifully into the kitchen, "What do you want me to start on?" she asked looking around the kitchen

"here, pour some oil in the fryer and turn it on, and sit, because i want to talk to you" He says swiftly trimming the chicken and forming the burger patty and cutting the vegetables. He learned how to cook at a young age, and being a bachelor for so long just made him refine his technique, which he loved. He still couldn't decide what he wanted though

She grabbed the jug of oil and filled the pan with a substantial amount and turned the burner on medium. She sat down, "Ok, is it about my pay rate?" she asked because that's what he said he'd talk to her about later.

"No, this isn't an office" he said, as he slices the potatoes for Mona's burger. "You are so...tense....you watch what you look like, you primp constantly and you won't even enjoy someones ability to cook whatever you want for free because you are sooo worried about your appearance" he says looking up at her for a second. "Why is it that you are like this? We don't judge and let me tell you, you were getting looks from out customers, especially from VIP" he says, still working.

Lyssa couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Well...uhh...I don't know how to respond to that." she looked down at the floor searching for the words, "I guess I'm vain and when I see Mona and Eve looking the way they do and being so comfortable, it's not the same way for me." she was building up the courage to finish what she needed to say, "It's not that I'm insecure, I feel like I need to make an impression here so that I can last."

Nero puts the knife down and looks at her "You will last, because you worked hard, treated people right, and love what you do...not how you look like. Yeah, we all look good, excuse my vanity, but we all put the time and effort and blood, sweat and tears to make this happen. We didn't schmooze anyone to get here...we made them like us by our work. You have the drive, don't let petty things like how you look control how you act." he takes a second "You are wonderful and I want you to stick around for a long time, but we need to see the real you. Once you do that, Mona and Eve will respect you that much more." he finishes "Now what do you really want to eat?" he asks with a laugh

She took in what Nero was saying, all of it and took it to heart. She smiled at him and said "A twice baked potatoe with extra cheese and bacon" She laughed because she felt at ease now, that she was now starting to fit in. "Thanks Nero. It means a lot to have a boss who cares. It's not like that these days. In fact its the opposite, that's one of the reasons I'm so 'primpy'" she giggled as she threw in the fries he'd cut up for Mona.

He nods and laughs "That's more like it" he says wrapping a potato in foil. "Go out there and I'll bring the food to everyone" he says as he throws the chicken on the flat top, deciding he wanted a chicken bacon sandwich. He quickly finishes up the cooking and grabs a tray, bringing all the food out and placing it on one of the booths, calling the two girls over.

Mona saw Lyssa leave the kitchen first and walk over toward her, "Hey the food's almost done, it should be out in a second." she smiled at Mona.

Mona watched Nero bring out the food and grabbed 3 glasses and filled them with beer, her beer of course. She sat down at the booth and Lyssa sat across from her leaving a spot for Nero next to her. "You are a God send!" she gushed as she feasted her eyes on that delicious burger. "Sometimes I think you should have opened a restaurant instead of clubs." she laughed as she took a bit of her burger and Nero slid in next to her. "Changed your mind about that wrap I see, Lys. A twice baked potato was a good choice." she smiled at her.

Nero laughs "Making people happy is something I like doing, but I like interacting with them too, can't do that stuck in a kitchen" he says as he eats a bit and looks at the time. "Woah, almost opening time, I wonder what Eve and Rick are up to" he says, biting again into his sandwich and drinking some beer.

"Who knows? She ran home to grab another sub and some more cords she needs for tonight. And I saw Rick heading out to his car, he said he needed some coffee too." Mona said as she dug into her fries. While thinking of Eve, Mona got an idea. She nonchalantly dropped her hand to rest on Nero's leg. She noticed Lyssa was too into her potato to notice so her hand slowly slid upward, resting on his inner thigh. She felt Nero's body go rigid and a small smile spread across her lips. She took a drink of her beer, enjoying what she was doing to him. She squeezed her hand a bit tighter where it rested and saw a blush appear on Nero's face. She moved her hand away a bit but left it on his leg. "He cooks good, doesn't he Lyssa?"

"mmmhmm" Lyssa responded with her mouthful, she took a drink of beer to wash it down, "You brew some pretty amazing beer Mona. You ever think about going into a brewery business?" she asked.

Mona laughed, "No. I like to keep it homemade and keeping it small makes it feel that way to me."

Nero laughs as he stretches his arms out, lightly grazing Mona's neck before pulling them back in "I like to cook, what can I say?" he laughs as he drops both his arms under the table leaving one draped over Mona's inner thigh and lightly stroking up and down the leg as revenge for Mona's attempt to get him flustered

Mona knew Nero was trying to play the nervous game, it really didn't work on her. Although she was grateful it was her right leg he was stroking and not her left where her thigh was actually expose, then it might have an effect on her. She drank the rest of her beer and watched Lyssa finish her giant potato.

Nero grabs all the plates "We have to get ready all, its almost opening" He says as he walks into the kitchen and puts the dishes in the sink

Mona follows him into the kitchen descretely. She sneaks up behind him doing the dishes and covered his eyes, she leaned up on her toes and whispered, "Guess who?" in his ear, her lips grazing the lobe.

Nero laughs as he turns off the water and dries his hands "Someone who is trying to start something that isn't going to end until later this night" he laughs as he leans down and gently takes her bottom lip in his teeth. "Is there something you want?" he whispers in her ear, gently biting it.