The Devil is My Roommate

I, Megan Prieto, swear that I'll be a star one day.

At least, that's what I told myself when I moved to Los Angeles. I wanted to be an actress, singer, and dancer. So much so, that I came straight to LA after college. But now here I was, working at Hooters to pay the rent, and still no callback.

"Megan! What time are you getting off today?" My best friend, Rose, asked as she cleared off the table beside me. Rose was one of the first friends I made here. I met her on my first shift and we hit it off right away. With her blonde hair, chocolate colored eyes, and curves, she was one of the favorites here.

"I think I'm scheduled to end right before midnight, I answered while wiping my own table. It was a bit of a slow day, but it normally got busy later in the evening.

"That sucks, I'm sorry," Rose sympathized with me. Right around midnight was when all the best tips came in, but I had a stick-like figure and only the top earning girls got to work the night shifts. I quickly shrugged it off.

"It's fine. I was going to go check out that new place around the block anyway," I admitted. About a week ago, a club opened up around the corner from the Hooter's. It was called The District and it was supposed to be pretty popular.

"They released a picture of the owner on a blog a few days ago. He's super-hot! Have you seen it?" She asked. I shook my head. I didn't really care about the owner of the club, or guys in general for that matter. I was on a different path in my life and didn't need the distractions while trying to accomplish my dreams.

"I'm just going so I don't turn into a hermit," I joked. Rose laughed as we walked to drop the empty glasses off at the wash room.

"Now I wish I wasn't working tonight so I can join you," Rose pouted. I caught myself rolling my eyes.

"People would kill for you shift," I reminded her. She only shrugged.

"I guess you're right. I could ask Noel to cover for me," she thought out loud.

After my shift was over, I changed in the locker room. Rose insisted on putting me in her backup party dress: a black sequined dress. I had my own black heels to match. I left my medium length hair alone in their slightly wavy pattern and looked myself over in the full length mirror. My curves didn't fill out the dress as well as Rose's did, but the dress didn't look bad on me.

After Rose dressed in a short white romper, we walked into the street and make our way down the block.

"This is so exciting! I haven't been to the District yet, but based on that blog about the owner, I'm really hoping I run into him tonight," Rose giggled. The closer we got, the louder and more crowded it was.

"What's your obsession with the owner anyway? He's probably some peppered middle-aged man with too much money and time on his hands," I shrugged it off. Her jaw dropped as she stopped and stared at me in disbelief.

"Megan, he's in his early 30s. He's young and hot... like hot, hot. He's rich, successful, and this will be his tenth club. He already owns a handful in New York and Atlanta. He's just now expanding to Cali. He visits his clubs often in person. And he's still single," She rambled as we finally got in line for the club.

"And? Men are a distraction," I shrugged it off.

"The best kind," she sighed dreamily. She suddenly turned to me with a pointed look. "You need to loosen up, Megs; make yourself more approachable. Goals are important and all, but what's life if you can't enjoy the ride?" She said. I sighed as we were finally granted entry. This place was packed. I'd gone out with Rose before and we always had a sort of routine. I'd go sit at the bar and grab a drink while she went to the dance floor. When she was done, she would come find me, normally accompanied by a guy at this point. He would buy her drinks while I just hung out and listened to the music, then based on how she felt, she would go home with him or not. If she was too wasted, I would make the decision for her, and make sure she got home okay. I may have been petite, but I knew how to hold my alcohol.

I sat over at the bar with a sigh and rested my head over on my hand while Rose went to the dance floor. It was like clockwork.

"Are you not enjoying yourself?" Someone asked from beside me. I put on my best smile and turned to him.

"I'm having a great time, just taking a little break," I lied.

"But you just got here. How is it that you're tired already?" He asked. Damn, he saw that. I turned back to the bar, hoping I could flag down the bartender as a distraction.

"I tire easily," I lied. There was a pause before the guy who was talking to me dipped behind the bar and stood in front of me.

"What would you like?" He asked.

"You work here?" I asked, eyeing his expensive suit suspiciously. He only smirked. I looked at his face really this time and saw that he was actually really handsome.

"You could say that," he answered vaguely. "So what do you want?" He asked.

"Out of life? To have my big break," I blurted. I don't know if it was because I was tired or because he was a bartender I would never see again, but I felt like getting it off my chest.

"If it were that easy, how would you know you're any good?" He asked. I only shrugged.

"Everyone always gets caught up in appearance. I know I'm not struggling in the looks department, but I don't quite look like a mature woman either," I said, voicing my true feelings. I had no idea what had gotten into me. Normally I kept all my insecurities bottled away. The bartender leaned over the counter and pinched my chin lightly in his hand as he examined me seriously.

"Light makeup, so you're not that insecure... Honestly, there's a certain charm about you," he said as more of a thought.

"Oh my god!" Rose kept repeating over and over again as she finally came over. I thought she was overreacting about me letting a guy touch me, but when I looked at her, her eyes were on the bartender.