A Half Dozen Fools by Susana Falcon Read Free Book Online Page A

cap.
    "He-ey," he said, "'Scuse me!" He held her by the arms to steady her. "Fancy meeting you here."
    "Sorry--oh, hi!"
    "What's your name, again?"
    "Elyse. Wazinski."
    He took his hands from her arms, stepped back and reached out for another handshake.
    "Bobby Kressner. Pleased to meet you, Elyse--what is it? Wazinski?"
    "Very good," she said, "you catch on quick!" Feeling shy all of a sudden, she added, "Great to meet you, Bobby Kressner. Sorry I've got to run."
    "I'm sorry, too." She rushed across the lobby and out the door.
    * * * *
    Elyse and Shar walked briskly in the cold, in spite of Shar smoking a cigarette. Elyse coughed and wafted the smoke away.
    "Disgusting habit, I know," Shar confessed. "I'm gonna quit, one of these days."
    "Yay. Can't happen too soon."
    The moment they reached Dante's Park, a gust of wind kicked up. They squealed and drew their arms up to protect their faces from the dried leaves and bits of dust it whirled around.
    Elyse cried, "It's a bloody gale storm!"
    "Really!" Shar motioned toward the building on her left, where red and yellow restaurant lights gaily lit up the entire block. "This look good to you, my love? Because it's looking really good to me!"
    They scurried over to the outside door. Elyse read aloud the name emblazoned over the chrome handle, "Bordeaux Barrel Bar and Grill."
    Shar yanked the door back, and Elyse followed her inside.
    In the vestibule entryway, they were immediately besieged by red velvet curtains meant to trap the cold and keep it from the restaurant. The heavy fabric billowed when the winds swirled in through the open door, entangling the girls. Elyse yelped and giggled in delight, while Shar punched at them.
    "Good Christ!" she growled. "Why is there no plastic sealer in here?"
    When the two friends finally pushed past the restless curtains, they were amazed to discover the lounge inside teeming with activity. They also drank in the bar's bizarre interior design.
    "Geez," Elyse asked, "will you get a load of this?"
    Numerous glass light fixtures in the shape of squiggly phalluses hung from the ceiling with red, blue, and white lines like veins running through. A wooden bar resembling a gigantic tree trunk stood mid-center, opposite a semi-circular, sunken dining area where short, bloodred banquettes faced windows overlooking Dante's park.
    Elyse said, "Looks like a fun house, or something. But it's kinda creepy, too."
    "I read about this place," Shar said. "The designer's some big cheese who had this brilliant concept. Although, it's hard to say just what that concept might have been."
    On their way to the bar, the two girls peered through an archway into the vast dining room. Several escalating tiers gave it a scalloped appearance that stretched all the way back to the farthest wall.
    Each tier was lined with booths and banquettes, with free-standing tables between. The seats were upholstered in a swirling print of red and dark blue velvet, with not one straight line on any piece of furniture. What would ordinarily have had an edge--say, that of a server station--was wavy or spiral, including chests of drawers and chairs throughout the restaurant.
    "Geez," Elyse remarked, "it's like Alice in Wonderland on acid."
    "A little of that goes a long way," Shar drawled. "Come on. Let's get a drink."
    While they seated themselves at the giant stump of a bar, a tall bartender with long dreadlocks sauntered over and introduced himself as Lucian. After the girls settled in, Lucian described a couple of new wines by the glass and launched into the chef's specials.
    "Chef Rick's s a super talented guy," he added. "The southwestern eggrolls are friggin' phenomenal!"
    "Mm, they do sound good," Elyse said glancing at the menu. "Give us a minute to read the rest of the chef's offerings, if you don't mind."
    * * * *
    At that very moment, in the kitchen directly below, the talented chef was having a meltdown. Luckily, the floors were thick and soundproof.
    "What happened now,