Their Redemption

⚠️ This is only a seven chapter snippet and not the full book! ⚠️ ——— —— — Dorian I’ve only been living on campus for a week and my roommate, Timothy, already has me going to a club with him and some friends. Mom would have a fit. He tells me he’s taking me to a place called The Palace. It’s one of the most popular spots in New York. He tells me about the owner, Ronnie and how much of a cool woman she is. When we get to the club, it honestly doesn’t look like much. The outside looks like it’s a repurposed warehouse and the building is old. The bouncer checks our IDs except for Timothy’s. I guess he comes here so much, everyone knows him. Timothy pays for me to get in. After getting inside, I check out my surroundings. It looks cool. There are bright neon lights all over. The DJ is in the corner with a small dance floor. There are balloons scattered across the club. Most of all, it’s packed in here. “Tim, you weren’t lying when you said this place is a hotspot,” I say. “I told you. And wait ‘til you meet Ronnie. She’s one of the coolest, laid-back women I know and she’s so fvcking sexy.” “Where is she,” I ask. He’s been talking about her all night. It’s almost as if he has a crush on her. I’m dying to meet this legendary Ronnie. “If she hasn’t made her way over here by now, she’s probably already made her rounds and hanging at the bar. I’ll go get her and a few drinks.” He walks away and I admire the scene. It definitely has a woman’s touch, but it’s not over the top. The walls are hot pink and accented with black. It reminds me of my sister. Shay loved pink and black. “What do you prefer Dorian, tequila, or bourbon,” I hear Timothy say. “I’m not sure. I’ve never had either.” “Ronnie, did you hear that? He hasn’t even had a drink before,” Tim laughs. “We’re going to have to break him in. This is my roommate, Dorian. Dorian, this is Ronnie.” Timothy sits down, and I prepare to shake Ronnie’s hand, but seeing her confuses me. I stare in disbelief at the woman that is standing before me. I rub my eyes to ensure I’m not seeing things. She looks exactly like my sister, except Shay didn’t have locs or a tattoo sleeve. She stares back at me like she has seen a ghost. No way! This can’t be my big sister. “Sh- Shay,” I question. “Shay, is that you?” “Dory,” she questions back. Only Shay called me Dory. I can’t believe my sister is standing in front of me! “Hold on, why are you calling Ronnie that,” Timothy asks me. “Shay – I mean Ronnie is my big sister and I haven’t seen her in five years!” “Wait, Ronnie is your big sister that you talked about all week that went missing?” “Yes,” I say, continuing to stare at Shay. —— — – Ronnie It’s only been three hours since we opened tonight, and this place is already at capacity! Being a nightclub owner has been one of the most satisfying things I’ve done in my life, and it also has been financially rewarding. I’m hoping that the kitchen expansion gets approved soon. Ralph thinks it’ll pass by Monday. I hope so. As always, I mingle with my patrons. I have my usual customers that come every weekend and I see some fresh faces. When all the faces look the same, I join Brittany at the bar. Brittany is my mixologist and closest friend. Well, if I’m being honest, she is my only friend here in New York. When I moved here, I wasn’t overly friendly, and I didn’t focus on making friends. I bought my loft and nightclub and hired my staff. Brittany is the only person I connected with. Ever since I interviewed her for the bartending job and she’s been working here, we’ve been the best of friends. “Girl, I’ve been talking with a few customers and they are looking forward to eating food here,” Brittany greets. “You know how much money I’ve been losing because most people go grab a bite to eat after hanging at the club all night? Adding a grill to this place will increase revenue like crazy!” “You can never go wrong with alcohol, food, and music, Ronnie. Plus, the way Ralph cooks, people will probably come here just to eat,” she laughs. “That’s surely the plan,” I smile. Like Brittany, I met Ralph while doing interviews. I had already submitted plans for adding a kitchen to The Palace and I wanted to secure a chef. He is so handsome; his chocolate skin is irresistible and when he asked me out after the interview, I couldn’t say no. We’ve been dating for four months and he’s the first guy I have dated since I’ve been in New York. As I sit at the bar with Brittany, Timothy greets me. Timothy is a college student at Columbia University and he brings students with him every weekend. Business isn’t as good as when school isn’t in session, but when it is, Timothy always recommends The Palace. I am grateful to him because he brings me so much revenue by recommending my club to students. “Heyyy Ronnie! How’s it going tonight,” he says. “It’s pretty good, Tim.” “Your locs are getting long. You going to dye them?” I’ve had my locs for about three years now. They fall past my shoulders and I have never dyed them. “I don’t know. I’ve got other things to focus on. Dying my hair to look cool isn’t one of them,” I tell him. “I understand. You should though, cause you’ve got the s.ex appeal for it. You’d look good as fvck! I mean, you look good anyway, but you’d look even sexier.” Timothy’s flirtatious comments can sometimes be awkward. I mean, I’m only twenty-five and he’s like twenty-two, but he makes me a little uncomfortable sometimes. I nervously chuckle and thank him for his compliment. “Anyway,” Timothy says, “I got some fresh meat I brought you tonight.” “Oh yeah? I want to meet them.” “Britt, let me get a shot of bourbon and a shot of tequila,” Timothy requests. After getting the shots, we walk to the middle of the club where my sectionals are. I have a bunch of sectionals by the dance floor for the drunks that get tired and need to sit down. It has proven to be smart because while they recover from dancing, they typically buy more drinks. “What do you prefer Dorian, tequila, or bourbon,” Timothy asks. Dorian is my little brother’s name. I haven’t seen him in five years. I wonder how he is doing. “I’m not sure. I’ve never had either,” I hear a familiar voice say. “Ronnie, did you hear that? He hasn’t even had a drink before,” Tim laughs and turns toward me. Timothy introduces us and sits down. Dorian gives me a puzzled look. “Sh- Shay,” he asks uncomprehendingly. “Dory??” Dorian shakes his head yes as his mouth falls open in shock. I am in disbelief. Timothy asks him if I’m his big sister that went missing five years ago and Dorian confirms it’s me, but I didn’t go missing. I ran away from home.