Becoming the Lady Black

hunting for wes.

The following week in the valley, Alice runs into Wyatt and told him that she met his brother. "Oh god, which one? I didn't know either of them were at the pull?"

"Either? Wes was there. I didn't even know you had one brother, but now you have two?"

"Alice, when have we had a real conversation? I've always had two brothers. I just don't like to talk about them. So are we done with this? Stay the fuck away from Wes and Will. Okay? I mean it, Alice."

Clearly this conversation was over, "Your names are Wyatt, Wes and Will? Your parents must have been feeling very creative."

"Your sister's name is Arya. Alice and Arya. Do you really have room to jest?"

"Fine," walking back to the girls and the hard lemonade, she was thinking of how to find out more about Wes.

Luckily she didn't have to wait much longer. As she approached the cooler, she heard a girl ask another, "Did you see Wes at the tractor pull last week?"

"Yes, I can't believe there was an older W brother sighting. Those are rare and far between outside of Scar's." Alice took her sweet ass time at the cooler, not wanting to be associated with this, but wanted to learn as much as she could. What was Scar's? It was a place that she had never heard of. "I mean Wes fixes my car, but never really says a word." Alice felt like she had enough to go off of. Google and a phone book would answer the rest of her questions.

That night, Alice looked up Scar's and found out that Wes and his brother owned this place. It was actually called Scarlett's and was a gentlemen's club. Apparently, it had really picked up since the new management had stepped in. From the reviews she had found, Will was the one running the show and Wes was behind the scenes. The girls had mentioned something about Wes working as a mechanic though? She would be much more comfortable running into him there, instead at a strip club. But there were hundreds of auto shops in the city. How was she going to pick the right one? Her Prius was going to be taking some serious damage over the next few weeks. Why are you doing this, Alice? Why do you need to find him? You met this man once. The internal argument went on. But the memories of last week winning over. I can't accept that I'll never see him again.

That night, she grabbed whatever tools she could find in her parents' bare garage, and went to stare at her car. She knew nothing about the mechanics behind anything. Finally, she looked at the hammer in her hand and everything clicked. With every ounce of strength, she took the hammer to her headlight, smashing it all over her driveway. With a grin, she went back into the house and went to bed.

Her winning streak came to a screeching halt when the mechanic was not Wes. Seven headlights and eight taillights later, she still had not found the right place. Driving home, about to give up her search, Alice spots the unmistakable tattoos. Her little car dangerously turned into the shop's parking lot, stopping inches from Wes's kneecaps. "Quite the entrance lady. I'd say you were looking for me."

"I ran out of blinker fluid. It's quite the emergency actually. Hoping you might have some here. The place down the street was fresh out," she stated, trying to keep a straight face.

His laugh was perfect, "Don't they have some at a pretty mechanic shop on your side of the tracks to take care of such a dire issue for you?"

"But you see, I hear that this place has the worst service, and I just had to see for myself. And I must say, the reviews are wrong. I've seen all I need to see." Barely loud enough for Wes to hear, she added, "And I really like what I see."

"All service has a price," the innuendo hung thick in the air.

"Price is not an issue. It pays to have a father with a thin black card. If only it didn't come at a cost. I will continue to be the perfect daughter and hate every minute of it."

"Lucky for you, I happen to know a place that is hiring. You could have the life you want, no need to worry about daddy dearest frowning on you anymore."

Understanding where he was going with this, "The management must really suck then, huh. If you can't keep your ladies?"

"My turnover rate is very small. The women working are always satisfied with their spot at Scar's." Pulling out his phone and messing with an app, finally turning the phone to Alice, "That's what my table bussers make, working part time. Do you think that you could deal with a shitty manager for that?"

Her heart stopped. That number was absurd, completely unheard of. Why was he paying that much? With the way her parents paid for her expenses, she could afford the truck she wanted in six months. "I refuse to take my clothes off."

"Of course not," Alice was too busy staring at the promising salary to notice the shit-eating grin on Wes's face. "When can you start? I just had someone bussing move up to bartending. I have an opening."

Snatching the phone out of his hand, "Here's my number. Text me the address and what time I should be there."

"Are you going to let me in on the secret that is your name?"

Wes: 151 Washington Dr. Don't forget to wear something sexy. Can you get here by 8?

Seriously? As if she hadn't already been staring at her closet for the past forty-five minutes, just trying to find something sexy in her exceptionally boring closet. To add to her anxiety, her mom freaked out when she told them about this job she had taken. Why do you feel like you need to work? Do you need more money for anything? Years ago, she had accepted the fact that her parents would never understand her. She was grateful for everything they had done for her and her sister, but unlike her sister, it just didn't work. She was never comfortable following the leader, and would always sort things out for herself. Obviously, she did not disclose everything about the place she was working. It's just bussing tables. Is that so wrong, mother? Arya, obviously sided with their mom, stating that Alice should look into the country club if she really wanted to work so badly.

Alice: I'll be there. Sexy is questionable. Giving up on her closet, Alice decides to go shopping before work. Nothing in her closet remotely said sexy. She quickly did her hair and threw make up in her purse. She didn't want to argue with her mom and sister again, so looking as normal as possible as she left would be in her best interest.

Wes: I'm sure you'll think of something. I'm counting down.

By the time she fought through traffic and made it to the mall, it was already after six; she only had thirty minutes to find an outfit. Thankfully, it started ridiculously easy. The first store she topped in had everything she needed. Alice found a pair of ripped and destroyed white skinny jeans. After rummaging through some tank tops, she gave up on that store. The clock was ticking. She needed to find a top and fast. Giving up on this store, she slid her black card and practically sprinted from the store and frantically looked into every window. She landed on a lingerie store, praying that they had what she needed.

"Uuuggghhh," she complained. Alice was on her third store and still couldn't find a shirt that would work. She only had seven minutes to find something and get to the club. Something caught her eye, there in the window of the store she had just left. How could I have missed that? It was a red top, perfectly sheer. Maybe she should have listened to her sister at some point and she might know what this material is called. The shirt was simple, but some how sexy. Alice was grateful she chose her black lacy bra, it would show through just the right amount, not giving too much away but still letting the boys see a peek of the girls.

Alice: On my way.