As it was already getting dark outside, Nick dragged himself out of the last lecture hall of the day. Charlotte had texted him to call her. If he forgot again, she would definitely be angry this time. Charlotte, a former member of the field hockey team and now a police officer in training, had been Nick's friend since school. They had become friends around the 8th grade when she had slammed her book hard on Sam Hillmann's head, and Nick covered for her. Well, actually, he had only said that he hadn't seen anything when the teacher asked him, but that was enough. Charlotte was his proof that girls and boys could be friends. During their school years, it was mainly because Nick was always a bit afraid of her, even though she was generally attractive. Tall, blonde, green eyes and arms. that were much stronger than they looked. Sam Hillmann had broken up with her via text message, hence the blow to the head.

"Hello, what's up?" "Ah, good that you called." "I wanted to ask you what you're doing next Saturday?" Nick had to briefly remember what day it was today. Thursday. Yesterday, he was at the bar after he had finally opened the letters on his desk. "You mean in two days?" "Yes, yes, the day after tomorrow." I need to get some things for our station, and I could use some help carrying them. Carrying was not exactly one of Nick's top 10 favorite activities. "I don't know." He gritted his teeth while thinking about it. Saturday, Saturday, he might have had something planned. "Hmm, don't know." “Oh, Come on!“ “You can at least help me carry some stuff." "I don't know – because I might have a job interview.""What?" Charlotte sounded skeptical. "For what exactly?" Nick rolled his eyes. "Well, for a job." A new part-time job. With a better salary. "Aha. - And where?" Nick didn't know precisely where, when, or how his job interview would take place, and if it were to happen at all, so he simply chose the most obvious option." “In a bar." Probably." "In a bar? Do you want to become a bartender?" "Maybe. I'm not quite sure yet.” Nick paused briefly and took a deep breath. "I need to see how all of this will go." But when I know more, I'll let you know, too, okay?” “Okay.” Charlotte didn't sound very convinced. “But really get in touch.” “Yeah.” “All right, see you then.” “Hmm, see you.”

When Nick put his cell phone in his pocket, he stopped for a second time. He was really exhausted. But he should ask about the job. Tomorrow, he thought to himself. There's always tomorrow.

Friday actually went a lot better. Nick was well rested; he didn't have many lectures, and his morning shift in the administration department had been quiet. On the benches in front of the small canteen, he waited for Sailom. He had finally memorized the number from his napkin, so he pressed the dial just a little excitedly. Nick almost hung up, but after 4 rings, someone finally answered. “Hallo?" "Yes, hello, this is Nick. Nick from Wednesday night at the bar.” He felt felt a bit stupid. What if the bartender, who was at least as drunk as he was, didn't remember anything? What if that was the wrong number? “Nick? Ah, yes, Nick. Nick, who needs a good-paying part-time job.” He heard the laughter on the other side and was sure it was the guy from that night. “Yes, exactly this, Nick.” “So, you want the job?” Saint really got straight to the point. “Mmhm, yes. I'd like to have a look at it.” Saint laughed again. “Great, then why don't you come by tonight, around 6 pm? Is that convenient?” “Six-six o'clock? At the bar?” “Yes, we can meet in front of it. Then I'll introduce you to my boss.” “Okay. Sure, see you tonight then.” “Yes, see you then.” Saint's farewell sounded upbeat. He seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood, just like at their first meeting. Someone who really enjoyed his job. Or maybe he was one of those constantly positive people who seemed so unnaturally happy, as if they were having a good time every day. But on the other hand, that wasn't really Nick's impression of him. He was more - amused. Like with friends on a night out.

“Who were you talking to?” Sailom put his bag on the table and sat down next to him. “With the guy from the job.” “Good for you.” Sailom took a Tupperware box out of his bag. Inside was a sandwich from work. He was often too stingy even for the canteen. “Isn't that tuna?” Nick wrinkled his nose. “Yes, that's why it can't be saved until tomorrow.” “You don't even like tuna.” Sailom raised his right eyebrow, as he often did. “Our sandwiches are really good. And this doesn't taste much like tuna at all.” He held the sandwich right under Nick's nose. He moved away from it a little. “Whatever you say.” “So, what kind of job is this?” asked Sailom, taking a bite of his lunch. Nick shrugged his shoulders. “I guess bartending.” Sailom looked at him out of his big, dark eyes. “You don't know?” He sounded a little too shocked for Nick's taste. “Well, what kind of job would a bartender in a bar offer me?” Sailom's eyes narrowed again, and his face turned into a typical skeptical look. "A job at night time where you earn a lot of money." He frowned. "I'm not thinking about bartending here." Nick snorted. "I beg your pardon, my friend. What else could it possibly be?" Sailom shrugged his shoulders. "Escort." "Who would ask me to be an escort?" "I've already been offered that." The look on his face was slightly disgusted. "From the debt collectors of Dad's gambling debts." Nick rolled his eyes. "The guy wasn't a debt collector but a normal bartender." He lay down on his back and exhaled heavily. "I bet I'm supposed to be a dishwasher or something." "Dishwashers are not well paid." "Maybe in this bar, who knows." He saw Sailom shake his head as he continued to eat his sandwich. "I'll call you tonight and ask if you still have all your organs." Nick kicked his friend lightly in the side. "Ouch. I’m only looking after you, man.”

On his way to the bar, Nick had to admit that the thing about his organ being harvested suddenly didn’t seem too far-fetched. Six pm was not late at night, and they would meet on the relatively busy street in front of the bar, but who knew? He didn't know this Saint guy at all. And he had never mentioned that he should work in the bar. Walking along the street, he tried to shake off the feeling and take deep breaths of cool air. It was not yet dark, and many people were on the way. He, an escort? Yeah, that was ridiculous. Everything would be fine...

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Hey, you made it.” Saint seemed pretty relaxed. “Yeah. Thanks again for this – opportunity.” “No Prob. Honestly, it’s been a while since we welcomed a new part-timer. I think the boss will be happy to have someone new.” The district where the bar was located was not a shabby one. A few bars, clubs, and cafes were around. Students, businessmen, and Construction site workers all came together. They walked a bit and stopped in front of a slightly taller building. It looked slightly more modern than the others around. Inside seemed to be several businesses. The automatic glass doors made it seem like one of the company headquarters or a very small shopping mall.

“We have to go to the third floor,” Saint said, pressing the button with the number 3 on it. This building seemed to have eight levels, an underground parking lot, and a basement level.

On the 3rd floor, the first came across a small room with a reception with thick glass doors on both sides as its walls. The word ‘Glanz’ was written in big letters on the wall right behind the desk. Glanz, Glanz, the name was strangely familiar. Saint only nodded as they passed by the lady sitting there and went to the right door. They walked through a long passage with only a few doors around until they stopped at the biggest one of them at the end. “Wow, a corner office. Is this one of the Managers of this company or something?” Nick asked jokingly, but he was kind of uneasy about the whole ordeal. This person seemed like a pretty big deal, with an office that had such an enormous door. “Hmm, oh no, this floor actually has no workers from the company around.” He knocked. “Only the Director.” “Wait.Wh-?” The big door opened automatically. They stepped into a spacious office with a large window as its back wall. In front of that window was a big brown desk and a pale, young woman with brown hair set behind it.

She looked more like an overworked Deputy Manager rather than a Director of a company at this scale. But the smile she threw at them as she looked up was like it came directly from an Airline commercial, and she was the happiest stewardess. The contrast was wild. “Hello there, Director.” Saint grinned as he attempted a little bow. The woman stood up, still smiling, and walked around the desk, directly towards the two dark green couches standing in the middle of the room. “Should we take a seat?” Ah, maybe she really was a stewardess before.

Nick sat nervously on the right couch, Saint right next to him, while the woman sat on the opposite side. “I’m Ingrim Parker, one of the Directors of this company.” She didn’t reach her hand out for a greeting. “But please, don’t be nervous. It’s really just a title. The one running this whole place is our CEO, Robert Bentley. The Chairman is Stuart Miller. I’m only one of the Directors on the Board. And I don’t really do much.” Nick didn’t understand what that meant, but he nodded with an awkward smile. “I’m Nick Sanders. I’m an economics student at SKY University.” “Oh, economy. How interesting.” Looking up close, she seemed even younger. Her skin was really white, and you could see faint dark circles under her eyes but not one wrinkle. Her face was round, and her hair was tied in a bun with a few strands of hair framing it. Nick had never seen a Director of a company in his life. Only the old, arrogant-looking people seemed to hold this position. “It’s really an honor.” The smile on the Director’s face changed a little, and she seemed genuinely happy about his remark. “Well, thank you.- Listen, you don’t have to worry. I’m not in charge of employment in this company. Actually, I rarely do anything in its day-to-day business.” It seemed a little like she talked to herself about it rather than saying it to someone. “Since Saint brought you to me, he thought that I could hook you up with a part-time job in one of my friend's small businesses or in one of our laboratories. I hope that is okay with you?” “Yeah, of course,” Nick answered, a little too excited. Even though it would be interesting to work at a company like that, Nick didn’t even know what ‘Glanz’ was actually doing. He wasn’t prepared at all, and if he had to do an interview now, he would definitely fail big time. But knowing the director of a company like that was a big plus. “Great. Well, then I will introduce you to some of the businesses. Or maybe some of our facilities need an extra hand. Do you have preferred working hours? Since you’re a university student, your schedule must be a little irregular.” “Ah yeah, but the weekends and in the evening are fine. “Okay, let’s see....”

After around an hour, everything was set. Saint accompanied Nick to the front desk and then went back to the director's office. As Nick left the building, he could feel the tension leaving his body. Wow, that was totally different from what he expected. He went to a big office in a big(?) company, went straight to one of the Directors, and then got a job directly arranged by her. Even though it was a bit weird that she had such a remote office on the third floor rather than the top floor and that she looked really young, she actually seemed pretty nice. Next Thursday, he would have his first day at one of Glanz's labs. She said he would primarily have to organize samples and help with cleaning and packing. But the pay was really generous. Who would have thought? He should definitely call Sailom to tell him that he was not about to become an escort.

“Hey, Man, guess who still has all his organs and a pretty legit part-time job?”