by Thorpe, Elle
“Well, Low,” I rolled the name around on my tongue. What kind of name was Low anyway? I guessed I wasn’t the only one who went by a nickname. “Since I don’t start for another seven minutes, I’m going to leave you to your break. I’ll see you at the bar. My orientation starts at noon, right?”
I didn’t wait for his reply. With my heart still thumping, I swivelled on my heel and walked away, knowing his eyes followed me.
* * *
By the time Low sauntered up to the bar ten minutes later, I’d composed myself and pushed the phone call to the back of my mind. It had been a stupid idea to call. To call from such a public place, minutes before I started a new job was taking stupid to new heights. I was done thinking about it. I was ready to focus on the job. And maybe my new boss.
The bar was the longest I’d ever seen, stretching almost the full width of the large indoor area of the racetrack. I knew from times I’d come here as a spectator, there were several other bars on the racetrack, but this was the main one. Low held the little swinging door open and motioned me inside. I caught a whiff of his aftershave as I passed; my nose filling with the unfamiliar scent. Something spicy and dark. I liked it.
“So, new girl, do you know how to pull a beer?”
I almost rolled my eyes, but instead I nodded. He might have been hot and flirty, but he was still my boss. “I worked at a pub back at home.”
“Where’s home?”
“Erraville. It’s about twelve hours from Sydney.”
He nodded, studying me. “Well, this isn’t some dinky little country pub. We have races here every weekend and almost every day of the week during the spring racing season. The Lavender Bar is the busiest on the course. Pretty sure you can handle that, though. Right?”
“Bring it on.”
“You’ll need to hand your paperwork in at the office, but I’ll show you where that is later. I’m also obliged to tell you there’s a non-fraternization policy…” He paused so long, I felt like I needed to fill the silence.
“I sense a but coming.”
“But it’s not enforced.” He gave me a little smile and jerked his head in the direction of one of the guys, milling at the other end of the bar. “You know, just in case you find Riley over there so incredibly attractive you can’t keep your hands off him.”
The corners of my mouth twitched. “Got it.”
He chuckled. “All right then.”
He motioned for me to follow him and I trailed him to where the two men and a woman worked in their identical Lavender Fields shirts. “Guys, this is Reese. Reese, that’s Riley, Bianca and Jamison.” He pointed to each person as he said their names before he turned back to me. “The five of us together are the main crew that man this bar. We rotate through positions as we feel like it, but for now, you’re up front with Jamison and me, while Riley and B take care of the tables and clean up.”
Jamison waved. He was taller than Low, with neat, short blondish hair and a boy next door look about him. The other guy, Riley, was shorter, dark-haired with a ring piercing his bottom lip. He wiped his palms on a dish towel and came over to shake hands. Bianca looked up from un-loading a dishwasher, her fair hair escaping her bun and sticking to her face with the steam. She gave me a huge grin which I returned enthusiastically.
“Try not to sleep with this one, please, Low. She looks nice, and it’d be good if we had another woman stick around longer than Abi did.”
I coughed and wondered what had happened between Low and Abi, the ex-bartender, to make her want to leave. Did he ghost her? Probably. He looked the type.
“That won't be a problem,” I said at the same time Low said, “Can’t make any promises.”
Low quirked an eyebrow at me, and I mirrored his facial gesture. I wanted to laugh. Did he assume that by ‘not a problem’ I meant I wouldn’t be sleeping with him? On the contrary, I was already interested. All I meant was I wouldn’t care when he didn’t call me the next day. I stared him down, delight filling me when he was the first to look away.
Bianca laughed. “I like you already.”
Low brushed behind me on his way to the till and I stilled. There was plenty of room, but he was all in my personal space. He brought his lips close to my ear. “So do I. Welcome to the team, Reese.” His breath, warm on my neck, spread goosebumps across my shoulder. His mouth just centimetres from my skin, I fought the urge to close my eyes and lean my head to the side to give him better access.
Yep, this was what I needed. This was how I could forget for a little while. But there was a time and place, and it wasn’t right here with an audience of hundreds.
I focused on the line of customers. All bars were much the same. We could do the orientation later. Right now, I needed to forget Low’s grin and those sparkling blue eyes and be professional.
“What can I get you?” I asked the closest person. Then I picked up a glass and got busy. I stuck close to Low, though not so close that his presence became distracting again. He took my customer’s money, and I watched over his shoulder as he entered it into the till. By the time we had a lull, I had it pretty much sussed out. It wasn’t rocket science.
Grabbing my bag, I riffled through it until I found my stack of rainbow Post-it notes and a pen. I scribbled words across one, sticking them to the bar near the cash register when I was done with each one.
“What are you doing?” Low arrived at my side as I made a neat little row of coloured paper.
I gave him an apologetic smile. “You don’t mind, do you? I watched you at the till and wanted to write notes, just so I don’t forget anything.”
Low shook his head and picked up my note stack. “Do you always carry the world’s largest stack of Post-it notes in your bag, or is it because you started a new job today?”
I snatched them back from his hand with a good-natured grin. Our fingers touched, and I enjoyed the spark. “You act like carrying around sticky notes isn’t a normal thing to do.”
“It’s not.”
“Says who?”
Low raised an eyebrow at me and called to Riley and Bianca, who were working behind us. “Riley, B, do either of you carry a mini mountain of Post-it notes with you?”
“I don’t even carry my phone or wallet half the time, so no,” Riley replied.
Bianca shook her head with an apologetic shrug of her shoulders. “I don’t either. Sorry, Reese.”
Low regarded me with a knowing look on his face.
I sighed. “Shut up. I like stationery, okay?”
Low laughed and held his hands up in surrender. He went back to his customers as I finished up my note taking. I grabbed a cloth and wiped down the bar top, watching him while I waited for the next rush.
I’d begun to notice a pattern throughout the afternoon. Low’s line of customers was always the longest. Even I was able to get through twice the number of customers in the same time Low took. And it was easy to see why. Every eligible woman in the room wanted the chance to talk to him. Men too. And Low seemed happy to oblige them all. Young or old, attractive or not, he flirted up a storm. Making jokes, laughing, letting his hands brush theirs as he passed them their drinks. And his tip jar reflected it.
A cute blond guy reached the head of Low’s line, and they chatted as Low poured drinks. The blond’s order was large and included cocktails that were time-consuming to make. I wondered if that had been on purpose, so he’d have more time to talk to Low. It seemed to be working out well for him. There was an obvious attraction between them as Low leant over the bar, pushing across the tray of drinks. The blond dropped a twenty-dollar note and his business card into Low’s tip jar. Low grinned at him. A tiny flicker of jealousy lit up within me.
“He’s something else, huh?” Bianca leant on the bar next to me.
“Hey?”
“Low. I wish I could pick up guys as easy as that.” Bianca flicked her head to where Low was now laughing with a pretty redhead in a low-cut green dress. His eyes flicked to the retreating form of the bl
ond guy as the man left with his tray of cocktails and beer.
“He’s smart. He’ll make twice the amount of tips the rest of us will.”
Bianca shook her head. “He doesn’t do it for the money. He always splits his tips between us at the end of the shift, anyway. He’s just a flirt by nature.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” I played with the edge of the cloth. “So, he doesn’t have a girlfriend then? Boyfriend?” I tried to keep my voice even, not wanting to sound too interested. I’d assumed he was straight after the discussion about Abi the ex-bartender, but now after watching him with the blond I wasn’t so sure. He wasn’t going to be the distraction I wanted if he was taken or gay.
Bianca frowned as she adjusted the silver bracelets covering her wrists. “He’s bi, but there’s no boyfriend or girlfriend. He’s more the love ’em and leave ’em type.”
That worked for me. I hadn’t wanted anyone for longer than a night in a long time now either. “Do they know that?” I nodded my head towards the woman Low was chatting with.
She laughed. “Probably. He has quite the reputation. But if they don’t know it beforehand, he’ll tell them. He’s good like that. He’s always upfront and honest. They know it’s just a one-time thing, and he’ll be on to someone new next shift.”
“I bet that doesn’t always go down well.”
“It doesn’t. There’s always someone trying to tame him. But I’ve known him awhile now, and I’ve yet to see him date anyone.” She paused. “He doesn’t show much of what’s beneath the man-whore exterior, but he’s worth knowing if he’ll let you in.”
I went back to serving customers, Bianca’s words ringing in my ears. I couldn’t help noticing the similarities between Low and myself. The random partners and aversion to commitment. I didn’t let people in either. I wondered if it was a something or a someone that had broken Low, the same way I was.
Chapter Two
Low
“Two Moscatos, please,” the woman ordered. Her hair fell in curls around her shoulders, and her fancy black dress was cut deep enough for me to enjoy her perky cleavage.
I grinned at her. “You got it.” I threw in a wink for good measure, because I knew it would make her blush. I was right. She giggled, stuffing a ten-dollar note into my tip jar. I handed her the wine, letting my fingers brush hers. “Enjoy those.”
She nodded, turning away, and handed a glass to her waiting friend. They whispered to each other, the woman glancing back at me over her shoulder. I’d already lost interest, though, and moved on to the next woman in line. Fuck, I loved my job. It was a revolving door of opportunities.
Reese appeared next to me and opened one of the beer taps, letting the amber liquid run into her waiting glass. “You’re extra popular today,” she said with a glance down my line. She was right. We’d only opened ten minutes ago, and I had at least a dozen people waiting already. “Got your sights on anyone yet?”
You. I almost said it out loud, but I was trying to behave. Reese had only started at the bar a few days ago, and I’d promised myself I’d be on my best behaviour. Except her long dark hair, deep brown eyes, and curves in all the right places didn’t make it easy. But still, I shouldn’t go there. I’d slept with the last bartender right before she quit, leaving all of us to work extra shifts until we could find a replacement. I owed it to the team to keep Reese around. Next week was one of the busiest on the calendar with the official kick off of the Spring Carnival, so I needed to hang onto her. The others would kill me if they were run off their feet because we were a bartender down again. They all seemed to like her. She fit in well and worked hard.
I shrugged at Reese. “Not yet, but it’s still early.”
She nodded, setting another beer down on a tray. “How’d you go the other night, anyway? Anything happen with that blond guy hanging around after shift?”
I laughed. “Are you asking as a mate? Or because you’re a tiny bit jealous?” I hoped it was the latter.
She rolled her eyes as she pushed a tray of beers across the bar top. “One—we aren’t mates. We’ve worked together for three whole days. And two—come on now, we both know I could have you if I wanted. What do I have to be jealous of?”
I grinned. Well, damn if she couldn’t read me like a book. My interest had been hovering around a seven, but with the way she kept giving it back to me, it had jumped to an eleven. I enjoyed our little back and forths, and I loved how she wasn’t afraid to put me in my place.
“So? How’d you go? You spent all shift flirting with that guy. I’m just wondering if you managed to seal the deal.”
I wriggled my eyebrows at her.
“Good for you.” A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Did you tell him you’d be back here next shift flirting it up with someone new?”
I nodded. “I told him upfront how it is. Always do. You learn to recognise who’s up for it and who isn’t. But I make it worth their while.”
That earned me another eye roll, which I deserved.
“Yeah, I bet you do.”
“You could always find out personally, you know. Offer’s on the table any time you want it.”
Her hand stilled on the beer tap.
I looked over at her, surprised. My pulse picked up. Was she considering it? I’d been joking, but if she was interested, I sure as hell wouldn’t knock her back. I’d quit flirting with every man and woman in the room right now.
“I’ll let you know if I’m ever that desperate.” She flashed me that smile I was beginning to obsess over.
“Harsh, Reese. Harsh.”
“I’m sure you’ll live,” Reese dead-panned. She grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and made her way to the other side of the bar to serve a group of guys who’d been trying to get her attention for a while now. As she walked away, I watched the gentle sway of her ass longer than I should have.
We’d been flirting like this ever since her first shift. But pretty new bartenders had gotten me in trouble before, and there were plenty of other prospects here. Working at the racetrack had to be the easiest way to get laid. I had hot guys and sexy women to flirt with all day, as they drank and had a good time watching the horse races. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. I needed to leave Reese alone.
Turning to my next customer, I stifled a groan as I recognised his handsome face. I’d woken up next to that face just a few days ago. My good mood vanished. “Are you here to see me?” I dropped my voice, so I wouldn’t draw attention to us. He nodded, giving me a tight smile.
Annoyance rose within me, but I tried to tamp it down. “Why? Didn’t you hear what I said the other night?”
“I’m just here to talk.” He bit his lip as he drummed his fingers on the bar top. “We need to talk.”
I sighed. I hadn’t picked him as a cling-on. Great. This was the exact scene I tried so hard to avoid. “No, we don’t. We had fun, Mason, but that’s it.”
He shook his head, thrusting his fingers through his short blond hair. “It’s not like that. Low, listen, I need to talk to you; it’s important.”
I leant in closer. “You knew how it was before we went back to your place. I’m sorry if you’re having one-night-stand regret now, but I’m at work. I can’t do this right now.”
Mason’s mouth dropped open a little, and guilt flooded me, settling uncomfortably in my stomach. I knew I was being harsh, but I’d learnt from past mistakes it was better to cut the clingy ones off before they could begin. It was awkward for everyone involved otherwise.
Anger distorted Mason’s handsome, boy-next-door features into someone different. He shook his head. “You’re an asshole, Low.”
He stalked to the door of the racecourse, yanking it open and letting it swing behind him. I watched him go for a second before turning back to my next customer. He was right. I was.
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Also by Elle Thorpe
Please check www.elle
thorpe.com for more information.
Only the Positive
Only the Perfect
Only the Negatives
Only the Beginning
Only the Truth - FREE and exclusive to newsletter subscribers
All books stand alone, but old friends will pop up new books if you follow the suggested reading order.
Acknowledgments
First of all, a huge thanks to you guys, my amazing readers. I seem to gather a few more of you with each book, so if you’re new, make sure you come find me on social media or drop me an email sometime! I love hearing from you! Thank you for spending your book money on my drama-filled, angst-ridden stories. I hope you love them. Please come join my readers group on Facebook for fun and games and general drama llama goodness. www.facebook.com/groups/ellethorpesdramallamas
And a special thank you to a couple of my drama llama readers…Julie Dickerson, who came up with the title Only the Beginning. And to Sarah Barton from A Book Obsessed Brit, and Stef from There, Their and They’re who both typo hunted for me.
To my editor, Emmy, from www.studioenp.com. Thank you for all your hard work, and for getting this book in at the last minute. To all the Instagrammers, book bloggers and reviewers who make up my promo team. I’m so incredibly grateful for you all. Your support means everything. I don’t have a cover designer to thank this time, because I designed this cover through my own graphic design business, Images for Authors.
To my author besties, Jolie Vines and Zoe Ashwood. I don’t even know what to say to you two anymore. It would be like missing limb if I didn’t have you two in my life. You two keep me sane. Thank you both for your amazing critiques and proofreads.
To my beta readers Shellie Maddison, Ally Murphy, Alisa Cavanaugh, Tamara McCall, Shannan Percival, and Karen Crompton. You’re all incredibly helpful in different ways. The six of you together are like a some sort of beta reading super team. Thank you for always jumping to read my work whenever I send it to your kindles.
