“Hello?”
“This is a courtesy call to inform you that your rent payment is currently past due. Please forward your payment immediately. Failure to do so could result in additional late fees or the termination of your lease,” a mechanical voice spat in my ear.
It was a new low when even a recorded message could mock me. It should have just said, “Give me my money, bitch.”
Either way, the message was clear. I was screwed.
Chapter 8
Liam
“Call,” Drew said as he tossed his chips into the center of the table. I’d become a regular at the guys’ weekly poker game. This week, the game was at Drew and Alex’s place, which doubled as wedding central. Nothing like playing poker surrounded by Jordan almonds and tulle.
David laid his hand down on the table. “Read ’em and weep.”
Groans sounded from around the table and we tossed our cards down in defeat.
The door opened and Alex came in, her arms filled with bags of more wedding stuff.
“Hey, Red,” Drew called over his shoulder.
“Hello, boys.”
The rest of us nodded in greeting while examining our cards.
Alex came up behind Drew, resting her arm on the back of his chair and studied his hand. “He needs two.” She plucked two cards from his hand and slid them over to David.
“Hey,” Drew whined.
“Trust me.”
He didn’t put up a fight, just took the cards his brother dealt.
Alex turned her attention to me. “Hey, Liam. I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks. How’s the bar doing?”
“Good. Crazy, but good.”
“Floyd still giving you a hard time?”
I shook my head. “Nah, the new waitress is a good distraction. Keeps him off my back.”
I caught movement out of the corner of my eyes and looked up as Drew made a slashing sign across his throat.
“Oh, you hired someone to replace Bridget?”
I looked over at Drew, who shook his head, his eyes wide in an attempt to warn me from heading down this road.
“Uh…well…” I stammered and my eyes darted between Alex and Drew.
She frowned at Drew, who looked up at her with a smile plastered across his face.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “Bridget can never be replaced, but I got someone to cover while she’s out.”
“Good. I know I’ve been M-I-A the past few weeks, but I promise I’ll be there for trivia next week.”
“No!” Drew and I both shouted at the same time. Alex startled at our shared outburst.
“I mean, don’t worry about it, Alex. You’ve been swamped with the wedding. You should take some time for yourself.”
“Yeah, Red. Like maybe a spa day or something,” Drew suggested.
“Okay,” she said, dragging out the word while her eyes volleyed between us. Alex was far from stupid and we weren’t exactly playing it cool, but I prayed she’d let it go. We needed to come up with a plan to ease her into the idea of Gwen working with me.
She furrowed her brow, muttering, “Freaks,” over her shoulder as she headed into the bedroom.
I sighed and shook my head. How did I get dragged into their drama? Last time I checked, I wasn’t the one who fucked Gwen. Not that I hadn’t thought about it. She strutted around the bar in skin tight jeans and low cut shirts. She was hot, but it was superficial. Who could tell what she really looked like under all that make up and fake hair?
David leaned across the table toward Drew. “What the hell was that about?”
He sighed and nodded to me. “Guess who dipshit here hired as the new waitress?”
David frowned. “Who?”
“Gwen Stevens.”
“Bitchface?” Sean asked, his eyes wide with shock as he turned to face me. “You hired Bitchface to work at The Den?”
“No, your girlfriend hired her,” I said, my answer curt as I faced him.
He winced. “Son of a bitch. She told me she was helping someone get back on her feet, but she didn’t tell me it was Gwen.”
“Well…” Drew shrugged. “She wasn’t around when all that happened, so she didn’t know.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Neither did I and now I’m stuck.”
“Stuck? What do you mean you’re stuck? I thought you were getting rid of her.”
“I can’t just fire her because she slept with you. Finding a waitress you haven’t slept with is going to be pretty difficult.”
“The man’s got a point,” David said, his gaze never leaving his cards.
“Fuck you all,” Drew said.
“Look, Alex is a reasonable woman and besides, what happened was a long time ago you guys are solid now. You’re getting married, for fuck’s sake. She’ll deal.”
Sean shook his head at me and clicked his tongue as he studied his cards. “You don’t know Alex, man. Trust me, you do not want to cross her.”
“I’m not planning on it, but Gwen stays, at least for now. I will talk to her and we will deal with Alex when the time comes.”
“Oh, I got to be there to see this,” Sean said.
“I just hope that when this is all over, I’ll still be able to walk down the aisle with my balls intact.” Drew shifted his cards and laid his hand face up on the table. “Straight flush.”
“Son of a bitch,” I said, tossing my lousy hand down on the table.
“Red’s instincts are rarely wrong, Liam,” he said. “Just keep that in mind.”
***
I walked into the bar just as Gwen flipped the sign to closed. I waved at Al and went straight to the register to pull the reports and receipts from the night.
Gwen hopped up on the bar and swung her legs around to face me. “So, what were you up to tonight? Hot date?”
“Yep, real hot,” I said over my shoulder.
“Couldn’t be that hot, it’s only…” She paused, looking down at her watch. “Eleven-thirty.”
I pushed the register closed and turned toward her. “What can I say? I’m a gentleman.”
She scoffed. “Gentleman, my ass. Weren’t you the guy who threw me over his shoulder the other night all caveman style and carried me up the stairs?”
Al raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s not what you think.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” Al said, his voice a little hard.
I frowned, watching him as he snuck a peek at Gwen, who was still perched on my bar adjusting her cleavage.
“Al,” I said. He didn’t respond, his stare locked on Gwen’s chest. “Al!” Finally, he looked up. “Will you go check the kegs?”
He nodded and gave Gwen a smile as he passed her on the way to the back. She smiled and wiggled her fingers at him. I leaned against the bar and watched her watch Al walk away.
She licked her lips and then turned her attention back to me. Not even a little bit embarrassed at being caught checking out her coworker’s ass.
“What?” she asked.
“That can’t happen.”
“What can’t happen?”
“You and Al.”
She smiled. Her features went soft for a moment before, twisting into a wicked smile. “Jealous?”
“Of you and Al?” I scoffed. “Not a chance, sweetheart.”
Gwen jumped down from the bar, closed the distance between us, and pressed her chest against mine. Her sweet scent surrounded me and I swallowed hard, feeling her nipples pebble against me through the thin fabric of her shirt.
That goddamn shirt. The minute she stepped out of the bathroom with that shirt cut up, revealing all that perfect tanned skin, I was granite. I’d never been that hard in my life and it pissed me off. This girl was high maintenance and way more trouble than she was worth, but that shirt….
“Why not?” she asked. “Don’t you like me, Liam?” She looked up at me, batting those beautiful eyes as she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth. All I could see were those lips, tho
se soft pink lips. I wanted to tasted them, to…
Fuck. What am I doing?
I shook my head to break whatever witchy voodoo spell she’d put me under. Reaching for her hands, which had somehow begun to snake up my chest, I grabbed her wrists, pulled away, then took a step back to create some distance between us.
“Nice try, Princess, but that shit doesn’t work for me.” Her face fell as that blinding smile she’d worn a minute ago changed to disappointment.
“Then why do you care if I go out with Al?”
“I don’t care who you go out with. I just don’t need my employees fucking around at work.” I turned my back on her and went back to sorting the receipts.
Gwen narrowed her eyes. “You don’t think very highly of me, do you?”
“I don’t think you think very highly of yourself.”
“What or who I do is none of your business,” she said, the hurt was clear in her voice.
I kept my eyes on the receipts I was sorting and refused to meet her glare. It was the worst thing I could have done, ignore her. I could feel the heat as it came off her. She just grew more and more angry.
“It is my business, when it’s in my bar.”
“You’re a controlling prick, you know that?”
I turned and stepped right into her personal pace. “And you’re a spoiled brat. What’s your point?”
She glared up at me, her blue eyes swirling with fire. She was pretty cute when she got all worked up, like a Jack Russell spotting a squirrel through a window.
“Ugh!” She growled, spun around on her heel, and headed for the back.
“Where are you going?” I called behind her as she retreated down the hall.
“To hit something,” she said as she stomped down the hall toward the stairs.
“Don’t forget to rotate your hips and throw your weight behind it.”
“Fuck off, Liam,” she snarled. She shouldered past Al as he came out of the kitchen with a case of beer.
I laughed and shook my head returning to the receipts.
“What’s her problem?” Al asked.
“It would take decades and at least four clinical psychologists to figure that one out.”
Al raised his eyes brows and whistled, returning to his work without another word.
I heard the door to my loft slam. I smiled. I enjoyed teasing her a little too much.
Chapter 9
Gwen
I woke up pinned to the bed with Al’s meaty arm slung over my waist. I sighed and dropped my head back to the pillow. Maybe going home with him wasn’t such a good idea after all, but Liam forbidding it made the idea of sleeping with Al all that more enticing.
Slowly, I wriggled my way out from under him, careful not to wake him. The last thing I wanted was another round of his awkward jack-rabbit fucking. It took all of my high school drama skills to fake an orgasm last night, and there was no need for a repeat performance.
I managed to slip from the bed and landed hard on my ass. An old pizza box broke my fall. As quickly and quietly as I could, I made my way around his bedroom retrieving my clothes as I went. I slipped into my jeans and my bra. Before I managed to get my shirt on, Al stirred, so I quickly grabbed the rest of my clothes and my bag and headed into the living room to finish getting dressed.
I eased the door shut, only to lock eyes with a sweaty shirtless guy with the beginnings of a beer gut, holding a video game controller in his hand.
Startled, I clutched my shirt to my chest and dropped my bag at my feet. A slow creepy smile spread across his acne-ridden face. “Nice,” he said. His stare never left my nearly naked chest.
I glared at him and quickly pulled my shirt over my head. The dude’s creepy smile never wavered and I looked down at my cut up work shirt, which showed almost as much skin as my bra. Goddamn it! I was pissed at Al’s leering roommate, and even more at myself because he wouldn’t have a full view of my chest if I hadn’t cut up the shirt to begin with—which made the whole thing infinitely worse. Fucking Liam always had to be right.
I untied the knot at my waist and tugged the wrinkled fabric down for as much coverage as I could manage. I glared at the roommate, whose creepy eyes were still locked on my boobs. I snatched my bag off the floor and headed for the door.
“Fuck, baby,” the creeper said. “You’re hot coming and going.”
I groaned and slammed the door as hard as I could. I no longer gave a shit if I woke Al or not. I made it to the elevator and leaned against the back wall as my phone began to ring. I fished it out of my bag and my dad’s face flashed across the screen. I sighed in relief. He must have come to his senses about this ridiculous cutting me off business.
Swiping my finger across the screen, I took a deep breath as I held it to my ear. “Hi, Daddy.” I kept my voice high and sweet with just a touch of sadness, the verbal equivalent of puppy dog eyes, a skill I’d perfected over the years.
“Gwendolyn.”
“I’m so glad you finally called.”
“You are?”
“Of course, Daddy. I missed you.”
“Oh. Well, I missed you too. I…” He stammered for a minute. Clearly, he expected a freak out, but I was smart enough to know that screaming at him right now wasn’t going to pay my rent.
Dad cleared his throat. “I wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“I’m okay, I guess. Things have been really hard, but I understand now what you mean. I need to make my own way in the world. I’m grateful to you for helping me see the error of my ways.” If they gave out Academy Awards for manipulation, I was a lock. The trick with Daddy was pretty simple: Tell him what he wanted to hear and he’d cave like a sinkhole.
“Really? You have, have you? That’s interesting because I got a call from your rental office today. It seems your rent hasn’t been paid.”
No shit, Sherlock! I rolled my eyes, but kept the attitude out of my voice. “I know, Daddy. I’m having some trouble getting the money together.”
“What happened to the money I gave you?”
“Five thousand dollars doesn’t last as long as it used to.”
“That should have covered your rent for at least two months, Gwendolyn.”
I shrugged. “I had expenses.”
He sighed into the phone. I was losing him. “I got a job,” I added.
“You did?” His surprise stung, but I did my best to hide it. I pushed the hurt way, way down and continued with the task at hand.
“Yes, but it doesn’t pay much. I don’t think I’m going to be able to make enough to cover my rent.”
“Then you’ll just have to find a cheaper apartment.”
“What?” I stopped dead in my tracks. Was he serious?
“You’ll have to move out and find a place to live that fits your budget.”
“My budget?” He was actually sticking to this ridiculous idea of tough love. I couldn’t believe he’d just abandon me like that.
“Gwendolyn. We’ve had this discussion. You are an adult, and as such, you need to make your own way.”
“But I could end up on the streets!”
“You are a smart resourceful girl. You’ll figure it out.”
I growled in frustration and ended the call.
That son of a bitch! I could end up homeless, and he could care less.
***
The next day, I pushed through the kitchen door, tying my apron around my waist. Liam was putting money in the till and glanced up as I made my way behind the bar. His eyebrows rose as he looked me over.
“What?” I shrugged as I reached for the cleaning solution and a rag from under the bar.
“Nice shirt,” he said, nodding to my unaltered staff shirt. After that interaction with Al’s roommate, Captain Creepy, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to cover up a little.
“Shut up,” I sneered, then went to work cleaning tables.
Al came in the front door and his smile widened when he spotted me. I groaned and rolled my eyes, wiping
down the table with more vigor than before. Al swatted my ass with a loud smack as he passed me. “Hey there, sweet cheeks,” he said, walking backward toward the kitchen to clock in. “Last night was fucking awesome!” He raised his arms in victory.
I glared at him and my grip tightened on the bottle of cleaner until my knuckles were white.
I heard a chuckle from behind me and turned to see Liam trying to hold in his laughter. His shoulders shook and he pressed a fist to his mouth.
“Fuck you, Liam.”
“And get Al’s sloppy seconds?”
That stung. “Whatever,” I said, returning to the tables. I did my best to ignore the tears welling in my eyes.
Nothing more was said. We continued our work in silence, barely speaking a word to each other the rest of the night.
The conversation with Dad weighed heavily on my mind. He wasn’t going to change his mind, which meant I had to find a way to pay my rent. It seemed impossible. Even if I saved every last penny I made, I’d still be several hundred dollars short.
I could get a roommate, but my apartment only had one bedroom and besides I didn’t want some stranger touching my stuff. I was quickly running out of time and options.
To make matters worse, there was the whole Al situation. Normally, I never would have slept with a guy like Al. Sure, he was cute. His blond hair was buzzed short, his shoulders were wide and muscular. He had the body and the looks, but he lacked the intelligence and the pedigree.
The men I usually went for were gorgeous with multimillion dollar trust funds and private jets at their beck and call. Al didn’t even come close.
It had been my idea to go home with him. After the edict from Liam, I was pissed, and if I’m being honest…more than a little turned on. The effect that man had on my body was intense. Al just happened to have been in the right place at the right time to receive the benefits of my attraction to Liam.
Last night with Liam started out as harmless flirtation, but when he reached for my wrist to push me away, the fire in his eyes made my mouth dry and my panties wet. There was just something about him that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it drew me to him. It made absolutely no sense considering how much of an asshole he was to me most of the time.
A Chance At Redemption (Madison Square Book 3) Page 6
