by Sierra Rose
“What’s this?”
“Dinner. I know you didn’t eat so I got you something when I went out.”
“Thank you, Art.”
“You’re welcome.” He disappeared into the back room.
Lori’s eyes widened. “You’re not going to eat that? Right?”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Because you’ve been treating him like crap. He probably poisoned it.”
Art came back in. “I heard that.” He reached for the sandwich, unwrapped it, and took a big bite.
“Okay, so he didn’t dip it in the toilet,” Lori said.
I reached for it and took a big bite myself. “Thank you, Art. It’s delicious and I’m starving.”
He left again and Lori looked at me in shock.
“Why is he being so nice?” she asked.
I bit into the hot steak sandwich. “I don’t know, but I’m starving and this tastes delicious.”
When Lori went back, I had my first real doubt about Art. Part of me was still mad at him, but part of me felt guilty. Maybe he was a nice guy after all. That simple token of kindness really had me thinking. Should I end this game now? Nah, not yet. Just a little more. After all, he deserved it.
When Sophie came in, I told her everything.
“Awwww. What a sweetie. He really is a nice guy. You should just leave him alone. You got him back good. Now end this once and for all.”
“Lori does not agree with you on that one,” I said.
“I know. She wants him to quit.”
“She wants revenge just as much as I want it.”
“I think Art likes you,” she said.
“You mean when he’s not mad at me?”
“I can tell by the way he stares at you when he doesn’t think you’re looking.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Just give this whole charade up and ask him out on a date. We both know you like him, and we both knows he likes you too.”
I pondered her thoughts long and hard.
***
A week later, I found myself at another frat party, drink in hand.
Sophie grabbed my arm. “Your employee is here.”
“Debbie?” I asked.
“Nope!”
I glanced over. “Art? Oh my Gosh. What’s he doing here? He’s supposed to be at work.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have hired him,” Juliet said. “He’s in the same circle of friends, so he’ll be at all the same parties. I’m sure he’s gonna tell everyone stuff.”
“Pssh. I can handle Art just fine,” I said, then walked over to him.
“Hey, Alexis,” he said.
“Hey yourself. Why aren’t you at work?” I asked nicely.
“I switched with Debbie.”
“What? I didn’t approve that.”
“I know. Lois did.”
I sighed. “Okay then.”
“You’re not gonna order me to swab the deck tonight, are you? Maybe clean up puke or spilled beer?”
His tone pissed me off and I just wanted to get away from him. “What I’m not going to do tonight is deal with you. Have fun.”
As I turned to walk away, he grabbed my arm. “You’re having fun fucking with me, aren’t you, Alexis? You’ve changed my schedule, made me work late, and even demanded that I had to come in on my days off, only for me to get there to find out from Debbie that I’m not even scheduled. What did I do to get on your shit list?”
“I don’t know. If you don’t like it, you could always quit,” I said.
“No, because the job is perfect for me. It’s nearby, and unlike you, Lois is as flexible as you promised she’d be. With all my classes, I need that.” He spoke sternly, locking his gaze on mine. “I’ve never been so attracted to somebody yet fuming at them at the same time,” he admitted.
“I have a way with people, or maybe that’s just the alcohol talking, making you say stupid shit—beer goggles and all that.”
“No, you’re even hot when I’m completely sober, even when I’m completely ticked off at you, which is often.”
“Why are attracted to me?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s chemistry or something. Hell, maybe destiny and fate have something to do with it. It’s not cut and dry like when I buy something at Amazon, reading customer reviews and picking something. We don’t choose who we’re attracted to, Alexis, but I’m definitely attracted to you.”
His eyes bore deeply into mine and I felt butterflies in my stomach.
“You’re beautiful, Alexis, and I can’t stop thinking about you,” he said.
I wasn’t sure what to say in response to his confession. “But I… You… A guy can’t just fall for his bitch boss, Art.”
“I’ve been weighing the risks, and so far, the odds are in your favor.”
“In my favor? That’s a matter of opinion,” I snapped. “Anyway, how can you possibly have any chemistry with a woman who’s been so mean to you for weeks?”
“I noticed your, uh…bitchiness. I just figured classes are stressful, or maybe you’re going through family problems, something touchy. I know there’s a sweet, wonderful girl underneath all that tension.”
I swallowed hard. I couldn’t help being touched by his words, even if they did aggravate me at the same time. Conflicted is damn right, I thought to myself before I said, “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
His brown eyes twinkled. “So how about saying yes to a date with me?”
I shook my head. “No can do.”
“Why? Are you worried it might not work out? If it doesn’t, you can just give me some menial job to do that… Oh. Wait. You’ve already got me scrubbing toilets. I can’t imagine what a bad date would earn me.”
I had to smile at his attempt to break the ice with a little humor. “This isn’t how this was supposed to work out,” I whispered under my breath. “You’re supposed to hate me for making your life a living hell.”
“Hate you?” He shot me a confused look. “What are you talking about?”
“I wanted you to quit,” I confessed.
He stroked a strand of hair from my face. “Why? What have ever done to make you so mad at me? We haven’t even known each other that long. Do I look like an old boyfriend or something?”
“You could say that,” I admitted. “I just… I guess I’ve always been attracted to you, Art...for my entire life.”
“Huh? I didn’t catch the last part. What did you say?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
I couldn’t stop myself from staring into his eyes. How could I ever deny this attraction? I couldn’t. He inched closer, his mouth hovering dangerously close to mine. My heart was beating so fast.
“Most guys would be running away as fast as they could if I did all that stuff to them,” I said.
“I’m not most guys. I don’t run from my problems. I face them head on.”
“So you consider me one of your problems?”
He cupped my face and stared into my eyes. “I sure hope so.”
My heart raced from his touch. “I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered, caught off guard by his flattery. “I’ve been a real bitch.”
“I forgive you,” he said.
I knew he was going to kiss me, and I’d been dreaming about kissing him for practically my whole life. Now, when he was standing right before me, his lips parting ever so slowly to welcome mine, I wondered if I should just forget about the past, all that hurt, and start anew. Does he deserve a second chance with me, or should I just keep acting childish and play the revenge card? Can I forgive and forget, or should I just move on? A wonderful guy was waiting to kiss me, and I badly wanted to return the favor; his mouth looked delicious, and his words had sounded sincere. I knew it would be immature and foolish to hold back just because of something he’d done when we were practically kids, especially when he didn’t even realize who I was, that I was the girl he’d dumped. Is it even really fair to hold that against him?
Just as I was debating telling him the whole truth and nothing but the truth, one of the husky football players grabbed us and began pulling us toward a group. “These two will work!” he slurred.
Art laughed as he looked at me.
I admired his beautiful laugh, the same one he’d always had; it still made my toes tingle.
“Beer hunter,” the football player said as he hauled us around like a couple of ragdolls.
Art cocked a brow. “Huh?”
Seeing that he wasn’t at all hip to the party games, I explained, “It’s kinda like Russian roulette, except with beer,”
“Man, you’ve never heard of beer hunter?” the jock asked, with the characteristic dumb look on his face.
“No,” Art said.
“All right. See, it’s like this. I just grab a beer and shake it real good. Then I put the same amount of beers as players in this box. Only one beer’s all shook up, right? I mix ‘em up and hand ‘em out. Everybody holds his or her beer out and leans over it as they open it. The one who gets all wet, the one who has the fizzy beer, is out, and everyone else downs theirs. We keep playin’ till there’s only one person left who ain’t soaked. Got it?”
“Got it.”
The linebacker mixed up the beers, then held the black crate out to me.
I randomly picked a beer and smiled as Art carefully chose his can and the others all picked theirs.
“Go!” the football player yelled as the music blasted around us.
I opened my beer and was relieved when I didn’t get a bath.
The girl next to me screamed as the beer sprayed all over her.
“You’re out, Mel!” the football player said. “The rest of you, down those suckers!”
Art laughed, and together we downed our drinks, me much faster than him. I hadn’t exactly examined my family tree that closely, but I was sure I had some Irish in me somewhere.
“Wow! You’re fast!” he said.
“Pssh. Chalk it up to experience. I’ve been to more frat parties than I can count.”
We played round after round, until Art and I were the only ones left. Everyone circled around us and cheered, as if we were two gladiators in an arena. I had downed seven beers, and thanks to that and the drinks I’d had before the game had ensued, I had a good buzz going.
“Let’s get ready to rrrrumbllllle!” the football player called out as he mixed up the last two remaining beers.
I carefully chose my can, leaving Art with only one option. I stared at him with a smile and counted down, “Five…four…three…two…one…” I opened my can, and it didn’t spray.
Art, dripping with beer, picked me up and spun me around, and I couldn’t stop laughing.
“And we have a winner!” the football player announced, lifting my arm in the air.
The group then picked me up, their drunk, shaky arms carrying me in a haphazard victory dance. When they put me back down, I fell right into Art’s arms. Our eyes locked once again, and we tuned out all the laughter and music. In that moment, it was just the two of us.
Just as he pulled me close and softly placed his lips on mine, Lori approached. “We’re leaving,” she said. “You ready?”
I pulled away, snapping out of my daze. “Oh. Uh…yeah.”
Art pulled out his cell. “What’s your number?”
I gave him the digits, and he quickly saved them in his phone.
“I’ll call you first thing tomorrow…Boss,” he said with a wink.
As he walked away, my heart almost beat out of my chest.
“I can’t believe you gave him your number,” Lori said. “We’re out for revenge, and you’re trying to hook up with him. He needs to pay for what he did, Alexis. Did you forget how he stood you up? You cried to us for hours about that, for days. I even missed out on the prom to stay with you and make sure you weren’t as suicidal as you sounded on the phone. Even if you don’t want payback anymore, I do. That bastard ruined my prom, too, and it took me months to pick out that dress—not to mention that my hair and makeup were smokin’ hot. All I got out of the night was a fucked-up up-do and a wrinkled dress smeared with your cried-out mascara.”
“What’s going on?” Juliet asked. “Did my eyes deceive me? Were you about to kiss him?”
I glanced down and tried to figure out how to answer her.
Before I could say anything, Lori butted in. “I’ve got it all figured out. This is all part of the grand plan, right? You’re gonna make the poor creep fall in love with you, then snatch the carpet right out from underneath him and laugh while he falls on his ass.”
“That’s one way to get him back,” Sophie chimed in. “His college frat formal is coming up. I guess if you’re still out for revenge, you could stand him up, just so he knows how it feels.”
Lori shook her head. “That could work, if he even chooses to ask her. Gosh, he’d look so pathetic showing up at his own frat dance alone, having to go stag. That would be the ultimate payback.”
“Damn straight,” Erin said.
“It’d be…perfect,” I hesitantly said, biting my lip.
We hung out and slammed a few more beers down before I said goodnight and left, with plenty on my inebriated mind.
***
The restaurant closed at nine p.m., but the bar stayed open. I said goodbye to the waiters, waitresses, and cooks, then took a quick inventory as Debbie wiped down the counters.
“Talk about tall, dark, and handsome,” she said. “Look who just walked in the door.”
I glanced over. “Oh,” I said when I realized it was only Kyle, who never impressed me much.
“That’s Juliet’s crush, right? I’ve seen him around campus.”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
Her eyes devoured his towering frame from top to bottom. “Well, I can definitely see why she’s so hung up on him.”
“Don’t even think about flirting with him,” I said.
“Why? Because Juliet called dibs or because he’s nothing but trouble?”
“Both, I guess. He’s major trouble. I’ve known him my whole life, and he hasn’t changed. He just bounces from one girl to another.”
“Damn. I bet he can do some serious bouncing,” Debbie said, shamelessly licking her lips.
Kyle cockily walked up to the bar and smiled as if the world should be honored to see him. “Hey, ladies.”
“Hi, Kyle,” I said, smiling. “The usual?”
He shot Debbie a seductive look. “No. Gimme a piece of ass.”
“I love that drink,” she said. “It’s sexy.”
I chuckled. “Southern Comfort? Hmm. That’s not your usual style.”
“You’re right,” he said. “I’ll just take a Budweiser.”
“You always have loved that goat piss,” I said with a laugh. “If you weren’t best buds with Juliet, I’d say you have a bad case of bad taste.”
“Hey, it’s good stuff, with my limited funds.”
I handed him his beer. “Whatever floats your boat.”
He smiled. “I’m here to meet Juliet.”
“You know she’s never on time,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, that girl will be late to her own funeral.” He let out a laugh. “If we miss my favorite band, I’m gonna kill her.”
“She’ll be here,” I said.
When Debbie walked away to help some other customers, Kyle stared right at her ass. “Who’s the cutie?”
“My staff’s off limits, Kyle,” I said. “We’ve talked about this before. Don’t you dare come into my bar and start hitting on my bartenders and waitresses, or I’ll show you the damn door.”
He grinned. “Okay, okay. Geesh. I get it. All looky, no touchy.”
“Damn straight.”
He looked at me and smiled. “So…where’s Art? Chained up downstairs in some medieval torture device?”
“Juliet told you?”
“She tells me everything,” he said, sipping his cheap beer. “But don’t worry. I wo
n’t tell the dude anything. It might be kinda cool to see how it all plays out, like some damn reality show or something.”
I shook my head. “That girl can’t keep a secret to save her life.”
“Hey! She keeps secrets from everyone but me. It’s funny as hell, by the way.”
I smiled.
“That asshole shouldn’t have treated you that way in high school,” Kyle said. “Matter fact, we could teach him a lesson right now. I’d be happy to kick his ass if you want.”
“I can handle him,” I assured him.
“Well, nobody messes with my childhood friends.”
“I thank you for your loyalty,” I said, “but I need to do this my own way.” Kyle was a real jerk when it came to being faithful to girls, but when it came to being a friend, he was the friends-are-friends-forever kind of guy, and that was refreshing, considering some of the jerks I’d known.
“Okay. Whatever you say.”
I smiled as Art approached, tying an apron around his perfectly lean waist. “Bob’s not comin’ in,” I announced.
“So?”
“So you might wanna get to work on the dishes in the back.”
“What? I’m not a dishwasher.”
“You are tonight.”
He turned abruptly, muttering a curse under his breath.
“What’s up with Bob? He sick or somethin’?” Kyle asked.
“No. I just told him to take the day off.”
“Wait. On purpose, just so Art would be stuck with the pile of dishes?”
I smirked. “Yep, and I added a few glasses and saucers for good measure.”
“You devious little bitch! Damn. I’ll be sure not to cross you,” he said. “You might cut my dick off.”
“Funny.”
“Yeah, yeah. Very funny. Until it happens to you.”
I laughed. “In all seriousness, though, I’m surprised one of your little bimbo conquests hasn’t gone all Lorena Bobbitt on you.” I held up my fingers with a scissor-snapping gesture, and we both burst out in laughter. “Snip-snip.”
“Why would they? I never hide my true intentions. Relationships suck. I see nothin’ wrong with having a little fun and a good time, no strings attached.”
“Tell me, Kyle, as a major player on campus, why would you say guys have one-night stands?”
