Manservant

by Shari J. Ryan

  “Yeah, man, I think we hit a couple of five-footers. It was high tide and pretty decent.”

  “I was thinking with how windy it was, the swells must have been pretty decent. I’m glad to hear that,” Liam says.

  “You haven’t been in the water all week. What’s up with that?” Sterling asks him. Does Liam surf too?

  “Work has been crazy this week. We have a new grunt and you know how that goes.” No way. He better not be talking about me.

  “Ech,” Sterling groans. “Sorry to hear that. Hopefully this one isn’t as bitchy and stuck up as the last one.” I feel my face heating up as anger rages through me, but I can’t give him what he wants right now. He knows exactly what buttons he’s pressing. I take my drink and slug a few big gulps. Ass. Ass. Ass.

  “I should be there in the morning, though. Will you be there around seven? It’ll give me a good hour at least,” Liam asks.

  “Yeah, seven works.” Sterling gives Liam another handshake and looks down at me. “Your food will be right up.” He winks at me as he turns to leave, and goddammit, my stupid heart needs to stop dropping into the pit of my stomach and flopping around like a fish out of water.

  Liam laughs. “Oh God. You’ve met Sterling, huh?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “Watch yourself,” he says. Like I should be taking advice from Liam of all people. Okay, I’ll watch myself.

  It only takes a nano second to ponder the real reason he’d be telling me to beware, though.

  The quiet dinner I had in mind didn’t exactly pan out the way I expected. Instead, our night is slowly becoming overcrowded. I had hoped there would be a decent night life here, but it’s Monday, and it’s so busy it looks like it should be the weekend.

  I’m not sure where the drinks keep coming from but every time I turn around, there’s either a shot or a mixed drink sitting on the coaster in front of me. I haven’t indulged since the endless graduation parties. I was left with a week-long hangover that forced me to give my liver a hearty break for the past month. Plus, Jade left and everyone else in our little group of friends slowly disappeared into the real world—something we all promised each other we wouldn’t do. It’s like a dark hole everyone falls into when they’re forced to face adulthood.

  Being here now, I realize I’m not just moving on from my old life, I’m starting over. Even when I go back home, things won’t be the same, and I’ll have to start over again.

  “I’ve got to say, I’m pretty impressed with how well you handle your liquor,” Liam mutters against his tall glass of beer. He hasn’t moved from his seat since he arrived, nor said a word to Cale or Jared. Why bother coming out if you’re going to be miserable and slump over a bar for hours while everyone else has fun?

  “Why are you impressed?” As if I’m showing off, I down the shot of amber liquid that has been staring at me for the last few minutes, only mildly regretting it afterward. Ick. That shot was a lot stronger than the others I’ve taken in the past two hours. Plus, it tastes like cinnamon, which I hate, and it’s burning all the way down my throat. Anddd . . . I think that’s enough of that for the night.

  Liam seems to be amused by my struggle to get the shot down because he’s smirking, while looking through the foam of his beer. He’s so odd. “When most girls drink as much as you’ve drank tonight, they’d be acting sloppy.” While listening to his observant statement, I notice Jade out of the corner of my eye. He’s probably talking about her. She’s created a dance floor in between a few tables, trying her hardest to get Jared to dance. I don’t think Jared dances.

  “Last call!” A voice shouts across the bar. I think it’s Sterling, but I can’t see. Not that I should care or be looking around for him, especially since I’ve purposely forgotten Liam’s warning about Sterling. None of it matters anyway. I’m here for the summer to earn some money and enjoy the beaches and views. Those views can include the good-looking men around here, but it stops there since I will be back home in fourteen weeks, with my heart still intact. Not sure I can say the same for Jade, but we’ll see how that all plays out.

  Sterling makes his way down to the end of the bar and hands me our bill. “I comped your meal,” he says with a wink and a cute crooked smirk.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I tell him, concerned he might get in trouble.

  “I know, but I wanted to. Do you need one last drink before the bar closes?”

  “Yeah, I was just going to order a last round,” I tell him. Um, no, I wasn’t. I just told myself I was done, so I should be done rather than looking for any excuse to keep Sterling over here.

  “I’ll get it for you. What’s it going to be?”

  “I think you’ve had enough,” Liam interjects. My back is toward him at the moment but it doesn’t stop the record scratch in my head as his words sink in. Did he just cut me off?

  I turn around, glaring at him with a snarl. “Uh, what?”

  “You have work in the morning,” he continues.

  “Last time I checked, I was a big girl, and I’m capable of making my own decisions.” I accent my remark with a condescending tap on his shoulder.

  “Come on dude, she’s just having a good time. It’s all good,” Sterling tells Liam.

  With a scowl on his face, Liam lifts his hands in defense. “Whatever. I don’t care what she does. See you back at Buckingham.” He’s so snide. Everything he says comes with an attitude, and I’ve definitely had about enough of that tonight.

  “I’m sure I’ll be right behind you after I finish this drink . . . but don’t wait up,” I joke while turning back to face Sterling. “As for you, I’ll have another Dirty Beach, please.”

  “A what?” he laughs.

  “Oh, right, Jade made up the drink. Um, just a Dark Russian, please.” Oh, Jade.

  “Ah,” he laughs. “Coming right up.” Sterling leaves with a slight squeeze to my shoulder.

  As Sterling pushes through the crowd with a cocktail tray held high above everyone's heads, the sound of metal scraping against the floor startles me into spinning around. Liam has pushed his stool away from the bar, and he’s throwing cash down as if it were lit with flames. “Have a good night,” he mumbles before heading over to Jared and Cale.

  I can’t hear much of their conversation but Jade playfully punches Liam in the chest and looks over to me at the same time. I have no interest in knowing what they’re saying. Damn all good-looking men. Liam just solidified my distaste for his kind, and I’m sure Sterling is one of the same, but at least he hasn’t purposely tried to piss me off yet.

  Jade dances over to me and plops down in Liam’s seat, breathless and laughing. “I love this place.”

  “You’re a crazy lady.” I love her energy but sometimes it exhausts me. I’m not a big dancer. I’m more of a talker, and I like to learn people—figure out the inner thoughts of anyone who crosses my path. Maybe it’s from growing up in a small area where everyone knows everyone’s business.

  “Looks like Liam had fun tonight,” she says with a raised brow.

  I can’t help but laugh. “So, was it the way he snarled at his burger when he found onions inside, or was it the way he rolled his eyes just slowly enough for everyone around him to notice when I asked for my last drink?”

  Jade slaps my leg. “Oh, Jules, you’ll see. With Liam, those are sentiments of affection.”

  “What world are you living in?” I ask her.

  With nothing more than a smile for a response, Sterling comes between us. “Ladies,” he says, placing two new cocktail napkins down and handing us our final round of drinks for the evening.

  “So, about your brother . . .” Jade pipes up as if it were her greatest idea of the night.

  There’s a smugness to his sultry grin and it’s totally getting a rise out of Jade.

  “When are we going to set up this double date?” Jade! I don’t need to yell at her out loud. She knows exactly what she’s doing and what she’s done. It was purposeful and . . . I’m no
t completely upset by it, but hot men are always trouble. I keep telling her this, but she’d rather tell me I’m insane.

  “We do both have tomorrow night off. What did you have in mind?” Sterling bites the bait she was reeling in, and before she knows it, she has a good catch on him.

  “How about the Beach Fire?” Jade asks.

  “Ya, that’ll be a good time. Does seven work?” Sterling asks me, rather than Jade. It’s almost as if he doesn’t want there to be any confusion as to who will be whose date tomorrow night.

  “Sure,” I say while plunging the straw from my drink between my pursed lips. Taking a few pausing sips, I remove the straw and clear my throat. “Should I have any concerns about you?” Nothing like a little liquid honesty to keep me safe.

  Sterling leans in, bringing his lips close to my ear. “Concerns? If I can hold myself steady on a board while riding the choppy east coast waves, I don’t think you have anything to be concerned about.”

  Riding.

  Waves.

  Riding.

  My thighs clench at the sentiment of his words, which were intended to describe the sport of surfing, but at the same time, I know he’s so not talking about surfing.

  “Are you a player?” I ask almost as softly as his whisper entered my ear.

  “A player? No, surfers don’t play, but you should know . . .”

  I instinctually scoot back on my stool, causing my butt to almost slide off the other side. That would be super cute in a dress.

  Somehow, I manage to pry my focus off the serious composure Sterling has maintained and glance at Jade, whose mouth is agape, in combination with her bulging eyes.

  “What is it I should know?” I put my big girl voice to the test, doing my best to hide the effect Sterling has on my pulse and panties.

  “We’re fierce competitors, which means I’m good at riding long . . . deep, and hard waves until I come to shore.” That was not what I meant by being a player, and he’s still not talking about surfing. It’s a night. I mean, I need to call it a night.

  “Jade, it’s time to go.”I hop off the bar stool and grab my purse, quickly remembering the dull pain lingering in my ankle. Shit. Where the heck did she go now? I was so entranced . . . err . . . shocked by Sterling’s hot . . . no, inappropriate words that I didn’t notice Jade wander off.

  There are less than a dozen people in here, and I can’t see her so she must be in the bathroom. She better be in the goddamn bathroom.

  Sterling’s hand shoots up and takes my wrist. “Hey, I was joking around with you. You know that, right?” He does appear a bit concerned, probably for whatever ghostly look has taken up residence on my already pale face.

  “Of course,” I say with a hitch in my throat. There is no way he wouldn’t see right through my answer because I don’t think he was joking. “For the record, in case there was any serious intent behind your cute analogies, I’m not that kind of girl.” Well, maybe I was that kind of girl during freshman and sophomore year of college, but that led me nowhere good so now I make smarter decisions. Now, I’m making smarter decisions, which doesn’t include riding some long, hard . . . wave. I forgot deep. That either. No. I don’t need to be riding waves. Plus, I can’t swim . . . so there we go. Fate has made the decision for me. No more beautiful men.

  “Good,” he says as the corner of his lips twitch. “I’m not into those kinds of girls.”

  Jade’s hot pink dress catches the corner of my eye as she steps out of the bathroom, and I wave her over, but she doesn’t speed up her step. She’s too busy making googly eyes with some guy at the other end of the bar. “Jade!” I shout.

  By the time she reaches me, Sterling is really pouring on the apologetic puppy pout.

  “Honestly, I was just kidding. It’s been a long night here, and I should get some sleep. I promise to keep my thoughts to myself tomorrow night, even if they just sound inappropriate. Okay?”

  “We will be there,” Jade agrees for me as she grabs my hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

  With a fake grin and faker squinty smiling eyes, I follow Jade out of the restaurant, bar, lover’s lane place we were in. “Um, I’m pretty sure he is only looking for a little action,” I tell Jade as we step outside.

  “Well, good . . . because you probably have cobwebs all up in your lady bits.”

  I slap her shoulder. “Shut up. I do not.”

  “Unless you met some ugly dude with a big dick in the past month, there are cobwebs. Cob. Webs.” She isn’t aware of my assortment of vibrators, or the Shermanator for that matter, so I’ll let her keep running with her thoughts.

  Jade aims her finger at my nose, but misses and pokes me in the eye while attempting to walk backwards, and in front of me.

  “Ugh, Jade.” I press my palm against my closed eyelid, rubbing at the pain. “You need to go to bed, and I need to find my way back to Kennebunkport.”

  “You can’t drive. You’re drinking.”

  “I was drinking, but now I’m ready for bed.”

  “Whatever, same thing,” she argues.

  I consider her drunken gibberish for a brief moment. Even though the ride is mostly one lane the entire way to Kennebunkport, I don’t do that sort of thing, and I don’t have one-night stands. Anymore. Oh, and I don’t drive after I’ve had a little too much to drink. Anymore. Adulting just sucks. “Fine, I’ll crash on your floor.”

  We walk the half mile back to Jade’s apartment, and I’m somewhat glad I’ve had enough to drink that the pain in my ankle is fairly numb. “You should just stay with me all summer. I mean, I wouldn’t want to live where I work. That’s weird and smothering.”

  I considered getting my own place after Samantha graciously offered me a guest room in her house, specifically for the reason Jade mentioned, but I am trying to save money to pay my school loans off, and an apartment is a waste of money if I have a free place to stay. The family Jade nannies for didn’t offer her a room, but she is also getting significantly more than I am since there are three kids to watch, so it all works out, I suppose.

  “As much as I’d love to sleep on your floor for the summer. . .” I laugh. “Hey, do you think I should call Samantha and let her know I won’t be coming back tonight?”

  “Dude!” Jade’s voice echoes between the gates of the foot bridge we’re crossing. “It’s like one in the morning. That’s kind of ruder than just not showing up.”

  “All I wanted to do was have a quiet dinner tonight to make sure you’re okay, and now look at us!” Jade is a bad influence. Always has been, probably always will be.

  “Julia,” A voice shouts from the side of the bridge we came from.

  I turn and find Sterling, still wearing his small, black waiter’s apron. “Um . . . yeah?” I’m laughing, but it’s from nerves. Is he following us? This is such a cute little beach town, and I will be on the front-page of the paper in the morning with a headline of: Girls Gone Missing. Abducted by Hot Surfer. I suppose that sounds more like a fantasy than a front-page newspaper article in a beach town, but it could happen.

  “I don’t mean to embarrass you, but my boss will bite my ass if I don’t cash out at a hundred percent.” What is he talking about?”

  “Huh?” Our conversation is continuing over the span of a thirty-foot-long separation of the bridge. Kind of awkward at one in the morning.

  “You didn’t pay your tab.”

  And that concludes day one. Just perfect.

  Why? Why? Why? I’m not sure I’ve ever realized that inebriated Julia always says yes to one more drink, while sober Julia knows when to cut it off. Now I’m stiff, my back is sore, and there’s a muscle in my neck that feels like a metal rod.

  I shut off the foghorn alarm on my phone while painfully peering up at Jade who has a string of drool dripping out of the corner of her mouth. Is that what I look like when I’m sleeping?

  Pulling myself up against Jade’s nightstand, I scroll through my phone, waiting for the blur in my eyes to clear.
There’s a missed call and a text from a number I recognize but isn’t in my phone contacts, so I open the text.

  * * *

  203-342-2345: Hi Julia, it’s Samantha. Liam mentioned you would be home shortly after him, and I hope I’m not crossing a line, but I felt a bit concerned when you didn’t show up last night. I hope everything is okay!

  * * *

  Why was she up so late last night? Great, they’re night owls. I run my hand up the side of my face, feeling a sticky spot of eye makeup streaked across my temple. Shit.

  I hop up from my makeshift bed and run to the bathroom, once again forgetting about the slight sprain in my ankle. Dammit!

  The reflection in the mirror shows a zombie with a hair style that might make someone question whether or not I stuck my finger into an electric socket. My face . . . yeah, there is no amount of make-up—if I had any with me—that would fix this mess.

  I splash water over my eyes and scrape off the makeup from last night. Just to make matters worse, I only have my clothes from yesterday with me. Wow, I did not think this through. Not that I was thinking at all last night.

  Jade’s closet has always scared me, but I’m afraid I don’t have another choice today. It’s located right outside the bathroom, and I peek over at her to see if she’s awake yet. I’d ask her first if she was, but as expected, she hasn’t moved an inch since I woke up.

  Samantha told me I could dress casually, but my version of casual and Jade's are very different. In any case, she has jeans and a button-down shirt—a lime green button down shirt—but it is what it is today.

  I slip on her jeans, finding several holes lining the length of my leg from my thigh to my knee. Okay, new plan . . . sneak into my new bedroom and change before anyone sees me. Except, the likelihood of getting away with that is more than slim, especially with Liam lurking around every corner.

  Managing to get my crap together and into my car within five minutes is impressive for me, but I’m starving and pissed off at myself. I thought if I left home for a few months, I would have a chance to turn a corner, become that responsible adult I know I need to be in preparation for the “real world” I evidently need to be a part of.