by Jayne Blue
Shannon’s face fell. “Uh ... no. Sorry.”
Great. No matter what else happened, I got the feeling Shannon now had another reason to dislike Sydney right out of the gate.
“Here,” she said. “Her resume.”
She emphasized the last word with sarcasm.
I took it from her, and Shannon rushed off to deal with stock issues in the back room. Sydney had turned back around. She sat rod straight in her chair, fidgeting with the end of her ponytail.
I took a beat to scan her resume. There wasn’t much to it. It didn’t look like the chick had ever actually held down a real job. She graduated from some rich-ass private high school in Connecticut two years ago.
Damn. She was young. Nineteen or twenty, tops.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Shannon’s observations were dead on. This girl would get clobbered after one busy night at the bar.
I sat down across from her. Sydney made a tiny gasp that sent the blood revving through my veins.
“Um ... hi. Shannon said I was going to meet with Mr. Reddick?”
I finished reading her resume and set it down on the rest of the papers Shannon had already made her fill out.
“He’s tied up right now. It’s just you and me.”
“Oh,” she smiled. “That’s fine. I just ... I really wanted to thank you, all of you, for giving me a chance.”
I rested my elbows on the table. My leather vest creaked as I shifted my weight. I felt like this huge, hulking thing compared to her. A monster, maybe. A beast. Sydney couldn’t have weighed much more than a hundred pounds.
“So,” I said. “Why?”
“Why what?”
I picked up her resume. “Why this town? Why this club? You’re slumming. What are you, nineteen?”
“Twenty,” she answered quickly.
“So you can’t even work behind the bar,” I said.
“But I can serve drinks,” she said. “And I’ll be twenty-one in six months.”
I let out a laugh. “If you last that long.”
Goddamn. Twenty. It was like this girl and I were different species. If she knew where I’d been at her age, I figured she’d cry or run screaming from the room.
Maybe she should.
As soon as I thought about it, something came over me. She didn’t belong here. She could get hurt. And I found myself angry that she got under my skin enough that I wanted to protect her.
“So,” I said. “What’d you do?”
“What do you mean?”
I tossed her resume back at her. “Did you flunk out of college? Did they find out Daddy’s little scheme to put you on the field hockey team or whatever was all a lie? Or did they find out some geek took your SATs for you?”
Her jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
“Why are you here?” I asked again.
“I don’t know that that’s any of your business,” she said.
“Yeah? You’re sitting here in my actual business asking to come work for me. That makes everything about you fair game. So, I’ll ask one more time. Why are you here in Lincolnshire?”
Her bottom lip quivered. Then she took a breath and steeled herself against the onslaught of my inquisition.
“You think you have me all figured out. You think that piece of paper defines me.”
I smiled. “Well, it’s your piece of paper.”
“My family is rich. Very rich. I’m not ashamed of that. But I’m not. I’m here on my own. I already told you I came to work with my uncle. To learn from him. To ... start afresh.”
I don’t know what it was, but something about that ignited an even deeper fury from me. What could this girl possibly have to run away from?
“I just want a chance to prove myself,” she said. “Because you’re right. I’ve been spoiled as much as you think I have.”
“I’m not here to judge you,” I said.
“Aren’t you? Like you said. This is your business. I know I don’t look like the other girls you have working here. I’m not from here. And I’ve never worked in a bar before. But I’m not afraid of it. I’m a fast learner. And I can work hard.”
“Do you have a way to get here?” I asked. I’d only ever seen her driving her uncle’s car.
It seemed like a legitimate and straightforward question. But Sydney’s color drained. “I ... uh ... I had a rental car ... but ... that’s going to fall through. I can figure something out though. I’ll never miss a shift. I’ll be punctual.”
“Shannon’s a tough girl to impress,” I said. “She’ll try to break you down. She means well, and she’s the best waitress we’ve ever had. If you do what she says and stay in her good graces, you’ll be fine.”
I looked back down at her resume. “But I gotta level with you, you should have just left this thing at home.”
Sydney slid off her stool. Her fingers shook as she picked up the paper. She folded it and put it in her purse.
There was something raw and broken about her. Damn. She was so small. At the same time, I saw steel in her eyes. She straightened her back.
“So,” she said. “I have the job?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “We’ll try you out this Thursday night. If that goes well, I’ll leave it to Shannon to figure out where to put you after that.”
She nodded quickly. She stuck out her hand to shake mine. I took it. Once again, it struck me how tiny she was. I could have crushed her so easily. But all I wanted to do was pull her against me and take the hurt out of her eyes.
“Come on,” I said. “I’ll walk you out to your car.”
She didn’t protest. As we walked to the front, Colt and Kellan came out of the back room. I met Colt’s eyes. He gave me a nod as he saw who I was with.
Sydney walked to a rented Honda parked outside the lines on the side of the building.
“What are you going to do about your car situation?” I asked.
“I’ll figure it out,” she said.
“Was Daddy paying for this too?” I asked, hating myself a little for it.
“Yes,” she answered plainly. “But that’s all changing. I’m on my own. You think I’m some rich girl, but I’m not. I’m dead-ass broke.”
I couldn’t help it, that got a laugh out of me. She was unapologetic. I liked it.
“We’re on a bus line,” I said, pointing to the corner by the traffic light. Sydney took a deep breath.
“Perfect,” she said. “Anything else I should know?”
I looked her up and down. “Yeah. Don’t wear those stupid shoes.”
She picked up her foot. Her heels had to be at least three inches. She lost her balance a bit, and I shot out a hand to steady her.
“I mean, do you even own a pair of tennis shoes?” I asked.
“I’ll manage,” she said. Her grip on my arm tightened. Then she put her foot down and let me go.
“Thank you, Mr ... um ... I only know you as Torch,” she said.
I jerked my chin at her. “And that’s all you’ll ever need to know.”
“Right,” she said. “So, I’ll see you Thursday.”
“Be here by four,” I said. “Shannon will set you up with a shirt to wear.”
I felt a tightening in my jeans as my mind wondered. She was skinny, but she had a rack on her. It was all I could do not to fucking growl as I imagined how well she’d fill out her tank top with my club’s logo stretched across her tits.
Chapter Seven
Sydney
Thursday night, I did three things I’d never done before. First, I did just like Torch suggested and rode the bus to work. As my father threatened, the rental company came to pick up my car. They were nice about it, but no doubt my mother had given them an earful about what an ungrateful little brat I was.
“It’s fine,” I told the poor porter as I handed him the keys. He was younger than I was. I wondered how long he’d even had his driver’s license.
“Sounds like you’ll be happier really far away from those people,” h
e said as I signed my name on his clipboard.
I smiled. “Those people are my family. And ... you’re not wrong.”
He politely pointed down the sidewalk when I asked him where I could find the nearest bus stop. I caught it just in time and arrived at the Wolf Den almost a half an hour before my shift was supposed to start.
I didn’t see Torch anywhere. Shannon, however, was waiting for me.
“You’ll shadow Lori tonight. Watch everything she does. Do what she tells you. And for the love of God, don’t get in her way.”
“Torch said Thursdays aren’t as busy?” I asked, trying to make small talk.
Shannon raised a brow. “Not as busy as fight nights. But if you were looking for a soft landing here, there isn’t one. And I meant what I said about staying out of Lori’s way. You slow her down, it’s going to cost her tips. This might be a little hobby for you, but it’s how she feeds her kids.”
“This isn’t a hobby,” I said, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. “I don’t know what you think you know about me, but I need to work.”
“Right,” she said. She handed me a folded black shirt. “Change into one of those. Keep the other as a spare. You can wear your own jeans.”
She looked me up and down, not even trying to hide her scorn. “And get different shoes before you come in here again.”
I looked down. I was wearing a pair of Chuck Taylor’s. “What’s wrong with this? Tor ... they told me to wear tennis shoes.”
“There’s no arch support in those stupid things,” she said. “This isn’t a fashion show.”
“Noted,” I said. “Where can I put my stuff after I change?”
“Breakroom is next to the bathroom. Find a cubby. Grab a blank time card and write your name on it. I’ll have E.J. put you in the system if you feel like coming back another night.”
There was an implicit threat in her words. If she felt like letting me back another night. I thanked her and headed to the bathroom. I changed out of my tee-shirt and slipped on the black tank top with the Great Wolves logo across the chest. It was the silhouette of a wolf’s head in red sequins. As soon as I smoothed it down, I realized my second mistake, besides the shoes. I’d worn a regular bra. The pink straps were showing. I’d either need to wear something strapless or cross-backed next time.
Well, for now, there was nothing to do but take off the bra. It left me feeling a little exposed but would have to do for now. I stuffed my things into my purse and went to the break room.
I found one cubby along the wall that hadn’t been claimed. I pushed my purse far in the back of it and punched in like Shannon directed. I smoothed my hair back, took a deep breath, and headed out to the den of wolves.
As harsh as Shannon was, Lori was really nice. She had a kind smile. I put her at maybe thirty years old, and she told me she’d been working at the Den for five years.
“I got hired not long after Colt was voted in as prez.”
“Five years? Wow. You really like it?”
Lori smiled. “The money’s great,” she said. “I was working as a bank teller before this. I’m making three times what that paid. Sometimes more. The boys do a really good job handling the rougher elements who might come in. Most of my tables are regulars on weeknights like this. Fight nights get a little crazier.”
Then, just like that, Lori got her first table and our small talk was done. I could see right away how Lori did so well. She was funny and natural with all her tables. She developed a quick, easy rapport with them, and even when things came out of the kitchen wrong, which was rare, she had them laughing about it with her.
I had to run to keep up with her sometimes as she went back and forth from the bar and the kitchen. I also learned quickly what Shannon meant about my shoes. Within two hours, my heels felt like someone had smashed them with hammers.
“You doing okay?” Lori asked after I helped her carry out a large order for an eight-top near the game room.
“Getting a workout,” I said. “But yeah.”
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” she said. “Okay, you’ve seen where everything is. Now it’s my turn to shadow you.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“That booth in the corner. The hostess just seated four. You take it.”
I looked where she pointed. Sure enough, four men had slid into the booth just next to the bar. They already had their menus down.
I took the tablet from Lori and headed over. “How are you guys doing tonight?” I asked. They were young, college-aged. One in the corner with dark eyes stared straight at my chest. I put the tablet up, covering it.
“Can I start you off with drinks?”
They rattled off their orders and things went downhill for me from there. Something went wrong when I input the drink order into the tablet. It was supposed to pop up on the bartender’s screen. It didn’t.
When I turned to ask Lori what to do about it, she’d disappeared. At this point, the restaurant had started to fill. Two more tables in Lori’s section were seated.
She was still nowhere around.
“You got this?” Shannon asked as she whizzed by me with a tray of food.
“Lori …”
“Is trusting you,” she said. “You might be shadowing, but the tips are hers tonight. That six-top has been sitting there for five minutes. You haven’t so much as looked their way.”
“I …”
Then it dawned on me that arguing didn’t matter. The hostess marched through with menus and seated yet another table.
I went to the bartender to manually order the beers for my original booth.
“My tablet isn’t working,” I said. The bartender was one of the club prospects. He wore a leather cut, but no patch. And he stared at me like I’d grown a third eye.
“Give it to me,” he said. He turned it, clicked a box, then showed me how to enter the drinks I’d missed.
“I tried that,” I whispered. But now we were far too busy for it to make any difference. I had to move. Fast.
I tried to remember everything Lori had already taught me. But it pretty much went out the window. I now had six tables in her section.
“You better get back out there,” Shannon said. “Unless you can’t hack it. Lori’s stuck in the back.”
Panic rose in my chest. Three of the tables were staring straight at me. The noise from the bar pounded between my ears. A second later, the driving beat of the band’s bass player slammed into my head. Sweat poured down my back.
I couldn’t do this. What the hell was I even thinking? They were right. Everyone was right. I should just get on that bus and head straight back to Connecticut.
Then something happened. Anger rose right along with the panic. They wanted me to quit. My parents. My so-called friends back east who told me I was crazy for leaving. Shannon and Lori.
“No,” I shouted to no one. No. I wasn’t giving up.
The bartender had my drinks on a tray. I took them. I plastered a smile on my face, and I headed back into the crowd.
“I’m new here, guys,” I said when I reached the center of Lori’s section. “You wanna help me out and give me a warm, wolf welcome?”
My original table of four let out a howl together. “We got you, sweetheart,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. “My Jedi master seems to have disappeared. So it’s just us, okay? I’ll make sure you all have a great time tonight.”
They were laughing. But with me, not at me. Though my hands still shook, I managed to get to every table and input their drinks.
I don’t know what happened, but when the bartender trayed them all, I remembered where each and every one went. The tablet quit on me again. But these guys were hungry. I had the distinct feeling if I didn’t get them some food, they’d try to eat me.
So, I put the tablet in my apron and memorized every food order the old-fashioned way. I headed back to the kitchen and swung open the door.
“Listen up,” I said. “This stupid
thing won’t work. But I’ve got six orders, and I’m ready to call them back. Does that work?”
One of the cooks was a big, burly guy with silvery hair. He broke into a laugh and slid a pad of paper down the counter.
“You write it honey, I’ll cook it.”
And then he did.
Everything was a blur after that. My feet went numb. My back, shoulders, neck, everything felt battered and bruised. But I got through the next two hours without missing an order or a drink.
Finally, as I brought out my last tray of appetizers, I saw Lori leaning against one of the booths, chatting up the customers sitting there.
“There you are,” she said. “You’ve got six tables ready to cash out. Where are their bills?”
“I haven’t had time,” I said. “Your tablet stopped working.”
She frowned. “If you don’t enter it into the point of sale, we don’t get paid. What, is the bar supposed to take your word for it?”
“Yes,” I hissed.
“Did you write it down at least?”
“No,” I said. “It’s all in my head.”
“Unbelievable,” she said. “You might as well have given everything away for free.”
She stepped away from the table and grabbed me by the arm. I followed her into the dimly lit hallway by the breakroom.
“Listen,” she said. “If you cost me all those sales ... you have no business here.”
I jerked my arm away from her. “You listen. I don’t know what kind of game you and Shannon are running. You don’t like me. I get that. But I’ve been busting my ass for the last two hours saving yours. I know what everybody ordered and drank. You input it.”
“If even one of those guys disputes the charges …” she said.
“They won’t. Now, you’ve had your fun. If you want to get paid, I suggest you stop getting in my way and start doing your job and helping me out.”
I jammed a finger into her chest, pushing her back. Lori’s mouth dropped. Shannon had shown up. There was no doubt, the two bitches had tried to set me up to fail.
“There a problem back here?” His deep, booming voice sent my heart racing. Torch filled the hallway. His eyes shone with pure menace.
