by L. M. Reid
Think Hayes. Think of something to say. Anything. Post sex chat isn’t typically my thing. A simple thanks for a great time and either I or she is out the door. I can’t do that with Chloe. I don’t want to. But what the fuck do I do?
Don’t let her walk away.
That’s when I hear it. Heels on the floor. I turn to look at her but she rushes past me. “Chloe...”
She turns the handle and slams the door behind her. I just let her do the last thing I wanted. I let her walk away.
Fuck.
I fix my shirt and head back to the bar, directly to Chloe. I can see the guys laughing but I don’t give a fuck. They can laugh all they want. I can’t fuck this up.
“Can we please talk?”
“I’m busy.”
“Chloe.”
She’s bending down to grab something, but her head is facing me. “Please Griffin.”
She’s asking me to leave her alone. What choice do I have?
“Okay. But, this isn’t over.”
“Yes, it is.”
16
Chloe
The dorm door slams behind me. My body is still shaking. My vagina is hot and wet and aches from the memory of Griffin inside me. I can feel his touch on my body, his lips on mine.
The minute he pulled out, he turned away from me. He couldn’t look at me. I wasn’t sure if it was out of regret or just because I had served my purpose and now he was done with me. So, I did the only thing I could do. I ran.
I ran straight back to the bar, back to work fully intending on pretending like it never happened. Until I sensed him behind me. I continued to mess with the cases under the bar, hoping he would leave.
Why would he seek me out when he so obviously was done with me?
Thankfully, he finally gave up and walked away. The moment he did, I finally felt like I could breathe again. For the rest of the night though, my body shook uncontrollably. I couldn’t wait for the night to end, to finally be free of Lust and far away from Griffin.
I managed to sneak out while he and Gabe were doing their nightly wrap up. He caught my eye just as I escaped through the door. I feared he would follow, but now that I am finally in my room, I feel safe.
“Chloe? Are you okay?” Nat asks. She clicks on the lamp next to her bed.
“Sorry, Nat, I didn’t mean to wake you,” I say in a shaky voice.
“It’s fine. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Did something happen? Only the most amazing and terrifying thing ever. Something that I can’t explain and I sure as hell don’t want to allow myself to read too much into.
“I had sex with Griffin,” I blurt out, unable to control myself.
“You what?” Nat asks as she shoots straight up in the bed. “Oh my God.”
“Yeah, oh my God. What the hell did I do?”
I’m pacing the floor, my hands running through my hair.
“Your boss apparently,” Nat laughs. “I want all the details. Is he as good as everyone says he is?”
Everyone.
The word makes my stomach churn. I am just one of many. A one-night stand. A mistake.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I rest my head in my hands.
Griffin and I had sex. Hot, hard sex.
We fucked.
That’s it, nothing more.
“Chloe?” Nat sits next to me on the bed.
“He just turned away from me and got dressed. He didn’t say a word, didn’t even look at me. Christ, Nat, what was I thinking? He’s my boss, he’s an arrogant dick. I was nothing more than a… a…”
“A girl that he likes? One that scares the shit out of him?” she says.
“He doesn’t like me. And, I don’t like him.”
I shove off the bed and start pacing again.
“I love working at Lust and tonight… I may have just ruined that.”
My phone pings in my hand. I jump and it falls from my hand to the ground.
Nat scrambles to pick it up at the same time as me, but she wins the struggle.
“Give it to me,” I demand.
“It’s from your boss, the one that doesn’t like you,” she taunts me.
“Hand it over,” I shout.
She rolls her eyes and hands the phone back to me. “You’re no fun.” She plops on the bed. “So what does Mr. Sexy have to say?”
I’m too nervous to look. Is he going to tell me it was a mistake? Maybe thanks for a fun night? More than likely it’s nothing more than a reminder to keep my mouth shut and that it won’t happen again.
“Chloe, he can’t see you looking at the phone. Just read the damn message.”
Taking a breath in and holding it, I look down at the screen.
Griffin: Can we please talk? I can come to you.
Come to me? Him? Here at my dorm? No way. Not happening.
Me: It’s late. I’m exhausted.
Griffin: Why did you run off?
Because you couldn’t look at me? Because I know you wanted me to?
Me: I had to get back to work.
“What’s happening?” Nat demands.
I shake my head knowing full well that if she knew he wanted to see me, she would encourage me to do just that. I can’t look at him right now. I can’t take the rejection.
Griffin: I really want to see you. Please, Chloe?
Me: Not tonight.
Griffin: Tomorrow? Lunch?
Me: I’m busy.
“You’re an idiot,” Nat says glancing over my shoulder.
“Stay out of it,” I retort.
“Why are you being so stubborn?” she asks.
Another message. This one is different though. This one makes everything seem worth it, even when I know deep down it’s not.
Griffin: Tonight was amazing Chloe. I know that I didn’t handle it well. Please, give me a chance to make it right.
“Oh yeah, he doesn’t like you at all.”
I turn to her. “It doesn’t matter if he does or not, okay. I’ve already had my heart broken. I’m not exactly ready to have it happen again.”
“Why do you…”
“Everyone, Nat. You said it yourself. Is he as good as everyone says? The answer is yes. He’s fucking amazing. But the fact of the matter is, he isn’t the kind of guy that sticks around, and right now, I don’t have the heart for that. I’m still trying to piece things back together after losing Sierra. So, yeah, tonight was great. But I can’t do this with him. I can’t do this with anyone right now.”
Tears roll down my face. Where these emotions for a man I swore I hated are coming from, I don’t know. They’re coming though and they’re hitting me hard.
I hold the power button down, shutting off the phone and my ability to reach out to Griffin again.
“What if you’re wrong?” Nat’s arms wrap around my shoulders. “What if he doesn’t break your heart? What if he fixes it?”
“I can’t take that chance, Nat. I can’t handle any more pain.”
Several hours of tossing and turning pass before I finally turn my phone back on.
Griffin: Why are you avoiding me?
Griffin: I am not giving up.
I wish I knew exactly what it was he wasn’t giving up on. It was one night. That’s all I can offer him and I know it’s all he can offer me. Why can’t he just let it go? Why am I so glad that he hasn’t?
17
Griffin
I fucked things up with Chloe. I fucked her and then I fucked it up. I didn’t kiss her, I didn’t say anything. I just pulled out of her and got myself dressed. Hell, I didn’t even look at her. I treated her like she was just some woman when she is so much more. She shouldn’t be, but I’ll be damned if she isn’t getting under my skin like no other woman before.
She’s defiant and sweet. She’s sassy and smart. She challenges me when most women just say whatever they think I want to hear. She’s hurting, a pain that I too know all too well. She’s stronger than she realizes. Her pain, the sadness, it’s wh
at drew me to her to begin with. I could see she was hurting and I just wanted to make it go away for her.
Then, she did what no one else ever does, she fought me. She yelled at me and told me off. She didn’t take my shit. At first, it pissed me off. But then I found myself liking it and in turn, liking her. I liked having to work to earn her approval.
The fact that she gave herself to me, I thought that maybe I finally had. And maybe I did until I screwed it up. Until I let myself act like a pussy and get tongue tied. I literally could have said anything and it would have been better than having said nothing.
Now, she won’t speak to me. She won’t see me.
I’ve tried for the past several days. She even went as far as to switch shifts with another bartender. She’s avoiding me.
Good luck with that sweetheart.
I do not give up that easily. I sure as hell am not going to start now.
She’s due to arrive any minute. I stand in storage room, the one with the perfect view of the back door, and pretend to take inventory when in reality I’m just waiting for her.
The door opens and I see her head peek in. Her eyes dart around the room and I smile a little knowing that she’s looking for me.
Why is she trying so desperately to avoid me? She wanted it as much as I did. The fact that she was dripping wet and begging me proves that. So, what, does she regret it?
Either way, I need to know. I either need to have her again or I need to apologize. Maybe I fucked up the whole look but don’t touch thing, but I don’t want to destroy Lust. And sleeping with your employees is sure as shit a good way to destroy your business. I watch as she gets ready to enter the floor. Everyone is already in place as she hangs her coat up on the rack and moves to grab her apron.
She stands there, facing the wall, and I step behind her, my lips at her ears.
“You can’t avoid me forever,” I whisper.
She jumps, clearly startled by my presence. “Jesus, Griffin, you scared me to death.”
“Sorry, I uh,” I’m stammering when I don’t ever stammer with a woman. Trying to figure out what to say, how to make her understand when I don’t understand myself. “I need a favor,” I say instead of what I actually want to say.
“What?” There’s exasperation in her voice. She thinks this is a ploy, and maybe it partly works out that way, but mostly this is just me trying to be a good friend to both Hal and Ginger.
I finally convinced Hal to ask Ginger out. Problem is, Ginger works weekends. Every weekend. She seems to think I can’t survive without her. While she’s not exactly too far off base with that, she can’t work this Friday. She needs to be off to accept the date with Hal. In order to do that though, I need another server. Enter Chloe.
“You want me to be a server? I can’t do that,” Chloe stammers.
“You can and I will have your back the whole time.” She turns her head to the side, confused but intrigued.
“You be the server; I’ll be your bartender.”
“You? Bartend?”
I smile at her. “I am the original Lust bartender. No one and I mean no one can make a drink like I do.”
“I don’t know…”
“Please, Chloe,” I ask. I’m not beneath begging, not about this. “Do it for Ginger.”
“Under one condition,” she says.
“Anything.”
“I get to keep all your tips.”
With a shake of my head, I laugh. “You got it. I’ll even pull out all the stops to really help you make bank.”
“How exactly do you plan on doing that?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” I say giving her a wink before walking away. “Friday night.”
By the time the night comes to an end, the schedule for next week is posted. I’m holed up in my office waiting for the fallout that I know is going to happen. When Ginger sees that I replaced her on a Friday night, with Chloe of all people she’s going to…
“You son-of-a-bitch,” Ginger yells as she storms into the office right on cue. “How dare you?”
“How dare I what?” I ask pretending to be confused by her anger. I pick up my phone to let Hal know that he can call her. I pick up my phone to text him, but Ginger yanks it out of my hand.
“I am your best server. How dare you take a Friday night away from me and give it to her? She’s not a server Griff, she is just getting the hang of tending bar.” She’s still shouting at me, but I let it slide because right now, without knowing what I know, it looks like a dick move on my part.
I stand before her and run my hands down her arms. “Just trust me, Ginger. You do not want to work this Friday.”
“And why is that? So, you can play bartender to your little girlfriend?”
That right there just pushed the envelope too far. I glare at her. She knows what she said. Hell, she said it on purpose. I take a minute allow my anger to subside before I continue. “This has nothing to do with Chloe. And everything to do with you.” She begins to speak but I silence her with a look. “Jesus, Ginger, do you really think I would do that you? I gave you the night off because Hal wants to ask you out. But, I know you. I know you would say you have to work, that you can’t take off, even though you know damn well all you have to do is say the word and I would give you whatever you needed. So, I made the choice for you. If you’re not scheduled, you can’t turn him down.”
“Hal’s going to ask me out?” The tension in her shoulders subsides and her voice softens. A huge smile forms on her face just before she throws her arms around my neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Don’t thank me. You deserve a night out, with a great guy.”
“You’re still my favorite,” she says.
“Really? Didn’t sound like it a few minutes ago,” I say as I back away from her.
“Oh, Griff, I’m sorry. I was just so angry, I didn’t mean it.”
With a shrug of my shoulders I say, “It’s fine. I get it.”
Ginger stands on her tip toes next to me and presses a kiss to my cheek. “You’re the best.”
18
Chloe
Ever since Griffin and I slept together, I have been doing whatever I can to avoid him. He managed to corner me the other day, and truthfully I’m glad he did. He asked me for a favor, one to help out Ginger. After everything Ginger has done for me, I was happy to accept. Even if it means that I have to play server to Griffin’s bartender skills tomorrow night.
So here I am, looking for Ginger so I can shadow her and hopefully not turn tomorrow night into a complete shit show.
“Looking for someone?” Gabe’s voice startles me.
I turn and face him. “Hey there, actually yes. You. I’m here to shadow Ginger, I thought it might help for tomorrow.”
Gabe shakes his head. “I still can’t believe he finally convinced Hal to ask Ginger out. Thanks for taking the shift, I know it means a lot to her.”
“I just hope I don’t screw it up,” I say.
“You won’t,” Ginger says as she approaches us. “I’ll teach you everything I know.” Ginger gives me a quick hug. “Come on, let’s get this show on the road.”
I watch her in amazement as she moves effortlessly through the crowd. She makes it look so easy when I find myself fumbling to get a single order right. I do my best to keep up with her, to mimic her every move. Hours later, my feet are killing me and I feel even less confident about tomorrow than I did when I got here. I’m terrified of having to do this on my own despite the several reassurances Ginger gave me that I would do fine.
The club is closed and we’re hanging our aprons up. Ginger turns to me, a wad of cash in hand and extends it to me.
“I can’t take that,” I tell her.
“You earned it, Chloe,” she replies.
I shake my head recalling all the orders I screwed up or spilled tonight. “Pretty sure I cost you more in tips than you earned.”
“Nonsense,” she says as she places the money in my han
d and closes my fingers around it. “Now, let me buy you a drink.”
I really should say no, go home and study. I have some pretty major exams coming up next week, but the idea of hanging out with Ginger is appealing. I enjoy talking to her, we laugh, and we have fun. I have really come to like her and this friendship we seem to be forging. So, against my better judgement, I say yes.
When she suggested we grab a drink, I assumed she meant to go somewhere. Not to wait until everyone left and sit at the bar at Lust with a bottle of tequila between us.
“Why would we go somewhere to pay for drinks, when they’re free here?” she laughs when I ask her why we’re here rather than, well, anywhere else.
Her rationale is absurd. There is no way in hell the woman has ever paid for a drink in her life, not looking like that. Besides I don’t feel right drinking here. Griffin’s done enough for me; I don’t want to take advantage of his generosity.
“I don’t want to do anything to upset Griffin. He’s got me on a pretty tight leash. One mistake and…”
“Oh please. He isn’t going to fire you,” she assures me. “He likes you”
“I doubt that. He tolerates me,” I say.
“You don’t know Griffin like I do. He might act all confident and sure of himself, but he’s far from it. He got hurt pretty bad a few years back and since then…”
“Since then what?”
“That’s when he came up with his stupid ‘look but don’t touch rule’. He was involved with this woman and she was just awful. She just also happened to be a server here.”
“I can’t picture him in a relationship,” I say.
“As much as I hated her, it was the sweetest thing. He was such a great boyfriend. Just between us,” she says. “I see him looking at you the same way he looked at her.”
“Oh no. Griffin and I we’re not…”
Her eyes suddenly grow wide. “Look at the time,” she says. “I gotta run. Night Chloe. Night Griff.”
Griff?
I turn and see Griffin standing in the doorway His hands shoved in his pockets, his shoulder leaned against the door jamb and the slightest of smiles on his face.
