Switch: A Bad Boy Romance

by Michelle Amy

  “Alice,” I said. “And you are?”

  “Jack.”

  “Nice to meet you, Jack,” I said.

  “Likewise. You said you just moved out here last time I saw you. Where from?”

  “New York.”

  “Wow. Now it all makes sense. You definitely have the city look about you.”

  I laughed as I crammed a lime wedge down the neck of a corona bottle and passed it off. “Oh? What makes you say that?”

  “The jeans you’re wearing. The jewellery. The hairstyle. It all makes a lot more sense now.”

  “You calling me shallow?” I asked, skepticism coloring my voice.

  “No, no,” he held up his hands as if to show that he was innocent. “None of it is bad, it’s just not… common in these parts.” He cast a look around the room as if to say, ‘isn’t it obvious?’. Then he crossed his arms on the bar. “Anyways. What brought you to Chicago? Family here or something?”

  “No, just wanted a fresh start. My best friend and I moved here together. And I mean, once I saw this place I knew this is where I was meant to be.”

  He laughed again and his dimples sprang to life on his cheeks. I felt my stomach swirl and I had to look away from him. “So you don’t really know anyone in the city?”

  “Nope,” I said, “everything here is new to me.”

  “Well, if you’re up to it, I would love to show you around the city. Maybe take you to some good places to eat?”

  I leaned on the counter and pushed one of my hips out. I gave him my best coy smile and shrugged. “My roommate says I’m not allowed to date anyone.”

  “Is your roommate also your mother?”

  “Nope, worse, best friend.”

  “So… tell her you have to work? Or tell her I’m a co-worker. Unless you really don’t want to be seen in public with me. Then by all means, just say so. No need to string a guy along like this.” His tone was playful and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “You free tomorrow?” I asked.

  “I’ll pick you up at six.”

  “It’s not a date,” I clarified, raising a finger to him.

  “God no. I wouldn’t date a city girl anyways. They’re too shallow.” I laughed and he winked at me. It was a playful sort of wink and his eyes crinkled in the corners from his smile, and for some reason he just made me feel at ease.

  As I continued making drinks for customers we continued to talk.

  “I’m in sales,” he said, when I asked him what he did for a living.

  Hence the suit and the significant amount of swagger in his walk. “Oh? What kind of sales are you in?”

  “Real Estate,” he said, taking a mouthful of his drink. “Mostly the sales of commercial and industrial properties.”

  I imagined he probably made a decent living. I would have bought a broken down golf cart off of him if he told me it was a good idea.

  “What made you get into bartending?” His question threw me off. From anyone else it would have sounded condescending, but I could see the genuine curiosity in his eyes and they held no judgement of me.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I like busy work. I like people, most of the time. And sometimes I make really good cash. Overall it’s not a bad gig. But I realize it’s not really a long term career. I guess I’m still clinging desperately to my youth.”

  “You don’t look like you need to cling to it.” He didn’t try to hide the obvious up down his eyes made of me. The corner of his mouth curled upwards and his eyes lingered for a moment on my chest.

  “Thank you,” I said, resisting the urge to twirl my hair like a high school girl. I turned my back to him to grab a bottle of Curacao for another customer. I could feel his eyes on me and I didn’t mind. The shirt I wore exposed some of my midriff. My pants hugged my hips like they were painted on me. He could stare all he wanted.

  “Is there something you’ve always wanted to do instead of bartend?” He asked when I turned my attention back to him.

  “Lots of things, actually. That’s my problem. Too many ideas, not enough self discipline to make any of it happen.”

  He shrugged. “Then it’s not the right thing. The right thing will just happen some time and you won’t even realize it until it’s too late. Just watch. I have a sixth sense for these kind of things, and you are made for greatness.” He checked me out again.

  “Oh yeah? Is that your classic damsel in distress advice?” I laughed.

  He rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, sometimes I have a hard time turning it off.”

  “Don’t turn it off,” I said, “sometimes it’s nice to have a man say things like that.”

  “Oh yeah?” One of his eyebrows crept up towards his hairline.

  “Yeah, sometimes.” It had been a while since a man made me feel attractive. I felt my cheeks turning red.

  “Well, in that case,” he said, “I feel compelled to tell you that you are far too beautiful to be working here.”

  The butterflies that were swirling to life in my belly reminded me that I was doing exactly what I had told Brooke I wouldn’t do. She had seen this coming a mile away. I thought of my walk in closet and ensuite and window bench. I loved that room. But Jack’s dimples and his smile and his eyes made me forget about the luxuries of the master bedroom and come to terms with the fact that it may not be so bad to move into the smaller room. I could paint over the periwinkle blue that Brooke had chosen. I could add some wallpaper to one of the walls. I could make it mine.

  As Brooke had said, if I wanted it, I would get it.

  “Listen,” Jack said, pulling me from my thoughts of the lecture Brooke was bound to give me. “I’m having a good time. Do we really need to wait for tomorrow to have our ‘it’s not a date’ date?”

  “I’m still on shift for another two hours.”

  “This stool is pretty comfortable, the drinks are good, and the company is even better. The view… I could stare at all night. I’m willing to wait.”

  So he waited. We continued to talk as I worked. My tip jar definitely didn’t see as much action as it usually did. I couldn’t blame people for that. They didn’t get my full attention, as they should have. I probably made fifty percent of the drinks wrong. My mind was so wrapped up in Jack and I was consumed by our conversations that I barely paid attention to what I was doing. I tried to put an orange wedge on someone’s bloody mary and I salted the rim of someone else’s bellini. I called it a Saltini, which Jack thought was funny. The customer just frowned at me and I was forced to make them a new one.

  When the house lights came on at the end of the night Jack was just polishing off the Saltini. “The salt actually isn’t that bad with it. I swear. It could be the new girl’s drink. I bet Max would go for it.”

  “You know the owner?” I asked.

  “Yeah, we go way back. He’s a good guy.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  I stood and waited as Jack collected his jacket. The girl with the blue pixie cut, Claire, caught my eye and gave me a curious stare. Then she placed her hand over her heart and did a convincing charade of being struck in the heart by cupid. I covered my mouth to stop myself from laughing. She continued to enact several goofy depictions of love. At the end, she also mouthed the words ‘be careful’, to which I was reminded of our conversation the other night.

  When she turned around to leave Claire walked face first into a tall man. I watched her stumble, and he caught and steadied her. I couldn’t make out much of him through the throng of people trying to push their way to the door. As Claire wove around him I caught a glimpse of blonde hair, blue eyes, and a familiar gray tie with a soft striped pattern.

  I could recognize that tie anywhere.

  Jack was shrugging into his jacket and asking me a question. I couldn’t hear him. I stretched up on to my tiptoes to try to get a better look at the blonde man on the other side of the bar. He was standing still and he was facing me, as if he was waiting for someone.

  Then he slowly
turned and put his back to me. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He looked over his shoulder, almost right at me, and I caught a glimpse of stubble on his square jaw. I could see a faint smile on his lips even though I only had half a profile of his features.

  He disappeared as quickly as he appeared. I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat and released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

  Jack’s gentle touch on my elbow made me flinch. “Are you alright” He asked.

  His voice sounded far away. I forced myself to nod. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just thought I saw someone I knew.”

  “Do you want to go find them?”

  “No,” I sputtered, “no, it’s okay. Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter Five

  Jack guided me to his car with his hand on my lower back. He drove a sleek black looking car. I had no idea what make it was and I was too shy to ask. So I remained quiet and he opened the passenger door for me. I slid inside and marvelled at the luxurious interior. When he started the car the dash lights came to life and the stereo started playing music.

  We sat in the car for what seemed to be a couple of minutes while we playfully made conversation.

  “So, are we going to sit in your car all night?” I asked, as we still hadn’t decided on a place.

  “Your bad-boy-meter is getting even lower. I was expecting grandeur. I was expecting candles and Frank Sinatra and maybe plush rugs laid out in front of a fireplace, and you’d be wearing lace-”

  “I’d be wearing lace?” His face contorted into a grin and we both laughed.

  “Yes, you’d be wearing lace. And we could feed each other chocolate dipped strawberries. And sip champagne. And then eat more strawberries.”

  “I am ill prepared to be spending time with the likes of you,” he breathed. “If I have to wear lace to get you on a plush rug in front of a fireplace, it would all be worth it. You wouldn’t know what hit you.”

  I looked over at him. He had long since started the car but we were still in the parking stall. His eyes were fixed on me and one hand rested lightly on the top of his steering wheel.

  “I don’t actually listen to Sinatra, and I don’t expect something like that I was just messing-”

  “I know.” Jack said.

  I bit my lip and tried to ignore the fluttering sensation that had swept through me once again. Jack had made me completely forget that I thought I saw Chris moments earlier at the bar. His quick wit and charm had chased away the lingering feeling of fear in my gut and assured me that everything was going to be okay.

  He leaned towards me and the smell of his pine and sandalwood cologne filled my nose. I inhaled a deep breath of him and leaned in as well. His console dug into my hip and my seatbelt cut deep between my breasts. I continued to lean in until our faces were inches apart and I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

  His hand left the steering wheel and came slowly to the side of my neck. His fingers became buried in my hair and I couldn’t fight it when my eyes closed.

  Then his lips were pressed against mine. My breath was stripped from me as my lips parted and he explored me. It was urgent yet gentle. It was primal yet sophisticated and I couldn’t resist falling deeper in the kiss. I forgot about my hip digging into the console. I forgot about the seatbelt and the awkward way I was twisted. I was completely in the moment with him, letting his hand cup my neck and his fingers clutch my hair. His other hand grazed my collar bone and goosebumps came to life on my skin.

  Before I knew what I was doing I was slipping my hands into the opening of his collar. I knew as soon as he had walked into the bar that those three buttons being left undone would be the unravelling of me. His skin was warm beneath my fingers. I could feel the muscle beneath his skin and I explored his chest with wandering hands. He was a rugged landscape and it was all I could do not to rip his shirt off right then and there.

  But I had to slow down. I could hear Brooke’s voice in the back of my mind yelling ‘danger’. I could see her standing with one hand on her hip holding up a stop sign like an overworked and underpaid traffic controller.

  I broke away and sank back into the leather seat. My hands were shaking, my breath was short, and there was a feeling in my lower stomach that was burning for him to touch me again.

  “I’m sorry,” I breathed, “too fast. Moving too fast.”

  He was trying to compose himself as well. I could hear his ragged breathing and he was rubbing his palms on his jeans.

  “I’m sorry, you must think I’m such a sl-”

  “It’s fine,” he said, affording me reassurance by looking over at me and giving me a lopsided smile. “The best things are worth waiting for, right?

  “Is it?”

  He nodded. “It sure is. I’ll take you home and we can pick up where we left off tomorrow.”

  I appreciated the way he said it; somehow he made me feel like I wasn’t disappointing him, even though I could feel that he didn’t really want the night to end. He dropped me off in front of my building and didn’t drive away until he saw that I was safely in the lobby. That was something Chris never would have done. He would have peeled away down the street as soon as my feet hit the sidewalk, leaving nothing but the smell of burning rubber and car exhaust in his wake.

  Chapter Six

  Brooke was in a sour mood the following afternoon, and she didn’t hide her resentment of the fact that I was throwing myself into another relationship. She barely afforded me the luxury of conversation throughout the day. She met most of my attempts at trying to get her to talk with blank stares and eye rolls, all of which I knew I deserved. But I wanted to tell her about what had happened last night- not the date. I wanted to tell her that I thought I saw Chris.

  She was laying on her bed with a book on her lap when I knocked on her doorframe. She looked up at me over her reading glasses and didn’t say anything, so I let myself in.

  “I know you’re unhappy with me,” I started, ignoring her dramatic head nod, “but I need to talk to you about something.”

  She remained silent and expressionless.

  “Last night, when the house lights came on, I could have sworn I saw Christopher at the Red Rose.”

  Brooke raised an eyebrow.

  “Now, I know it was probably my imagination. I know it’s unlikely. I know how hard it would be for him to find us. But still. It scared the hell out of me.”

  Brooke bit her bottom lip. “It couldn’t have been him.”

  “I know but... how can I be sure?”

  “Do you think he’d show up and not confront you?”

  That was a valid question. Chris wasn’t the kind of guy to get that close and then not say anything to me. He was the kind of guy to meet me head on. “That’s true, I guess,” I admitted.

  “And if it was him, and he shows up again, you can call the police. You have a restraining order.”

  “I know, but-”

  “I really don’t think you have anything to worry about, Alice. I’m sure he’s back in New York with his head up his ass doing the same old shit he was always doing. He’s not smart enough to find you, let’s be real. The guy is a useless waste of space.”

  Her words and her honesty helped ease my mind. “You’re right.”

  “Of course I am.” She looked back down at her book. “Still going on your date tonight?”

  “Yeah.”

  Brooke nodded and pushed her glasses up higher on her nose. “Have fun.”

  I understood that she was upset. I also understood that she was a moody girl in general, and I trusted that she would forgive me. Eventually.

  Brooke spent the rest of the afternoon punishing me with the silent treatment and shooting me angry looks when she thought I wouldn’t notice. I could practically feel her shooting daggers at me with her eyeballs, and by the time Jack arrived to pick me up, I was worried for his safety.

  When he knocked on the front door after I buzzed him up from the lobby I ran to answer it before B
rooke beat me there. He was, yet again, impeccably dressed. He wore a tan suit over a black dress shirt. This time there was no tie, and he had only left two of the buttons of the collar undone instead of three. I thanked him in my head for this. He tucked his hands into his pant pockets as he leaned forward to get a peek inside. “Was that your roommate over the intercom? She’s serious about this whole not dating thing, hey?”

  “You have no idea. Come in, I just need to grab my coat.”

  As he came in Brooke made another pass from my bedroom to the living room, carrying an armful of my clothes. She dropped them all on to the couch and I groaned inwardly at the prospect of having to refold everything. She eyed Jack suspiciously. “First date and he shows up empty handed. Yep. This one will definitely break your track record.”

  “Brooke!” I said, my voice taking on a scolding tone of it’s own. “Mind your own business.”

  Jack stared down at his empty hands. “She’s right. I should have brought something. I had the intention of bringing flowers, but that felt too overdone. Then I thought maybe a bottle of wine, but you’re surrounded by alcohol at your work so I thought that wouldn’t be special enough. Then there was chocolates, what girl doesn’t like chocolates? But I have no idea what you’d like so… here I am. Empty handed.”

  I smiled. “Empty handed is good. No pressure. You know?”

  He cast a wary glance over at Brooke, who was watching him with a smug look on her face. “I don’t know,” he said smiling, “I feel a lot of pressure right now.”

  We continued to banter playfully in the car as he drove me to a small night cafe called Vixen’s. The front of it was pretty plain. It had one stained glass window below the neon red Vixen’s sign. Jack held the door open for me and I stepped into a room that smelled like nutmeg and citrus. Little tables were scattered around the small cafe. Each had one pillar candle burning on it and a little cup of water with something red floating in it. As Jack lead me to a table close to the window I realized it was a single red rose petal floating on the surface. I sat down and looked around some more.