I sighed. “I better get back inside.”
“Okay, if you change your mind about the party let me know.”
“I will.”
“Love you. Bye.” she said, hanging up.
I spent the last five minutes of my break using the bathroom and then I got back to work. I did my best to ignore Vivian for the rest of my shift, and it was working for a while until I came back from seating a party of seven and Vinny was at the counter talking to Vivian.
He took notice of me immediately.
“Hey Autumn,” he said.
“Hi Vinny,” I said trying to act nonchalant while I straitened the stack of menu’s behind the counter. “Is dinner over already?”
“Yeah. Uncle Tommy’s bedtime is at eight. I also got the news that my father just got paroled and he’s going to be out by Thanksgiving.”
“Oh…how long has it been since you saw him?”
“Over a year,” he answered before looking down at his cell phone. “Hey, I just got a text from my friend and it looks like there is a kegger happening at Alpha Tau tonight. Are you going?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.” I said shrugging. “I think Lindy and Tyler are going.”
“I’m going.” Vivian interjected.
“Well if you decide to go, let me know. I’ll give you a lift.” He said looking at me.
“What about me?” Vivian scoffed.
“You have to go home and primp for an hour and a half. I know Autumn is gonna actually show up before the party is over.”
I laughed a little and smiled at Vivian.
“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You really should come, Autumn. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” Vinny said with a convincing smile.
How could I say no?
“Oh fine. I guess I will go…” I said with a sigh, as if he was twisting my arm.
“I’ll be back at closing time to get you.” He winked at me. “See you then.”
“Kay,” I said, grinning.
Vivian glared at his backside as he walked off without a goodbye to her. For all the bad news I had tonight, at least I had something to look forward to after all.
By the time eleven o’ clock rolled around, my feet were sore and I was ready to go to bed. The last place I wanted to end up was a party, but when Vinny came through the doors, I knew I couldn’t back out.
“Are you ready?” he asked, leaning on the counter.
“I just have to grab my things and—”
“What are you doing back here?” Tina asked, coming up behind me.
“I’m picking up Autumn.”
“She doesn’t have a car?”
“No.” Vivian answered for me with a snort, appearing next to Tina.
Vinny gave Vivian a dirty look. “Most college kids can’t afford their own car.”
Vivian crossed her arms. “Yeah well, they should find a new job so they can afford one.”
I narrowed my gaze at her as I absorbed the stab of her words.
“I don’t mind helping her.” Vinny shot back and then glanced at me. “Come on Autumn, let’s go.”
“I just need to go grab my stuff.” I felt like a freeloader as I left the counter, aware of Vivian watching me.
Why did she have to be such a bitch?
I made my way to the back. Before I could finish getting my things out of my locker, Vivian came up behind me.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“What does it look like?” I asked without looking at her and sliding my purse over my shoulder.
“Don’t talk down to me!”
Her hand shot out and slammed my locker closed. I froze and stared at her maroon nails splayed over the door like bloody claws.
“We’re off the clock and I don’t need to be nice to you. Stay away from him, do you hear me?” she growled at my backside.
I slowly turned around to face her. “What if he doesn’t want me to?”
Her lips pulled into a sneer and her nostrils flared. “Look bitch, I know you think you are cute with your little game you’re playing to get between Vinny and I, but it’s not going to work. He’s not into you. He feels bad for you because you’re a poor loser with no friends. You do realize that there’s nothing you could offer him, right? You’re just a scrawny, little ginger bitch with no money, car, tits or ass.”
I glared at her and my reply flowed from my lips before I could swallow it back down. “I guess I’ll have to rely on my personality then, since you don’t have one.”
Her lips parted in surprise and her eyes narrowed to pissed off little slits. I leaned back as she pointed her red claw in my face. “Look here you fucking little—”
Vinny appeared in the doorway.
She snapped her hand back, combed it through her hair, and released a deep breath. I watched her nostrils flare with frustration as she turned away and pretended as if nothing happened.
“You ready, Autumn?”
“Yeah.” I released a deep breath, feeling my anxiety melt away. I made sure my locker was secure before I walked over to Vinny.
Before we could leave, Vivian marched over and stood before Vinny, her gaze devious as she ran her nails over his chest. “I’ll see you tonight,” she cooed and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a firm kiss on his lips.
His body tensed and his hand came up to grab the doorframe to steady himself. My heart clenched, sending jealousy ricocheting into the pit of my stomach.
She pulled away and reached around to give his ass a squeeze, making his hips jerk into hers. “Bye.” She murmured, then moved past him, flashing me a cold smirk. I glared after her, watching her middle finger come up to salute me before she disappeared around the corner.
Fucking Bitch!
I didn’t think it was possible to hate anyone as much as I hated her.
When I looked back at Vinny, he frowned at me. “Let’s get outta here.”
He led me out of the back door of the restaurant and we hopped into his car that was parked in the alley only a few feet away. Once we were driving, the anger I felt over my confrontation with Vivian boiled to the surface and my eyes stung. I gave thought to seriously quitting my job. I didn’t need this sort of drama.
“Is it okay if we swing by my dorm so I can change?” he asked. “I don’t feel like getting douche bag mobster comments from the guys because I’m dressed up.”
“That’s fine.”
“Did you need to change too? I could drop you off—”
“No. I’m fine. I’ll go in my work clothes. I don’t really give a shit.” I frowned and staring out the passenger window.
He glanced over at me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just great,” I said, not sparing him a glance.
He sighed. “I’m guessing you’re pissed about what happened back there in the break room. Autumn, there’s nothing—”
“I don’t give a shit what you do with Vivian,” I interrupted. “If you want to kiss that sociopathic bitch, that’s your choice.”
“Hey now, who said I wanted to kiss her?”
I glared over at him. “She said you kissed her goodnight the other day when you went to dinner and you didn’t seem to mind when she kissed you tonight.”
“Look, I didn’t ask her to kiss me.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t stop her.” I snapped, my voice hoarse with emotion.
He frowned. “I wanted to. I should have.”
“Why bother? You will probably end up going out with her again and she will get me fired so you two can live happily ever after. I mean, she almost clawed my eyes out over you tonight before you came into the break room.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Nothing. Just never mind,” I said, shaking my head.
“Autumn, stop this. Would you look at me?” he demanded.
When our eyes met, his face blurred as tears invaded my vision.
“What do you mean she almos
t clawed your eyes out?” he asked, pulling over to the side of the road.
“Are you crazy Vinny? This is a one way street!”
“Who gives a shit? I want to know what happened tonight.”
I swiped at my eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s go before you get a ticket, this is illegal.”
He put the car in park and put on his flashers. “There. Now it’s legal.”
“Ugh!” I sighed and pressed my fingertips into my temples.
“Were not leaving until you tell me what’s happening between you and Vivian.”
My arms dropped limply at my sides and I tossed my head back against the seat, wishing I never said anything. “My mother called me in the middle of my shift tonight, so I wrote Vivian a note to let her know I was taking a quick break, and when I got back, she pretended she didn’t see the note and told your mother I was sneaking off on breaks without telling anyone. Then, because of that, your mother caught me with my phone on the floor and threatened to fire me.”
“So what does that have to do with her wanting to claw your eyes out?”
“She is pissed that you are taking me to the party. She came after me tonight when I went to get my purse and told me to stay away from you. She thinks I’m trying to get between you and her.”
He sighed. “So that explains the random kiss she gave me.”
“And just to top my night off, my grandmother is in the hospital.”
“Shit. Is she okay?”
“So far, yeah. She fell down and fractured her wrist. They are keeping her over night for more tests.”
“Are you going to go visit her this weekend?”
“I can’t. I don’t have a way to get there.”
“I could drive you.”
“Thanks. But I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Well, let me know if you change your mind. And don’t worry if you need some time off. You won’t get fired. I’ll make sure of it.” He turned off his flashers and started driving again. “And I’ll take care of Vivian.”
I bet he would.
Once we got to the dorm parking lot, he pulled into a numbered spot and hooked a parking tag on his mirror. I followed him into the dormitory building. The florescent lighting in the hallway assaulted my tired eyes. We passed a few groups of students hanging out on the stairs as I followed him up to the third floor.
His room was at the end of the hall. He unlocked the door and held it open for me. The room was cramped but cleaner than I imagined. A single bed rested in each corner and two small desks sat at the foot of each bed. A single window was centered on the wall between the beds, covered by vinyl blinds.
He walked over to the desk on the left and dropped his keys and wallet into the top drawer. Music hummed softly from his iPod player situated on a shelf over his bed. “I’m going to take a quick shower. It’ll only take a minute. Make yourself at home.”
“Okay.”
I watched him pull open a door that led into a Jack and Jill bathroom that he shared with the dorm room next door.
“Oh cool, you have a semi-private bathroom. I thought you had communal showers at the dorms?” I asked.
“I paid extra for this room because of the bathroom. I still have to share, but at least it’s not with the whole floor.” he said, unbuttoning his shirt.
I sat down on his bed and admired the sliver of tan skin peeking out of his open dress shirt. The thought of running my hands over his firm chest sent heat radiating through me.
I looked over to see him watching me with a smirk. Heat flowed to my face and I stood up.
“Do you mind if I use your computer?” I asked, pointing at the laptop on his desk.
“Go ahead, just don’t download any porn on it,” he teased, before hanging his shirt up in the mini closet in the corner.
I laughed and my cheeks singed even hotter. “Yeah, I’ll try to control myself.”
I settled into his computer chair and pressed the button to turn his laptop on. He disappeared behind the bathroom door and the shower came on a moment later. I enjoyed the music coming from the iPod while I waited for his laptop to boot up. My gaze drifted to the small drawer under the desk where he left his keys, and I peeked inside to find a bunch of pens, sticky notes, pencils, rubber bands, scotch tape, various papers, his car keys, and his black leather wallet. I shut the drawer before my nosiness got the best of me.
His computer desktop had a Mets logo background. I started up the internet and checked my Adelphi e-mail first to make sure I didn’t have any surprise tests coming up. Afterwards, I noticed a folder on his desktop titled ‘miscellaneous pix’. Curious, I clicked on it and found exactly what I expected, a mish-mosh of pictures of him with friends and family.
My gaze was drawn especially to ones that contained Vivian. There was one where they were cuddling on a towel at the beach. She had on a purple bikini that barely contained her big boobs and he was gorgeous as usual in black swimming trunks. I frowned at the fact that they looked happy. There was another photo of them dressed up and they looked younger, I assumed that was their prom picture from the corsages on her wrist. She was wearing a revealing black dress and he was in a nice tux. The last one was a self-taken picture of them lying in bed. Her hair was a mess and they were smiling up at the camera all guilty like. I wondered if that was their virginity picture and a ripple of jealousy moved through me. I turned my attention on the other pictures in the folder. One was of him as a little boy with his mother, and I assumed the other two people were his father and older brother. They were standing in front of the Epcot Center in Disney World. He was smiling so big I could see he was missing his front teeth. Another was of him in his cap and gown at his high school graduation. His mother had her arm draped around him and she actually looked happy as he proudly displayed his diploma in his hands. The last one was of him as a teenager hugging a golden lab.
My heart skipped when I heard the shower turn off. I quickly closed the folder, turned the laptop off, and sat down on his bed, doing my best to look innocent. I released a sigh of relief when I heard him brushing his teeth. I ran my tongue over my teeth, wondering if my breath smelled. I guess it didn’t really matter since it was going to smell like beer soon anyway.
I walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall and checked my hair and make-up. I found that both needed some touching up. Just as I grabbed my purse off his bed, he stepped into the room with only a towel wrapped around his waist. The memory of the first time we met came flooding back and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?” he asked, grinning at me.
“Nothing. I was going to touch up my make up,” I said grabbing my make up out of my purse.
“What were you laughing at?”
I walked over to the mirror and looked at him in the reflection. “I was just remembering the first time we met.”
That brought a smile to his face and he laughed. “You looked like a zombie.”
I scowled over my shoulder at him. “Gee, thanks.”
“I mean it in the nicest way possible,” he teased.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I said and turned back to the mirror. He returned to the bathroom to change and I used my fingertips to wipe away the old makeup from beneath my tired eyes. Afterwards, I applied a fresh coat of foundation to my face, colored some fresh liner on my eyes, and swiped on some mascara.
He stepped out of the bathroom just as I finished, wearing a dark blue Met’s t-shirt under a long sleeved white, blue, and grey plaid shirt with jeans. He moved up behind me rolling the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows. I admired how smooth his clean-shaven face looked. He took up his hairbrush and combed it through his wet hair, sharing the mirror with me. I inhaled his intoxicating aroma of soap and cologne.
“Mirror hog,” I teased, giving him a soft elbow in the rib.
He winced and struck my butt playfully with his brush.
I yelped in surprise and laughed. I pushed him back and threatened to put lip-gloss on him. H
e caught my wrist in his hand and we laughed together. He gave me a devious smile and pushed me back against the mirror. I couldn’t help but savor the close proximity, his eyes were so bright and engaging as he stared into mine.
“Is that strawberry lip gloss?” he asked, still holding onto my wrist with the roll-on lip-gloss in my fingertips.
“Yeah, why?” I asked, self-consciously rubbing my lips together.
“Does it taste like strawberries?”
“Why don’t you try some and find out?” I teased, twisting my wrist in his grasp in an attempt to apply some to his lips.
He snatched the lip-gloss out of my trapped hand and brought it under his nose to smell it.
I laughed at his contemplative expression. “It goes on clear. Just try it. I won’t tell anyone you’re exploring your feminine side.”
His gaze pinned mine and he tilted his head with a scheming smile. “Why don’t I just try some of yours instead?”
My heart slammed into my ribs as his lips captured mine in a deep kiss. I inhaled, tasting his minted breath. A dizzying rush of heat washed over me as his tongue slid between my parted lips. I grabbed onto the front of his shirt to keep myself upright as his tongue dashed back and forth over mine. He drew back with one last taste of my lower lip. My lashes fluttered open to find his dark eyes staring into mine.
“Tastes like strawberry to me,” he murmured against my lips.
Shuddering, I lost all control. I reached up, dug my fingers into the back of his neck, and pulled his mouth back over mine. His soft tongue parted my lips again and I tilted my head, welcoming the gesture. Our tongues stroked one another and the sudden pressure from his hand cupping my left breast, solicited a moan from deep inside of me. He guided me a few steps to the left until the back of my thighs pressed into the edge of his roommate’s desk. Keeping my mouth firm against his, I reached back with my free hand and shoved what was ever on the desk out of the way.
He lifted me onto the cleared desk, his warm palm slipping beneath my shirt and under my bra to touch my hardened nipple, sending a jolt of heat searing through my body. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him flush against me, moaning into his mouth. Sliding my hand beneath his t-shirt, I rubbed my fingertips over his firm chest while his thumb massaged my nipple in small circles, leaving me breathless. His firm lips pulled away from mine and made a hot trail of kisses down the side of my neck. He paused when he reached my pulse, and he tickled it with the tip of his tongue. I held my breath and shuddered, catching a few lines of Mazzy Star’s “Fade into You” playing softly in the background.
Down to Business (Business Series) Page 14