Bad Rep

by A. Meredith Walters

  I sighed and didn't comment. Riley was right of course. My run in with Eli left me with a sick taste in my mouth. Yeah, I wasn't so sure about our pseudo relationship anymore. As good looking as he was and as much as I loved the way his tongue made me wet, I thought more of myself than that.

  Refusing to think too much about my floundering love life, I focused on the night ahead of me. I was excited to be working at Barton's. I was looking forward to the tips and the increase in cash. The number $3,500 kept flashing through my mind like a neon sign and I knew I had to get my shit sorted and fast.

  I had talked to a couple of my sorority sisters and knew they were planning on coming in tonight to give their support. So, I was looking forward to my evening. And though I hated to admit it, I was looking forward to seeing Jordan again.

  My stomach fluttered as I thought about his blue eyes and tongue ring. I had heard that tongue rings could feel amazing. You know, when they were doing things...ah, hell. I could admit I had fantasized about his tongue underneath my panties ever since I had laid eyes on him that afternoon.

  What was wrong with me? I had just got hopelessly turned on by the guy I was sort of seeing and now I'm getting even more turned on thinking about my new co-worker! My hormones were seriously out of whack!

  And damn if the blush didn't start. By the time we pulled up outside of Barton's and parked in the employee area around back, my cheeks were scarlet. Riley arched an eyebrow at her. “Why are you all red? You alright?” she asked.

  I rubbed at my face. “I'm fine. Let's go inside,” I replied airily, getting out the car. Barton's was pretty dead. It was only 4:30, so we had some time before the dinner rush hit and then the later drinking crowd. I followed Riley through to the kitchen toward the small manager's office. We poked our heads inside, seeing Moore sitting at a desk and Jordan in a chair, his feet propped up on the table in front of him.

  Jordan looked up when we arrived and gave us a huge grin, his eyes immediately finding mine. Moore looked at us over his shoulder. “Hiya girls. Good to see you. Thanks for jumping in with both feet today. I hope you'll enjoy working here,” the manager said, swinging his chair around to face us.

  I couldn't help but smile at him. He seemed like a really nice guy. Moore grabbed a stack of papers on his desk and handed them to Riley and me. “You'll need to fill these out and then Jordan will start walking you through our computer system, how to punch in at the start of your shift, give you a tour...the whole shebang. Jordan has been here for three years, so he knows about as much as I do when it comes to how this place ticks.”

  I gripped the forms in my hand and felt suddenly stressed. I had never waited tables in my life. I imagined the worst case scenarios. You know, the ones where I drop someone's food in their laps or make an ass of myself by tripping with a tray loaded down with glasses.

  What had I gotten myself into?

  Jordan must have noticed my suddenly pale face because he got to his feet and slung an arm around my shoulders companionably. “Don't fret, my pet. You'll be golden. You've got me looking out for you.” He smiled down at me and I noticed he was quite a bit taller than I was. But instead of making me feel better, I felt like I was going to barf.

  “You'll have to excuse our girl, Maysie. Stress is her middle name,” Riley commented, shooting me a smirk. I stuck my tongue out and wiggled out from underneath Jordan's arm, not feeling too comfortable being that close to him. Especially since the smell of his aftershave was doing strange things to my insides.

  “You'll be fine. And if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask me. We're one big family here at Barton's,” Moore said kindly. Jordan chuckled.

  “Yeah, a big dysfunctional family,” he added. Moore ignored his comment and shooed him out of his office, saying he needed to make some phone calls.

  Jordan walked us out of the office and into the kitchen. There were two older guys scrubbing dishes and I could see a few other people out back smoking. “It's a good thing I never saw the kitchen when I ate here,” Riley muttered under her breath, taking in the grease stained surfaces and wafts of cigarette smoke coming in from the open door.

  I shot her a look but Jordan just laughed. “I swear, it's all perfectly hygienic. No cockroaches or pissing in people's food. We're a civilized bunch here.” One of the guys washing dishes looked over at them.

  “Civilized, huh? Don't start speaking that fancy college talk. Otherwise, Pocco and I'll take you out back and kick some street into your ass,” one of the guys called out.

  The man grabbed Jordan's arm and put him in a head lock. Riley and I exchanged horrified looks as Jordan slugged his captor in the stomach, forcing him to release his hold. “Watch the hair, Fed. This takes hours,” Jordan put his hands over his short hair. Fed (who the hell has a name like Fed?) swatted him with a grimy dish towel.

  “Fucking pansy,” he mocked, though he said it with a smile.

  “You're gonna chase them off before they even get started, man,” Jordan joked, pulling me by the arm over to the two dishwashers. Pocco and Fed were easily in their forties and the looks they gave me and Riley was more than a little skeevie.

  “Pocco and Fed, this is Maysie and Riley, the new waitresses.” Pocco gave Riley the once over and actually licked his lips. Really? He licked his flipping lips! He was short and overweight with a goatee.

  “Nice to meet you ladies. Welcome to Barton's,” Pocco said, his voice tinged with an accent as his eyes roamed over our bodies.

  “Um, thanks,” I said, feeling uncomfortable.

  Riley put her hand on her hip and stared both men down. “Maybe if you can stop eye fucking me for more than two seconds, I could say the same.” My jaw dropped but the dishwashers barked out a laugh. Jordan gaped at Riley, then grinned.

  Fed, the taller of the two with more hair, hit Jordan's arm. “This bitch's crazy. I like her. She'll fit in just fine.”

  I looked at Riley, who shrugged. The men were still howling with laughter as we moved on to tour the rest of the kitchen. Jordan leaned in close to me and whispered loud enough for both Riley and I to hear. “Those two are a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen. But they're all talk. I don't think either of them has gotten laid since the original line up of Guns and Roses were together.”

  I tried not to sigh as I felt him lean against my arm. My skin tingled where he touched me and I gave myself a mental shake. I had enough romantic drama with Eli. I did not need to be lusting after this hot bartender.

  Jordan led us around, introducing us to the rest of the kitchen staff. Rozzi was the head cook and Jordan let us know that he was going through a nasty divorce after his wife caught him screwing Lyla, the other bartender.

  Cal and Tito, the two line cooks were, according to Jordan, an item, though they tried to keep their relationship on the down low. Jordan told me that he had caught them making out in the freezer after hours a couple of times.

  “You weren't kidding when you said this was a dysfunctional family. This is like Melrose Place,” Riley said, after meeting Dina, another waitress who had a second job as a topless dancer the next town over at a club called Badlands.

  “Yeah, these people are a little nuts. But they're cool. You'll see,” Jordan assured as he led us to a table to fill out our tax forms and the other paperwork for Moore. “Riley you'll be shadowing Damien tonight. Mays, you'll be following Evian and just so you know, I want to offer my condolences in advance.”

  I almost crowed over the way he shortened my name. I couldn't help but smile brightly at him. “Oh, yeah? Is Evian that bad?” I asked. Jordan grimaced.

  “Let's just say, the kitchen crew doesn't call her Evian the Terrible for nothing.” Oh great. Just what I needed. To be trained by a sadistic dictator.

  “Do you guys want something to drink before I head over to the bar? I have to do inventory before my shift,” Jordan asked.

  “I'll have a Coke,” I answered, looking up at him through my lashes. I glanced at Riley,
who was giving me the look. “What?” I mouthed to her. Riley shook her head and turned to Jordan.

  “Yeah, I'll have a Coke too, thanks,” she told him blandly.

  “Two Cokes it is. Be right back.” Jordan gave me a wink before heading over to the server station to fill up two glasses with soda. Riley smacked me in the arm.

  “Stop it!” she hissed. I frowned and rubbed my arm.

  “What are you talking about?” I whispered back.

  Riley pointed at me, waggling her finger. “I know that look on your face! You're picturing him naked with you naked. Just stop it! Give your libido a rest, woman! Or did you forget about Eli? Wait, maybe I shouldn't be complaining about that. But seriously, you just met the guy!”

  I rolled my eyes. “I'm not thinking about him in any way, Riley. Chill out. And even if I was, who cares?” I picked up a pen and started filling in the blanks on one of the forms.

  “Because if you date him and it ends badly, it'll be weird and awkward working here and you'll end up quitting. Then you'll be back at square one. Haven't you ever heard you should never date someone you work with? I mean, that's common sense.” Riley huffed out an exasperated breath. I shrugged, which I knew annoyed the crap out of her.

  “I'm not going to date him. I doubt he even notices me. I mean, have you looked at him? I'm sure he has girls falling at his feet every time he blinks. Besides, he's got that bad boy, player thing written all over him. I have my hands full with one player already.” I didn't mean it to sound as depressing as it did. But what I had said was true. I knew Jordan's type. And I was attracted to them like bees to tasty, hormone soaked honey.

  He was gorgeous, he played in a band, he was a freaking frat boy and he had the whole tattoo, piercing thing going on. I was very aware of what he was, without knowing any more than that. I knew I was as susceptible to those twisted charms as the next girl. But it didn't mean that I would necessarily do anything about it.

  Riley gave me a look of disbelief. “Oh, he notices you all right. His eyes have been glued to your ass every time you turn around.” At that moment, Jordan reappeared with two glasses of Coke. I almost choked and knew that I was turning an unhealthy shade of red. I desperately hoped he hadn't heard anything.

  If he had, he played dumb. Jordan slipped into the booth across from us and leaned against the wall, putting his feet up. “So, you gals feel ready?” he asked, reaching across the table and snagging my Coke. He drank from the straw and handed it back to me with a smile.

  I gave him a mocking glare and moved my drink out of his reach. “Yeah, we'll see. If I can make it through the night without dropping something or making an idiot of myself, then we can call it a success. Until then, the jury's still out,” I commented, sucking on my straw. I couldn't help but feel gooey over the fact that my lips were touching the same piece of plastic that Jordan's had a few seconds before.

  Hell, I was as bad as Jaz. Maybe worse.

  Jordan clicked his tongue ring over his teeth. “Nah. You'll be fine. There's no way you could suck at anything you tried to do,” he commented, looking at me intensely. I raised my eyebrow.

  “How would you possibly know that? You don't even know me.” I remarked archly. Jordan rubbed the back of his neck and I could see the dark curves of his tattoo. I wondered what it was. Then I thought about taking his shirt off to get a better look.

  Then I thought about taking his pants off and rubbing my tongue down his...

  Christ, get your mind out of the gutter! I told myself harshly. “I can just tell. Call it a hunch,” Jordan answered, pulling my thoughts away from the X-rated turn they had taken. Riley snorted and she elbowed my side discreetly under the table.

  Jordan blinked, seeming a bit surprised by his forwardness and pulled his feet under the table, sitting up. “Well, sorry to leave you lovely ladies, but I have to get behind the bar and do my inventory. It's my first night on as a bartender. Can't give Moore a reason to fire my ass.” He scooted out of the booth and stood at my elbow.

  I looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “Well, thanks for training us,” I said lamely. Why couldn't I think of something clever and witty to say? I hated to admit that Jordan made me tongue tied. Since when do boys make me tongue tied?

  Jordan squeezed my shoulder and I swore his fingers lingered there. “If you need anything, come find me. You know where I'll be.” His mouth quirked up into a grin as he jerked his thumb in the direction of the bar. My mouth quirked up as well as I grinned back.

  “Yeah, you can't hide, I know where you work,” I joked and wanted to slap myself in the forehead. I sounded like an idiot. Ugh!

  Jordan just laughed and looked at Riley. “Same goes for you too, Riley,” he added. Riley gave him a knowing look.

  “Yeah, sure,” she said, looking between the two of us. Jordan cleared his throat.

  “Okay, well then. See ya later,” he looked at me one last time and then headed off toward the bar.

  “Good god, the sexual tension is giving me hives,” Riley griped. I pulled on her ponytail.

  “Will you just shut up already,” I sighed, looking over at the bar. As though he could sense me staring at him, Jordan looked up from wiping down the counter. I quickly looked down at the paper in front of me, knowing that if people could die from embarrassment, someone had better start digging my grave.

  Chapter Three

  I tried to finish up the paper work but it was difficult considering I could feel eyes burning into my skin. But I was proud of myself that not once did I look up to watch him. Not once did I cave to the masochistic need to ogle his fine ass. Nope, I played non-nonchalant. Someone give me a friggin Oscar, because that kind of acting deserves some sort of award.

  “You Maysie?” a gruff voice barked from beside me. I looked up, startled. A petite girl, not much older than me stood beside the booth, hands on her hips, looking annoyed.

  “Uh, yeah?” I said more as a question than a statement. Something about this girl's vibe completely intimidated me and I wasn't even sure of my name at that point.

  “You need to follow me. I'm not gonna be slowed down because of you and if my tips suck, I will kick your ass. Do we understand each other?” Ah. This must be the delightful Evian. I looked at Riley who was biting down on her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing.

  I gave her a look of death and slid out of the seat, following Evian the Terrible into the kitchen, where she clocked in. Evian clearly had a case of little man syndrome. She was tiny. Like seriously tiny. The top of her head came up to my chin and I wasn't an Amazon woman by any stretch. Her dark brown hair was styled in a pixie cut and her arms were covered in tattoos. All in all she was one bad ass mama. And not someone I wanted to piss off.

  “Hey Ev. Get over here and let me see those fine tits of yours!” Pocco called from the back. Evian whipped around and pointed her finger in his direction.

  “You so much as look at my boobs, Pocco, and I will gnaw off your testicles and have them for dinner,” she growled. I swallowed audibly. This chick was scary. Pocco only laughed.

  “Ah, chica. You know you want to ride Pocco's bone coaster.” Evian looked like she was about to go over there and carry through on her threat but was distracted by Moore calling to us from his office.

  Thank god. I didn't want to see Evian gnawing anything off of anyone's body. I shuddered. Moore gave Evian the run down. I was to shadow her this evening. Evian was to let me watch for a while then let me handle a few tables on my own. We were to split the tips 50/50. Evian looked like she wanted to spit nails.

  I gave Moore a weak smile and followed a thunderous Evian back out into the restaurant. She was mumbling under her breath and then came up short. Her tiny face was dark. “If you think I'm splitting my tips with you, you're fucking mental.” Okay, well so much for any cash ending up in my pockets tonight. I knew better than to argue with Evian. I wanted to keep my appendages, thank you very much.

  Evian stormed off and I leaned against the b
ar, already exhausted and the night had just begun. “Don't let her bully you.” Jordan appeared at my shoulder and leaned in, his elbows propped on the counter. I tightened my ponytail and straightened my shirt.

  “Easy for you to say. That chick is gonna eat me alive,” I groaned, sitting on a stool and laying my head down on the bar.

  Jordan rubbed my shoulder and I tried not to tremble as he touched me. I looked up at him and he gave me a smirk as though he knew the affect he had on me. He leaned in closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Well, just so you know. Evian has her boyfriend dress up in her bra and panties and likes to whip him with a riding crop.”

  My eyes widened. “You're making that up,” I scoffed, shooting a look over my shoulder at Evian, who was hounding one of the high school bus boys about how to set the tables in her section. Jordan shook his head.

  “No, trust me. Ev has a serious dominatrix side. Her boyfriend, Greg, is this uptight accountant. I think he's forty or something. But yeah, they're into some serious kink.” Jordan chuckled.