“What do you need, Evan? It’s my day off,” she answers on the first ring. Great. She’s already in one of her moods.
“Speaking of that…” I start to say.
“No! Absolutely not! There’s no way I’m coming in there tonight!” she yells. “Grow the fuck up and deal with whatever the problem is!”
“Meg, I’ve been dealing with nothing but problems since I walked in the fucking door today! The least you could do is listen to what’s going on before you chew me out!” I yell back. I’m not tolerating her miserable ass right now.
She sighs loud enough for me to hear. “What is it that you’re unable to handle, my dear cousin?” Sarcasm is one of her best traits, as long as it isn’t directed at me.
Deep breaths aren’t helping at this point. I want to reach through the phone and strangle her. Leaning back in my chair…well, my uncle’s chair…I try to get my temper under control. “Kylie called out and there’s a party scheduled.”
“Son of a bitch!” she hollers. “I’m calling Daddy and telling him to fire her.”
“No, you’re not,” I tell her. “The girl’s really sick. I can’t have her in here puking all over everyone.”
“Fine,” she mumbles, sounding defeated. “Who’s the party booked under?”
I scan the paper for a name. “Addison Morgan.”
“I’m surprised you don’t want to take that party,” she chuckles, almost viciously. “She used to be a stripper at a club down the road.”
“No thanks,” I say, momentarily reconsidering. “I’ll pass. How long until you can get here?”
“About an hour. Tell whoever my bartender is to go over Addison’s list of demands, I’m sure it’s quite lengthy, and to start getting the room set up.” Then the bitch hangs up on me.
I really wish my uncle would wise up and realize I’m not capable of running this place on my own. At the moment, he’s traveling all over Europe with my aunt. They truly do deserve the vacation. They both have been working their asses off on this club since before it opened. The pressure just gets to me sometimes, but there’s no quitting when the uncle who helped you out is depending on you.
Four years ago, I recognized there wasn’t anything left for me in New York. My parents were still mourning the death of my twin brother and blaming me for not preventing it. Hell, there were days I blamed myself for not preventing it. The night he ran out of our apartment replays over and over in my head. I’m constantly looking for any way I could have stopped him from leaving that night. If our roles were reversed, he wouldn’t have been able to stop me, either. We had just gotten home from work when a friend of ours called and said my brother’s girlfriend was at a bar with another guy, so he took off. About a block from the bar, a drunk driver hit my brother as he waited to cross the street. He never made it to the hospital. Turns out, the bitch had been sleeping around on him for over a month. My brother lost his life over someone who didn’t even care about him. That’s exactly why I’ll never date. Anyway, I called my uncle just as he was opening the club and he offered me a bartending job. I hopped on a plane the next day and never looked back.
So here I am, dealing with all this bullshit so my uncle can take a break. Meg eventually shows her face and things get a little better. She’s grumpy and taking it out on almost anyone who gets in her way, but at least she’s here to take care of the party. One less thing I have to worry about. A few minutes before the doors open for the night, someone calls me out to the main floor where two of the waitresses are arguing.
“What the hell is going on out here?” I interrupt. Immediately, they both turn to me and, by the looks I’m getting, I know exactly what the problem is.
“You son of a bitch!” they bitch together. Okay, so this particular problem happens to be my fault.
“Please tell me you didn’t sleep with both of them!” Meg hollers from the other side of the bar.
“On the same day!” Mia barks. Why the hell is anyone surprised? This is the kind of shit I’m known for.
“You’re an asshole. I quit!” Roxy yells and storms by me, making sure to crash her arm into mine.
“I quit, too.” Mia follows her. Fuck me, again!
“You can’t quit right before we open!” I call out. They ignore me and keep walking.
“Let me guess. Now you want me to take care of the party and both of their sections?” Meg asks.
“Shut the fuck up, Meg!” I yell over my shoulder as I head into the office. I’m sure I can persuade at least one waitress to come in tonight.
Somehow, I was able to convince two other girls to come in and help me out. I’m sure they will be looking to collect on some type of reimbursement in the very near future. Hopefully it’s Meg’s night when they do. Now that we’ve been open for a little over an hour, it’s time to make my rounds around the club. This can either be the worst part of the night or the best part, depending on what’s going on and who’s here. The waitresses tell me all the tables are full and the hostess says there’s a line out front. All good news. A few of my friends are hanging out, so I stop over and chat for a bit.
Once we’re all caught up, I need to check on the alcohol. That’s when I see her. One of the most beautiful girls ever to step foot in this club is walking toward the bar. Hell, she’s one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen. She’s shorter than I’m used to, but that doesn’t bother me. The lighting is low, but I can tell she has fair skin, which makes me think she’s not from around here. The way that blue dress falls over her body has me craving to find out what’s underneath of it. To top it off, she’s a redhead. Redheads tend to be a bit tricky to handle, but with a body like that, she just may be worth the challenge.
“Hey,” I say to the guy sitting in front of me as I slide a bottle across the bar. “Here’s a beer on the house for your seat.” He shrugs, takes it, and gets up. “I got this one,” I tell the bartender.
He looks in the direction I just indicated and sighs. “How come you always get the pretty ones?” he asks, tossing me a clean towel.
“There has to be some perks to being the boss, especially after the day I’ve had.”
“You suck,” he mutters.
As soon as she climbs up on the stool, I notice the look on her face. I’ve seen it many times before. It’s the glazed over sad look that says “I’m trying to get drunk to ease the pain”. She doesn’t really tell me what the problem is. Right away, I can tell she’s cocky, sassy and, on better days, probably fun as shit to be around. It takes Meg interrupting our conversation for me to grow the balls needed to ask her name. There’s a first. The smile I was trying desperately to get out of her eventually shows, but before I can commit it to memory, it’s gone again. Someone calls her name and makes it disappear instantly.
“Kacie,” some guy I’ve never seen before calls. She squeezes both of her hands into tight fists and her whole body tenses. Whoever he is, she clearly doesn’t want anything to do with him. I watch him approach her with another guy beside him. She forgets all about me, which really pisses me off. “Come back up to the party. Your parents are looking for you,” he says, laying his hand over her wrist.
“Get your disgusting hand off of me,” she spits out. I’m ready to interrupt when he slowly pulls his hand back, probably afraid of the consequences if he didn’t.
“Look. I’m sorry how that went up there with your dad. My intention wasn’t to piss you off,” he tells her.
“Then leave me the fuck alone.” She never looks his way. She never looks at me either, though. She just picks up her glass and takes another sip.
“I can’t do that. Your dad wants me to bring you back to the party.”
This gets her attention. “If he told you to jump off a bridge, would you jump?” she asks, downing the rest of her drink.
“How much does she owe you?” the asshole asks me, pulling out his wallet. There’s no way in hell I’m letting him pay for her drinks.
“Nothing,” I say. She looks at m
e for a second, but I glance away. “She already paid.” I don’t want him to know I’m taking care of it for her. She doesn’t need any more shit from this guy.
“Kacie,” a voice I recognize calls out. “Are you okay?” I look over to see Jade grabbing her arm. “Come on. We’re going home. Jake went to get the car.” Jade and I exchange a look. She’s letting me know she’s got the situation under control. Kacie never looks back at me, but I watch her all the way to the front door.
“I’m so screwed,” the guy says to his friend. “I’m never going to get the promotion now.” I definitely have to stay around and listen to this shit.
“Oh, come on. You’ll get her. Just be your normal charming self. If that doesn’t work, be your other normal self. Pushy and demanding,” the friend mocks.
“That shit won’t fly with her,” he says.
“Fuck that. You can push any girl around. Just flash dollar signs and you can get them to do whatever the hell you want.”
“She comes from money. I’m telling you, it won’t work.” He runs his hand through his hair and leans on the bar. They both order a beer from the bartender standing next to me. I can’t believe these two are actually standing here, talking about a girl like this. It’s really pissing me off, although I’m not sure why. I’ve done and said some pretty shitty things myself when it comes to the opposite sex.
“Then act like a girl and get her to like you. Once you get close enough, put your foot down.”
“Put my foot down? How would you propose I do that exactly? Does Kacie Foster look like the type of girl who will tolerate that shit?” He’s not as dumb as he looks. At least I know her last name now.
“Stop being such a bitch. If you want the job that bad, just do it.”
“Were you not just listening to her?” he snaps. “She talked to her dad like that, too. She may be hot as hell, but she’s also the feistiest, most pretentious, most obnoxious person ever created. That girl is untamable. I’d have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of my life if I pulled any shit with her.”
The friend starts laughing. “Maybe, but I bet she’s awesome in bed.” Even though I was wondering that myself, I have to walk away. These two are going to make me lose it, but since they didn’t actually do anything wrong, I can’t kick them out.
All seems to be in order out here, so I spend some time in the office keeping myself busy with paperwork. It’s almost midnight when the hostess calls me from the main desk. “Yeah?” I answer.
“Danny asked me to tell you he’s here,” she tells me.
“I’m on my way,” I say, leaving the papers scattered on the desk.
I find my friend sitting at his usual table with his usual entourage. “There he is,” Danny calls out when I reach the table. “We’ve been looking all over for you. Someone have you busy back there?” I can only laugh because I’ve been caught many times with girls coming in and out of the office.
“Not tonight. Sometimes I actually have to work around here,” I reply, shaking his hand. “What’s up?” I pull over a chair.
“Just thought I’d stop by and let you know your car should be ready to go by Tuesday. Wednesday afternoon, at the latest. The rest of the parts came in yesterday and I’ve had these guys on it since.” Danny Rodriguez is one of the best mechanics I’ve come across.
“Perfect timing, as usual, Danny,” I smile. “I’ll be able to enter it in the next race.”
“I always deliver on time. Any idea when this next race is?”
“No. Should be soon, though. It’s been a couple of months since the last one and I’m sure they’ll want to get it in before Memorial Day weekend. Even more cops around once the holiday hits.”
“Let me know the second you hear. I want in this time around. The shit going into this new car of yours is crazy. There’s no way you can lose,” he says.
About two years ago, a friend introduced me to street racing. At first, I wanted nothing to do with it. Getting caught up in illegal shit wasn’t for me. I’d done enough of that in New York. I was only twenty-four at the time and not looking for a criminal record. However, once I saw firsthand the kind of dough it brought in, I couldn’t resist. Besides, when there are cops involved, it can’t be all that bad, right? The dude who runs the show has a friend or two on the force, and those guys brought in other guys. They get extra cash and we don’t get arrested. Works out for everyone.
“Definitely,” I assure him. Their waitress is bringing another round of drinks to the table. “Put this round on me,” I tell her as I stand up to go.
“Hang around and have a few with us,” Danny offers. “It’s still early.”
“Wish I could, but I have some shit to take care of before I can leave tonight.”
“I thought you had this awesome job where you get paid to drink and hook up with any girl you want. This is actually disappointing to hear,” he jokes.
“Most of the time, that’s pretty much all I do,” I confess. “Let me know as soon as my car’s done. Make sure my paint doesn’t get scratched.”
“Who the fuck picked that color?” Mike wants to know. Mike is Danny’s right-hand man and cousin. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one without the other. That’s exactly how my brother and I used to be.
“What’s the matter? You don’t like green?” I laugh at him.
“Green? That shit’s glow-in-the-dark,” he says, shaking his head.
“Those bastards won’t miss it when I cross the finish line so far ahead of them then. Danny, always a pleasure. Looking forward to hearing from you.”
“Later. Thanks for the round.” He holds up his beer.
***
Just as I’m finishing up in the office, Meg knocks on the door and sticks her head in. “Wasn’t sure if you’d be alone or not. What happened to the cute girl you were talking to at the bar earlier?”
“She left with a friend.” Damn her for reminding me about Kacie.
“Wow. A girl was immune to Evan Pierce’s charms? That’s unheard of,” she says. “She looked awfully young. Did you even card her?” I realize I didn’t even consider it. Damn. I could have gotten an address. “Party’s over and the room’s cleaned up. I’m leaving.” My cousin turns to walk away.
“Hold on, Meg,” I call out to her. She comes into the office and falls into the chair across from me. She looks exhausted. “I’m sorry I had to call you in to work on your night off, but I really appreciate you helping me out. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
She sighs. “I’m sorry I gave you so much shit. You always help me out. We’re supposed to be there for each other. I had no right to act the way I did. It won’t happen again.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not really. Having problems with Connor,” she says.
“Again? Meg, you deserve so much better than him.” This guy has treated her like shit too many times to count. I have no idea why the hell she keeps going back to him. My cousin is a pretty girl. Guys that come in here are always asking for her. She doesn’t need this.
“Maybe. He promised this time would be different but, once again, he never showed up last night,” Meg tells me.
“Let him go.” I really wish I could make her.
“Easier said than done,” she replies.
“You may think I’m a piece of shit for the way I am, but at least I’m honest. Girls know what they’re getting from me. I even warn them not to bother trying to change me because it won’t happen.”
“I don’t think you’re a piece of shit. I just think you’re a little broken,” she says, standing up.
“No, I’m not.”
“We’re all broken in one way or another, Evan. Sometimes it takes finding the one person meant to hold us together in order to realize it,” she whispers, sadly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You going to be alright?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Good night.”
“Good night, Meg,” I say as she walks out of the office.
When I finally climb in bed around four in the morning, Kacie Foster seems to be all I can think about. The sad look on her face is tormenting me. Then again, so is the way that dress looked on her. It was short, but not too short. It was very flattering to her thin frame and was enough to make me want to see more. Part of me is wishing I just walked away from the bar before she even got there. I should have known the moment I saw her expression to get as far away as I could. Another very stubborn part of me is wishing I took her back to the office instead of getting her a seat. At least if I did that, I’d be able to sleep right now. After tossing and turning, trying to clear her out of my head, I remember who she’s friends with. Tomorrow, before I go back to the club, I think I’ll pay Jade Quinn a visit.
Chapter Five
Evan
It feels as though the moment the sun comes up, my eyes pry themselves open and refuse to close again. Didn’t I just fall asleep? A quick glance at my phone tells me it’s only nine o’clock. Why the hell am I awake already? I grab the pillow next to me and hold it over my face. Hopefully, it will make it dark enough to trick my eyes into falling back to sleep. After a few minutes of this bullshit, I realize it’s doing me no good. Damn, it’s going to be a long day. It’s Saturday so no one will be looking for me to show up at Skyline until late in the afternoon or early evening. Is there something I need to do today that’s slipping my mind? Suddenly, an image of these gorgeous hazel eyes pops into my head and it hits me. I need to go see Jade.
Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1 Page 5