“No, it’s cool. It’s good to have a conversation with you. I have been stuck on the job for so long with nothing but a bunch of men, and it’s refreshing to talk to a woman.”
Now it made more sense. He had been stuck with a bunch of men and was probably just talking to me because any woman would do. I was just the first one who held a conversation. It was all out of politeness and boredom.
“No women? None?”
“No, we call it the man camp. And it’s not glamourous at all. I’m the foreman, and we had an accident, the second one in a month, and so they made me take off for legal reasons. But I needed the time anyway.”
“That sounds terrible. I’m sorry that happened. I hope the man is okay.” It had to be a man. There weren’t any women. “But I bet it is nice to take a break.”
“Yeah. He’ll live but most likely be a limb short.” He went quiet for a moment.
In the silence, I could feel the conversation had been about to shift.
“So, what do you like to do besides read?” he asked, glancing down to the book which I’d left sticking out of my bag. “Surely, you know how to have fun in a city like this. It’s your city.”
“It’s not my city. Never has been.” I had never wanted to claim the place and always knew that I’d leave as soon as I got the chance. It had never been home to me. Home was a place I’d left a long time ago, a place that no longer existed, but I’d always hoped to find it again somewhere.
“Do you want to come out later?” he asked. The invitation came out of nowhere.
“I’m not sure.” I shook my head. “I have to work tomorrow.” I couldn’t just go out with him. Not after that big tip and then him telling me he’d been locked up in a man camp. He surely only wanted one thing from me. And I wasn’t sure I could give it away, not even to him. “I’m sorry.”
He looked disappointed but not devastated. “Oh, okay.” He nodded as if he understood. “I just thought we’d have a good time.” He shrugged his broad shoulders and looked across the pool to his friends.
“Oh, I’m sure we could. It’s just not a good time for me.”
“Maybe I’ll see you again at the buffet,” he said with a smile.
“Maybe. I work a lot.” I wasn’t opposed if he wanted to say hello again, but the problem was, my heart was already yearning for more.
The conversation, which had gone well up until the invite, lulled. I sat there nervously looking across the pool at Karen, who had abandoned the group of his friends to talk to some of our coworkers.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around,” he said, bailing now that I’d turned down his invitation. “It was good talking to you, Tara.”
My heart sank. “You too, Zane.” I so wished his invitation wasn’t steeped with suspicion, but I wasn’t going to be used by a tourist. There were thousands of others in the city he could pay to do that kind of thing for him. He obviously had no problem throwing his money around.
I watched as he walked away, going to the door where he waved his friends over. My face burned with jealousy, just thinking that he would move on to another as if I were nothing.
Karen stormed over to me. “Well, what happened?” She gave me a worried look.
“He asked me to go out tonight. I told him no. It turns out he’s just looking to score.”
“And you’re not?” She gave me the most disappointed look.
“No. He’s from North Dakota, and he’s not staying here long. Why bother getting mixed up with him?” Even though he was perfect, it wasn’t like I could win him over, make him stay, make him love me.
“Why bother? I’ll give you a number of reasons. For one, he’s hot, like manly rugged and perfect for you hot. And two, he’s the guy I imagine when you describe your ideal man. Three, I’m pretty sure he’s packing a whopper. Did you see the size of his hands?”
“And yet, he’s not for me. He just wants to have sex.” I glanced up to see he had gone.
“You should have at least had sex with him. Can you imagine? I’d climb him like a tree.”
“Hey,” I said, nudging her. Someone else would, though. And that thought was making me regret turning him down.
“What? It’s true. But hey, if you’re not interested and he’s only interested in sex, maybe I will go and talk to him. You won’t mind, would you?”
“You wouldn’t.” He was not her type at all, and she wouldn’t hurt me that way.
“No, I wouldn’t, but the look on your face is telling me you like him more than you’re letting on and you should have accepted. You like him. Go for it. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Better to sleep with him now than for him to leave town without you ever knowing.”
The only problem was, I had already turned him down, and he had already left. “Maybe you’re right, but it’s too late now, so let’s drop it.”
I felt my stomach twisting in knots and wished I could turn back time and get a redo.
Chapter 11
Zane
By the time I went back to the pool, Tara was gone, and I was glad that I had gone up to my room instead of sitting there across the pool watching the woman who had turned me down sit there looking like a goddess in the sun.
Clay and Nick were standing on the side of the pool arguing, and Rylen’s nose was buried in a book. “Have they been going at it like that for long?”
“Yeah, like twenty minutes. They’ve already run about six people off.” He never looked away from his book, and his tone didn’t change much.
“Are you having fun?”
“Not particularly,” he said. “I’m ready to gamble.”
“Did I hear someone say they’re ready to gamble?” Grady asked behind me. I turned to see him dressed to the nines in a suit. “Get your asses upstairs and get dressed.”
“It’s still early,” said Clay. “I’ll run out of money by the time it gets dark.”
“It’s on me,” he said.
That piqued everyone’s interest. “Well then, fuck it,” said Clay. “I’m ready when you are.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
“You don’t have to do this,” said Nick.
But Grady held out his hand. “Hey, it’s cool. I’ve got the money, and I want to do it. Besides, we made a deal.”
“Yeah, we did, didn’t we?” said Clay. “And I want my blowjob.”
“It was a blowout in Vegas, not a blowjob in Vegas,” said Rylen.
“Dammit, Zane. You got my hopes up.”
I hadn’t really thought he’d believe me. I shrugged. “It’s been a long time ago.”
“I’ll buy you one if you want, but I get to pick the girl.” Grady smiled, and Clay looked a bit scared.
“Fuck it. Okay. I’ll have my eyes closed anyway. And I’ll be dreaming about Zane’s mom.”
Everyone laughed, and I grabbed him around the neck and knuckled his head.
“Fuck you,” said Grady. “I’m not getting Beth pissed off at me.”
“I can’t believe you’re all against me.”
“No more mom jokes,” I said, turning him loose. “That shit wasn’t funny in college.”
“Says you, only because we voted for your mom to win the MILF award.”
I gave him a hard look, and Rylen spoke up. “I don’t know, Clay. Your mom’s latest Facebook profile photo really did it for me.”
“That’s not funny, Ry,” he said, getting pissed off.
“You saw it, didn’t you, Nick?”
“Yeah, I got off on it, too,” Nick said.
They were never going to stop now. I, for one, was sick of the mom jokes, even if it did serve Clay right.
“Are we gambling, or are you all going to sit around acting like a bunch of high school freshman?” Clay asked.
“Yeah,” said Grady. “Get up to your rooms and meet me in the bar.”
“I’m coming with,” I said. I was glad I’d given up on the pool time and had gone up to change. It would give Grady and me some time to ha
ng out alone.
After twenty minutes of Grady ordering wings and a couple of pitchers of beer, we had a minute to talk.
“Can you believe that bunch?” asked Grady. “They’re going to be a handful tonight. And Nick? He’s only egging it on.”
“He’s clashing with Clay over something. They had it out at the pool. I didn’t catch what was going on.”
“And so why are you so bummed out? You’ve been sitting here looking like your world is ending.”
Had I been bummed? I gave him a sideward look. “What do you mean?”
“You look like you’d rather be anywhere else. Are you upset about me paying?”
I couldn’t believe he thought that. “Hell no. It’s your money. I’d tell you, but it’s dumb.”
“That’s the kind of shit you’re supposed to tell me.”
“Fine. I’m upset about a girl.” I felt like a kid. What the fuck was wrong with me? I had been pouting ever since she had turned me down.
“Your little one?”
“No, there is a waitress here. She works at the buffet. Her name is Tara. I asked her out, and she turned me down. I thought we’d have a good time after a nice chat, and the last thing I expected was for her to say no.”
“It happens to the best of us, man. I wouldn’t let it bother you.” He gave me a look like he couldn’t believe how hard I was taking it.
“Wouldn’t let what bother him?” asked Clay as he joined us. He was cleaned up and freshly showered.
“He’s upset about a girl.”
“That waitress you were talking to? Nick said that you gave her a hundred-dollar tip. Were you trying to tap that? She might not want to feel like you’re paying her to fuck you.”
I hadn’t even thought of it like that. “Shit. And I told her I’d been in the man camp. I guess that didn’t help.”
Clay laughed. “Man camp. She probably thinks you’re a felon.”
“I explained it to her. But she probably thinks it’s just a come on. Shit.” I hadn’t meant for that to happen. I hoped I was wrong.
Clay nudged me. “She’s just a waitress, isn’t she? Fuck it. There are going to be a lot of hot titties—I mean women—out tonight.”
I looked at Grady, who shook his head. “What is with you, Clay?” he asked. “Why are you acting like a horny teenager? It’s not like you.”
“He’s having an early mid-life crisis,” I said.
Nick joined us, only catching the tail end.
Clay spoke up. “You all sound like that bastard.”
“Fuck you,” said Nick. “You know I’m right.”
Whatever the two had been bitching about, it had clearly come between them. “Fuck off.” Clay gave him the finger.
“Okay, so the next one to bitch like a chick is not getting their allowance.”
Clay straightened up and was suddenly like a different person. I didn’t know what was up with him, but I had a good idea he was struggling with something. A battle with what he knew to be right, his family, and what he was scared of losing: his youth.
After we started the night off with beer and wings, we left the bar for the casino, and Grady wasn’t lying. He handed us each stacks of bills so big you could choke a horse.
“Have fun with it, fellas,” he said. “I’m going to hit the blackjack table. If any of you want to see how it’s done, follow me.”
I had to see him in action, and I was eager to get my mind on something besides my bruised ego.
It was an hour into watching him win when I decided to give it a try. I placed my bet just like I had seen him do, and I tried to follow the rules he had told me. He had more experience, and since it was his money, I was going to trust him.
“That’s a pretty confident bet,” he said when I laid down five hundred dollars.
“Go big or go home. Besides, it’s your money, and I’m following your advice. If I lose, it’s on you.”
But I didn’t lose. I won. “See there, ye of little faith?”
“You think I’m much more confident than I am apparently,” joked Grady. “I’m just having really good dumb luck.”
By the end of the night, we had managed to squander away over twenty grand, and while I had done my fair share of gambling by the end of the night, I still came out ahead.
“Here’s your money back,” I said to Grady, handing him the original amount of five-thousand dollars.
“No, man. You keep it. Consider it a party favor.”
“I’m good. I profited nicely on it.” I urged him to take it.
“Not going to happen, brother. Give it to Mila. Put it in her piggy bank for college. Or better yet, let her buy a car when she’s sixteen. I’m not taking it back.”
“Fine. I’ll tell her that Uncle Grady says hello.” I stuffed the money back in my pocket. “And thanks for this. You really did give us a blowout.”
“Yeah, and don’t worry. The night’s not over. We’re hitting the strip club. It’s my favorite place, and I actually own a small corner of it, so you’re going to be treated like royalty.”
“You own part of a strip club? How come you didn’t tell us?”
“Because it’s only on paper. I gave the owner a loan.”
It kind of scared me that he was so frivolous with his money and was already letting people borrow from him. Not to mention giving it away for us to gamble.
“Do you have someone looking out for you? You know, in the financial department?”
“Yeah, don’t worry. My father is looking after it. And you wouldn’t believe the shit I have to go through just to get my hands on it. But don’t tell the other guys. I don’t want them to know.”
“Well, it makes me feel better anyway.”
“Yeah, yeah. Well, it’s okay really. I swear I could wipe my ass with hundies for the rest of my life and never run out.”
“You must have really made a good deal.”
“Oh yeah. And I don’t have anything holding me down. No wife to spend it, no kids to feed. I’m just on my own and living the good life.”
“Doesn’t that get old? Don’t you want someone to be there for you at the end of the day?” He had to get lonely. Hell, everyone did.
“Not really,” he said. “If I want company, it’s just a phone call away.”
That kind of life was soon going to get old. And I hoped he was okay when it did.
I thought of Tara again and realized I wasn’t going to let her get away from me so easily. I had to make at least one more attempt and show her that I was a good guy who just wanted to get to know her better. Hopefully, Clay had been wrong, and she didn’t think I was trying to buy her affection.
Chapter 12
Tara
I had just about finished my shift after a long day of Karen not showing up to work. Ben had said that she had called in sick, and if I didn’t already know she was skipping work to catch up on sleep, I might have been worried enough to call her.
As it was, I was busy cleaning up the morning buffet by myself, taking away the empty pans of breakfast food, and making room to phase in the lunch specials. There was a lot of food left, which meant I’d have more frozen waffles and some biscuits to take home as leftovers. I had a freezer full of them already, but it helped when I didn’t have enough money to buy groceries.
“You have another table,” said Ben while I was in the kitchen, stacking the empties to make way for the dishwasher.
“My shift ended twenty minutes ago,” I said, knowing I needed the money. “But okay.” It wasn’t like I could turn the money down, and he knew it.
He gave me a sympathetic look. “Well, if your buddy wasn’t sick, she’d be here to deal with it. I had her scheduled alone for the hour since this is our usual slow time, but I’ve got Carmen coming in early to make up for it. I’m sure you don’t mind staying for the extra tips.”
“Sure,” I said, knowing that the chances of the tips being worth the extra time weren’t likely but knowing every penny counted. “I’ll be r
ight there.”
I finished what I was doing and washed my hands. Then I hurried out to the floor and past the buffet where the tables began. At the last table, I found Zane, who was sitting alone.
I looked around for his friends, but they were not around.
“Hey,” I said, surprised and happy to see him. “You are all by your lonesome today?”
He was dressed in jeans and a nice button down with the sleeves pushed up to show his muscular, tattooed forearms that looked like they’d seen a lot of hard work to get so strong. Not to mention a lot of hours under the needle.
Instant turn on.
“Yeah, I thought I’d come down and say hi. I figured you were working.”
“Actually, I’m just finishing up until someone else clocks in. You would have missed me if my friend hadn’t called in sick. I’d already be gone.”
“Well, I’d say lucky me, but that wouldn’t be too nice because of your friend. I hate that she’s sick.” He gave me a sympathetic look, but he seemed happy that it worked to his advantage.
“Well, she’s not really sick,” I said in a low voice. “She was out late last night.”
He gave me a quizzical look. “Oh? Did you go with her?”
“No, going out to party hard as she does really isn’t my thing. She called me early this morning to warn me she wasn’t coming in and that she was sorry for leaving me hanging.”
“Well, I guess I have her to thank anyway. I really wanted to see you.”
He could be really convincing if I let him. “Can I get you something?” Surely, he was there to eat. It couldn’t be all about me. He was just polite.
“Um, I really hadn’t thought about it. But sure. How about some coffee? And I’m not sure what else you have.”
“How about a slice of pie?” It was just a suggestion and the best thing we had on the menu at that hour.
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