by Love, B. T.
I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. Trent. God he acted like he was so sure of himself, like he could just say anything he wanted to me and I would jump right into bed with him or something. I couldn’t be mad at him for his flirtation though; it was pretty flattering. And to be fair he was probably used to getting any woman he wanted, just based on his stance as a powerful man alone. The fact that he was as hot as hell was an excellent bonus. He probably assumed I would fall into his trap of smooth talk. Oh how wrong he was.
* * *
“God ya look terrible,” Natalie pointed out when I walked into the restaurant. “Did ya even sleep last night?”
“No,” I said with irritation. “The hooker next door was having sex all night.”
Her eyes widened. “Are ya serious?” she laughed.
“Unfortunately.”
“Well thanks again for covering last night. And I wanted to say sorry that I didn’t give ya a heads up on the Falco family.”
“You apologized for that already, it’s okay.”
“Yeah but I just want to make sure you’re not mad at me.”
“I’m not,” I smiled, giving her reassurance. I tied my apron on and crossed my arms. “He’s such a flirt, isn’t he?”
“Who?”
“Trent Falco.”
“Trent? No, not really. Not that I’ve ever seen anyway.”
That was surprising. “Really? Because he was kind of flirting with me last night.”
Her eyebrows lifted on her forehead. “Seriously? Are ya sure?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m pretty sure. He said I was like a natural beauty or something like that. I kind of wrote it off though because he seems like the kind of guy who would fill a woman’s head with all sorts of compliments to get her into bed with him.” She stayed quiet while her lips formed a downturned smile. “What?” I asked.
“It’s just, well, I don’t know a lot about Trent personally but I’m pretty sure he’s not a big flirt. I think he was married years back, and he’s only had one serious girlfriend that I’ve ever known of since then and that was like five years ago. He’s been single ever since.”
“Hmm. Well, he sure is the big tipper, huh?”
“Yeah,” she shrugged. “I usually get fifty bucks from him.”
“Fifty?”
“Yeah. Why, how much did he give ya?”
“Uh, three hundred . . .”
“Three hundred?” she shouted.
“Shh, keep your voice down!”
“Damn, if I would have known he was in such a good mood last night I would have served him myself!”
“Well he was probably just trying to impress me or something.”
“Yeah, well, I would count yourself lucky that a guy like him was trying to impress ya. It’s much better to be on his good side than his bad side.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I’m sure you’re right.”
* * *
I sat at the counter in the back of the kitchen on my lunch break, eating the most delicious fettuccine Alfredo I had ever tasted in my entire existence. The restaurant served amazing food and I could see why night after night it was packed with people.
“Amber!”
I turned in my seat to see Natalie approaching me with wild eyes. “What? What’s wrong?”
“You’ll never guess who’s here!”
“Who?”
“Trent!”
I rolled my eyes and turned back to my plate of food. “So? Just please don’t make me serve him. After last night I can’t handle another minute with that arrogant hottie. And he probably wants to kill me so I should probably avoid him anyway.”
“Well that’s too bad, ‘cause he’s asking for you.”
I stopped short of sticking a fork-full of fettuccine in my mouth. “What?” I asked, turning back around to face her.
“He specifically asked to see ya.”
“But why is he even here? I thought you said he only eats here on Sundays.”
“He usually does. He didn’t want to be seated though, he just asked if he could see ya.”
I wiped my mouth with my cloth napkin and stood up. “How do I look? Oh, jeez, you said I looked terrible earlier . . .”
She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall with a smile. “I thought ya wrote off guys like him.”
“I do; but I still want to look good.” I smiled and walked past her, passing the line of cooks on my way out. They all stared quietly at me as if I were walking to my certain death. I probably was.
I left the kitchen and went to the dining area. There he was, standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest waiting patiently for my arrival. Today he was wearing a light green dress shirt and black slacks, a step down from the suit he was in the night before. When he saw me his eyes lit up and he smiled, his handsomeness escalating by the appearance of dimples in his cheeks I didn’t realize he had.
“Hello, Amber,” he greeted me, his deep voice resonating with just a touch of an accent.
I came closer and stood with the hostess’s podium between us. “Hello. How may I help you?”
His eyes twinkled. “Straight to business I see.”
“Well what else would this visit be about?” I swallowed hard, wishing I could swallow the attitude that I couldn’t help but have with him for some reason.
He nodded and dropped the smile. “I came here to apologize, actually.”
I was stunned. “Apologize?”
“Yes, about last night. I was a bit out of line. The things I said to you, that’s not usually how I am.”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard. It’s okay.”
His head cocked mildly to the side. “You keep hearin’ things about me . . .” Again, a statement and not a question.
I bit my lip and looked down at the ground. “I, uh, can give you the tip back you gave me.”
“Why do you think I want that back? It was a tip.”
“I figured you accidentally left me too much.”
He laughed under his breath. “Do I look like a man who doesn’t know how to handle his money?”
There it was again, that smug attitude that I had absolutely no interest in entertaining. My head shot up from the floor and I glared at him. “Thank you for the apology. I have to get back to work now.” I spun on my heels and went back toward the kitchen.
“Wait,” he called out after me. “Please.”
I turned back around. His hands were down at his sides and a faint look of desperation was on his handsome face. As I came back over his posture stiffened and he returned to his crossed-arms stance, molding back into the tough guy persona I was more used to seeing.
I crossed my arms like him. “How can I help you?” I huffed.
“Let me take you to dinner.”
“What?”
“Let me take you to dinner.” He smiled, pleased with his sense of humor.
“Yeah, I heard what you said. Why do you want to take me to dinner?”
“To show you I’m sorry.”
“Your apology was enough.”
He grunted with frustration. “Come on. I’m not the type of man to beg.”
“Then stop begging.”
His lips pursed while his mind worked to find a reply. “Okay, you’re absolutely right. Like I said before: you’re a smart woman.”
“I like to think so.”
His lips formed a small smile. “Well, have a good rest of your day, Amber.”
“And you as well, Mr. Falco.”
I left him at the podium and went back to the kitchen to finish my lunch. My mind was racing with what had just happened. I gave him such attitude; what was wrong with me? I must have had a death wish. But I just couldn’t help but become some kind of fearless, uncensored woman when I was around him.
When I sat down Vin was at my side within seconds. “What the hell happened with Mr. Falco out there?” he grilled me.
“Nothing,” I shrugged. “Why?”
“Because he did
n’t look too happy when ya left him. I need to make sure ya handled him and his crew appropriately last night or else you won’t be able to wait on them anymore.”
“That’s fine by me.”
“That’s fine by you?” he echoed my words. “What the hell is wrong with ya?”
I turned in my seat to face him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I thought ya realized who that guy is out there. Last night ya acted as nervous as a fish in a shark tank when you were bringin’ him his food. Now ya act like you’re better than him. And I’ve got news for ya sweetheart: ya ain’t. None of us are. So ya better get your act together and treat him with respect or else you’ll be out on your ass without a job.”
I fought off the heat that was forming behind my eyes. “But Vin, he was flirting with me.”
“Then let him flirt with ya!”
“But I don’t want to lead him on or something.”
He shook his head with disappointment. “Listen, I like ya. You’re a good hard-working woman and I like havin’ ya on here but the Falco family are our number one priority when they come into this restaurant. I mean, if Trent’s comin’ in here wantin’ to talk then ya talk. Got it? Ya don’t leave him standin’ there ever again.”
“I’m sorry Vin, but no. If he flirts with me and I let him then he’ll think I’m interested. And yes, I am aware of his power in this community, which is exactly why I don’t want to lead him on. It would be much easier to stay out of a relationship with someone like that as opposed to getting out of a relationship with someone like that. Do you understand that logic?”
“But aren’t ya the least bit scared of what he might do to ya if ya piss him off?”
“It’s crossed my mind, yes, but he’s the least of my worries right now. I live in an unsecured apartment in a horrible neighborhood. My neighbors are crack heads and prostitutes. I can’t even leave my house once it’s dark outside. I mean, you took me home; you saw what it’s like there. That’s what I’m afraid of right now in my life. Not Trent Falco.”
He nodded with understanding and the stern look on his face softened. “Listen, Amber, I’m not tellin’ ya to sleep with the guy. In fact, I don’t care what ya do when ya leave this restaurant when it comes to him. But when you’re on the clock ya give him what he wants. ‘Cause this is my restaurant and if the wrong people get pissed off here then it’s my neck as well. Ya hear me on that?”
“Sure Vin,” I agreed against my will. “I understand.”
* * *
I was upset with Vin the rest of my shift and avoided him as much as I could. It was amazing how scared he was of the Falco family. Natalie talked to me about it not long after her dad, but she just wanted me to dish on what the conversation was about with Trent. She did agree with her dad that I had to drop my attitude when it came to that smug character. It was two against one.
I slid my key into the lock and opened the door. It was good to be home, kind of. I sat my purse on the counter and put some coffee grounds in the coffee pot, feeling the need for some warm comfort after a long day.
There was a knock on the door. I smiled. “Smell the coffee, Clyde?” I shouted.
“Hi, um, it’s not Clyde.”
My brows furrowed; it was a woman. I went over to the door and looked through the dingy peephole. “Who is it?”
“It’s Sophie, I’m your neighbor next door.”
The prostitute! What was I supposed to do? Should I let her in? What on earth did she want? Against my better judgement I opened the door. “Hello,” I greeted her.
“Hello. I just wanted to introduce myself.”
She wasn’t what I had imagined. When you think of a prostitute in a run-down neighborhood you think of them as being cracked-out and trashy. Not Sophie. Actually, she was quite pretty and seemed to be clean. She even smelled good.
I stood back from the door. “Would you like to come in?”
“Sure,” she smiled. She came in and stood in my living room. “I uh, I thought you were doing something to the walls in here. It looks nice.”
“Thanks. I’ve been getting it ready so I can paint it.”
“That’ll be nice.”
“Yeah.”
Man, it was sure awkward with this woman. I couldn’t stop thinking about the man moaning in her apartment the night before. “Do you want some coffee?” I asked to break the silence between us.
“I’d love some.” She joined me in the kitchen and leaned against the counter while I got out the cups. “I hear you’re from California?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Did Clyde tell you that?”
“Yeah.”
“Clyde’s nice.”
“Yeah, he is.”
The coffee pot beeped. “How do you take it?” I asked.
“Oh, um, tons of cream and sugar.”
“Like me,” I smiled.
She smiled in return. I fixed her coffee up and handed it to her, and then we both leaned against the kitchen counter and stared at my empty living room.
“Do you need some furniture?” she asked. “I have a coffee table you can have; I don’t like it anymore. I’m thinking about getting something a little smaller.”
“Oh, that’s so nice of you. I’m okay for now, actually. I really don’t know how I want to decorate this place yet. I’m just taking it one project at a time, starting with the walls.”
“And what’s after that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I really want open cabinets with all white dishes. I might take off the cabinet doors and re-paint them.”
“That’ll be nice. Are you some kind of interior designer or something?”
“No,” I smiled. “But I wish I were. I have a lot of ideas in my head and I wasn’t ever able to see them out before.”
“Why is that?”
I looked down at my steaming cup. “Oh, man. Well, I was with a man for a long time—”
“I’ll stop you right there,” she said, cutting me off. “Men ruin everything. That’s why I choose to stay single.”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “They do.”
“But go on,” she said.
“Well, we were engaged for a while. I broke it off actually because he just didn’t really support me with anything I wanted to do. Like, I always wanted to go into business flipping furniture and stuff.”
“Flipping furniture?”
“Yeah, you know, like, getting a piece of crap dresser and refinishing it. I love doing that kind of stuff.”
“Well, you should do it then. Life’s short; do what you want. That’s the motto I’ve always lived by.”
I took a slow sip of my coffee. Did she really want to be a prostitute? If she did what she said and lived by that motto then sleeping with men for money is what she wanted for herself. But I couldn’t ask her if that was the case, obviously.
She finished her coffee and put the cup in the sink. “Well, thank you for the coffee. I should be getting back to my apartment.”
“You’re welcome. It was nice meeting you.”
“You too.”
I walked her to the door. When she opened it and stepped into the hallway she turned around to face me. “Listen, I also came over to apologize about last night. They aren’t supposed to get loud like that, and I, I’m really sorry if you heard it.”
“Oh,” I waved it off, “it’s fine.”
She gave me a downturned smile. “Well, have a good night.”
“You too.”
* * *
It was finally the weekend and I was off. I spent the day grocery shopping and picking out paint, the color I decided on being a pale blue for the living room. I picked out a light sage green for the bedroom and bathroom, even though it clashed with the hideous carpet. I was planning on getting some area rugs to throw down over the floor eventually anyway.
On the drive home the taxi passed an alley that was filled with furniture most likely thrown out from an eviction. “Excuse me, can you turn around please?” I asked th
e driver. He listened without complaint and flipped around. “Stop right here.”
I got out and looked over the furniture. Most of it was too dilapidated to fix, but there were two matching wooden end tables that were pretty promising. I put one in back with me and another up front with the driver.
When we got to my apartment I pulled everything out onto the sidewalk and gave him an extra tip for letting me bring garbage into his vehicle.
Clyde was sitting at his usual place on the stoop. “Need help?” he shouted down to me.
“Yes, help would be great. Thanks.”
He came down the steps and picked up the end tables, holding one in each hand. “These are pretty light. Nice, too. Did you get them at the thrift store?”
“No, in an alley.”
“No kidding? Well, nothing beats free.”
“You’ve got that right.”
He followed me upstairs and sat the two tables down in my living room. “You got paint I see.”
“Yep.”
“You stick with the blue you wanted?”
“Yeah, and sage green for the bedroom.”
“Sounds nice. Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll help you paint.”
“Thanks Clyde, I appreciate it.”
* * *
“Wanna guess who was here last night?” Natalie said, giving me a devilish grin.
I dumped a load of dirty dishes in the sink. “Well, being that last night was Sunday I’m going to go ahead and say Trent Falco.”