The dragon snags my attention, and I freeze as I stare at it. I swallow hard at the sight of the tattoo on my left shoulder.
Micah.
The pain that suddenly stabs at me has me doubling over as my lungs tighten. Soft gasps fill the small bathroom as I struggle to draw in ragged breaths of oxygen. Bitterness begins to envelope me, and I try to fight it off as the ache in my chest intensifies.
Not today. Not when I need to work an eight hour shift. I can't let it take over.
This is one of those days where I can't stand the tattoo. I should have never gotten it. But fucking hell, when I'm drunk—I do the damnedest shit. Case in point—this morning's fiasco with Ace's pink handcuffs.
Chapter Two
My feet ache. I should have been done with my shift over two hours ago, but Dina had called in sick, and I hadn't wanted to leave Lonnie dealing with the late evening rush with just a newbie as back-up. I'm pretty sure the new girl wouldn't be stepping one foot back in this place after tonight. Lonnie's a vivacious blonde that won't hesitate to let you know when you're messing up. She's only a year older than me, but she's been working here at Grendal's for four years, and she's the assistant manager. She's been riding the newbie's ass all night, because the other girl is ridiculously slow.
I bustle into the kitchen and quickly start depositing the dirty dishes near the large dishwasher a teenager is in charge of tonight. Once my tray is clear, I exit the back and almost run into Lonnie.
Annoyance flicker’s in her blue gaze. “I'm about to fire her.”
“It's your own fault for hiring her.”
“I was desperate,” she mutters as she runs her well-manicured hands over her sleek ponytail.
I can't help but make a sarcastic sound in the back of my throat. “And you'll be desperate tomorrow when she gives you her notice.”
“I know. At least things are slowing down.” Lonnie's blue eyes perk up. “I owe you for sticking around. Ketler's having a huge party tonight. Come with?”
Under normal circumstances, I'd jump at the invite. I've partied with Lonnie several times before and even gone clubbing with her and her friends. She's twenty-one, and she knows everyone here in Long Beach. I'm only twenty, but I have a fake ID that says otherwise. Partying and drinking happens to top my list of favorite things to do, but after this morning's fiasco, I'm actually looking forward to going back to my empty apartment. Tomorrow is Monday, and I have classes to deal with.
Lonnie arches an eyebrow. “If it's taking you that long to answer, Hell's frozen over or something.”
“I had a rough morning, and with it being Monday tomorrow, I think I'll pass,” I say lightly.
“When has a weekday ever stopped you?”
I shrug.
Now Lonnie is suspicious. “Did a guy finally pin you down?”
A snicker escapes before I can contain it as I think of Preston cuffed to my bed this morning. More like I'd pinned a guy down—for hours—without even knowing it.
Lonnie's mouth drops open. “Who?”
“No,” I say with a laugh. “No one pinned me down.”
“Zoey Monohan, explain that snicker to me right now,” she demands. Glass shatters somewhere in the restaurant before I have a chance to reply. Lonnie's blue eyes swing towards the noise and she stalks off, cursing under her breath. Then, she pauses briefly and looks back at me. “Get out of here. Tell Mike he's to help cover the floor if I need him,” she calls before she disappears.
I quickly disperse with the tray and toss my simple black apron into the hamper before going back out into the restaurant. Grendal's is pretty casual, but since it's close to campus, it's usually busy. The restaurant is mainly made up of an intricate maze of booths with high wall dividers, giving the illusion to casual privacy. Current music plays quietly on the speaker’s overhead, and during the day the restaurant has blue walls and a sophisticated beach feel to it. At night, the lights dim slightly, and the black lights are turned on, giving the place a club-like type feel to it. Towards the back of the restaurant is a bar with a huge oval counter that overlooks the dozens of booths in the smaller room. Louder music plays in the bar, and the black lights are turned up more. It's a popular place for the college crowd in the evenings before they go out to party.
Mike is behind the bar with Scott, one of the other bartenders. I see there are several patrons at the bar, and I silently make my way behind the counter and wait until Mike spies me. He walks over, flashing a quick smile of expectation. “Hey girl, headed out?”
“Yeah, Lonnie's orders. She wants me to warn you that you'll have to help cover the floor if she needs you,” I say loudly over the music.
He nods, and his eyes scan the bar before turning back to me. “New girl?”
I shake my head.
“Figured as much. Catch you later, Zoey.”
I flash him a smile and turn to escape the restaurant before Lonnie can change her mind. The fresh air greets me when I step outside, and I inhale deeply as I pull out my car keys and press the unlock button on my key fob. The sight of my gorgeous cherry red Camaro with white racing stripes down the middle brings a smile to my face. I slide in and run my hands over the steering wheel lovingly. This here, this is my baby. She's the only constant in my life that will never leave me. I bought her last year when I realized I could swing the monthly payments along with my rent. Since I don’t have to pay for my college tuition, all my money from my job goes towards living expenses. If only Micah was here to see her. My heart constricts as I think of my brother and the fascination he’d had for fast cars.
I quickly shut down my thoughts before they can go too deep into the recesses of my mind where the darkness awaits. I can think of Micah briefly some days depending on my mood at the time. Other days, it’s like being gutted with a knife.
I turn on the ignition and grin as she purrs to life. The ache in my feet fades as I expertly back the Camaro out of the employee parking lot, leaving the restaurant behind. Once I'm on the road, I push the speed limit as much as I can without getting pulled over.
It's not long before I'm parking the car in the lot behind the large apartment complex I live in. I go through the back entrance, and instead of using the elevator, I take the stairs up to the second floor level. As I walk down the long hall, I can hear music coming from a few apartments down from mine. The complex is located only a mile away from Long Beach University. A lot of college students reside here thanks to the close proximity to campus. There's always a party or something going on, and I love the lively atmosphere.
After unlocking my apartment door, I step inside and flip on the light. The usual assault of loneliness hits me, but I shove it aside as I kick off my shoes. I need pizza. I'm in the mood for lots of cheese and tomato sauce, with a bottle of beer on the side. I'm just pulling the phone book out of the drawer in the kitchen when I hear a knock on my apartment door. I'm guessing it's either Jeremy or Ace.
I walk over and open it to find Jeremy. “Hey. I thought I heard you come home,” he says as he walks past me uninvited into my apartment.
I frown as I shut the door. “Were you waiting on me or something?” I ask as I turn to face him. I can’t help but think that I won the lottery when it comes to having him and Ace as neighbors. Jeremy may not be as striking as Ace, but his ruggedly handsome good looks draw in plenty of female admirers. He’s also still sporting the same stubble he’d had along his jaw last night, and I briefly wonder if he’s going to let it grow out.
Jeremy shakes his head in reference to my question. He gives me a pointed look as his right eyebrow quirks up, bringing attention to the thin scar that bisects his brow. “Ace is entertaining a lady.”
“You sure she's a lady?” I quip.
Jeremy snickers. “I think he's slumming it tonight. She's not his usual type. And she's loud.”
I laugh and nod to the couch. “My couch is your couch. I was just ordering pizza,” I tell him as I go back to the phone book where my cell phone sits on th
e counter.
“Get me a medium, hand tossed, with everything but the green peppers.”
I place our order and walk past him. “I smell like grease. If pizza comes before I'm out of the shower, I have cash sitting on my dresser.”
“Nah, I got it. Where's your laptop?”
“It's either on my bed or in my backpack,” I call back before I enter the bathroom and shut the door.
I take a quick shower, run a wide-tooth comb through my wet tangles briefly, then throw on a pair of casual black sweat capri's and a red tank. When I open the bathroom door, the scent of pizza hits me, and my stomach growls loudly.
Jeremy is in the kitchen, grabbing plates out of the cupboard while two pizza boxes sit on the counter top. I walk over and grab some paper towel first before snagging a couple of bottles of beer out of the fridge. We settle down on the couch next to each other and dig in.
“Where's AJ tonight?” I ask around a mouthful of cheesy pizza.
Jeremy shrugs. “He ignored my text, so he's probably out with his brothers,” he replies before he takes a long pull of his beer.
I nod, knowing he's likely right. AJ is the only other 'non-friend' that I am 'supposedly not close to.' He lives in a large fraternity house just off campus with a bunch of his fraternity brothers. AJ's here on a baseball scholarship, and even though he's quite level headed, the guy is always in demand. Very rarely does he have down time, and when he does, he's busy studying or working on his course work.
“What was up with you last night?” Jeremy asks as he eyes me with interest. “You were all over Caleb, and you're usually not like that. You rarely put that much effort into guys. Hell, you never put any effort into them. You let them come to you.”
“Caleb?” I ask, as I lick some pizza sauce off one of my fingers before reaching for another slice of pizza. “Who's Caleb?”
His mouth twitches with a hint of a smile. “You've already forgotten about the guy you had handcuffed to your bed this morning?”
“Oh, him. I thought his name was Preston.”
“No, that's his last name.”
I shrug and take a bite of my new slice of pizza. I wish I was as unaffected as I am pretending to be. Too many times at work Caleb's sexy body had flashed in my mind.
“So? You gonna answer me?” Jeremy presses.
“I don't remember much of last night,” I say truthfully. “He probably came off as too cocky, and it set me off. I'm guessing I planned on taking his ego down a peg or two but got sidetracked,” I say dryly. I smirk and meet Jeremy's gaze. “I guess in a way, I still succeeded after this morning's fiasco.”
“Ace is never going to let either of you live that down.”
“I know.”
He tosses his crumpled up napkin on his pizza box and reaches for my laptop on the coffee table. “Let's watch a movie. You really need to get a TV.”
“I'm not around here long enough for one. It'd be a total waste.”
~*~
Someone's snoring softly in my bed.
My first thought is not again. I might be a bit promiscuous, but I don't do back to back one-nighters. But then I smell Jeremy's cologne, and I recognize the soft, barely there snore that is coming from the opposite side of the bed. I've woken up beside Jeremy enough times to recognize the sounds he makes while he sleeps.
I yawn widely, and my jaw practically cracks as I stretch. I note I'm still wearing my tank and capri's from last night, so I know we hadn't had sex. I try to remember climbing in bed with him, but I draw a complete blank. The last thing I remember is curling up into his side on the couch as we watched a movie on my laptop. I must have fallen asleep, and he'd carried me to bed and decided to spend the night. This wouldn't be the first time I've been carried to bed. I've crashed next door numerous times, then found myself in one of the guys' beds the following morning, because they'd been too lazy to bring me back to my own place. At least this morning I'm in my own bed, because I have Speech at eight.
Speaking of...
I turn on my side and peer blearily at my alarm clock. My eyes widen. It's going on seven-thirty. Dang it! Mornings suck. Especially when I have to haul ass to class. With a muttered curse, I glance at Jeremy. He's sleeping on his side, his tanned back facing me. He'd stripped off his shirt sometime last night, but he’s still wearing jeans.
I'm about to reach out and shake his shoulder before I think better of it. I don't have time to mess around, but it's too tempting, and he's set himself up for it. With a wide grin, I carefully move so that I can brace my body against the wrought iron headboard of my bed. My body is diagonal from where he lies, and my bare feet gently rest against his smooth back. My knees are bent up, and I bite my lip with anticipation. It's times like this that I enjoy the guys. I have a bit of a mischievous streak, and I certainly never want to become predictable. Besides, I have a reputation to live up to. If I'm going to be a bitch, I might as well work at it, right?
My knees tense, then I shove my feet into his back as hard as I can. Jeremy's unprepared body is shoved right off the edge of the bed. There's a loud thud while a string of masculine curses rents the air from behind the bed where I can no longer see him. I double over laughing hysterically. It's unfortunate that I hadn't been able to see the look on his face as he hit the floor.
Jeremy abruptly rises to his feet, eyes gleaming as he bends and grips the bottom of the mattress. My eyes widen with alarm as he uses those muscles of his to upend the entire mattress, dumping me off it, my limbs flailing as I land in an unceremonious heap the floor. My butt smarts painfully, and I look up to meet Jeremy's gaze. He's still standing beside the bed after setting the mattress back down. “Brat,” he says, but I can tell he’s enjoying our little morning fight.
I grab the nearest high heel, which has tiny spikes on the sides and heave it at him. “Dickhead.”
He knocks it out of the way before it can nail him in the head and launches himself over the mattress at me. I let out a shriek as I scramble to my feet, racing out of the bedroom and down the hall. I don't know where the hell I think I'm going to go, because the apartment is tiny, but when Jeremy comes after me, I usually run for dear life.
He tackles me in the living room, and I go down hard as I land on my stomach, my face slamming into the floor—making my chin smart. Thank God it's not hard wood, or I'd be in a world of hurt. I try to scramble out from under Jeremy's large body, but his strong hands grasp me around the hips and he leans off me to physically turn me over, effectively pinning me to the floor. Now I am facing him, arms pinned above my head. His dark hair is mussed, and his brown eyes are laughing at me. “Say mercy.”
I scowl up at him, because I never admit defeat. “Bite me.”
His eyebrows rise. “Just how kinky are you getting on us, Zo? First the handcuffs, now biting?”
“Ha-ha!” I grumble as I try to wiggle out from under him. “I have class in less than thirty minutes, dumbass. Get off.”
“You started it,” he says calmly as he keeps my arms pinned above my head with one hand while his other rests near my hip.
“It's your own fault. I've told you guys never to expect any predictability out of me.”
“Yield.”
“No.”
He grins. “I was hoping you'd say that.” His free hand yanks my shirt up to my ribs, and his fingers attack my sides. I start to shriek and laugh as I buck beneath him. Dang my ticklishness! The guys never hesitate to take advantage of it. “Say it!” Jeremy orders.
“Arrgh! Fine! I yield!” I yell while struggling not to giggle. He releases me and rises to his feet, holding out a hand. With a roll of my eyes, I accept it and he helps me up. I adjust my shirt and glance at him. He's smiling, and I can't resist the answering tug on my lips. My mood is light, and I playfully shove him aside as I walk past him towards the bathroom.
~*~
When I exit the Design Building on campus later that day, my mind is distracted. I mentally try to coax some excitement to surface over
the residential project I'm working on for one of my classes.
I happen to spy Ace leaning against the building, evidently waiting on me, and I’m startled out of my earlier thoughts. Everything from class fades from my mind as I approach him. If he's waiting on me, this can only mean he's up to something. Usually, I meet up with the group whenever I come across them on campus. Ace will rarely search me out.
“Hey,” I greet as I walk over.
He adjusts his backpack over his shoulder as he straightens, then slips an arm around me and leads me away from the building. “Handcuff anyone lately?” he teases.
“That's all you've got? I'm disappointed,” I muse as we walk. I'm guessing we're headed toward the Central Quad, one of our usual group hangouts.
“Next thing I know, you'll be asking after paddles and riding crops.” He gives me a lascivious look. “I'd be happy to break you in.” I snort and he chuckles. “I heard you and Jeremy going at it this morning. Lots of thuds were coming from your place while I was making breakfast.”
Thankfully, the apartments are designed so that the bedrooms share a wall with the next unit's kitchen and living room. It would really bite to have to listen to someone else's bedroom antics through the walls of your bedroom. I shake my head and dodge a guy on a bicycle. “We didn't have sex. Just a little morning wrestling, is all.”
“If that's what you want to call it.”
I don't bother to correct him since I don't really care what he thinks. Jeremy and I have hooked up before, but we haven't in quite some time. I shy away from sleeping with someone on a regular basis. It's my way of avoiding getting close to anyone. Jeremy knows this, and once in a while we'll have sex if we're in the mood, but otherwise, we keep it platonic.
As we walk, most of the females we pass make it a point to smile flirtatiously at Ace while point blank ignoring me. I don't care. I don't do friendship, and I don't blame the other girls for being leery of me. I think they think I'm going to come after their guys, but that's a rule I never, ever break. I have the reputation as a slut, because I don't hide from the fact that I enjoy sex. I think it's stupid that guys can get away with sleeping around, but we girls get called out for it. Whatever. Like I said, I'm not here to make friends.
Poison Me Sweetly (Long Beach Series Book 1) Page 3