by Ellie Danes
We made it to the end of the hall. I tried not to stare at him, and looked at the ground instead.
Chase paused just outside of his doorway. “Can we talk for a minute?”
I wrung my hands together anxiously as I nodded and then walked into his office. “Sure.”
“Thank you for being discrete yesterday.”
“Oh, no problem. I was honestly caught off-guard by it all. I never do that, I mean…” I fumbled for the right words. “Not, not be discrete. I mean, I never just sleep with someone I just met.” I could feel my face reddening as the words came out of my mouth.
“I understand,” Chase said as a sly smile crept across his face. “Me, either.”
I certainly didn’t believe that. A man as good looking and put together as Chase likely didn’t ever have a problem picking up women.
“So, we can just forget it all if you want,” I said. “Let’s just pretend it never happened, okay?”
Chase eased himself on to the edge of his large desk, his sly smile still sitting on his face. “If that’s what you really want.”
“It is,” I quickly replied. What was I saying? That was the exact opposite of what I wanted. “I mean, I think that would be best. Especially if we’re working together.”
Chase nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll need to get your number, for work purposes, of course. There are times I may need to reach you when I’m not on campus. Will that be okay?”
“Sure, whatever you need,” I said, and recited my number.
I rocked back and forth on my heels, unsure of exactly what was going on. A mix of emotions filled my head as I stared at him, but not directly in the eyes. I took in how polished and professional he looked in his tailored suit. It hugged his body, showing his strong chiseled chest that I had skimmed my hands over just days before. His day-old stubble made him look even sexier. He was rugged and professional at the same time. I hadn’t needed the alcohol to want him the other night. I didn’t need it now.
I needed it to resist him.
A couple seconds later, my phone chimed with a new message
Now you have my number too. ~Chase.
I had to resist him.
* * * * *
The Fox Hole had become my second home or possibly third home over the summer. I had picked up as many shifts as I could when I wasn’t watching the devil kids.
Now that classes had started again, I was hoping that the bar would stay busier, even on a Tuesday night. My shift was four until close, which during the week was ten p.m. I had only been there an hour and the bar and high-tops were already filled.
Happy hour at the Fox Hole usually took off around six. The business men had already started coming in for their impromptu bitch sessions with one another, and tonight seemed to be busier than normal. Maybe because school was back in and the older men enjoyed looking at the college girls.
I was fortunate enough to have six of the high-top tables in the main bar area. Those were usually good for the high tippers. I needed to keep myself busy and my mind off of things. I needed to keep my mind off of Chase and our conversation earlier in the afternoon.
I scurried through the crowd that was standing three to four people deep at the bar and dropped off the martinis to two businessmen in the corner. Both were in the late fifties and looked as if they were already burnt out for the week.
“Is there anything else I can get you gentlemen?” I asked, shooting them a big smile.
“Not right now, but keep these coming,” the older, heavier man said without looking up from his phone.
“Sure thing,” I said as I swung around to check on the table that was just seated.
“People still drink those?” A voice from behind me asked. For a moment, I imagined Chase standing behind me, but instead glanced over to see Grant sitting at one of my tables.
“They do,” I said with a smile, “and they usually tip really well,” I whispered as I held my hand up near my mouth as if shielding it from anyone else hearing. “Can I get you something? Where are you sitting?”
“Actually, I was just going to grab a table, but saw you so I thought I’d say hello.” Grant reached out and rubbed my shoulder and upper arm. “I guess you never stop working, do you?”
“Not really, I need all of the hours I can get. Which doesn’t leave much time for anything else. It’s what my life has become, unfortunately.”
“Hopefully that will change when you’re done with classes.”
“Probably not,” I said. “Then I have to pay off all of the school loans I’ve been racking up the last seven years. At least then, maybe I’ll have a higher paying job.”
“Or a rich husband, or boyfriend,” Grant chuckled and smiled as if what he said was pure genius. “How about a drink after work? We can talk about the job at the university and figure a few things out.”
A weird feeling sank over me as I wondered whether Chase had said anything to Grant about the other night. Did Grant know? I shuddered at the thought.
Chase didn’t seem the type to sit and gossip with another man and he had played it off like we hadn’t known one another.
“Thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I’m already meeting up with my friend and will probably just call it an early night, anyway.” I quickly looked around the bar and then smiled back at Grant. “I really should get going and check on my tables.”
It appeared that Grant was going to reach in for an awkward hug and I quickly turned and headed toward table nine without looking back.
There was something about him that just wasn’t sitting well with me. Maybe he was just a bad flirt. Maybe it was because he wasn’t Chase. I kept moving and resolved not to give him a second thought.
Work continued to be busy, and it was one of the few nights I hadn’t really had a chance to sit and rest for a moment. I liked being that busy, but it also meant that I didn’t have much opportunity to connect with my customers. Hopping from table to table became second nature. As much as I disliked being a waitress, I loved it as well. I was good at it. I was good at flirting, being nice, and making sure everyone got what they needed.
I also viewed every person I talked to as potential money in my pocket. I survived on tips and if it wasn’t for that cash, things would be a lot tighter.
Trina ended up working the bar area with me. She was fun to work with and was a no-nonsense type of woman. She was also one of the older waitresses that didn’t put up with college kids or businessmen that caused problems.
“Jamie, there’s a guy at my table that insists on you being his waitress. He’s a bit of a jackass. You can have him if you want, or I can just be a hard ass.”
“Which table?” I asked, glancing around the bar. Instinctively I thought it was Grant. Maybe he had come back, still wanting that drink since it was close to closing time.
“Twenty-one,” she said.
I scanned the perimeter of the tables until I saw twenty-one. I couldn’t make out who was sitting there since a crowd stood between the high-top tables and the bar. I weaved between the customers, getting to twenty-one and finding it empty, except for a large manila envelope with my name scribbled across the front.
I quickly grabbed it and looked around. My heart pounded in my chest as I held the heavy envelope. It has only been a few days since the last time someone left me something here. I unclasped the brass clip and reached inside, pulling out a piece of paper.
A photo of me and Chase at the Fox Hole glared at me. It was us, sitting at the bar, his arm reaching around me. A cold shiver shot down my spine as I quickly tucked the photo back into the envelope and looked inside to see what else it contained. I could feel a cold sweat begin to form on my back as I pulled out a piece of paper with a typed note:
Great Job! Looks like you both had fun. Ready for another adventure? Call.
A phone number was scribbled across the bottom of the note. I drop it back inside and peered down into the envelope seeing a bunch of cash held together with a papercl
ip. I couldn’t tell the amount.
“Hey! Whatcha got there?” Trina asked loudly.
I spun around to see her standing behind me with a tray full of drinks. I shook my head, unable to answer.
“Did you scare him away?” she asked.
“Who was here, Trina? What did he look like?” Panic filled my voice as I clutched my tray and the envelope.
“Short, baldish, I think. Kinda cute, stocky. He didn’t say much, just asked if you could wait on him. He said you were a friend.”
“I guess he got bored and left,” I said with a laugh, trying to make light of the situation.
Trina shrugged, so I headed back through the crowd and in to the back room where my locker was located. I twisted the combination and stuffed the envelope inside. What the hell was going on?
I slammed the locker shut and leaned against the cold gray metal, taking in deep breaths. On my third breath my phone chimed, sending my heart racing into a panic again. My hand trembled as I slid the phone from my pocket and clicked the button, lighting up the screen. I had several missed text messages from Kay. I guessed I hadn’t heard them while I as working in the middle of the crowd.
Hey, I’m going to meet up with the tattoo guy tonight. Want to join after work?
A few minutes later.
Never mind, think I’m just going to hang at home, grab a bottle of wine. Meet me here?
And then the most recent.
Crap. You told me to remind you, rent is due at the end of the week. Sorry! Let’s drink!
I needed a drink. A few of them at least.
I looked at the time. Twenty minutes until we closed, which meant at least another hour and a half before I was out of here. Nervously, I headed back out into the bar, wondering who was watching me.
The more I thought about it, the less nervous I was and the more pissed off I became. How dare he come in to where I work…take pictures of me, leave me an envelope…
…and a number.
I knew exactly what I was going to do.
* * * * *
At twenty after eleven, I had cleared and cleaned everything in record time. I had managed to take a couple shots after clocking out to build up the nerve for my next move.
A coolness had begun to set in at night, even though it still felt like summer during the days. I sat in the driver seat of my Jeep. It was one of the few things I had that was paid for already. It was a graduation present from my parents, but I’d ended up paying for half of it with money I had saved before college.
I opened up the envelope and dumped everything in my lap. The photo of Chase and I sat face-up. I imagined where the person had stood when they took the photo and I tried to remember who had been there that night.
I couldn’t. By the time I was that close to Chase, I had already had a few drinks. He was the only thing on my mind. The paper-clipped bundle of money sat on the edge of my lap and I thumbed through it. This time it was hundred-dollar bills. Ten of them.
No instructions other than to call.
What could they possibly want me to do now? First it was five hundred to flirt, although I took it a lot further. Did they know that? Did they want me to kill him?
Fuck. It didn’t matter. I was pissed that they were even doing this to me.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the number.
All of the nerve I had built up vanished when I touched the dial button.
My heart pounded with each ring. On the third, he answered.
“I’m glad you called. I knew you wouldn’t talk to me, so I left the envelope. I figured you would get it.”
“Who is this? Why are you stalking me? What are you taking pictures of me? I’m going to call the police.” I was almost out of breath as the words escaped my mouth.
The dark grumbly voice continued, “I just wanted to let you know that I saw you delivered on your promise. That was all. It looks like you did a great job. I wanted to see if you’d be willing to help me again.”
“No!” I yelled back. “You can keep your money, I’m not doing anything else. I’m not killing anyone.”
The voice laughed. “Jamie, you can keep that cash. It’s just a start. And I don’t want you to kill anyone…shit. Imagine ten times the money in the stack. That will be yours.”
I stared at the ten bills on my lap. I wondered about all of the things he could possibly want me to do, and why me. I could use ten thousand dollars. More than he probably knew. But why me?
I took a deep breath and asked the question I wasn’t sure I wanted to be answered. “What do I need to do?”
Chapter Seven
Chase
Standing in the foyer of my house, just behind the large circular table that was adorned by the fake flower arrangement, I sipped bourbon. I had been reading over reports from the new company and reviewing the background of the founders.
I loved technology and I loved what I did, but sometimes I needed a break.
My phone had interrupted me a few times already. Texts from Summer. It had been several months since I had spoken to her either through text or on the phone. I had done everything I could to separate myself and forget the situation.
The last text caught me off guard and here I was, awaiting what would be on the other side of the door.
Headlights shone through the glass windows of the large double doors of the house and my heart pounded. This wasn’t the way things were left, at least not in my mind, so I wondered what could be so important to need to talk at past midnight.
A moment later the foyer echoed with a knock on the door. I took one more large swallow of the brown liquid and strode towards the door and opened it.
“Hey, come in. Is everything all right?”
Jamie took a few steps into the foyer and smiled. “It bothered me all night, how we left things today.” She took a step closer and looked up at me as I shut the door. “I don’t want to forget the other night happened, but I don’t want that to be the only thing we have, either.”
“I don’t either.” I could feel where this was going, or at least where I hoped it was going. My cock twitched as I stared into her green eyes, wondering what else she was thinking about.
Jamie took a step closer as our eyes never unlocked. Instinctively I placed my glass down on the table in the center of the foyer and stepped closer to her, not saying a word.
A moment later, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. The familiar feel of her body against mine brought drunken memories of the other night into my mind. My cock grew harder as I pushed my hips against her. Her breasts pressed against my chest as my hands reached around her back, tightening our embrace.
My tongue probed her mouth as we kissed. I tasted the bourbon on my lips, now mixing with the flavor of whatever she had on her lips. I clenched my legs together as I pushed my hips into hers. The feel of my cock on her sent a powerful tension through my body.
We separated for a moment and stared at one another as she bit her lip and then let out a soft smile. “I’ve thought about this—you, since the last time. It didn’t feel real.”
She leaned in, kissing me again as I stepped backward, pulling her through the foyer into the large living area. In one move I lifted off the t-shirt she had been wearing and released the clasp on her bra, allowing her breasts to be freed.
I remembered every inch of her body from the other night and I wanted to rediscover it. I leaned down, placing my mouth on her nipple. I gently bit it, then swirled my tongue on it. Jamie groaned as she wrapped an arm around my head, pulling me closer.
My kisses trailed up to her neck and met back at her mouth while I allowed myself to push against her again. Breaking from our kiss only long enough to slide her black leggings off, I returned back to her mouth as she took in another shuddering breath.
I stopped and took a moment to breathe. She stood completely naked in front the couch. Her eyes begged me to fuck her.
I took a step closer as she reached for the button on my jeans and t
hen unzipped them. The release of tension allowed my cock to spring out, and it fell into her hand.
“Mmm,” she moaned. “I like that you have nothing on under your pants.” She tugged at my t-shirt, pulling it over my head as we both stood, face to face, naked.
Without a second thought I scooped her up. Her legs wrapped around me as we continued to kiss, and I gently laid her on the couch. Her hips thrust against mine with each deeper kiss. Electricity shot through my body as I allowed my mouth to move down her neck to her collar and chest, briefly kissing each breast before finding my way lower.
“Take me,” she moaned as I slowly slid inside of her, each thrust of her hips driving me deeper.
I bit down on her bottom lip as my left hand found her breast, cupping it and then pinching her nipple tightly. She tossed her head back, letting out another moan as she tightened her legs around me.
In one crashing moment, our bodies tensed. Both of us climaxed at the same, energy exploding, and then we fell into one another’s arms.
* * * * *
I rolled over and looked out of the large row of windows that lined the back of the house. The sun had already begun peeking through the blinds. It cast a bright orange glow in the room as Jamie rolled over, draping her leg over mine.
“Morning,” I whispered.
“Good morning,” she said as she blinked open her eyes. “Shit! I spent the night here?” She popped up and pulled the blanket up to her chin, covering her nakedness.
“You did.” I smiled and traced my fingers down her leg. “Would you like something for breakfast? I can make some coffee. Do you have class this morning?”
Jamie swung her legs off of me and sat up, grasping at her clothes. “No class, but I should probably get going. My roommate is probably wondering what happened to me.”
I watched as she began yanking on her clothes.