“Good boy. Oh and Trent.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t make me hunt you down again, if you do. I’ll bury you and everyone around you, including that little girlfriend of yours.”
With that the line went dead, he dropped the phone on his desk. Shit, how was he going to pull this one off? He did mental math to calculate the numbers in his head. He was pretty sure they would make enough, but it would be cutting it very close. Maybe this one time he would get lucky. Fumbling with his key ring, he found a small silver key and inserted it into the corner drawer of his desk. Unlocking it he pulled the drawer out and removed a small clear baggie with a white powdery content inside. Before he was able to open the baggie his office door opened.
“Hey Trent do we have anymore boxes of Bacardi?” Ashley walked in.
“No, they are on order. And will you knock next time. Shit!” He snapped back at her.
“Why, what are you doing that you don’t want me to know about?” She grinned as she stepped closer to the desk.
Taking a small amount he made a line on the desk, before rolling up a twenty dollar bill and handing it up to Ashley. In one quick motion she snorted the drug into her nostril before falling down into the chair in front of his desk.
He just needed to take the edge off.
******
Abbi couldn’t seem to get the grin off of her face the rest of the night. She had actually gotten someone’s phone number and was going on a date. A real date. Not one that included crinoline in any form. Flashbacks of her prom night came into her head, the cheap tux her date had worn, his comb over, oh yeah she had certainly moved up in the world. She tried her best to focus on her closing duties but her giddiness seemed to get the better of her. She jumped as Judy snapped her out of her day dream.
“Spill the beans girlfriend!” Judy had been so busy all night working the private booths that Abbi hadn’t had a chance to really chat with her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Abbi tried to hide the smile from her face.
“Oh, you know exactly what I am talking about! So what happened with Blondie? I had to go work the back before I could find out what happened.”
“Well he asked me out.” Judy grabbed Abbi’s hands and they jumped up and down like school girls squealing with excitement.
“Girl, I told you that men wouldn’t be able to resist you. Next time don’t doubt me.” She said with a sideways grin. “So, where are you going?”
“We haven’t made those plans yet, but we are supposed to get together this next week.”
“If you two are done talking about your boy toys, I’d like to see Abbi in my office.” Trent had a way of appearing out of thin air it seemed. He stared at the two before heading back towards the stairs.
Oh shit, a sinking feeling in her stomach told her that she was about to get fired. For what, she had no idea.
“Well, it was nice knowing you girls. I will probably need you for a reference soon.” She threw the bar towel in her hand onto the counter as she made her way around the bar.
“Let’s pray it’s a promotion!” Judy giggled nervously making Abbi’s stomach sink lower.
Abbi headed towards the stairs, once she got to them she slowly took them one at a time. It seemed a little ridiculous to draw out the inevitable, but this was only her second night. She really didn’t want to be fired. She made her way to the top of the stairs, taking a deep breath as she glanced back towards Judy, who was now standing beside Ashley giving her two thumbs up. She was going to miss those girls even if she hadn’t known them very long. She walked into the hallway leading to Trent’s office. Stopping just short of the door she saw it was cracked open.
As she reached towards the knob, she realized that there was someone else in Trent’s office. She paused listening to the conversation, it didn’t sound like anyone she worked with and even though she couldn’t make out all of the words being exchanged she felt as though the two were arguing. Feeling as though listening was betraying Trent’s confidences she turned to walk back down the hallway, when the floor outside of his office creaked loudly. Oh damnit. Knowing she had been busted she slowly grabbed the handle of the door and peeked her head into his office.
“Uh, you wanted to see me?” She glanced at Trent whose face was as pale as a ghost.
“Yeah, baby, why don’t you go over to the employee area and wait for me. This will only take a minute.” He said blasting her a smile before winking at her.
Not responding she just stepped back and closed the door. Why on earth did he just call her baby? That was a term of endearment used between two people in a committed relationship. Not a nickname used by a boss towards his employee. Screw betrayal, she wanted to know what was going on. Trying her best to avoid the creaky floorboard she stepped closer to Trent’s door and carefully leaned her ear against it. At first she didn’t hear anything, until the muffled voices started again.
“Listen, cut the bullshit. I was sent here to pick up for Mr. Hernandez and he gave me specific instructions on what I do if you don’t come through.” As if listening through a door wasn’t hard enough, the man’s heavy Hispanic accent didn’t make it any easier.
“Hey, hey I got it man. You just gotta give me a few minutes. Shit we just closed up.”
“I shouldn’t have to wait! It should have been ready!” She flinched as the man shouted.
“Look, chill out. Give me five minutes and you will have your money.” Hearing footsteps coming towards the door, she quickly walked into the employee area just across the hall and jumped down onto the couch. She took a deep breath trying to calm her heartbeat. She did not want Trent to know she had been eavesdropping on his conversation. She wondered briefly who Trent would have owed money to, the bank maybe for mortgage, but she didn’t know of any bankers who collected money in that way. And who was Mr. Hernandez? Quickly she erased the thoughts from her head as she saw Trent walk into the area.
“Hey, sorry about that, I had an impromptu visit from a business associate.” He looked as though he was trying to be as convincing as she was about having been sitting there the whole time.
“No biggie.” She said standing. “I guess I will get my stuff, just let me know when I can come by and grab my last check.” She glanced up at him to see his face forming into a confused look.
“Uh, where do you think you’re going Country?” He tipped his head to the side as a smile developed across his lips “I’m not firing you; I just wanted to see how you were liking everything.” His smile faded a little “and to apologize for earlier. It’s been a stressful few weeks to say the least.”
“Oh, um, everything is great. Thanks for checking. And you know don’t worry about earlier. Sometimes I need a good kick in the ass to get my head back in the game.” She let out a nervous giggle.
“Oh trust me,” he said stepping a little too close for Abbi’s comfort, “I will make sure your ass is well taken care of.” He smiled a wicked grin before he turned and walked out of the door.
Talk about a man who had more mood swings than she did, he was so mercurial at times. One minute he was strictly business, the next he was hitting on her, and the next he was jumping down her throat. She tried not to think too far into it, it had been a long night and she was sure that she was just overanalyzing things. She yawned as she headed out the door towards the bar. Maybe the girls had gotten the rest of the closing work done, she suddenly felt the adrenaline from a few minutes earlier wearing off, leaving her very tired.
As she walked out into the hallway she glanced quickly to Trent’s office, the man he had been speaking to stepped out of the door. She noticed his Hispanic features as he made eye contact with her, his hand stuffing something down into the inside pocket of his coat . Dark eyes rimmed with a thick set of lashes, a small mustache set above his upper lip, and he had a very tanned complexion. His eyes searched her body from top to bottom before making his way by her towards the door leading downstairs. She stayed pla
nted where she was for a full sixty seconds. If there was one thing she was beginning to learn about LA, it was that there was an endless supply of drama.
Chapter Five
Ever since seeing Abbi at the bakery, Ryan’s head had been fuzzy. After leaving, he had pulled into traffic cutting off a car whose driver gave him a very sincere gesture out of the window. He nearly took out a pedestrian while turning onto his drive towards home. At home he managed to explode a bag of steamable rice in the microwave. He was beginning to wonder if maybe he was coming down with the flu or something.
After the kitchen filled with the smell of burnt food, he called Trish in. She was his housekeeper and cook, but as close to him as family. She was a lovely woman, whose husband had served alongside Ryan in combat. Ryan had made it home, but her husband hadn’t. Ryan promised her husband that no matter what, Trish would always be taken care of. After Ryan had made his way across the country and set up shop, he called Trish to see if she wanted to come out and visit. Her daughter had just started college at UCLA and Ryan thought it would be nice to see them both. He flew Trish out; she was clearly still in a devastated frame of mind. To keep a better eye on her, he offered her a job as his receptionist and with a little nudging she accepted. She had been a huge help, and a large part of the reason the company took off. Her loving demeanor made it easy for everyone to work with her. As the company grew bigger Trish became overwhelmed, so Ryan moved her into the staff quarters in his new home and she took on a more comfortable roll. Not to mention she was one hell of a cook.
Sitting at the desk in his office Ryan tried to focus on his work. He had always been a very business driven man, living his life from deadlines to meetings. But every time he would let his mind wonder for even a few fleeting seconds, it would go back to that pair of beautiful brown eyes. Man, what on earth had come over him? He had never been so focused on a woman before in his life. He tried to shake the feeling, knowing that he had too many demons from his past to bring into someone else’s life.
Even though they’d had little interaction together, Ryan knew that Abbi wouldn’t want to go for a guy who had seen and done the things that he had in his life. He loved the military and was proud to be a veteran, but there were things that he had done overseas that we wasn’t proud of. Things that no one would be proud to say their significant other had done. So why would he bring that kind of baggage into a relationship. No instead, he would just steer clear of her no matter what it took.
He had to stop thinking about her and he knew the only way to getting a girl off your mind was putting another one in your bed. He got up from his chair and made his way down the hall into his room. He pulled off his sneakers and set them next to the door of the closet, as he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and sat down on the edge of the bed. He scrolled through his contact list until Jace’s name came up, pressing dial.
“Hey boss man, what’s happening?”
“Nothing much man, you’re not working a detail tonight right?”
“Nope, perks of the job I just so happen to be off on Fridays.”
“Ten four, you wanna go grab a drink?”
“Sure, everything ok?”
“Yeah, just need to blow off some steam that’s all.” Ryan ran his hand over his short hair. No everything wasn’t ok, but he wasn’t about to let Jace and his big mouth know that.
“I got ya. Give me about an hour and I will meet you at The Hill. Sound good?”
“See you there man.”
He ended the call and tossed his phone onto the bed making his way into the bathroom. Grabbing a towel out of the closet he made his way over to the shower, turning it up as hot as it would go. Stripping out of his clothes and stepping underneath the burning water. This was what he needed, to just relax and go out and have a good time. He never wanted anything more than a one night fling before. Why now should that change?
After he washed all of the confusion out of his head, he made his way into his closet and tossed the towel from his waist into the laundry hamper. Making his way to the back of the closet he fumbled through his drawers finding a pair of boxers and grabbed a pair of dark washed jeans from one of the hangers. Selecting a dark blue collared shirt, he fumbled with the buttons on his sleeves to get them closed, finishing off his look with brown dress shoes and a matching belt. He kept his dark hair short cut, a habit compliments of the military, so he had no need to style it. He grabbed his bottle of cologne, Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue thanks to Trish’s recent shopping trip, and sprayed a light mist onto his collar and headed out of the bedroom.
Walking down the foyer he met Trish heading back towards her room. “Well look at you handsome. Did you take my advice and finally get you a date?”
“Ha, no I am just going out to grab a quick drink with Jace.” He grabbed his wallet off the table and slid it into his back pocket.
“You know I like that boy, but he is always a bit of trouble. You better keep him in line tonight.” She tried her best to sound authoritative but it lacked in her voice.
“Good thing the military gave me the special ops training.” He smirked. “Listen I will be back by curfew and I promise to put gas in the car and not bring it back on empty.”
“Ok, but if you’re not back by sun up you bet your ass I am calling in the Seals.” She leaned towards him, “I know some people,” with that she turned around and headed back down the hallway towards her room, “Have fun.” She called behind her.
He was a lucky man to have that woman. She was quite a few years older than him and always looked at Ryan the way a mother would a son. He also knew she wasn’t kidding and that he better be back by sun up. Making his way into the garage he decided that he would take the car out for a change. He loved this car; it was a 1970 Dodge Challenger that he had restored during one of his stays states side. It was loud and fast and the metallic black paint job matched the dark LA night sky.
He laid into the gas pedal as he sped off out of his driveway towards the busy LA streets. The Hill was a small night club that he and Jace liked to go to. They played a good mix of music, and there were always hot girls to choose from. Not to mention that since Ryan had been spotted there a few times the owner now gave him the VIP treatment, saying that it was Ryan that helped to double his business of customers hoping to see a famous face. He pulled up out front and got out handing his keys over to the valet. The boy looked like it was Christmas morning as he stared at the Challenger.
“You put a scratch on it and I will put one on you. You hear me?” He looked sternly at the kid.
“Oh, yes sir. I will take good care of it I promise. This is a sweet ride.” The boy still stared at the car not even looking Ryan’s way.
“Good to hear.” Ryan patted the boy on his shoulder and headed inside.
The music swirled through the air, but not as loudly as some of the other night clubs in the area. This was a place you could actually go and have drink, while being able to hear the person you were talking to. Making his way to the bar, avoiding the few patrons dancing along to a Mumford and Son’s song. He grabbed a stool towards the end of the bar and sat down, when a strong hand clasped down on his shoulder.
“Ahh, my boy, you come back to see me, yes.” He didn’t have to turn to know whose Italian accent that was.
“You know, one of these days I am gonna charge for you for being a walking advertisement for your bar.” Ryan joked back. “How have things been Sonny?”
“About as good as they can get for a poor man trying to make it in the big city.”
“Poor enough for a new Rolex?” Ryan narrowed his eyes with a smile as he looked at Sonny’s wrist.
“Oh, this old thing. It’s a knock off anyways.” He put his finger to his lips as if trying to hide a secret. “My boy, let me take care of you and your friends tonight, will you be having company? Let me set up a booth for you in the back.”
“No, no need tonight, it will just be Jace and I. He should be coming in anytime now.”
“If you insist. It’s good to see you out my boy.” Patting his shoulder Sonny parted and headed towards the back of the club.
As Ryan glanced back up towards the door looking for Jace, his eyes met with a pair of brown doe eyes. His stomach did flips, Abbi was here. His face turned into a smile as he stood trying to look around the guy sitting next to him. Disappointment sank into his gut as he realized it wasn’t her after all. He sat back down and motioned for the bartender, ordering a scotch on the rocks. Taking a sip of his drink he told himself that he was going to have to get over this fascination, and soon. It was messing with his head so bad he could barely stand it. The whole reason he came out tonight was to get Abbi off of his mind. Snapping him out of his thoughts, Jace came up and took the stool next to him.
“Dude, why do you look like someone ran over your puppy?”
“What the hell are you talking about Jace?”
“You look like hell man, have you been sleeping? Or attempting to cook again? You know the last you tried that, you nearly burnt down your kitchen.”
“Yes I have been sleeping and no trust me I leave the cooking solely to Trish. And it was just a damn bag of rice.”
“If you say so.” Jace motioned for the bartender requesting a beer and a shaker of salt. “So what’s going on man, I haven’t seen you like this in a while. Having problems with flashbacks again? You know that’s why we pay that therapist a shit ton of money, he will come to your house if you need him to.” Jace grabbed the glass of beer from the bartender and took the shaker of salt, sprinkling a little onto his napkin before placing down his damp glass.
“No, it’s not flashbacks. Well not those kind at least. I am fucked up over a girl.”
“What?” Jace literally almost fell out of his chair. “Who is it? Where did you meet her, hell when did you meet her? I know your ass doesn’t get out much. Oh shit, it’s not the new receptionist is it? I knew I should have gone with the older chick. But you gotta admit she does have a nice ass.” Jace looked off as if he were reminiscing.
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