Breaking Shaun

by E. M. Abel

  I wondered how my sister was doing. I hadn’t spoken to her in a few weeks. No matter how much I would try to remind myself that she was an adult now, it was hard not to worry about her. Two years ago, Lili had moved to New York with her best friend to chase her modeling dream. I knew she could handle herself out there. We’d been taking care of ourselves for so long that there wasn’t much we couldn’t handle. We’d eaten at soup kitchens, changed clothes in public restrooms, and quickly learned not to trust anyone. I would make sure to send her money every month even though she was constantly telling me not to. I liked helping her, and I really didn’t care too much about money or material things. I’d never really had that luxury anyway.

  “Well, I’d better get going before I’m late for work,” Luke said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  He stood and leaned down to give Nick a quick kiss.

  “Bye, baby,” Nick said before taking a sip of his coffee.

  “Bye.”

  I smiled at Luke, and he gave me a small wave after putting on his baseball cap and heading toward the door.

  “I guess I’d better head out, too,” Nick told me as he got out of his chair and stretched.

  “You need me to pick up anything while I’m out today?” I wiped my mouth with a napkin.

  “Yeah, we need more coffee.”

  “Okay, sure,” I said, smiling at him. I got up and took my dirty dishes to the sink.

  “You going to Red today?”

  “Yeah, at noon. Why?”

  “Just wondering. Good luck.” He grinned at me before he went to his room.

  I had a feeling I would need it.

  After Nick left for work, I decided to call and check on Lili.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Lili. How are you?”

  “Oh my God, Natalie! I was just about to call you.”

  Moving to sit on the couch, I grinned when I heard the excitement in my sister’s voice. “What’s up?”

  “Well, you know how Seth asked me to move in with him, right?”

  Seth was my sister’s boyfriend. They’d been dating for a few months.

  “Yeah.”

  “He proposed! He asked me to marry him, Nat!”

  I paused as my mouth fell open, and I tried to decide how I should feel about her news. I knew my sister had strong feelings for this guy, but I hadn’t met him yet, and she was still so young.

  “Wow. What did you say?” I asked although it was obvious she’d accepted.

  “I said yes, of course!”

  “Are you sure? I mean, I’m happy for you, Lili. I just want to make sure you’ve thought this through.”

  She sighed into the phone. “I know, I know, and I have. I love him, Natalie. I mean, I really love him. He’s not like any of my other boyfriends. I know you’ll love him, too.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek and fought the urge to press the subject. I knew my sister was growing up, and I had to start respecting her decisions. I guessed old habits just died hard.

  “Well, I’m happy for you.”

  “Really?” she asked with an edge of skepticism.

  She knew me too well.

  “Really.”

  “Thanks, Nat. That means a lot to me.”

  We were silent for a moment before she asked, “So, what about you? How do you like living on the East Coast again?”

  I shrugged before leaning back into the couch cushion. “It’s different, but I like it so far.”

  “You could always move to New York.”

  I laughed as I put my feet up on the couch. “No, I think I’m done moving for a while.”

  “Really? What makes you say that?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just ready to settle down somewhere. I want to maybe find a good job and make some friends.” I pulled one of Nick’s throw pillows onto my lap.

  “Well, that sounds like a great idea. How’s Nick?”

  “Nick’s the same—crazy.”

  Lili laughed, and I smiled at the sound.

  “And how about you? How are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I do worry about you, Nat. I worry about you all the time.”

  I stopped smiling, and my eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”

  “Because I want you to be happy. I want you to stop worrying about me and have fun. You deserve it.”

  I rubbed my lips together as I thought about what she was saying, and then I heard her laugh a little into the phone.

  “I can hear you thinking, Natalie. Give it a rest, will you?”

  “Give what a rest?”

  “Overthinking everything. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to take risks, you know? That’s what life is about.”

  I laughed as I ran a hand through my hair. “When did you get so smart?”

  “I learned from the best.”

  “Yeah, well, take care of yourself, okay? Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will. Hey…” she said, pausing for my response.

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you, sis.”

  I smiled. “I love you, too.”

  After hanging up with my sister, I thought a lot about what she’d said. I’d spent so much of my life taking care of her that I almost felt lost now that she didn’t need me.

  Maybe she’s right. Perhaps it’s time I think about my own happiness. Maybe it’s time to let go.

  “Hi. Is Jay here?” I asked the brunette who had answered the back door to Red.

  She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but neither could hide the bombshell body she had underneath.

  She pushed the door open wider. “Yeah, sure. He’s upstairs.”

  I stepped into the door and could hear people talking and laughing inside.

  “Staff meeting,” she muttered as she gave me a small grin before walking ahead of me toward the group of people inside.

  I made my way down the dark hall and onto the main floor. My eyes widened when I realized how huge the club was. Two large bars were on the bottom floor—one to my right and the other on the opposite wall on my left. A large DJ booth sat high above the floor and against the far wall.

  Craning my neck, I looked up and saw that the second floor had a huge opening, giving it a view of the dance floor below. This is awesome!

  I felt eyes on me, and I stopped gawking. Tilting my chin down, I looked at the employees sitting in black chairs on the dance floor. A few had stopped talking and were now watching me. The brunette had sat down among them.

  “Those stairs right there, sweetie.” She pointed to a set of black stairs next to the DJ booth.

  I smiled and thanked her before making my way across the dance floor. I heard the people behind me whispering something about me being the new bartender, but I ignored them as I made my way up the steps. I saw an office door and knocked.

  “Come in.”

  After turning the knob, I slowly pushed open the door. The same man from the day before, presumably Jay, was sitting behind a big desk. He was holding his cell phone to his ear, and when he saw me, he waved me in as he finished his conversation. He swiveled his leather chair to face the large window behind him, and I took that chance to look around his office. Everything looked so shiny and expensive.

  After hanging up, Jay turned back to face me. “Sorry about that. Natalie, right?” He stood and extended his hand out for me to shake.

  He was wearing a pair of black slacks with a pressed white button-up shirt tucked into them. The sleeves of his shirt were folded up to his elbows, and I noticed a tiger tattoo on his forearm.

  Interesting.

  “Yes, Natalie. Nice to officially meet you, Jay.”

  He motioned for me to take a seat before sitting back in his chair. “So, I saw on your résumé that you had some experience in L.A.”

  I nodded.

  “What made you leave your last job?” He pulled a bottle of water out of a mini fridge behind his desk and offered it to me.


  I waved my hand and shook my head to let him know I didn’t want it. He kept it for himself.

  “I moved here, so unfortunately, I had to quit. I made sure to give them plenty of notice, and I left on good terms. I have references if you need them.”

  Jay shook his head as he opened the water bottle before taking a sip. “That won’t be necessary. So, what brings you to Virginia?”

  “Um…well…” I paused, wondering how to word it without sounding like a flake who just upped and moved every three years. “My cousin lives here, and I wanted to be closer to family.”

  Jay studied me with his blue eyes, and I felt myself beginning to fidget in my chair. He was incredibly sexy, sitting there behind his big desk in his fancy clothes. I could definitely see the attraction Asia had felt toward him. That woman had good taste.

  “Well, during the summer, we’re open every day, except Mondays. I have three bars, and the entire upstairs is VIP. New bartenders start downstairs and work their way up. I promote based on performance, not tenure. So, you could easily move up if you’re good at what you do. Obviously, VIP means better tips and a raise on your hourly wages.” He pulled some paperwork out of a drawer.

  “So, how long before I could move to VIP? Say, if my performance was excellent?” I asked.

  He shuffled the papers around in front of him. His hands stopped moving, and he peered at me through his thick lashes. “That confident, huh?” he asked with a small grin.

  I smiled.

  “Well, I usually do evaluations when a spot is available in VIP. I’m actually planning on making some staff adjustments, so pretty soon, I suppose.”

  I grinned. I would get that spot in VIP—no question. When I did something, I would do it full throttle, no half-assing anything. I knew most drinks by heart, and I always got compliments from my customers. I knew I could take that spot.

  “So, I just need you to fill out a few things here. However, you won’t be hired officially until you go downstairs and prove you can keep up.”

  I straightened my back and lifted my chin to look him in the eye. “No problem. What do you need me to do?”

  He smirked, and I noticed dimples.

  Seriously?

  “There are three drinks I always require a bartender to make for me before I’ll hire them. Come on.” He stood and walked toward the door, opening it for me.

  As we made our way down the stairs, I could feel everyone watching us.

  “The meeting will start in just a minute. This is Natalie, everyone. She’s applied for a bartending position, so we just need to conduct her drink test,” Jay announced as he made his way to the bar on the left, closest to the stairs.

  A few of the employees smiled and followed us. The same brunette who had let me in handed me a black apron, and I tied it around my waist as Jay explained what he wanted me to make.

  “Margarita on the rocks, mojito, and a Manhattan straight-up. I need all three as accurately and quickly as you can make them.”

  I quickly looked around the bar for the things I needed to make those drinks. A few people sat on the other side of the bar with Jay as he stood with his hands resting on it. Grabbing three different glasses, I began pulling out all the ingredients I’d need. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. I’d made all those drinks a million times. Maybe it was all the eyes on me or the fact that I really wanted this job, but I refused to let the nerves throw me off.

  Taking a deep breath, I started the mojito first since it took the most time. Working the mint leaves I’d found in the icebox between my fingers, I dropped them in one of the glasses and added a lime wedge. I found a muddler and began grinding the ingredients in the bottom of the glass before adding more limes and sugar and doing it again. I worked quickly, considering I didn’t know where anything was, and before long, I was down to my last drink, the Manhattan. I put the finishing touch, a dash of bitters, into the glass, and then I slid all three across the bar until they were in front of Jay.

  He looked impressed, but I knew the true test would be the taste. I prayed that he liked the brands of liquor I’d chosen and that I hadn’t forgotten anything under the pressure of their watchful eyes. Going for the margarita first, Jay brought the glass to his mouth, and he slowly licked the salt on the rim. His gaze came to mine before he took a sip. I averted my eyes as he moved the liquid around in his mouth, letting the taste settle on his tongue.

  Just watching him drink was making my insides flutter. Having a boss who looked that hot was a gift and a curse, but in my case, it was mostly a curse.

  Without saying anything, Jay slid the margarita glass away, and he moved on to the mojito. He did the same with that one—tasting, looking, and not reacting. The room was silent the entire time as if our lives were hanging in the balance. It would be comical if my future job wasn’t the thing hanging.

  After finally tasting the Manhattan, Jay licked his lips and stared at me for a while. I stared back, refusing to back down or let him know how nervous I was. His somber expression instantly broke into a genuine smile, exposing his white teeth and perfect dimples on both his cheeks. I felt my body sag in relief.

  “Outstanding. You’re hired.”

  All the people around us—other bartenders, I assumed—started cheering and clapping for me as Jay smacked his hand on the bar a few times.

  “Mandy, get this girl a seat, and let’s start this staff meeting,” Jay said to the brunette.

  She smiled at me as she pointed to a table where two men were seated, and there were two empty seats. Both men were attractive, which was to be expected if they were bartenders. Jay obviously knew what he was doing.

  I soon realized the tense atmosphere during my test had purely been for show because people were now laughing and chatting like they had been before. Jay even seemed to lose his stern demeanor, and he became more relaxed.

  As I looked around the room, it was fairly easy to spot the security team among the waitresses and bartenders. They were all huge and sitting together—well, all but one guy who was sitting at a table and laughing with a few of the other staff.

  “All right, you guys, let’s get started!” Jay shouted.

  The room grew quiet.

  “Now, as you know, summers get crazy around here. That means more hours, more money filling our pockets, and more problems. Safety should be a priority for all of you. Guys, don’t just assume you’re safe because you’re men. It’s always smart to walk to your cars in groups. Ladies, if you get any trouble, if anything seems off, I want you to tell the security staff.” He paused as he looked at all the waitresses and females bartenders, including me. “I mean it.”

  We all nodded before Jay turned to address the bouncers.

  “If you have to kick anyone out, I want their names. Usually, they have tabs at the bar, so it shouldn’t be hard. If you can’t get it from them willingly, then call the police and have them get it. I want names, so we can keep them out of my club. I require a standard for Red, and bar fights won’t be tolerated.”

  One of the big guys gave Jay a small nod.

  “Now, I’m only going to address this once, so listen up.”

  I straightened my back as Jay’s eyes met mine. Then, his gaze swept over everyone else in the room.

  “If any of you have relationships with each other outside of this club—I don’t care if you’re friends, lovers, worst enemies—that shit stays outside those doors,” Jay said, pointing to the front doors of the club.

  Everyone stayed quiet as they eyed each other. They obviously knew things about each other that I didn’t know yet.

  “I have no problem with you guys having a good time, but as soon as your relationships start affecting my business, we have a problem. If you can’t remain professional, then you know where the door is.”

  Jay eyed one of the guys sitting to his left a little longer than he did everyone else, and I realized there must have been a problem he was trying to fix—or more like, he was demanding that it get fixed.


  Jay looked to the bouncer who had nodded at him earlier and to an older woman who was sitting at the table next to mine.

  “Neil and Faith will take over the rest of the meeting. Thank you all for coming today. Natalie…” He paused and looked at me with a small grin. “That was the best Manhattan I’ve had yet. Good job.”

  I smiled and felt heat rushing to my cheeks with his compliment.

  Jesus, get it together, girl.

  The next hour was spent with Faith, our manager, going over schedules and typical rules I’d heard before. As the meeting ended, I stayed in my seat to fill out my paperwork.

  One of the guys at my table leaned in. “Hey, I’m Trey.”

  He smiled at me when I looked up from the form I was filling out.

  “Hi,” I said, giving him a small grin before I continued writing.

  “You look familiar. Have I met you somewhere before?” he asked as he leaned back into his seat a little more.

  “Oh Jesus, Trey. She’s been here for five minutes! Can’t you keep your dick in your pants long enough for the poor girl to fill out her W-2s?” Mandy yelled at Trey as she came to stand next to us.

  I hadn’t noticed how strong her Southern accent was until that moment.

  He chuckled and rubbed his palm against his stubble as if he were thinking about it. He was actually an attractive guy with messy blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and a nice body from what I could see. But in a world where Shaun existed, Trey seemed closer to average.

  “I was just trying to welcome Natalie to the family,” Trey said, giving Mandy a wicked grin and winking at her.

  She sighed and turned her body toward me. She had pretty blue eyes that sparkled against her tan skin. She was beautiful and seemed like a genuinely nice person.

  “Trey here is the family slut. He’ll fuck just about anything that walks,” Mandy told me as she glared at him over her shoulder.

  “Hey! She has to have all her teeth, too,” Trey teased.

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  I had a rule when it came to coworkers though—no fucking them, period. It was hard, trust me. There were a lot of hot bartenders out there, and they all knew how to charm women. The better they were at flirting, the better the tips. But I knew better than to mix business with pleasure. Besides, not many men would want to work with a woman who had just told them that they sucked in bed and didn’t get her off the night before. No, it was best to keep those parts of my life separate.