Exposed: An Anthology

by Brooke Cumberland

  “You okay, Lucky?” Mike peered at me from his station and I nodded quickly.

  I didn’t want to get Mike and Shayla involved with my problems. I knew they would want to loan me the money, but I also knew that they had two kids to support and they were barely able to do that themselves.

  “Yeah. Thanks, Mike.”

  “What did Mike do now?” Shayla came back into the kitchen and looked Mike up and down. “You bothering my girl?”

  “No, Shay. Lucky’s just looking slightly down.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, girl, maybe they won’t be as cheap as they look.” Shayla grinned at me as she talked about the new couple that had been seated in my area. Everyone who worked at Lou’s knew from the moment they approached the table what sort of tip was going to be forthcoming. Anytime a young couple came in all lovey-dovey usually meant a low tip.

  “I’m sure they will be.” I laughed. “They are sharing their entrée.”

  “Oh, man.” Shayla shook her head and patted my shoulder to show her condolences. “But at least you have Mr. Rich. He should be good for a few dollars, right?”

  “Yeah. He always tips well.” I smiled and looked out into the dining room to make sure none of my customers was looking around for me. I stared at Zane Beaumont again and I noticed that he kept his hands to his side of the table. I always saw his dates with their hands stretched out and inching towards him, but I never saw him holding hands with them. I wondered if he had slept with them all. He was certainly good-looking enough to bag any girl he wanted. I wondered if he dumped them as soon as they said yes. I wouldn't have been surprised to find out he was a kick-em-out-the-next-morning sort of guy. I shook my head and grinned to myself. He was a spend-the-night-at-their-place-and-leave-early-in-the-morning sort of guy. I was positive of it.

  “What’s so funny, Lucky?”

  “Just wondering if Mr. Rich is as good in bed as he looks,” I said wryly and turned to Shayla with a grin. “And don’t you dare say a word.”

  “Girl, I’m not going to say anything.” She winked at me and laughed. “But I’m betting that is a man who can go all night long.”

  “Okay, I’m out of here,” I groaned and ran back into the dining room. I didn’t want to think about Zane and sex. It had been too long since I’d dated or had sex, and just thinking about him was getting me hot and bothered. But it had been my decision, and I needed to remember that. I couldn’t afford to daydream about a guy like Zane.

  “Everything okay, Lucky?” Zane’s voice was deep and husky, and he looked at me with concern. “I hope nothing’s burning in the kitchen.”

  “Oh, no. It’s all good.” I smiled at him and turned away from his gaze. Every time he said my name, I felt a flush inside. “Do you guys need anything else?”

  “Just the check.” His smile was gone and his eyes were vacant again. “And quickly, please.”

  “Sure.” I turned away, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. “I’ll get it right now.”

  “So, Zane, where are we going now?” his date preened.

  “I thought we could go get some cocktails on the beach.”

  “South Beach?”

  “Yeah, we can go to Washington. I know a cool place.”

  “We can go to my place.”

  “Yeah, we can do that.” His voice was smooth as silk. I peeked behind my shoulder and watched as he caressed her hand. Asshole! I thought to myself as I printed out Zane’s check. I wanted to slap myself for thinking that perhaps he wasn’t the playboy I had thought him to be. He obviously was. He was not boyfriend material, and I had to keep reminding myself of that.

  “Here you go.” I dropped the check off at the table and spoke to the girl, ignoring Zane. “You can pay at the front.”

  I walked back to the kitchen quickly and into the bathroom. I locked the door and quickly splashed some water on my heated face. I was upset and frustrated. I stared in the mirror at my dark brown hair and brushed my fingers through my ponytail. I gazed into my wide, upset eyes through the mirror and saw the stress lines at the corners and sighed. I looked depressed and washed out; I couldn’t even compare to the bevy of girls Zane paraded in and out of the restaurant. Sometimes living in Miami gives me an inferiority complex, and I’m not one prone to low self-esteem. Don’t get me wrong, I have my days like everyone else, but generally I’m happy with my looks and my life. I’m not Miss America, but I don’t think I’m ugly. I didn’t like the uneasy feeling in my stomach. I didn’t really understand why I was so upset at Zane’s dismissiveness. It wasn’t like we were friends or anything, and it wasn’t as if I liked him. I mean, yes, I’ll admit it, I thought he was cute, but he wasn’t all that. And he was a player and he was pompous. The typical rich, handsome guy who’s had everything handed to him. He wasn’t the type of guy I wanted to end up with. No, not at all. I just had to keep reminding myself of that.

  “Lucky, you there?” Shayla banged on the door.

  “Yeah, I’ll be right out.”

  “You better, your young man is waiting outside for you.”

  “What young …?” Oh, shit, I thought. He was probably mad I gave the check to the girl. My heart started thumping and I felt a little sick. What if he decided he wasn’t going to come back to this diner? What if I never saw him again?

  “Thanks, Shayla.” I walked out of the bathroom and through the kitchen to the front of the store where Zane was waiting for me with a concerned expression on his face.

  “Hey, Lucky, thanks for coming over to talk before I left.” His blue eyes pierced mine and I stared back at him without a smile.

  “Sure.”

  “I have to go in a second because she’s waiting in the car.”

  “Okay.” I wanted to ask him why he called her “she” instead of by her name. “So did I get something wrong on the bill or something?”

  “I wanted to apologize if I said anything to upset you.” He paused. “I just hope I didn’t come off as rude.”

  “Oh, no, of course not.” I was taken aback at his statement.

  “I was raised to treat everyone equally,” he continued, and I looked at him in surprise. What was he talking about? “I hope you don’t think I was disrespecting you’re a waitress?”

  “Not at all.” I blushed and looked away. All he saw when he looked at me was a waitress. I wanted to laugh. Even if I didn’t have my rules, he wouldn’t be interested in me.

  “Good. Well, have a pleasant evening, Lucky.”

  “You too.” I smiled at him weakly.

  “Oh, I intend to.” He grinned at me and then sauntered out the door after rubbing my shoulder.

  I went back to his table to collect the cash he had left on it for my tip. My jaw dropped when I saw the hundred-dollar bill and a short “sorry” message written on a napkin. I looked back to the front of the restaurant and sighed. I stuffed the bill into my pocket and walked back to the kitchen with my head starting to pound. I was so confused and felt almost delirious. I touched the spot on my shoulder he had rubbed, and I felt a warm flush run through my body as I remembered his warm touch. I shook my head at the excited feeling that was running through my veins. “Remember the rules, Lucky,” I muttered to myself as I started on my side work duties.

  Chapter 2

  “Lucky, come to this party with us tonight,” Leeza begged me as I walked into the kitchen, yawning on Saturday morning.

  “I’m working tonight.”

  “Come after work.”

  “I’ll be too tired.”

  “Come on, Lucky,” she pleaded. “You haven’t hung out in ages.”

  “Leeza, you know I’m not in the mood for partying.” I sighed.

  “It’s not a frat party,” she whined. “This girl I met in Econ is dating a DJ and he has a hookup on Star Island and some hotshot actor is holding a party to celebrate his new movie being number one or something.”

  “What actor?” I asked curiously.

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure there will be l
ots of hot guys there.”

  “I don’t care about hot guys,” I sighed.

  “You might be a nun now, Lucky, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on every piece of fun in the universe.” Leeza flung her long, blonde hair over her shoulders and shook her head. “We’re only young once, so let’s have some fun.”

  “I’m not going to meet the guy I’m looking for at a snooty party.”

  “You might.”

  “In between the potheads and the cokeheads?”

  “Since when did you become so judgmental?”

  “Since I decided I wanted a good guy who was going to value me.”

  “Yawn.” Leeza drank some freshly squeezed orange juice and rolled her eyes. “Just try and come, please, Lucky. You know you, me, and Shannon haven’t hung out in ages.”

  “It’s a girls’ night?” I squinted at her suspiciously.

  “Yes!” she beamed at me innocently, and I sighed, knowing that if I saw her alone for five minutes, I would be shocked.

  “Okay, I’ll try.”

  It would help stop my dreams of Zane Beaumont, at least. That guy was seriously doing a number on my head. He intrigued me and I was starting to have too many naughty dreams of him doing things to me that I’d only seen in movies.

  “Wear something cute tonight, Lucky.” Leeza grinned at me and ran out of the kitchen. “Have fun at work today. I’m going to the beach to get my tan on.”

  “Lucky!” I called out to her enviously, and she laughed.

  “No need to say your name, girl.”

  “Ha ha.”

  I opened the fridge as she ran to her room and looked for something to eat. I wanted to make sure I ate something hearty before I got ready for work. Lou’s Burger Joint gave us a fifty-percent percent discount on all of our purchases, but I knew I had no money to spare until after I got my car fixed. I looked at the rotting head of lettuce and the dried out chicken breasts I had cooked a few days before and sighed. I wrinkled my nose and opened the freezer and grabbed the Hot Pockets quickly. I knew they weren’t mine, but I also knew Leeza wouldn’t mind if I ate one. As soon as the microwave beeped, I grabbed the Hot Pocket in a napkin and ran back up to my room to count my cash. I nearly had enough to get my car fixed now. I had thought about applying for a credit card to pay for it until I got the cash, but then I remembered how easy it was for people to get themselves into credit card debt. I watched Suze Orman on TV religiously; I knew what bad news credit cards could be to someone my age. I already had enough financial issues; I didn’t need to add any more to the mix.

  I lay back on my bed and stretched out. It seemed as if nothing was going right in my life. Or at least, nothing that I wanted to go right. I hated being single. I needed to take proactive measures to find a new guy—one who would fit what I was looking for. I turned on my clock radio, sang along to the latest Britney song, and wondered how it was so easy for some people to find a guy to settle down with and why it was so hard for me. I was starting to feel like a bit of a loser. I knew I was pretty and smart but that didn’t really seem to be getting me anywhere.

  I jumped up as I realized the time. I had to be at work in about thirty minutes, and I wasn’t even nearly ready. I felt like my life was already too monotonous. All I ever seemed to do was go to work and go to school. It was starting to feel tedious and boring, and I was glad I had decided to attend the party with Leeza this evening. I needed something to take me out of my normal routine; I just needed to remember that I wasn’t there to partake in the craziness but to have a little fun.

  ***

  I was tired when I got out of work, and I drove home, feeling depressed. I had made barely any money and didn’t feel like going to the party anymore, but I knew Leeza and Shannon would be disappointed if I didn’t show up. Leeza had called me on my break to make sure I was coming. She had sounded so excited that I was finally going to be spending an evening out with them like we had in the past that I felt too guilty to say no. I knew I definitely had to go when I saw an emerald green dress on my bed with a note from Leeza saying she had bought it for me as a gift.

  I sighed as I walked into the door at the party. I was overwhelmed by the number of people and cars and I briefly considered leaving and going back home. The house was packed with a lot of people I didn’t know, and a lot of people I couldn’t afford to know. I pulled up the driveway in between a Rolls Royce and a Bentley, and I felt out of place before I had even gotten out of my car. I looked around to see if I could spot Leeza, and I gasped when I saw Zane Beaumont talking animatedly to a guy who looked very familiar. I continued to stare at them, trying to figure out who the other guy was, when Zane turned around. He must have felt my eyes boring into him because he looked directly at me. His expression changed quickly and ran the gamut of surprised, happy, and upset. I turned around with my heart beating fast when I saw him frown and then walk away quickly. What was Zane doing here? I quickly grabbed a champagne flute from one of the waiters’ trays and gulped it down, hoping it would give me some liquid courage for the night. I couldn’t believe Zane was at the party. My whole body had felt alive when we’d made eye contact, and I was glad that it was so dark that he couldn’t have seen my face flushing.

  “Lucky?” I heard his voice and tried not to flinch as he touched me on the shoulder.

  “Hi.” I turned around slowly and tried to avoid his eyes as I smiled quickly.

  “I thought that was you.” He frowned as he looked me up and down. “You look different.”

  “Yeah. I’m in a dress,” I quipped. “And I have on makeup that hasn’t melted off yet.”

  “And your hair is down.” He reached over and touched it. “It’s so soft and silky.”

  “Thanks to Chi,” I joked, and cursed myself inwardly. He probably didn’t even know what Chi was. “I have naturally curly hair, so I use it to calm down the frizz and straighten it,” I explained to him, wanting to kick myself at how boring I was being.

  “I see.” He nodded, looking as though he had no clue as to what I was talking about.

  “You should see it when it’s curly. It’s crazy.”

  “Well, I can’t tell.”

  “I’m like the frizz monster.” I giggled nervously. Play it cool, Lucky. I took a deep breath and tried again. “You’re lucky your hair is always so straight and silky naturally.” I wanted to slap myself as soon as the words were out of my mouth. “I mean, that’s how it looks now, not in the past. I never noticed in the past.”

  “Thanks.” He laughed.

  “Do you use any special products?” Stop talking about hair care, Lucky!

  “No. I use Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner, and that’s about it.”

  “Aw.” I looked around the room with a red face and waved my hands. “This is a really cool party, huh?”

  “It’s okay.” He shrugged. “I didn’t know you knew Mike.”

  “Who?”

  “Mike Vegara. The guy throwing this party.”

  “Oh, I don’t.” I bit my lip. “My friend invited me. Don’t tell anyone, but I wasn’t really invited. I’m not really part of this crowd.”

  “What crowd?”

  “The rich and famous crowd.” And then I remembered how Zane knew me. “Well, you know that already.” I let out a weak laugh, “I wouldn’t be working at Lou’s if I was rich and made of money.”

  “Then I’m glad you’re not rich.” He smiled, a gigantic toothy smile, and I couldn’t stop myself from grinning back at him. “Because I feel sorry for anyone who is a part of this crowd.”

  “Oh?” I looked at him in surprise.

  “It’s a long story.” He sighed. “I don’t want to bore you.”

  “I don’t think you have a boring bone in your body.” Why was I so obvious? I wanted to pinch myself.

  “There are many girls who would beg to differ with you there.” He laughed.

  “So who’s your date tonight?” I questioned, looking around.

  “No dat
e tonight.” He laughed.

  I wiggled my eyebrows in surprised. “That’s got to be a first.”

  “I usually reserve Fridays for my dates.” He stared into my eyes. “I think you’ve met every woman I’ve taken out in the last few months.”

  “A different one every week.” I laughed, trying not to let my curiosity get the better of me. I wanted to know why he dated so many different women, but I knew it was none of my business.

  “Well, I have to get what I need.” He cleared his throat. “More importantly, don’t ever take Friday nights off. I’m not sure my dates would go as well if you weren’t there.”

  “I’m not sure I’m a good luck charm. I never see you with the same girl more than once.” I hoped he would pick up the hint and answer my unasked question.

  “What about you? You here with your boyfriend?” His eyes bore into mine intently. Even in the darkness of the room, his eyes sparkled a vivid blue.

  “No.” For some reason, I didn’t want to tell him that I didn’t have a boyfriend. I didn’t want him to know that since he had been frequenting Lou’s, he was all I could think about.

  “I’m surprised he let you come out by yourself,” he continued, trying to fish an answer out of me.

  “I’m here with friends.” I smiled and looked around nervously.

  “So what does he do?” he persisted, and I wondered why it was so important for him to know.

  “Who?” I frowned, pretending to be confused.

  “Your boyfriend.”

  “Oh, well, I don’t exactly have one right now.”

  “Aw, you’re rocking the single life?” He grinned and moved in closer to me.

  “You could say that.” I rolled my eyes.

  “You’re a beautiful girl, I’m sure there has to be someone you’re interested in.”

  “Not really.” Just you, and you’re a player, so no thanks, I thought to myself.