“What are you talking about?”
“Am I such a douche? You won’t even take off that t-shirt. I can control myself and won’t rip your clothes off if you only have on a bikini.”
Lucas was hurt. I didn’t wear the t-shirt to hide my body from him but to hide my visible scars. No one had ever taken this much time to get to know me. I couldn’t lose him. I craved the way he made me feel too much.
“Lucas, that’s not why.” I shook my head and stood. “I just can’t.” Shrugging the towel around my shoulders, I practically raced to the fire pit where I plopped down in the nearest lounge chair. Lucas’s shoulders lifted and fell as he walked up behind me and slid his body down behind mine.
He caressed his hands up and down my shoulders. “Sorry, I guess trying to point out I wasn’t a douchebag was a pretty douchey thing to do.”
“It’s nothing. Forget about it. I have.”
I hated a liar. Especially, when I was lying to a person who had treated me as well as Lucas had. But my scars cut deep into me and they would forever be a festering sore; a sore I couldn’t share with anyone. The ache that came with the truth hurt. I reached up to rub my chest and closed my eyes, telling the emotions that were churning inside of me to calm down. Some people couldn’t be fixed, and they had to hold on to any little bit of peace they could find. At least, that was the lie I told myself.
Lucas cupped my chin with his pointer finger and gently forced me to look up at him. “That’s not nothing going on behind those beautiful green eyes,” he said and kissed the tip of my nose. “Tell me.”
“You’re nothing like I thought you would be the first time I met you,” I said.
“How so?”
“I don’t know. You’re sweet. I can see why every girl in town wants to be near you. When Bob told me that fact, I wasn’t surprised. How could they not?”
Lucas made this “I’m thinking real hard about it” smirk and let his hands drop from my arms.
“What else did Bob say?”
“Not much, he was just warning me about the ball. Apparently, it’s a big deal and so are you.” I completely turned to sit sideways in the chair and leaned my shoulder against Lucas’s chest. “If anything is said or done, it will be my fault not a member’s.”
“I doubt that it could ever be your fault but they would take the side of some spoil little bitch.”
“He also says you’ve been protecting me.”
“What do you mean protecting you?”
“When your friends come in the Downtown Cafe, you aren’t ignoring me but keeping them from attacking me.”
He looked off for a few seconds than placed his chin on top of my head, tucking me close to his body. “I’ve not thought about it but I guess he’s right. The thought of anyone hurting you because of me.” He shook his head back and forth forcibly. “Everyone has always pulled at me, but never took the time to get to know me.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Anything.”
“Will you tell me the truth? Not what you think I want to hear.”
“You’re scaring me but always.”
“The morning you showed up at the Downtown Cafe, who did you sleep with that night?”
“By myself in the hospital.”
“The hospital?”
“I had to get a steroid IV. It only took about ten hours. It was no biggie.”
“You were alone?”
“Yeah, only four people know about my MS. My dad, mom, granny, and you.”
“Where were your parents?”
“Mom had some event in Texas, and Dad took me but got called away on business.”
“What about your grandmother?”
“She would’ve come, but it would’ve only upset her that my parents weren’t there. It wasn’t worth hurting her.”
“I would’ve come.”
“You didn’t know then.”
“I would’ve still came. And if you didn’t want to talk I wouldn’t have asked any questions. Just been there.”
“I know,” he answered.
Our eyes lingered, I felt the heat in my neck, my breast, and then I flushed and quickly turned away before he noticed.
Chapter 22
Annie Prieto
Watching Lucas pull that tux out of his closet only emphasized the difference between us, and standing in the kitchen getting grilled on how important this ball was with every other server and staff, it all hit me — our two very different worlds would collide into one in only twenty-five minutes.
The club had fashioned all the females in a black and white long-sleeve server dress with our hair pulled up into a tight bun. The only makeup we were allowed to use was a touch of clear lip gloss. Which was kind of a bummer. I’d wanted to spend a little time on my hair and makeup, hoping to give Lucas something to look at. I wanted to make his tongue wag.
Instead, I got to play the role of Plain Jane.
At least my cheeks had a little color from all the sun I’d gotten that day.
I shoved a roll of antacids in my apron pocket, and mentally prepared myself for any remarks any of the girls there would say to me.
Bob placed a clear glass cup on the platter I was holding of champagne flutes. “For your tips tonight.” He had that gleam in his eye as if he was remembering something terribly sad.
He held my stare a few seconds longer before turning and clapping his hands to gain everyone’s attention. “Everyone knows their job. Come on, crew, let’s give these people a night they’ll never forget.”
I looked in the mirror that was just inside the kitchen door. Examining myself, I wondered if anyone ever glanced at me and thought of a young lady who once lived in this town. My mother, Evie Prieto. Bob waved me out of there, and I scurried out of the kitchen. The burn in my stomach had become so familiar I’d hardly noticed it. However, reasoning on the side of caution, I reached in my pocket to retrieve an antacid and popped it in my mouth.
I stood in the middle of the ballroom, clutching my tray, fighting off the urge to turn and leave. The waves of nausea and the gripping sensation of my stomach had taken over. The same feelings I got when I was little and was about to take the stage. Mimi told me it was stage freight and was the key to a magical performance.
You got this, Annie, I told myself and let out a breath before deliberately not giving myself time to think and headed to my delegated corner. Will had the spot to my left. I slightly waved to him and smiled. I shouldn’t have been dependent on him, but I felt safer knowing he was there.
The first few couples didn’t even acknowledge me as they walked over and took a drink off the tray. Other than some unwanted passes made by a few older men, I was invisible to them and it felt nice to be in the background for a change. When the platter was empty except for the glass cup already over filled with dollar bills, I rushed in the back for a new tray of drinks which Bob had already prepared and thrust into my hand. He placed the cup of money back on my new tray. “Told you that you would make a ton tonight,” he said before shooing me away.
I started back to my spot when Wes Carter stepped in front of me, blocking the entire room from my sight.
“I remember your mother working this event.” He placed a hundred-dollar bill in the cup before picking up a flute of champagne. “It was the night I presented Jennifer, and just like you, Evie was the prettiest girl in the room.” He took a sip of his champagne. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
The air had left my lungs as he spoke those words and nothing registered except for the fact I was following in my mother’s footsteps. She had stood in that same club once and served some of the same people. I didn’t realize I’d even closed my eyes until I opened them and Wes was gone. I had so many questions for him but would he even answer them? I rubbed at the beginnings of a headache behind my eyes but maintained a smile.
Ann smiled and waved at me. She was drowning in a group of other ladies her age. Maybe I’d gotten the wrong impression of he
r at the Downtown Cafe. She wasn’t lonely and did just love coffee and an intelligent conversation. Went to show one should never judge. Everyone wasn’t who they seemed. I waved back at her and smiled. It had been bearable thus far and I’d almost forgotten about Lucas being there with Candice. Almost.
My eyes scanned the room and locked with Lucas’s. He didn’t even pretend to smile, and quickly shifted his gaze from mine. Candice held onto his arm and smiled in my direction. She was beautiful, but then again, Candice was always beautiful. She had almost an enchanted quality to her. And who could resist Lucas? Tall, blonde, handsome, finely dressed ... and rogue.
I tried hard not to show how his cold greeting and mere presence hurt me. Bob was wrong. Lucas wasn’t trying to protect me from his friends. He was hiding who I was from them.
Two girls I’d seen with Candice took a drink from the tray I was holding and openly discussed how plain I was. I smiled remembering Bob’s warning, but mostly, I smiled because no matter how hard life had been for me the last few years, I knew I was a better person than any of them. I didn’t have money. I had something much more. I had character.
I made three more trips back into the kitchen for more drinks. Each time Bob had one ready to shove into my hand. I worked as swiftly as I could through the crowd and started to enjoy the rhythm of the night. I’d even stopped looking for Lucas in the room, letting the flow of the group lead me instead.
Too bad it didn’t lead me away from the dance floor. Lucas’s smile was breathtaking.
The idea Annie would be working had played on every nerve I had the whole day, but it still didn’t prepare me for the sight of seeing her in a server uniform while I stood there in a high-priced tux. I didn’t even attempt to smile the whole night. It had already taken too much effort just to pretend that my more wasn’t in that very room waiting on everyone’s arrogant ass.
I’d made my way over to a table against the wall and looked at the clock hanging at the top of the stairs, marked the time I had left in the night — three hours and twenty-five minutes to be exact — and watched Annie move around the room with an ease and grace that contrasted with her role in society.
She always looked classy and sexy, never slutty or uptight. I loved how she looked. The whole room lit up when she was in it. I noticed most of the older men had stuffed her tip glass with dollars. I wanted to throw the money at them and tell everyone of them she was mine and I would take care of her. Annie didn’t want me taking care of her. She wanted to take care of herself. She didn’t know what it was like to have someone care for her. I planned on teaching her what that was like.
I pulled my eyes from Annie long enough to see my parents commanding the dance floor. I should’ve been a master of pretending after watching those two all my life.
“Lucas, come on, you have to dance with me some. It’s part of the escort job.” Candice pulled me out of my seat and across the room to the dance floor.
What the hell! If my parents could convince a whole town they were happily married, I could convince Candice and myself that I was happy for a few songs.
Faking wasn’t my thing, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t play happy.
“You can at least pretend to smile,” Candice whispered in my ear. “She’s having no problem smiling.”
I scanned the room until I caught the sight of Annie beaming. It probably didn’t even bother her that I was there as a guest as she served the likes of me.
For a second, I lit up with pride and smiled. Annie had given me hope that admirable people did exist. I hadn’t even realized how little faith I had in people until her.
I led Candice around the ballroom one more time before excusing myself to find Annie. There was no way I would let her go another second and not realize I wanted her with me.
I did the gracious thing and saw Candice to our table before I went to the kitchen to find Annie. She was standing in front of the swing doors leading into the back. Bob was laughing as he placed that damn tip jar onto a new platter. The money was a needed necessity for Annie so why the sight of it caused me to come unhinged was an irrational response.
Grabbing Annie by the waist, I flipped her around until she was facing me. “Hey, precious.” I cleared my throat, swallowing back a rush of emotions — it went down as smoothly as a football-sized ball of gloom.
Annie broke free from my grasp and took a few steps back. She was pissed. Rightfully so.
“Sure you don’t want to step into the kitchen? Someone might see us talking out here,” she said and moved to walk around me. I stopped her with my hand.
“What are you talking about?”
“Lucas, you either know me or you don’t. At this point, I don’t even care.” She shrugged and looked defeated.
“I don’t care who sees us together.” I held onto the side of her tray. I told myself to help her balance the heavy thing, but in reality, it was to stop myself from grabbing her ... and running.
“Funny, because you were doing your best to ignore me in there. Hell, even your dad said more to me tonight than you have.”
Her stubborn little self jerked the tray from my grasp and placed it on a nearby table then smacked her hand firmly across my face. Not hard enough to really hurt but enough to get her point across. It actually hurt a lot less than I thought it would. Not that I thought about some girl hitting me often.
“Feel better?” I asked.
“No! Maybe, ole' Wes will dance with me, because I’m sure as hell not your dancing queen tonight.”
I backed up two steps as the air exploded out of my chest. She smirked. I let it go, knowing I kind of deserved her misplaced anger.
“I’ve got to go. I have a job to do, something you know nothing about.” My eyes followed her as she crossed the hall into the kitchen without once looking back at me. She pounded her small hand against the swinging doors then disappeared through them.
I stood there, frozen, not knowing which way was up and which way was down.
My dad appeared behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “What was that about?”
“I love her.” The words hit me with a blunt force so hard I literally doubled over. I braced my hands on my knees and stared at the floor as I counted each breath I exhaled.
She should have heard those words first.
Shit, did I even mean them?
I’d wanted more with Annie but love was a word I didn’t even think was in my vocabulary.
“Do you know what you’re saying?”
“No, I don’t. I have no idea.” I held my hand up. I couldn’t talk to him about Annie.
“She’s special, just like her mother was. But Lucas, we don’t get to keep girls like her. You need to leave Annie alone. She’s not the one for you.”
The scurry of feet interrupted us before I had a chance to reply. Annie was standing in the hall with that same sad expression she wore the first time I ever saw her, but it wasn’t life that put that look on her face, I had.
Seeing her brought every single feeling I ever had to the surface. The good and the bad. Hell, there was no bad ... only good had ever came from Annie.
“Annie, hold up,” I called out, trying my damnedest to make it over to her. My heart beat so hard I thought it was a possibility it could explode.
“Listen to me, son.”
“I’m tired of listening,” I said and ran after Annie, stepping around people. I grew frustrated as another couple stepped in my way. I finally broke through the crowd and made eye contact with Annie.
She stopped walking and I let out a breath of relief. She was still willing to listen.
“I hate this,” I said when I finally stood in front of her. “You think I even want to be here. I’m just trying to make my mother happy. I want to be with you on the back of my bike, or dancing with you at the bar, anywhere but here.” Shit, this is all wrong. She had to know I loved her. Surely, I’ve shown her. “But I wasn’t ignoring you in there. Hell, I couldn’t if I tried. Anytim
e we are in the same room, you take over everything. Shit, you don’t even have to be in the same room. You’ve just taken over my life.”
She braced the tray she held on her hip before running her free hand over her hair. I hated seeing her like that. I hated how my insides felt ripped open.
She smiled, but it was all wrong. “Let’s just get through the night.”
“I have to escort Candice for that damn presentation in about thirty minutes, but precious, please, can we leave after that?”
“I can’t. I have to work for my money.”
Annie didn’t even give me one more backward glance as she left me standing there without her.
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