“Do you want another drink?”
“Oh no thanks, I think I might go up to bed, it’s been a really long day, do you mind?”
“No beautiful I don’t.” He tells me as he stands and offers his hand to pull me up which I willingly accept. I head over to Den to let him know that I’m going up, as I don’t want him to worry if I just disappear.
“Den I’m going to go up to bed now, k?” I say, while a girl is holding onto his arm in a death grip.
“Ok, I’ll come up with you.”
Ah, bless him always looking after me, even now at the age of 22. I want him to stay and have fun; he seems to be at home with his new friends.
“No, you stay here I’m only up stairs. K?”
“Ok babe, come here.” Den pulls me by the waist and gives me a tender kiss on the lips but not one of his usually ones that make me laugh. Strange, oh yes he’s drunk, duh.
I climb of a drunk Den and turn to speak to Sallack and Mickey, as they both watch me intensely.
“Hey, I’m going up to bed, I’m beat. Thank you for helping us today we really appreciate it and for tonight, and thanks for the company earlier Mickey.”
“Anytime,” Mickey says with a wink turning back to the bar.
Sallack is searching my eyes for something but I can’t tell what. He takes my hand and leads me to the hallway, away from prying eyes.
“I’m sorry if I speak out of line Zara, but you and Den, are you together?” There is a hint of sorrow to his deep voice.
There the question I hear on a regular basis. We do come across as a couple as we are always together and very touchy feely to one another. That is just the way we have always been, and always will be.
“No we’re best friends.”
That brought a smile to his gorgeous face; I return it as he puts his fingers to my cheek tenderly. He seems to be very hands on man just like Den, not that I mind at all.
“You are something else, you know that Zara.”
What the hell should I say to that, Mr. sexy thinks I’m something to admire! Ha. I lean into him, kissing his cheek softly.
“Thanks again for all you help today,”
God he smells amazing, I wonder what he uses to smell so good.
“It was my pleasure.”
I gaze into his eyes as I give him a smile before turning and walking upstairs, not missing the growl coming from him! I look back over my shoulder to where he is still standing, watching me with a look of lust. I turn back with a smile of satisfaction.
“Mine” I hear from behind me. Mine! What was that about? I carry on to my bedroom door smiling. I can’t get over the fact that Sallack and Mickey are so hot! Moreover, the fact that the hottest man I have lay eyes on thinks that I am beautiful!
Chapter 3
I wake in the morning, rubbing my eyes; Den’s fast asleep on the other side of the room snoring gently. I pick up my phone to see the time; its 9:08 on a Saturday morning. I am so happy to be here, I feel like this is where I belong; I know Den does to, after chatting with him all night when he came up from the bar. We are both of the understanding that we are here for a purpose.
The first thing I do is use the bathroom and jump in the shower. When I finish I pull on a pale blue dress with thin straps and maybe a tad too tight but oh well ‘got it flaunt it’.
“Hey you’re awake,” I say to Den as I walk out of the bathroom clean and changed, as he lays there on the bed hands behind his head.
“Ummmm. Looking good babe, give me a twirl,” He says with a big grin. I laugh out loud at his request and slap him up the head gently as I join him on his bed.
“Hey what are you doing today? I was going to walk up to that club we passed on the way in and see if they are hiring. If we are staying that is?”
“I think that is a brilliant idea. I feel the same babe! Let’s do it, I will ask around for a place to rent, check the papers.”
Den and I know that it might not work out, but it might be perfect, so we are going to jump in with both feet. We need a change, we want to fit in around here, and feel welcomed which we have so far. It really does feel like a dream come true from the moment we walked out of the airport.
We both have the money for at least 6 months’ rent, bills, and food. However, we have both decided to get jobs ASAP.
“Sound like a plan. I’m going to go down to the bar and get something to eat and have a look around.”
“Ok babe I’ll be down in half hour, after I’ve grabbed a shower.”
As I get up to walk to the door I pick up my handbag and put my phone in, Den comes behind me and wraps his arms around my shoulders making me smile with happiness, I love Den so much, he is my life.
“Listen nothings set in stone we have only been here 5 minutes, don’t feel rushed into doing anything because of me. I’d go anywhere with you, you’re my best friend and my family.”
I turn around in his tight hold to see his sparkling green eyes.
“No I feel the same way, I promise I do.”
He leans down and kisses my lips before he turns to the bathroom door. I take the chance to slap his firm butt, making him laugh out loud.
As I make my way down the small corridor I’m hit with the smells of bacon and eggs, umm oh and there’s coffee, Yuk I really don’t like coffee. As I walk into the bar looking to see if Sallack is around, I can’t see him but there are lots of friendly faces sitting at the bar with plates of food and mugs off coffee, I say my ‘hello’s’ as I walk over to the small kitchen to see if Abbey is there but she isn’t, Sallack is though. He is standing talking to a tall muscular man, I can’t see his face as he has his back to me, but his hair is similar to Sallack’s in length, just down to his neck with waves, but unlike Sallack’s hair being black, this man has deep brown with touches of gold. Sallack see’s I’m standing there observing my surroundings and calls me in with a small hand gesture. I walk up to them standing in the middle of the small kitchen.
“Hey, this smells good!”
The man standing with the grill pan in his hand turns round to meet me, he placing the pan on the cooker as I see him for the first time. What the hell’s in the water around here! He is so handsome. Fuck it, I actually gasped! I hope to God he did not notice! Are they brothers? They have to be.
His stunning brown eyes capture mine and stay locked until Sallack pulls our attention away from one another.
“Ruk this is Zara, Zara this is Ruk, my good friend, and he is helping out this morning.”
Ruk smiles down at me, I say down, as he is also the same height as Sallack and just as wide on the chest. Oh, wow I am in trouble. So not brothers, but both are sexy as hell! How do the women around here cope with men like this hanging around?
“Hello Zara,” He says with a mischievous smirk.
He puts his hand out as if to shake, I place my hand in his as he pulls me into a hug, startling me slightly; wait is he smelling my hair!
“Um…. hello it’s nice to meet you Ruk.”
God it feels amazing held in his strong arms. I take a step back when I hear Sallack clear his throat, or is he trying to suppress a growl, as I have noticed Den do a lot.
“Zara, would you come join me for breakfast?” He asks.
“Yes, that would be lovely.” I say, turning to meet his gaze.
Sallack puts his hand on my lower back, turning me to lead the way for a table to sit at. I turn back to Ruk for a last look, but I don’t capture his eyes as they are firmly fixed to my butt watching me walk away. I snort a laugh at him before returning my eyes back to where we are heading. Sallack looks to me then to Ruk; he must still be looking at my butt as Sallack growls loudly at him. Growling again!
We approach a table by the window. Sallack being a gentleman, pulls my chair out for me before taking his own seat.
“How was your sleep last night Zara?”
Oh, the way my name rolls of his tongue so easily spreads warmth through my body.
“It was perfect, tha
nk you. Did you sleep well?”
“Good, I’m glad, I slept wonderfully actually. So what are your plans for today? Will Den be joining you?”
“I was going to go over to the night club and see if they are hiring, then me and Den were going to have a look around for somewhere to rent for a while”
“Are you staying then?”
The smile on his face makes me blush.
“Yes we both have a good feeling about this town. We will see how it goes, try and make a home for ourselves,” I smile up at him through my lashes. The thought of having somewhere to call home over joys me and the thought of Sallack caring if I stay or go has made this day the best!
Sallack lays his hand over mine in a caring gesture and I smile at him in appreciation.
A beautiful woman comes over with our plates of food and mugs of coffee, swishing her hips and pouting her lips. Her hair is a wonderful shade of red, her eyes are blazing blue, but her attitude towards me right now is ugly! She puts the tray down a little harder than necessary. Ruk must have sent over breakfast for us, how nice.
“Thank you Mary.” Sallack says, looking like he can’t wait for her to leave. She smiles at him and then her gaze travels to me, giving me a look that would have scared the devil himself. Instead of being rude back, as I would if Sallack wasn’t here, I just give her the pleasantest smile I can manage.
“Thank you it looks great,” I tell her.
Her face twitches in anger. She is obviously not happy with my answer, what did she want a fight? Maybe she fancies Sallack. Ha, take that skank. I wink at Sallack jokingly, he looks like he wants to laugh, but holds it in. Mary storms off back to the bar whispering to another girl who stands at the bar looking our way with a frown.
“Well, she’s a treat.” I say with a raised eyebrow. Wondering if he saw the look I got from her.
“Don’t mind her, she get’s bitchy when beautiful woman come in.”
Ah, he called my beautiful again, yes! I look back down at my plate so he doesn’t see me blushing again; I need to pull myself together if Den and I are going to be hanging around.
“You ok beautiful?” He asks with a smile as if he knows that he is making me blush. I will myself to get a bloody grip as I meet his gaze.
“Oh yeah I am fine.”
We finish of our food and chat for a good hour, Sallack gives me directions to the club. Den has joined us so I leave them chatting like old friends, giving them both a kiss on the cheek and thanking Sallack for keeping me company over breakfast, receiving low growls from both men. Maybe their long lost brothers!
Walking through the town there are many friendly people stopping to say ‘Hello’ and introducing themselves to the new girl. Word must have got out of our arrival.
I also get a few looks like the ones I received of Mary by some of the woman!
There are more shops then I thought there would be, there are a few clothes boutiques and an off license, butchers, fresh vegetables and fruit shops. Pretty much, what you would hope to be here is.
I come up to the nightclub it’s big brick building painted black with a ‘Whites’ sign in beautifully large writing on the front of the building. The front doors are open, so I walk in and call out to see if anyone’s there, a man comes out another ‘God’ is all I can think looking at him. He is around 6 ft 2, very muscular, short styled hair a shade of light brown; he has the most crystal clear brown eyes I have ever seen. Yum.
“Hello you must be Zara?”
Wow word really does travel fast.
“Yes I’m Zara, are you the manager Mr.?”
“Julian, no Mr.,” He says with a wink “And yes I’m the manager, what can I help you with Zara, a job? Cos if so, it’s yours.”
No way, is he joking with me? I can’t really tell as he is wearing a big grin.
“Yes I was looking for a job, would you like to interview me or anything?”
Or anything! Why did I say that? I’m not doing well, why am I falling to pieces like this? Moreover, why do I keep meeting such amazingly sexy men?
“Sallack told me you were coming over and asked me to show you around and to give you a uniform, if you’re happy with it?”
“Sallack? I can show you that I’m good at what I do?”
“Yes Sallack is the owner and my very good friend. If he says your trust worthy then you are. I’ll show you around, come on,”
He turns on his heel, surprising me by putting his arm over my shoulder. He walks me around the club; there are two separate bars at either end of the club and a VIP area, the club is very elegant and well looked after. I have worked in restaurants and nightclubs since the age of 18, so I’m confident in what I will be doing, which makes Julian happy. Nevertheless, why does Sallack trust me he hardly knows me? Why are Sallack’s friends so hot! I grew up in England, and I didn’t come across one man that I found overly attractive, except for Den, then we arrive in ‘Nickel’ and it’s like they are falling from the sky, first Sallack, then Mickey, Ruk and now Julian. I wonder if all Sallack’s friends are hot. Not that I mind, I want Sallack to be the one I catch the eyes of.
I get to start in just over a week’s time. Four evenings a week from 9pm to 2am, Perfect! We arrange to meet up later to go over bank details and insurance and all the boring stuff. After sitting with Julian for nearly 2 hours just chatting, I feel like I know all about him already.
“See you soon Zara, pop in any time!”
“Thank you so much for hiring me you won’t regret it,”
“Oh I know I won’t, a beauty like you will bring in the crowds.”
“Um, you’re a Charmer,” I tell him teasingly. I kiss his cheek and walk out the doors, into the warm sun. I really like Julian; he is very caring, protective in a way, which is Strange, the man doesn’t know me well enough to care about me.
Why are Sallack and his friends being so nice to me? Maybe it the English accent or my tight dress? Well whatever it is, I’m glad everything is falling into place so easily, I can’t remember the last time I was this excited.
As I walk back up to ‘Quirks’ I’m so happy, I feel like my face is going to crack from my constant smile. Entering by the front doors, I spot Den standing at the bar talking to Mary and the other girl. I take a running leap on to his back landing perfectly and bend my head to kiss his cheek.
“I got a job! Already! Can you believe it Den?” I tell him excitedly. He twists me round to face him so my legs wrap around his back.
“Well done babe knew you would, who would say no to you?”
Mary and the other girl give a little huff behind us as Den puts me down on my feet and sits on the stool where he has a paper with red circles all over the place. He pulls me on to his lap by my hip as Mary and the girl walk off looking defeated. Good! I hope to God Den doesn’t start sleeping with either of them; they are the sort of girls that could ruin a man’s life.
“Watcha doing?”
“Looking at rented properties and local jobs, I have found 3 places we can look at. I’m just going to give them a ring and ask to have a look ASAP.”
“Brilliant, I’m going to see if Sallack’s around. I need to thank him for giving me the job.”
“Sallack got you the job? How?” He asks with a frown.
“Well he owns the club, and his friend’s Julian and Ruk manage it, they are really nice you would get on with them.”
“Of course he does! You really have settled in quickly babe, I’m real proud of you. Now go find your man,” He says lifting me off his lap, with a swipe to my butt.
“Yeah yeah, see you in a sec.” I say before kissing his cheek.
I leave Den and go to find Sallack. Getting to His office door and knocking with a little jig, I hear him chuckle as he shouts,
“Come in Zara.”
Opening the door, I see he is at his desk with his laptop and piles of paper surrounding him.
“Hey how did you know it was me?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“I can s
mell your shampoo.”
I must have made a face because he quickly says,
“I have a sensitive nose.” He says tapping his nose with his index finger, grinning wickedly at me.
“Uh hu. I wanted to say thank you for giving me the job, I’m extremely grateful. I’m guessing you did it out of pity, but I will show you that it was a good choice.” I smile at him as I can see his eyebrows drawing together.
“Zara, pity is definitely not what I feel for you. But if you’d like to say thank you I have an idea?”
“Ok, what you thinking?” I hope he says a kiss!
There is the smile again, as if he knows what I’m thinking.
“Have a drink alone with me tonight around 9?”
“Yeah I’d like that.”
I stand awkwardly as Sallack just sits back in his chair admiring my body with a devilish smile, whilst making me blush like mad.
I fake a cough and say,
“I’ll let you get on and thank you again Sallack.”
I leave is office in a rush to hide my gleeful expression. The sexiest man I have ever seen has just asked to be alone with me!
Just as I get to the door, Sallack’s hand reaches out to take my arm gently, how did he move that fast?
“Zara is there something wrong. Do you not like being around me?”
He asks, while searching my eyes intensely. What do I say! I can’t tell him that every time I look at him I want to jump his bones or that he makes me blush like a school girl.
“Oh I like being around you alright…”
Sallack silences me with his lips as his tongue thrashes in-between my lips for entry that I willingly give. His big hands come up behind my neck cradling my head as I step up to him, pressing my body to his. Uh this is better than I imagined it would be, and I have imagined it a lot! I think Sallack feels the same way, as we both let small moans escape our lips. I lace my arms around his waist, loving the heat between us. We break apart as I catch my breath, Sallack’s hands drop from my face as his arms wrap around my waist.
“Wow!” Oh damn it; I just said that aloud!
Charming The Warriors (The Charmer) Page 3