“Well, I am so glad you asked. There are several things I wanted to bring up to you, and I think you’ll find it most profitable to listen to me,” the man said. He dove into the speech he had clearly taken some time to prepare, and Royce continued to stand with his feet spread apart and his arms crossed in front of his chest.
He listened, but as he did, he looked around the room, keeping an eye on both William and the waitress. He was interested enough in the shipping company, and he already knew it was likely he was going to take the deal back to Luxembourg to consider, but he had other things on his mind. And he was more than happy to indulge those interests above what this man had to say.
It looked like the waitress was doing a fine job, but it was impossible by watching her expression to see what was being said to her. Of course, he could only assume what she said to him was true, but he knew William was right as well, and he had to take anything they said with a grain of salt.
But then, she was so beautiful. So elegant. Regal almost. There had to be more to her than just a poor waitress.
And he intended to find out what it was.
Chapter 7
Paige sighed as she checked her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She had been running around all evening passing out champagne glass after champagne glass, but felt like she was falling behind in some ways. Of course, she didn’t have as much experience as the other wait staff, but she did manage to keep up with many of them.
She hadn’t had the time to see if Suits was still watching her, and there was a part of her that didn’t care if he was. It didn’t matter to her. She wasn’t ever going to see him again after tonight, and she could go on with her life remembering that she had been hit on relentlessly for an evening, only to have one man show her that not all the wealthy were as annoying as she thought.
Several times throughout the night she thought about just going home, but every time the thought crossed her mind, she told herself to stay just one more hour. Just one more hour and she would be going home with more money than she had ever made in a single night in her life. She could just picture herself in a nicer apartment and even a cute dog in her lap
No matter how much she wanted to leave, thinking about staying just one more hour and what it would do to her bank account was enough to keep her standing there, passing out hundreds of drinks and picking up twice as many empty ones.
Paige tried to ignore the thought that kept creeping into the back of her mind, but as the night wore on, she found it harder and harder to ignore. It wasn’t fair that she and her entire family had to struggle their entire lives just to survive. She remembered her father working late nights at his pharmacy, and her mother doing what she could from home to make money, but it never seemed to be enough.
She and her siblings never went hungry, but there were certainly times when they would have fast food for dinner four nights a week. She remembered living on boxed macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for a week straight. None of them complained about it, and she had even grown to have an appreciation for it, but seeing this sort of indulgence almost made her sick.
Of course, she had an appreciation for the finer things in life, and she was more than happy to see people enjoy themselves, but she hated the way wealthy people tended to look down on those who didn’t have as much. To them, she was either a charity case or just nothing to them.
They were the ones with the money, and she was the one with the job to serve them. She did not resent them, but she resented how they made her feel. She knew that in the end, no one had power over her thoughts and self-worth, but sometimes it was still a struggle to stay positive and not insecure.
She paused while picking up a few empty glasses at the long desserts table littered with untouched crème puffs and small squares of tiramisu.
You know, there is an awful lot of waste going on here. I don’t think they’re going to notice if I just take a small bit of this…
That was yet another thing Paige couldn’t stand about the rich and privileged. They always acted like they were the ones saving the world and helping out the less fortunate, but there was so much waste going on at this party. Paige imagined a lot of people could have been helped with what she was just throwing away.
It was growing harder and harder just to scrape the food into the trash, or to leave it for another of the waitresses to clean up. Even if she tried not to think about it, she knew that it was happening, and she couldn’t help but think of her parents and siblings and what they would give up to be able to come to a restaurant just like this one.
At first, she had tried to ignore the temptation, but the longer the evening wore on and the more trays of hors d’oeuvres she was taking back to the kitchen, the more appetizing they looked. She was starving. She hadn’t eaten since the sandwich she had at lunchtime, but it was too busy for her to take a few minutes to eat anything.
Not to mention, even the cheapest thing on the menu at this place was over thirty dollars. It didn’t matter to her how much she was making that night, she couldn’t bring herself to spend that kind of money on something she was going to eat while on the job.
The food was delicious, however, and she soon figured out tricks to sneaking bits here and there without anyone noticing. Of course, she couldn’t sample any of the champagne or wine. If she got close enough to anyone, they might be able to smell the alcohol on her breath, and though she wasn’t sure if that would be a problem with the owner, she didn’t want to risk it.
“Hey, haven’t seen you all night! How’s it going?” Candy burst through the door from the bar, and Paige nearly jumped out of her skin. Candy laughed. “Wow, someone is a little jumpy in here.”
“Sorry, but if you’d been having the same kind of night I’ve been dealing with, you’d be jumpy, too!” Paige retorted. Candy laughed.
“Honey, every night I have is like the night you’ve been having, you just got to learn how to get used to it and ignore them. They don’t mean anything by it most of the time, and besides that, they’re drunk.” Candy casually shoved some food in her mouth and smiled.
“I don’t care if they’re wasted. There is no reason for them to treat a waitress like that. They have no idea what my situation is, and for them to think that I would just go into the bathroom and suck their dick is disgusting!” Paige argued.
“You’d be surprised how many of us actually go in there and do it,” Candy replied. Paige gave her an appalled look and she quickly raised her hands. “I’m not saying that I’ve done it myself, I’m just saying that if you haven’t seen someone in here in a while, then it’s likely that they’re in a closet or bathroom somewhere getting some extra tips.”
“That’s horrifying,” Paige replied, and her friend shrugged.
“It’s a different life, that’s for sure. Anyway, it looks like all is well with you, so I’m going to head back to the bar. Good luck with the rest of your shift. Trust me, when you get your paycheck, everything is going to be worth it!” Candy grabbed another bite off a tray and started back through the door, and Paige shook her head.
She didn’t understand her friend’s life, and she knew it was likely that she never would. But she was going to make the most of this night. After all, it was just one night, and she could always chalk it up to being an experience if nothing else.
Besides, if she did ever become rich, she could learn from this night how she never wanted to be, and that in itself made it worth it for her to head back out into the dining room.
Paige grabbed another tray that was loaded with champagne, then she squared her shoulders and kept her chin up. She was going to get through this night no matter how many assholes she’d encounter. She might have to keep her mouth shut, but she wasn’t going to lose her dignity.
They might have more money than her, but Paige was confident she’d always have more class than any of them.
Chapter 8
“I agree that we need to get through with the deals, but I think we’ve be
en here long enough, don’t you?” Royce asked as he looked down at William. William had been sitting down to play a game of cards with several other gentlemen, but one by one they had moved on, not wanting to lose more of their money to the skillful European.
“You’re the boss, but I advise you to stay put a bit longer. You never know who is going to come through those doors, and you do have to report back to your father when we return to the hotel. If you get back too early, he’s going to want an explanation and neither one of us want our asses chewed.” William was tucking the cards into a neat pile and left them on the table, then he clasped his hands together and looked up at his friend.
“You’ve got to admit, it’s not that bad being here,” he said, but Royce scanned the room.
“Have you been doing what I asked you to do and listening for any harassment against that waitress?” he asked. William nodded, but the look on his face told Royce he’d forgotten all about the girl.
“Listen, why don’t you mingle for a while and see if you can hear of any more deals we can strike, and I’ll head over that way and do the same. I’ll let you know if I get wind of anything, and we’ll give it another hour or so,” William suggested as he rose from the table. He put his hand on his friend’s shoulder, and Royce nodded.
“Alright, but make sure you do as I asked,” he said. William walked off, and Royce started making his way toward the waitress. He had noticed that she hadn’t come over to him again since their exchange, and he wondered if it was because she was still offended.
He really didn’t think anything of the interaction they’d had, but she seemed to have at the time, and he wanted to smooth things over.
But the closer he got to her, the more he realized she was right about what she’d said. There were several men around the table, and a few more standing around beside it, and all were making lewd remarks to her as she passed out the drinks.
“Look at that pretty little mouth, sweetheart, I bet you can do some wonderful things with that!”
“Forget about her mouth, look at that ass. Would you like daddy to come slap that ass?” an older man asked, laughing as he looked around to the rest of the table for approval. They all laughed uproariously. It was clear they were becoming more and more intoxicated as the night wore on, and he could see by the look on the waitress’s face she wasn’t enjoying herself any longer.
He walked closer to them, ready to say something to the next man who made a remark. But they were quickly becoming too entrenched in their own game of cards, so the waitress moved on to the groups who were standing about the room.
Royce knew how to follow her without being noticed, and he was glad she was too engrossed in the work in front of her to realize he was following her. It was then that he noticed she was standing next to Mr. Harvey, the man who had struck a deal with him over the shipping company.
“Hello, sweetheart, back again, I see? That’s right. You just can’t get enough of this, can you?” He reached around, clearly pinching her ass as he spoke. She cried out in surprise and whirled around on him.
“I will thank you not to do that again, sir,” she said, voice shaking, though with rage or fear, Royce couldn’t tell. Mr. Harvey laughed once more.
“You know you like it. I bet you’ll be on your knees in front of me in no time! Here, take my business card. It’s got my name and a good number for you to call when you need someone to satisfy you!” He flourished his card graciously as if it was a gift, and she turned her nose up, clearly insulted. He grabbed her arm when she didn’t take it. “I said, take it!”
Royce was about to move forward when the woman whipped her arm away from the older man with such strength that surprised him. “Fine,” she all but hissed, “but only so you leave me alone. Excuse me, I have more tables to clear.” With that, she turned her nose up and walked away, mustering all the arrogance she could.
Royce stopped next to Mr. Harvey, who immediately turned to him for approval. “Can you believe all the fine pieces of ass they got in here tonight? I mean, I think I died and went to heaven!”
“I couldn’t help but notice, Mr. Harvey, that you have a ring on your finger. Do you really think it’s a good idea for you to get involved with these women when you’ve clearly got a wife at home?” Royce asked without a moment of hesitation. Mr. Harvey looked at him for a moment with raised eyebrows, then he burst out laughing. But it wasn’t a humorous laugh. It was a laugh that showed everyone he wasn’t happy with what was being said.
“Do you really think that a man of your standing needs to be defending a whore like that waitress?” he snapped.
Royce was about to say something else, when he looked over Mr. Harvey’s shoulder and realized the waitress was standing behind them. She’d clearly heard every word that was spoken, and her chest heaved with the deep breaths she took. Mr. Harvey turned to see what Royce was looking at, and he laughed when he saw Paige.
“Fuck you!” Paige shouted. She shoved the tray of food she had been carrying onto Mr. Harvey, clearly no longer caring what anyone thought of her behavior. The food ran all down the front of his suit, ruining it completely.
“You bitch! I’ll have your job for this! Don’t you plan on ever coming back to work here again!” Mr. Harvey sputtered angrily.
“Good! I don’t need this stupid job anyway! I’m a lot better off without any of you hitting on me!” The waitress yanked the business card out of her pocket, tearing it up as she pushed past me.
Royce wanted to stand and laugh at Mr. Harvey, but he was far too enamored with the woman who was willing to stand up for herself to someone clearly so powerful.
He had to catch up with her, but she was already almost out the door.
Chapter 9
Paige pushed through the door, hoping she wasn’t going to run into Candy. She would tell her friend what happened later, unless, of course, she already heard from the gossip in the building. The entire dining hall had seen the interaction, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before everyone in the entire restaurant knew about it.
But she found herself not caring. She didn’t need the money, and though it had been nice to dream about, she didn’t want to put herself through that kind of garbage to get it. She would take care of herself, and she didn’t need to lower herself to that level to do it. She was just sorry she had already wasted a few hours of her life in that hellhole.
The sound of footsteps behind her echoed down the hall, and Paige quickened her pace. She assumed it was her supervisor running after her, ready to tell her off for what she had done. She didn’t care what anyone had to say. She felt she was in the right for what she had done, and she wasn’t going stand around as she got lectured and yelled at.
“Excuse me!” a voice called out. She stopped for a moment, not recognizing the voice, and glanced over her shoulder to see who it was. To her surprise, it was Suits following after her.
Immediately, she wished she had stood up to him the way she had stood up to the other man, and she prepared herself to start yelling at him as well. She wasn’t going to let any of them push her around, and just because she made it clear with one of the men she wasn’t interested, she wasn’t going to change her mind and go with another of them.
“Go away!” she snapped when he reached her.
“Hang on, I just wanted to tell you that I was really impressed by what you did back there,” he said breathlessly, straightening out his suit.
“I honestly don’t care what you have to say about it. That was beyond inappropriate behavior, and he deserved what he got,” she snapped once again.
“Hey, I agree,” he said, raising his hands. “You know, I was watching you most of the night, and I really wish that you had been the CEO of some company that I could work with in my country,” he said.
She frowned. For one, it was flattering for him to say that, but she hadn’t realized he would be here on business. She’d noticed his accent right away, but the fact of the matter was that she had no idea who he
was or what he was doing at the restaurant. She’d just assumed that he was another rich guy who was coming down to drink and hang out with his friends. She didn’t think he was actually here with a proper agenda.
“Before you depart, may I ask if you’d like to hang out with me? Let’s get out of here and go somewhere more interesting,” he said. Paige immediately crossed her arms and stiffened.
“And where did you have in mind? The bathroom?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Of course not. There is another night club I know of that is far better than this place, and I can arrange for us to have a private booth. No married men are going to hit on you there. In fact, if you would rather, I can arrange for no one else to talk to you for the rest of the night. I just want to spend some time with you and get to know you without you worrying about being disrespected all night,” he said. Paige bit her lip. He sounded pretty genuine, but she didn’t even know the guy!
This was the last thing she thought would come out of his mouth, and she was very much tempted to take him up on his offer. After all, he seemed to be here on business from another country, and she was curious to know where he was from and what he was all about. After that first incident, he’d been nothing but respectful of her. He’d taken notice of her, which she also found intriguing, though she had to make one thing clear.
“I’ll go out with you, but only because I need to relax and forget about what just happened. But I’ll have you know that you don’t have a chance with me. I’m not interested in getting involved with anyone, and that includes you,” she said firmly.
“Of course, and I completely understand, but you have captivated me with your beauty, and you have enthralled me with your confidence. I want to know who you are. You have shown far more character in the brief moments that I have spoken with you than I have seen in some of the wealthiest people in here all night.” He looked back at the door distastefully, and she chuckled.
Relentless: A Royal Secret Baby Romance (The Alabaster Club) Page 3