by Nicole Fox
“Yeah, I did,” said Jess. “Pretty fucking good stuff, I have to admit.”
“And even Mia liked us, right, Mia?”
Mia grunted as she polished some shot glasses.
“See? That means ‘yes.’ Otherwise she just would’ve told me to fuck off.”
Mia tilted her head and shrugged, making it clear that she agreed with me.
“So you want to present Zane with proof that, what, it’s in his best interest to check you out?”
“I just thought it’d be kind of fun. I figure he’s so busy that it’s easy for things to slip under his radar. Maybe this would make him give my band some attention, you know?”
As Jess considered the matter, I reached into my purse and pulled out a CD and a stapled-together packet of papers.
“A CD, huh?” said Jess. “Pretty retro.”
“I know, right? I thought it’d be kind of cool. I mean, seems like a little more personal than just telling someone to go to your Soundcloud or something.”
With a small smile on my face, I handed Jess a pen and the packet of papers.
“What do you say, Jess?” I asked with a playful tone. “Care to have the honor of being the first person to sign?”
He let out a dry chuckle before taking the pen and paper and scrawling down his signature.
“Good luck,” he said. “That’s all I have to say.”
He handed the paper back to me and I turned to Mia.
“Mia,” I said. “How about you?”
“Whatever gets you to get back to work,” she said, adding her signature to the list.
I turned to Lenny and the rest of the regular at the bar. They didn’t need any coaxing whatsoever, all of them happily adding their names.
Soon, the evening was on. I did my bar duties, and whenever I had a down moment, I zipped over to any staff member or regular who hadn’t added their name and gave them my spiel. By the time the evening was out, I had over two dozen names.
But I was just getting started.
Chapter 10
Zane
It’d been two weeks since I’d brought Roxy on board, and as much as I’d been skeptical about her, she was really carrying her weight. Her first few shifts had been a little rough, but she found her footing pretty damn quick. She got along with the staff, the regulars loved her, and the girl brought in tips like crazy.
Didn’t hurt that she was a nice-looking little thing to have behind the bar, too. Part of me was starting to regret that I hadn’t taken her up on her offer—now that she was an employee, anything like that was out of the question, since I didn’t want to open myself up to the bullshit that fraternizing with underlings brought on.
“So let me get this straight,” said Motor. “You had Roxy’s mouth inches from your cock and didn’t have her do anything with it?”
Me, Motor, and Rex were having a few drinks in our reserved table in one of the back corners at Amped. It was a pretty busy Thursday night, but with my tight crew behind the bar, I could trust them to keep things handled while I got in a little relaxing. Besides, Revv had a show tomorrow night and I wanted to make sure I was good and loose.
“That so hard to believe? I asked, taking a sip of my beer.
“I mean, sure, you’re the boss,” said Rex. “But man, I don’t know if I’d be able to say no to a piece of ass like her. I’m only a fuckin’ man, after all.”
“Just not worth the hassle,” I said. “You remember what happened with Melanie? That brunette a couple of years back?”
Rex snorted, a smirk forming on his lips.
“Sure do,” he said. “Big old ass and tits out to here?”
“That’s the one,” I said. “She managed to talk me into having a few drinks after work and when I was good and tipsy, put the moves on me pretty goddamn hard.”
“And you fucked her,” said Motor.
“And I fucked her. I thought she’d be the kind of girl who could keep things chill, but nope. First little spat we ended up having after our fuck, she started going on about what might happen if someone found out about what we did, implying that she’d sue me or some shit.”
“Yikes,” said Motor. “Always did get a crazy vibe from her.”
“Yup,” I said. “And I didn’t know what to do with her. She was starting to slack after we screwed, I guess thinking that she had some leverage on me. I could either fire her and get sued or keep her on and deal with a shitty employee.”
“What’d you end up doing?” asked Rex. “I just remember one day she was here, the next she was gone, like she never fuckin’ existed.”
“I caught a lucky break, if you want to call it that. Found out that not only was she dipping into the till, she was selling coke at the bar. And I had it all on camera.”
“Girl got cocky,” said Motor.
“She sure as shit did. So I told her that she was done here. She could leave and that’d be that, her secret safe with me. But if she tried to pull any bullshit, it’d do what needed to be done with the evidence. That got her out of here really fucking quick.”
“Close one,” said Rex. “Never know what kind of shit girls like that might pull.”
“That’s right,” I said, draining the last of my beer. “And Roxy doesn’t really strike me as the ‘stealing and drug dealing type,’ so who knows what would go down if I fucked her and she went all loco on me.”
“I guess that’s why you’re the man in charge,” said Motor.
I nodded and grabbed my glass.
“You boys need anything?” I asked. “I’m gonna freshen up my drink.”
“Other than Roxy’s ass on my dick, no,” said Motor.
Rex let out a laugh, and the two guys gave each other a high-five.
I smirked and headed off. My eyes were locked onto Roxy as I made my way towards the bar. She zipped here and there, making drinks and taking payments, occasionally stopping to banter with some of the regulars. She was really proving herself to be a good addition to the team. Too bad I kept getting distracted by that killer body of hers.
“Hey, Zane,” she said, glancing over at me from the drinks she was in the process of making.
“Roxy,” I said, my tone professional.
“Um, I left something for you in your office,” she said, her voice a little nervous. “Might want to check it out when you have a second.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?” I asked. “I don’t really like surprises.”
“Just go look,” she said. “You might like it.”
With that, she turned her attention back to her drinks. I grumbled a little under my breath and headed towards the back. I was being serious about surprises, but I knew that it’d be more trouble than it was worth to squeeze some answers out of her right there at the bar.
Once at my office, I opened the door, stepped in, and looked around. I didn’t see anything at first, but as I took another step, I felt my foot drag against something on the ground. Looking down, I saw that it was a manila envelope, the word “Zane” written on it in girly handwriting.
I scooped it up from the ground, opened it, and dumped the contents out onto my desk. Out fell a CD in a jewel case, which hit the desk with a clatter. Next was a packet of papers. I picked up the CD and read the words “Vampire Hideaway” written on it in Sharpie.
A CD. Cute.
The paper was a long list of signatures, about a hundred or so, all names of staff and regulars. The top was titled “Official Request for Zane to Check Out My Band!” Under it was written in smaller letters “the power of the people is on my side! You can’t say no!”
I smirked as I leafed through the list of names. The girl was enterprising, I’d give her that. Before I could spend too much time with the things, a small knock sounded from the office door.
“Come in,” I said, having a feeling who it might be.
The door opened slowly, revealing Roxy. I had to take a moment to take in just how good she looked. She was wearing a pair of
very short cut-offs that showed off her flawless, shapely legs. On top was a crop-top shirt that gave a very nice view of her flat, toned belly. A pair of high-top Chuck Taylors completed the look. It took plenty of restraint not to eye-fuck her right then and there.
“Well,” she asked, stepping into the office. “What do you think?”
“I assume you put this together on company time?” I asked, sitting back on the edge of my desk.
“Only when I had nothing else to do. And besides, once word got around, people were stopping me to ask to sign it.”
I let out a snorting laugh through my nose.
“I’ll think about it,” I said. “Got a lot on my plate, is all.”
“Sure, sure,” she said. “Um, just wanted to make sure you got it; I’ll get back to work now.”
With that, she was gone, and I was alone with the CD and petition. I picked the CD up and gave it another look over. The jewel case popped open in my hands and I held the CD up the light, the back of the thing reflecting rainbow streaks. I tried to think of the last time I’d held a CD in my hands—had to have been years.
I stepped over to the stereo gear in my room and looked it over, surprised to see that it had a CD slot. With a press of the red button next to it, the tray slid out, awaiting a CD. I held the CD close, ready to put it in.
But then I had a sudden change of heart. Quickly, I put the CD back in the jewel case and tossed it onto the couch on the other side of the office. After that, I headed to my stash of booze and poured myself a small drink of whiskey.
There was a really, really good chance her band sucked. Not because I thought Roxy was talentless, but because there were so many shitty goddamn bands in this town that it was only statistically likely that hers was one of them. And she didn’t seem like the type who’d take my blunt opinion very well.
Besides, I didn’t need her on stage. Revv was bringing in all the clientele I needed, and she was killing it behind the bar. Why would I need to shake things up for no good reason, especially if it meant I’d have to deal with her crying after I told her that Vampire Hideaway was no good?
No, some things were better left unknown. For now, at least.
Moments later I was back out onto the floor. The place was busy as hell, and I stepped behind the bar to help out.
“So?” asked Roxy, in the middle of filling some beers. “What’d you think?”
“Didn’t listen,” I said.
Her posture became defeated instantly.
“Why … why not?”
“Just don’t have time for it right now. Maybe some other time. Maybe not.”
My tone made it clear to Roxy that this was the end of the discussion. A sad expression on her pretty features, she went back to work. After a little more helping at the bar, I grabbed a round of beers and went back to where Motor and Rex were seated.
“What’s up?” asked Rex. “You look like you got a shitload on your mind, boss.”
I debated not telling them but decided against it. I filled them in on the details, and the boys took it all in.
“Shit,” said Motor. “Girl’s persistent.”
“No kidding,” I said, taking a drink. “And something tells me that this isn’t going to be the end of the issue.”
“Bet you’re right about that,” said Motor. “Can’t say she doesn’t have confidence in her abilities, at least.”
I took another sip and mulled the matter over.
“You’re up in your head again, boss,” said Rex. “Come back to reality.”
I shook my head and did just that.
“You know what I think you need, Z?” asked Motor. “A fucking ride.”
It did sound nice. A good trip around town always did a good job of clearing my head.
“Let’s do it,” I said, taking one last sip of my beer. “Need some fresh air anyway.”
The boys made noises of agreement and soon we were outside. I climbed onto my hog and revved the engine, the sound of the motor roaring to life already putting me in a better mood.
“Let’s hit it!” shouted Motor.
With that, we were off. We blasted down the street, weaving in and out of traffic as we did. But as we neared the end of the block, I caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Standing outside of Boozehounds was none other than Buck, smoking a cigarette and having a beer.
He locked eyes with us as we drove past, and I gave him a smartass wave, the kind a homecoming queen would give on her parade float.
Buck tossed his cigarette onto the ground, stamped it out, and responded with a middle finger shoved high into the air.
Chapter 11
Roxy
I was totally crestfallen by Zane’s refusal to listen to my music. Sure, I bet he did have a lot on his plate, but the way he so glibly shot me down made it very clear to me that there was something more going on than him just being too busy to listen to a twenty-five-minute album.
I did my best to transfer my aggression and frustration to my work, pounding out order after order and making sure that no detail was left unaccounted for. Jess and Mia must’ve noticed my hard work, as I occasionally caught impressed expressions on their faces out of the corner of my eye.
Eventually it was time for me to punch out. After confirming with Zane and Mia that they didn’t need anything else, I collected my tips, grabbed my things, and headed out onto the street in front of the bar. Part of me wanted to take my earnings and go get obliterated. But I thought better of it and made the decision to head home and get some sleep.
“Hey there, pretty lady.”
A gruff voice spoke from somewhere to my right. I turned in surprise and was confronted with a stocky, beefy man with a shaved head and face decorated with scars. He wore black combat boots, ripped black jeans, and a T-shirt that clung tightly to his developed physique. He wasn’t the prettiest guy in the world, but he looked like the sort you’d be happy to have on your side in a barfight.
His face looked strangely familiar, and I thought for a brief moment where I’d seen it before. Then it hit me: this was one of the guys on the banned all.
“Did you just call me ‘pretty lady’?” I asked with surprise.
“What, it’s a crime to tell the truth?”
I wasn’t in the mood for any of this. I’d been getting hit on by drunk assholes all night and dealing with it after my shift was the last thing I wanted.
“Leave me alone,” I said, preparing to turn around and take off in the opposite direction.
“Hear you’ve been having some trouble with Zane.”
That stopped me in my tracks.
“What did you say?” I asked.
“Said little Zaney’s been giving you the business.”
“And what the hell do you know about any of this?” I asked. “And why?”
He stuck out a rough-looking hand.
“Name’s Buck. Buck Colger,” he said.
I looked at his hand for a moment with skepticism.
“Go on, it won’t bite,” he said.
I reached over and gave it a light shake. His hand felt as rough and calloused as it looked.
“I own the little bar down the way. Boozehounds—you might’ve heard of it.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Heard you guys are a little … rougher than Amped.”
He let out a dry laugh.
“You could say that. Zane likes to pretend that he’s a classier sort of joint, but we all deal with the same clientele. Difference between him and me is that I actually give the people what they want.”
“And what is it that you want?” I asked. “Why are you talking to me right now? Just making a friendly introduction?”
“I’m talking to you because I have an offer you might want to hear.”
“And that is?”
He looked around, the downtown sidewalk bustling around us.
“This isn’t the right place to talk about this,” he said. “Come over to my bar and we can have a chat.”
He must’ve
been able to tell by my expression that I was more than a little skeptical of this.
“Listen,” he said. “No tricks, no games. Come on over to Boozehounds. You can have a drink or two on me, and I’ll tell you what I have in mind. If it sounds like something you’d be interested in, then great, we can talk a little more. If not, you can tell me to fuck off and leave. I’ll even pay for your taxi for the trouble.”