by C. M. Owens
Or the assistant manager.
Dane said they’d run all over me if I let them. I just didn’t realize what that meant until I got here and no one would work. Or do the stuff they’re supposed to do. And I’m not even sure what they’re supposed to do. There really should be a task assignment chart somewhere.
I take a deep, calming breath. Sure, the music is awesome, but we have jobs to do.
I’m not cut out to cover for him. The first day he’s gone, one bartender quits, the other is on vacation, and the head bouncer calls in for the week. I haven’t been in charge one day, and already everything is falling apart.
I picked the wrong adult assignment. I’m starting to think Harley was wrong about this idea.
“How long is Dane going to be gone?” Raya asks conversationally, distracting me from my thoughts.
“Two months. He couldn’t stand not being on the book tour with Rain, so he finally left. I don’t know why I told him I could do this. Between this and school and my internship—”
“It’ll be fine,” she says, smiling while rubbing my arm with her hand. “I’ll call Bo. She used to bartend, so she can cover until I find you a replacement; she knows how to make virgin daiquiris, too. Jax can help with security. Until then, I’ll help cover for the two waitresses that quit. Dane said he had a stack full of eager applicants. It won’t be hard to replace anyone.”
I forgot all about the two waitresses who quit moments before their shift.
And I refuse to call a Sterling for help. The point of this experiment and the reason Harley suggested I tackle it, is to prove to the overprotective Sterling men that I am an adult.
A nineteen-year-old adult, who can step in and be just as Sterling as them. Even though I can’t serve beer. Or alcohol of any kind. Because I’m underage.
This is going well already.
It’s Under 21 weekend, I remind myself. I don’t need to serve alcohol. I just simply charge the same prices for the virgin alternatives.
Virgin. I’m essentially running Virgin weekend. Insert ironic snort here.
“I can wait tables, too.” She smiles as though she feels she’s successfully staved off my impending meltdown.
I look down, trying to figure out if we’ve done enough to recover from the abrupt issues. Harley is supposed to be here by now—without Dale Sterling.
Maybe filling in at my brother’s club isn’t the best way to prove how adult I am if I don’t know what I’m doing.
In my head, this all worked out spectacularly. Harley and I even plotted out hypotheticals of every situation. Yet, we didn’t plan for this. Couldn’t have seen these hurdles coming due to the minute fraction of a chance something like this could happen.
As usual, the human element messed up the plans my head had.
“Hi,” a smooth, male voice says from behind me, interrupting my conversation with Raya—who has already abandoned me, apparently.
How long was I looking over the schedule?
A throat clearing from behind me reminds me someone is beckoning for my attention. Remembering it’s considered rude to simply ignore people here, I turn to face whoever it is. Before my eyes can even find my beckoner, I’m distracted by the burlesque dancers, who are stripping down to their lingerie to get ready for the stage.
They need their masks on. No one is supposed to get down to their lace without a mask. Dane specifically stated that rule to me five times, apparently forgetting I have an eidetic memory. Seems like it’s them he should have been repeating himself to.
“Hi,” I say, though my attention is still focused on the maskless ladies, who are joining all the other rebels by skipping simple rules. “What do you want?”
He snickers, as though something is funny, so I finally face him.
And I go a little…frozen.
I’m just gawking and standing perfectly still, eyes wide as I take him in.
Base Masters.
I’ve never had to see him this close before, and now I’m getting this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. And lower. Oh, yes. Arousal. Recognize it now.
Being aroused has never left my body unable to function, though. My mouth is still parted like it expects to expel more words, but…no words. I’m just gaping in most every sense of the word.
What is wrong with me?
His dark hair is sticking up in short spikes that actually suit him really well. I think he has on eyeliner, but I could be wrong. He’s a lot taller, so I’m still gaping with my head tilted back so that I can see him.
I’m sure it’s not attractive at all, yet I can’t stop the weirdness going on with my motionless body.
A black T-shirt that reads “The Fallen” is fitted against his body like he wants to hint to the lean contours of definition it barely conceals.
I’m still staring.
He’s just smirking.
“Actually, I think I know the answer to my question now,” he says, looking me over as though he’s amused.
Don’t trust my judgment on guessing moods, though. For all I know, he could be constipated. I’ve mistaken the two before—vice versa.
He shakes his head, though I don’t know why. “That’s a real shame,” he says on a long sigh.
What?
“What question do you know the answer to? And what’s a shame?” I ask as he turns away, the ability to speak returning with the loss of his attention, as though the two are linked.
A phenomenon I will definitely explore later.
He just laughs as he walks away, leaving me thoroughly confused, but I have more important things to worry about.
I have to prove I’m an adult and a capable Sterling.
Otherwise, my family, incredible as they are, is going to do all they can to prevent me from ever doing adult things.
Don’t ask. It’s a long story.
Chapter 2
BASE
“She’s gay, and we can’t compete with mostly naked women if she’s gay. So we’re good. Let’s get ready. People are pouring in now,” I tell the guys, still a little disappointed in the sexy girl with some of the most touchable hair I’ve ever seen.
“Who’s gay?” Sticks asks while adjusting the height on one of his cymbals.
“The girl who wasn’t hypnotized by us,” Taylor snorts, rolling his eyes at me.
“You’re so fucking vain,” Sticks says pointedly at me.
“Label is coming tonight. Just needed my head on right,” I say unapologetically. “Stage performance is fifty-fifty on talent and mentality. Everything needs to be on.”
“This record label is the one. I can feel it,” Randy says, tense and likely to fuck up five or six times each song.
He’s not great when he’s on. He’s terrible when he’s tense. Which means we need to sound twice as good tonight to cover for his less-than-stellar performance.
Sticks gives me a look like he’s thinking the same thing. But we’re a band. Been together since the eighth grade. It’d be wrong to lose Randy this late in the game, even though we can barely even stand him on a personal level anymore.
“You bitches just try not to mess anything up,” Randy says as he winks at us. “I know how nervous you all get.”
Groaning inwardly at how oblivious he truly is, and ignoring his typical arrogance, I roll my eyes and ready myself for Stick’s kickass introduction.
One thing I love about Silk is that Sterling Shore only has this one club, and we always have a damn good turnout here. It’s why we wanted the record label to see us in action in this element, when the crowd is fueling us.
The trance is always strongest here.
The doors have been opened, and the masses have flocked in, everyone is now packed in. Usually we don’t play right at opening time, but since we’re opening for Diamonds and Sex, a much larger band, I don’t mind it.
I see the redhead from earlier as she walks around the stage, seeming to scold the other waitresses who have stopped waiting the now-full tables in anticipation
of our set.
She needs to go back to waiting tables and ogling the burlesque dancers. The more people lost in us, the better. We need that damn trance to be on point tonight.
“And Base Masters!” Sticks yells, cuing me to get my ass out on stage, and I head straight for the mic, offering my best panty-dropping smile to the girls who have gathered the closest.
It’s all part of the game. All part of the show.
Work the crowd.
Fire everyone up.
Feed the trance.
“Let’s go,” I say quickly into the microphone, and then I kick off the first song with the solo entry.
Stickhandling (Cup Check Series #1) (Connor’s Story)
PROLOGUE
People often ask me how I came to be friends with Connor King. I always remind them that we’re not friends. Unfortunately, no one seems to believe me, because where I go, Connor seems to be close by. Where he goes, I seem to be close by.
How the hell did this happen?
Chapter 1
STASIA
“Psychology and economics go hand in hand,” Professor Gander announces. He’s wearing his “I can’t believe you people are considered Ivy League material” face, which means he’s about to hand out some shitty grades.
Not mine. Mine will be good, because I’m not a spoiled rich kid who can afford to flunk out of any course. Well, not anymore anyway.
And I didn’t come here a sheltered child who can’t resist the urge to break free and party like there’s no tomorrow.
A loud snore sounds out from behind me, and I roll my eyes while refusing to turn around and see Connor King. His shoe is really pissing me off, because it’s propped on my armrest, invading my space, while he does his usual sleep-through-Monday-class routine because he likely partied too hard this weekend.
“Saying that seems to be wasted,” Professor Gander goes on. “Everyone here is focusing purely on the economics factor. We have numerous courses that offer just the straightforward economic facts. Please feel free to drop this class and choose one of the others, even though the cutoff means you’ll have to accept a failing grade. If you want to be successful, I strongly recommend you actually intertwine psychology to better understand individual economics, as well as the consumer, and how it factors into each and every business worldwide.”
He grows silent, and suddenly Connor King yelps before jumping up. “What? Who?” he says, disoriented. His booming voice echoes off the lecture hall’s walls, and I maybe gloat a little.
Professor Gander glares at Connor, while I smugly smile. Why am I smiling? Because I’m the one who just stabbed Connor’s ankle with my pen to wake him up. Yep. That’ll teach him to put his stupid shoes on my armrest like he freaking owns the place.
“Are you in the wrong place?” Professor Gander growls, still glaring at Connor.
In a class of two-hundred-plus, it’s unlikely he actually even knows Connor’s name. Unless he’s a hockey fan.
“No, sir,” Connor says while clearing his throat. I hear the rustle of him sitting back down while several spurts of smothered laughter litter the air.
Professor Gander resumes his rant he thinks he’s disguising as wisdom, and I chance a glance behind me. Blue eyes are glowering at me, and I go so far as to flash a triumphant smile at Connor and bat my lashes, as he possibly plots my death.
Turning back around, I resume taking notes, and I happily use my armrest for my elbow. Guys like Connor King think they own the world. Even though he’s not too far from graduating, he still seems to think this is high school.
It’s not.
Chapter 2
CONNOR
“I hate ECON,” I grumble to Alek, while Jonas and Luke play the PS4.
“Well, I’d tell you to drop the class, but you’ve waited too long,” Alek points out.
“Just because I hate it, doesn’t mean I’m failing. My grades are solid. And I’m not stupid. I realize I missed the cutoff.”
He covers his smile while shrugging. “Then deal with it.”
“Thanks for the advice, dickwad,” I mumble, leaning back. “Gander’s class is too early on a Monday and too early on a Thursday for me to be able to focus.”
Groaning, I scrub my face before blowing out a breath.
“Onto more important matters that don’t include bitching,” Luke says absently while his thumbs vigorously click the game controller. “We need a damn housekeeper and grocery shopper. I’m tired of the stench, and I’m tired of being hungry because we never buy the shit we need.”
A housekeeper?
“Hell no. What if it’s some psycho that smells our underwear or plants cameras in our bedrooms?” I point out.
He shrugs, still watching the screen. “Then you clean. No one even wants to come over here anymore. Four guys in one house who don’t clean equals gross. I’m sick of it.”
“House vote,” Logan says, still watching the TV while clicking the controller. “I vote housekeeper.”
“Seconded,” Luke chimes in immediately.
“I’m in,” Alek says, smirking when I curse.
“I know a girl,” Luke says, still busy. “She makes a place shine, and I think she’s also looking for a place to live. It’d be ideal to have her on hand, and it would give us someone to handle our shopping lists.”
“What’s her name?” I ask, sighing.
“Can’t remember, but I’ll call my friend and get her number. She’s hard to get because she’s actually good and keeps a tight schedule. But I’ll see what I can do. Offering her a place to stay plus pay would ensure we get her, and she’s trustworthy, which is something we’d really have to worry about.”
He pauses the game and pulls out his phone. Ten minutes and fifteen laughs later, he’s handing me a sheet of paper with a name and number scribbled on it—at least, I think it’s a name. His handwriting is horrendous, but the number is legible.
“Why are you handing it to me?” I ask. “This isn’t my idea.”
“I know. But you were outvoted, which means the responsibility lands on you to get her. Besides, you’re charming and all that shit.”
The three assholes all turn to grin at me.
One day, I will smother them all in their sleep. After sliding my phone out of my pocket, I dial the number, and wait as some weird music plays. Finally, a girl answers.
“I don’t know this number. You have five seconds, and I’m hanging up.”
The fuck?
“Four seconds.”
“Um…I’m calling about a housekeeper?” I say, even though it sounds like a question.
“There’s a waiting list. I’m not going to be open until next semester.”
Fuck.
“Can you recommend someone else?”
“There’s a list for that. Several lists, in fact. Just look it up online.”
This girl is a…word my sister would kill me for calling a girl.
“Um, so I—we—actually need someone trustworthy. That list has everyone who wants to make a buck on it.”
“Some are cheap. Use them if you want to save a buck.”
She hangs up on me, and I glare at my phone in disbelief.
“Couldn’t get her to take us?” Luke asks in an amused tone.
I flip him off. “If you want someone to wash clothes and shit, I’ll find someone who doesn’t act like they eat kitten hearts for breakfast.”
Other books by C.M. Owens:
*The Sterling Shore Series (Hooked on the Game, book 1, is free. Box set available for first 4.) Romantic comedy series. 12 (including #1.5) books available for this series as of now.
*The Death Dealers MC Series (Property of Drex #1 is free.)
3 books available for this series as of now. Semi-dark erotic romance series.
*Worth It (co-write with SM Shade) Stand-alone romantic comedy.
*Pieces of Summer – stand-alone unique romance with spurts of humor.
*Deadly Beauties Trilogy (Blood’s Fury, book
1, is free.)
Trilogy is complete. Paranormal romance series.
*Deadly Beauties Live On Series (Dark Beauty is book 1.)
3 books are available for this series as of now. Please note: This is a spinoff from the Deadly Beauties Trilogy. Paranormal romance series.
*The Daughter Trilogy (Daughter of Aphrodite, book 1, is free. Box set available.)
Trilogy is complete. Paranormal romance series based loosely on Greek Mythology.
*The Curse Trilogy (Box set available.)
Trilogy is complete. Paranormal romance series. (Vampire dystopian.)
*The Gifts Trilogy (Secret Gifts is book 1.)
Trilogy is complete. Paranormal romance series. Spinoff from the Curse Trilogy.
*The Coveted Saga (Treasured Secrets, book 1, is free.)
4 books in this series, and it is complete. Paranormal romance. (Witches and shapeshifters.)
*Faders Trilogy (The Devil’s Artwork, book 1, is free.)
Trilogy is complete. Science-fiction romance.
******************
Upcoming Series for 2017 & 2018
The Wild Ones (lighthearted rom-com) and Wild Kids (middle school action/adventure/comedy). Two parallel and unique series that will allow your children to read about the same characters as kids that you’re reading about as adults. The kid version will have the Wild Ones as children and searching for “treasure,” but there’s a Dennis the Menace vibe mixed with a touch of Problem Child just to take things back to old-school kid books. (Starting 2017)
Motorheads Series – A semi-rom com series similar to the SS series, but completely different as well. (Starting 2017)
Krux Trilogy (Set to release all at once in 2017 if all goes well). Semi-dark mafia romance.
Cup Check Series (hockey rom-com) coming 2018, starting with Connor’s book.