AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The last thing I need is to lose my first paycheck to a bottle of bourbon.
“You’re going to do great,” Kennedy steadies my tray with one hand and adjusts the position of the bottle with the other. She centers it, watching the amber liquid slosh around the sides before settling. “Just remember to breathe.”
My cheeks ache from the fake smile I’ve been holding for the last hour. There are still a couple of hours left of my shift, but my feet already feel like they’re going to fall off.
As I make my way over to the group of men sitting on suede couches surrounding a marble table, I try not to drop the bottle. A man with dark eyes stops me in my tracks.
His gaze is enough to start chipping holes in the walls I’ve built so high around myself.
The way he looks at me is a promise of things yet to come. Those dark eyes seem like they can see straight to the depths of my soul. Though he doesn’t smile, all I can picture are those full lips pressing against my skin. Tracing my pulse with a flick of his tongue.
Focus. I need this job.
I put the tray on the little table beside their seating area and unscrew the cap. The men watch me as I take the bottle and step inside the seating area.
My hands are sweating as I hold onto the bottle, trying to remember the hand positioning Kennedy showed me earlier.
Just a couple more steps, then you’re at the table and can pour the drinks.
As I’m about to lean over the table, a hand smacks my ass. I clench my jaw and try not to react, keeping a smile on my face. When the hand hits me again, I start to turn around, ready to tell them off, but I lose my balance.
I wobble in my heels. Heat floods my cheeks as I glance at the man who caught my interest before. His dark gaze is still on me, sending my mind reeling.
The next step is the last. The heel catches in a crack between the tiles on the floor and the open bottle of bourbon slips from my grip.
Before I know what is happening, the bottle is spilling all over the man with the piercing eyes.
“What the fuck!” He jumps out of his seat, his voice booming through the VIP area.
“I’m so sorry,” I put the tray on the counter that runs along the back of the room. “Let me go get something to clean that up with.”
The bourbon soaks through his white dress shirt and down the front of his gray slacks. I try not to stare as his toned body is put on display. He pulls his shirt away from his chest as the men with him start to whisper.
“No need. Your fucking incompetence already speaks for itself. I can go find a fucking towel on my own.”
The man glowers at me as I stand in his way. Even though I know I should step to the side and let him by, I don’t.
The other men fall silent as they watch the exchange. I draw my shoulders back and stand a little taller, clasping my trembling hands in front of me.
“Please, sir, I already said I’m sorry. It was an accident. I understand that you are upset and that I have ruined your clothing, but that doesn’t make it okay for you to speak to me that way.”
He arches an eyebrow, his dark eyes narrowing. “Get the fuck out of my way before I get you fired.”
“Calm down, man,” one of the other men says, glaring at the first man. “It’s just a shirt. Hell, I will buy you a new one.”
I tentatively but gratefully smile at the man who is trying to help. He nods back.
“It’s the principle of the matter, Alessio. Bottle girls should not be spilling expensive alcohol on the guests. And they really shouldn’t be talking back to customers the way that she has.” The man I spilled the drink on shakes his head. “You’re lucky if I don’t have you fired after this, regardless of what my friend may think.”
“Thank you.” I smile at the man who is trying to help.
He gives me a small nod in return.
As I turn my attention back to the other man, my temper flares.
“I am a human being who is currently working her first shift. I apologized, and while you don’t have to accept that, there is no reason to be an asshole.”
That’s it. I’ve officially lost my job. I’ve lit my future on fire.
