AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not the wine,” he barks, his thin mustache twitching with rage like it’s alive. “On a normal day, the wine would be bad enough. But you insulted Mr. Zaitsev and his date. You embarrassed him in front of the entire party.”
If it was that easy to bring down the assholes of the world, I’d give up these hourly gigs and become a masked vigilante. But if Miranda and Oscar are right, then I just made a grave mistake. And Irving is not the kind of guy who lets those things go easily.
I sigh. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have disrespected the guests.”
Irving snaps his fingers in my face. “I don’t care about him, Rayne. What about me?”
“You?”
“Your behavior reflects poorly on me! This event is under my watchful eye. And now, all anyone will be talking about is how one of my servers poured wine on Mr. Zaitsev’s date and called him an asshole!”
Miranda gasps from behind me. Irving glares over my shoulder at her and then turns back to me. “These people throw extravagant parties and book caterers. And guess who they won’t hire if they think waitresses are going to go feral in the dining room?”
“I wasn’t feral,” I protest. “But I am sorry. Really. I didn’t mean—"
“Apologize at once.”
I blow a steadying breath through my nose. “I said I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean for things to get so out of—”
“Not to me."
“To… her?” I ask, realization sinking in. “You want me to go apologize to Viktoria?"
"And Mr. Zaitsev,” he adds. “Then you’ll stay as far away from them as possible for the rest of the night.”
I’m shaking my head before he’s even finished with his sentence. "No. No! I won’t apologize to those people.”
“Then you’re fired.”
“Maybe you don’t remember,” I grit, “but this is my last night working for you. I start a new job tomorrow.”
“And maybeyoudon't remember, but you signed a contract. If you fail to complete a week of work or leave before the date you provided in your notice, you forfeit pay for that entire week."
"But I worked back-to-back weddings on Saturday!"
Irving smirks. The rat knows he has me cornered. "It’s your choice.”
Technically, I don’t need the money in, like, a desperate, “can’t-fill-my-own-belly” kind of way. Mostly because my sister Lana said I could stay in her pool house rent-free for as long as I need. But she only said that because she thinks I can’t afford rent, which forced me to insist I would pay, because the last thing Lana needs is another reason to feel superior.
I could go to her. I could explain the situation and ask for an extension or to waive rent this month. But the thought of doing that is almost as bad as apologizing to Viktoria and Kirill. Somehow, Lana will twist it around so this is all my fault. Just like she’s been doing my whole life.
I’m weighing my options when there’s a pounding knock on the door behind Irving. He spins around with a vicious glare until he sees the hulking figure peeking through the window.
It’s one of the men I saw lurking around Kirill’s table. A bodyguard of some kind, I think.
Irving stands as tall as his whip-thin, five-eight frame will allow and opens the door. “Yes?”
“Mr. Zaitsev wants her,” the man grunts, jerking his chin at me. “She’ll remain his server for the remainder of the evening.”
A shiver races over me at the thought of stepping back into that lion’s den. But then I see my sister’s face when I tell her I can’t pay rent. The tense press of her lips, the disappointed pull of her eyebrows.
Why can’t my little sister get her shit together?she’ll think.What’s wrong with her?
Irving cringes, then composes himself. “If that’s what Mr. Zaitsev wants, that’s what he’ll get. Isn’t that right, Ms. Garner?”
I swallow down my pride and give Irving a dead-eyed smile. “Fine.”
Irving must decide that’s as good of an answer as he’s going to get from me because he turns back to the bodyguard. “Tell Mr. Zaitsev she’ll be with him shortly.”
