AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
Harper
Iadjusted the straps of my black cocktail waitress dress and took a deep breath before stepping out onto the floor of the karaoke bar. It was a Friday night, and the place was already packed with people looking to let loose after a long week of work.
“Hey, Harper,” Jed called out as I approached the bar. He flashed me a friendly grin as he polished a glass. “You ready for another busy night?”
I smiled back at my friend. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied. “It’s been nonstop all week.”
“I hear you. But hey, at least it pays the bills, right?”
“Yup, and I get to listen to all this great music,” I said, waving toward the woman currently murdering a pop song on stage.
“Well, we have to take the good with the bad.” Jed laughed then sobered. “Are you okay? I mean, Larry was an ass, but . . .”
I forced a smile. “He wasn’t good enough for me anyway.”
“Damn straight,” Jed said.
As I made my way around the room, taking orders and chatting with customers, I was reminded why I loved this job. Even though the hours were long and the work physically demanding, I got to meet so many different people from all over the country, and even all over the world. Everyone had their own stories and reasons for being in the city. Some were celebrating a recent promotion or anniversary, while others were looking for an escape from their lives.
I noticed a couple in the back booth who were holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes. My chest tightened. Larry and I had been cute like that once too until I found out he was married.Bastard.We’d dated for months and he’d been so secretive, taking me to “romantic” out-of-the-way places. You’d think I’d have known then. He was always busy, and when I showed up at his office to surprise him for his birthday—I’d found her there. I squeezed my fingers around the tray, and nearly plowed into the person ahead of me.
“Sorry,” I said. Then I shook my head, trying to clear the memories. Love was only temporary, I reminded myself. It was better to focus on my own happiness, rather than relying on someone else to make me feel complete. At least, that was what my cousin Morgan always told me and look, now she was a big-time star.With a hot boyfriend, a sad little voice inside me said and I shut it down.
As I was passing by one of the tables, a man caught my eye. He was handsome, with piercing blue eyes and a crooked smile. He was singing along to the karaoke machine, his voice surprisingly good.
Our eyes met, and he gave me a playful wink. I felt my cheeks flush as I hurried away, my heart racing. Well, that was one way to distract myself from painful memories. A passionate one-night stand was sure to flush all thoughts of Larry from my mind. The man was tall, or at least he seemed so, wearing a tee shirt that stretched across a finely muscled chest. I kept finding myself stealing glances in his direction, hoping to catch his eye again.
As the evening wore on, the bar got even more crowded. I hadn’t been kidding when I said I’d been run off my feet all week. I was starting to wish I could wear sneakers, but they didn’t exactly go with my sparkling dress.
I was pushing through the crowd to deliver a drink when someone slammed into me. I wobbled on my heels and fell to the floor. My tray crashed on top of me, and the drinks spilled over my dress. I gasped at the sudden cold. Sputtering, I looked up into those beautiful blue eyes.
“I beg your pardon, dear lady,” he said, offering his hand to help me up off the floor. His accent was something European, but I couldn’t quite place it, and his speech was strangely formal.
When I took his hand, a spark jumped between us and I licked my lips.Chemistry, check. From out of town, check. Hot as hell, check. Perfect one-night stand material.
He continued, “Do you have a wardrobe change?”
I blinked. “Sure, I’ll just grab one from my closet on the go.”
The man looked relieved until it dawned on him that I was joking. His brow furrowed, and I wanted to smooth out the concern.
“It’s okay. It’s just a dress,” I said. I just hoped it’d dry quickly.
He nodded, then turning, he gestured to a burly-looking man behind him. Both of them were dressed in casual tee shirts and jeans, but they were clearly designer brands, and blue eyes clearly seemed to be in charge. He leaned closer to the other man and whispered something to him.
“But Your . . . Louis—” the burly man said, grimacing.
Blue eyes, or rather Louis, held up his hand and the other man didn’t argue further.
The burly one nodded and pulled a cell phone from his pocket. He turned away.
“I’m sorry,” Louis said, his eyes scanning up and down my figure with interest. “Are you okay, other than the dress?”
“Yes,” I said, my heart beating faster. He really was gorgeous. “I’m fine, really.”
Something in Louis’s expression softened, and he looked at me with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “Well, if I ruined your dress, I suppose I owe you a song.”
