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1
JORDANA
Working this shift blew.
Two nights before Christmas, the Lamplighter Lounge was almost empty. We’d also managed to have not one but two uber-wealthy douchenuggets blow through here. One was obviously getting handsy with a woman who couldn’t be much older than me. The other was Cruz Kemper, the extra-gorgeous dude who owned the condo complex next door.
“Scotch on the rocks?” I asked Cruz after approaching his table.
The other rich guy had taken off with his date a good twenty minutes ago—probably to get laid. Nice to know someone was.
That left only one millionaire in the almost-empty Lamplighter Lounge. And that millionaire was eyeing me in a way that made me feel naked. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.
God, he was gorgeous. The other millionaire was too. Or maybe they were billionaires. Whatever the case, their tips would help make up for the lack of customers.
“Are you working tomorrow night?” Cruz asked.
I snapped back around and looked at him. He likely wasn’t asking for personal reasons. No doubt he wanted to eat dinner here tomorrow night. After all, he did swing by here every single night when he was in town.
But for some reason, I felt the immediate need to protect myself. To go on the defense. That was a product of my past.
“We’re open until six,” I said.
That was probably a little too harsh. I should be sweetening things up, trying to get that tip. Nobody who knew me would call me sweet.
“But are you working?” he asked.
That made it clear the original question had been personal. He had kind eyes, though. Eyes I could get lost in. Eyes that might convince me I was safe even when I wasn’t.
“Yes.” I nodded, then added a half smile. “I don’t really have family here, so I appreciate having something to do.”
Why was I telling him this? The last thing I wanted was some guy without a problem in the world feeling sorry for me.
“When’s your break?” he asked.
My half-smile turned to a frown. I realized I was staring at him, but I truly had gone speechless.
“Tonight or tomorrow?” I asked.
“Tonight. Sit down and have dinner with me. I want to talk to you about something.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say a word, a male voice rang out to the left of me. “Maxwell, get over here.”
My body tensed as it always did when Dave said my last name that way. I was a tough girl on the outside but on the inside, I became a mess when a man raised his voice. I’d spent many minutes having panic attacks in the cooler in the back of this restaurant.
Cruz snapped his head around to stare at Dave. Gone was the kindness in his eyes. It was replaced by something else. Something that made me glad I wasn’t Dave right now.
“Excuse me?” Cruz asked. “We were having a private conversation.”
My eyes went wide, but I kept my attention focused on the handsome customer. I didn’t dare look in Dave’s direction. There was safety in front of me and danger to my left. I was in fight-or-flight mode, and I wanted to fly right into this guy’s arms.
No, I didn’t need rescuing. I wasn’t some damsel in distress. I could handle this on my own. But it sure as hell felt nice having someone else on my side.
Cruz looked over at me as I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor told me Dave was ready for a fight.
My bet would have been on Dave kissing up to this rich guy. He was, after all, a paying customer. But Dave was a hothead. As much as he liked throwing his weight around, he loathed being embarrassed, especially in front of customers.
“You don’t tell my employees when to take a break,” I heard Dave say off to my left.
