AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 1
PHOENIX
This bar is my stage and I’m damn good at playing my role. It’s more than just mixing and pouring drinks, even though that better be accurate or else there will be hell to pay. It’s all about the atmosphere at Aces.
It works for me because I like keeping things light. Getting deep hasn’t proven to be a good thing for me. I’ve gotten hurt in the past when I’ve let people in. I’m not planning to go down that road again.
However, the people who own Aces, the family they’re part of, including Trix the bar manager who is usually in the trenches with me, have been trying to get me to open up since the moment I walked through the door.
I’m not entirely sure what they want from me. It’s not like my story is unique or special. I’m a chick who learned a long time ago people can’t be trusted, and life will kick your ass from time to time to ensure you remember who is in charge. Let me just say, it’s not you. It’s the universe. Maybe fate.
Who knows?
I’m aware you need to take the good with the bad and that’s what I’m doing. The good in my life right now is my job. Occasionally, the good is spending one night with a guy who can give me pleasure. I don’t give a single fuck if someone doesn’t like how I unapologetically own my sexuality. If someone wants to judge me, they can, but it won’t change me or my choices.
The bad in my life is that by living this way, there are moments of loneliness. They creep up on me, usually late at night when sleep eludes me. Those moments have me wondering if I’m doing more harm than good by pushing people away.
Those questions don’t tend to swirl around in my mind for very long. Far too often I meet someone on the other side of the bar with a story to tell which reminds me that a good portion of people are shit who don’t care about anyone but themselves.
I didn’t even get the damn t-shirt when I learned that lesson for myself. Just the memories. Just the heartbreak.
Trix smiles over at me as I deliver another drink. This time it’s a guy with slicked back hair wearing a suit without the tie and the first few buttons of his shirt undone. I picked him up about a month ago, but I couldn’t tell you his name. Clearly it wasn’t worth remembering.
That doesn’t stop me from flashing him a smile and moving my hips back and forth to the beat of the bass thumping through the floor. Tonight’s a good night and I’m feeling good. Tips have been great, and the people haven’t been too much.
What’s not to like about a night like this?
Something flashes in the man’s eyes, and I know what is going to happen before it does. I try and put it off by moving on, meeting the eyes of a woman a few seats down from him and smiling. “What can I get you, sugar?”
She smiles right back and uses her thumb to motion to her girlfriend sitting next to her. I heard her friend’s story about an hour ago. It’s one I’ve heard over and over again and it resonates inside my memories.
Girl thought she was in love. Girl gives her all to a guy who could never really appreciate her. Girl finds the guy cheating. Girl’s heart is broken.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
It’s something I’ve heard so many damn times now since I started bartending years ago. Sometimes it’s the girl doing the cheating and a guy’s friends taking him out so he can forget. It doesn’t matter the gender; the events still suck and always serve as a reminder to me to keep steady on my course.
No relationships. No commitments. Just fun.
You can’t get your heart broken if you’re not putting it out there to be trampled on in the first place. I’m always glad when I have the reminder right in front of me. It helps me fight those lonely moments, sending them to the darkest corners of me. I only examine them when it’s been too long since I’ve felt someone’s touch on my skin or had another sob story broken down for me over ice cubes and liquor.
“We’ll have another round of amaretto sours,” she projects her voice to make sure I hear her over the music.
I give her a nod and a wink before going about making her drinks. I feel the eyes of the guy I hooked up with on me, but I don’t pay him any mind. I was clear about the fact it was just one night. Some guys don’t mind and respect my boundaries. Other guys think I’m all talk and get clingy. Newsflash: I won’t. Then there are the guys who think they can change my mind.
I get the feeling this guy is falling into the last category. I barely stop myself from rolling my eyes. He thinks he’s going to change me tie me down.
How wrong he is. I’m not that girl and I don’t need saving.
I’m perfectly fine having the nights of fun I have. I’m good with looking forward instead of backward.
When I set the drinks down the woman who ordered is encouraging her friend. “You’re so much better than him anyway. You know I never liked him, and his secretary was always giving him goo-goo eyes. It’s better you found out now.”
“I know,” the woman who was cheated on sounds sad, but resigned.
“Tonight is all about having a good time and forgetting the asshole. There are some fine men in here tonight. Focus on that.”
I can’t help but giggle as I move away from the two friends. She’s not wrong either, there are some fine men in Aces tonight. Not like that’s anything new. There are usually some good-looking men here. It’s one of the reasons I’ve had such a good time while working here.
