Down to You (5 page)

I flush a little at his words. They shouldn’t
please me. But they do. Quite a bit.

“That won’t be a problem.”

“What? You being adorably sexy? No, I can see
that.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’ve been working
at one of the busiest sports clubs in Salt Springs for the last two
years. I can hold my own behind your bar.”

He crosses his arms over his chest and smirks
at me. “You think so?”

I feel my spine straightening. “I know
so.”

“The people that come here want to be served
as well as entertained. Think you can handle that, too?”

I’m thinking to myself that I don’t even know
what that means, but my mouth has already moved on.

“Not a problem.”

“So then you won’t mind giving me
an…audition.”

His pause gives me a little chill that races
down my spine. I clear my throat and reach deep for my bravado.
“Audition? What did you have in mind?”

He doesn’t answer for a few seconds. Long
enough to make me squirm. Long enough for me to think of all sorts
of different types of auditions, a couple of which excite me.

Get your mind out of the gutter, Liv!
He’s
off limits!

He laughs. “Nothing
too
creative. I
don’t want to push my luck with the sexual harassment thing.
Yet.”

“Are you
trying
to run me off?”

“Oh come on. You can’t tell me you’ve never
worked for someone who’s attracted to you. I bet that happens to a
girl like you all the time.”

I resist the ridiculous grin that’s tugging
at my lips. I can’t let him see that I’m pleased to hear him admit
to being attracted to me, especially when “pleased” is code for “I
can barely breathe I’m so excited”.

“A girl like me?” I ask in my calmest
manner.

“Yeah, a girl like you.” Cash’s lids drop
down part way over his eyes, making them look like heavy, bedroom
eyes, and his voice is like the silk sheets I can imagine him
sleeping on. “Feisty, sexy, gorgeous as hell. I bet you’ve never
met a man you couldn’t wind around your little finger.”

He’s watching me like he wants to undress me
right where we are—in an empty bar with low light and soft music.
And there’s a tiny part of me that would love for him to do exactly
that.

I snort.

Ohmigod, I
snort!
“Not hardly.”

“Yeah, you say that, but I’d bet you could
have your way with any guy you want.” He cocks his head to one side
as he considers me. I get the feeling he’s weighing me, assessing
me. “But maybe you just don’t know it.”

“I…I…I don’t know what you mean,” I say,
hating that my voice sounds so breathless. I don’t want Cash to
know he affects me at all.

“Hmmm,” is all he says. After several more
seconds of trying to figure me out, Cash smiles. It’s a polite
smile that says he’s back to business. Well, at least as much as he
has been thus far. “So, audition it is. Can you come for a shift
tomorrow night?”

I hate to call in at Tad’s, but I don’t want
to quit until I know I have a job here either. So it’s either call
in at Tad’s or blow off this audition. I don’t have much
choice.

“Sure. What time should I be here?”

“Seven. That way Taryn can show you the setup
before the doors open at nine.”

“Sounds good,” I say, nodding. Silence
stretches between us and I’m at a loss. “Well, I guess I’d better
let you get back to your work.”

“Aren’t you going to ask about money? Nash
said that was kind of a thing.”

Holy crap! I’m so freakin’ bedazzled I
forgot to even ask about the pay!

I feel my cheeks get hot. I pray it’s too
dark for him to notice, and that, if he does, he chalks it up to my
discomfort with talking about money matters.

“Yes, there is that.”

“How about two dollars per hour above what
your current employer is paying you?”

My mouth wants to drop open. “Don’t you even
want to know what that is?”

He makes a face. “Nah. I get the feeling
you’ll be worth it.”

“No pressure there,” I mumble.

He laughs again. “Oh, there’ll be plenty of
pressure. Don’t you worry about that. This place is kickin’ on the
weekends.”

I want to remind him I’ve been here, but I
don’t want him to be thinking about me undressing him.

Too late.

“And you’ve only seen the upstairs,” he says
with a wink.

I should’ve known I wouldn’t get out of here
without some reference to that.

“Can we just forget that ever happened?”

His smile is devilish. “Not on your life.” He
starts backing up, away from me, away from the exit. “I’ll see you
tomorrow night. Seven o’clock.”

“Should I wear something particular? Or…”

“I’ll send some stuff to your house. Size
six, right?”

For some reason, knowing he’s checked me out
so closely that he can estimate my size makes me feel warm in all
sorts of places that I shouldn’t feel warm.

“Yes.”

He winks again then turns around and
disappears into a barely visible door at the back of the bar.

CHAPTER EIGHT- Cash

I smile as I hear the door bang shut behind
Olivia. She’s gone.

I hate that I had to cut the interview short,
but I can already see that girl’s gonna have a way of making me do
and say crazy, stupid shit. In a way, I like it. I like
her.

She’s such a contradiction. I can tell she’s
attracted to me, but she tries not to be. I can tell she’s a little
shy, but she tries not to let that show either. And watching her
put on a brave face, watching her rise to a challenge is so damn
hot! It makes me want to push her, to see how far she’ll go.

I know that sounds perverse, but it’s true.
Something about her reaction to my taunts gets my juices flowing.
All I know is having her around so much is going to make for some
very interesting weekends!

I sit down to type out an e-mail to Marie,
who owns the shop that supplies me with all my uniforms. I can’t
help but think of what Olivia will look like in the low-slung black
jeans and snug black tank top. I don’t want my bartenders to look
like whores, but I don’t mind for them to show a little skin and a
little cleavage. It sells more drinks. And, in Olivia’s case, it
will provide
me
with lots of pleasure.

I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow
night. She’s already got that cute ‘n sexy thing going on. Putting
her in an element where I can focus on getting her to spread her
wings a little will be the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I’m
already thinking of what I can ask her to do for her
“audition.”

CHAPTER NINE- Olivia

The ring of my cell phone wakes me up. I open
one bleary eye and look at the bedside clock. It’s four minutes
past six. In the morning. Who in the world would be calling me at
such an ungodly hour?

I look at the lighted screen of my phone. I
don’t recognize the number and I consider not answering. The fact
that it IS so early is what makes me reach for it. I always feel a
little tingle of alarm when my phone rings at an unusually early or
late hour.

“Hello?” I say, my voice hoarse even to my
own ears.

“Olivia?”

A shiver runs down my spine. It’s Cash. His
voice conjures an image of his handsome face, cocky smile and sexy
chest. Instantly, I feel all melty.

“Olivia?” he says again.

No, it can’t be Cash. It must be Nash. It’s
too early for a club owner to be up. Sadly, I’m equally excited by
the mental image and prospect of Nash calling me, too.

I am so much more twisted than what I ever
realized!

“Yes.”

A deep rumbly laugh.

So effing sexy!

“It’s Nash. I’m sorry to call so early, but
I’ll be out most of the day and I wanted to see how things went at
the club. Did you take the job?”

“It’s no bother. Really. I appreciate you
checking up on it. Um, actually I have an ‘audition’ tonight.
Whatever that is.”

“Ahhh,” he says knowingly. “Cash likes for
his people to be willing to entertain.”

For the first time, I remember that Cash is
the one who supplied the stripper and true horror sets in.

Sweet Lord, I can’t strip!

I sit straight up in bed. “Holy hell! He
doesn’t expect me to strip, does he?”

Another laugh.

“No. Unless you
want
to strip.”

“Good God no!”

“I didn’t think so, especially after your
first experience at Dual.”

There’s a smile in his voice.

Cash told him! Dammit!

I think a change of subject is in order. “So
what does that mean then, ‘entertain’?”

“Let’s just say you can’t be shy in front of
a crowd. Are you okay with that?”

Yes, I tend to be a little shy, but it’s in
no way debilitating. And frankly, I’m a little miffed that he might
be implying that it is.

“Believe me, Nash, I can do what any of the
other girls can do, no problem.”

Well, that might not be entirely true. But
I’ll be damned if I’ll ever admit it!

“Then you won’t have any problems. With your
looks and personality, you’ll kill ‘em.”

His comment pleases me. Even though he’s not
supposed to notice what I look like. But I’m so glad he does. It
means that he’s not immune to me, which is actually a bad thing,
but one that makes me feel not so alone in my attraction. Still,
nothing can ever happen. He’s taken.

Dammit.

I hear a muffled beep, like Nash is getting
another call.

“Speak of the devil. That’s Cash calling
now,” Nash says. Then he mutters almost absently, “Wonder what he’s
doing up so early?” I think it’s funny that I wondered the same
thing. After a couple seconds, he clears his throat and continues.
“Well, anyway, good luck tonight. That’s all I really wanted to
say. Go back to bed. Get your beauty rest. Not that you’ll need
it.”

I find myself smiling like a loon. I feel
like giggling, but I quell the urge. “Thanks, I will.”

“Sleep well, Olivia.”

Even after he hangs up, the skin of my arms
and chest is puckered with chills. I love the way he says my
name.

How in the world did he get my number?
I think randomly.

I lie in my bed for a long time, staring at
the ceiling and thinking of Nash. Wondering what it would be like
to be staring at his ceiling instead, wherever he’s at, lying in
bed beside him. My eyes drift closed as I think of him rolling over
to cover my body with his, to feel his hips fit between my
thighs.

Those are the thoughts that usher me back
into sleep.

********

Dual looks very nearly the same as it did
yesterday, only tonight a few more lights are on and there are
voices. Two of them and one is raised in undeniable anger.

“So I get stuck training some newbie? This is
such bullshit! I have the most seniority here. He should’ve at
least asked me.”

I can see who the voice belongs to—a wisp of
a girl with long blond dreadlocks and one arm full of tattoos.
She’s waving her hands in furious animation, shouting at a young
guy who looks about as flustered as a cucumber.

“Slow your roll, psycho,” he says
good-naturedly. I can only see the back of his dark head, but I
know he’s smiling. I can hear it in his voice. In fact, he sounds
like he’s trying not to laugh. “He said she’s got experience. She
probably won’t need that much training.”

“If she’s gonna be working with me, she’ll
either be the best or I won’t work with her.”

“You’re such a sweet, agreeable beer wench,
you know that, Taryn?”

The girl, Taryn, who had turned away to fill
up something behind the bar, whirls on him so fast I can hear her
dreads slap his face.

“What did you call me?”

The guy tips his head back and laughs. Hard.
I fully expect to see the girl go for his eyes, but instead, she
surprises me and grins. And just like that, it’s over.

“Are you gonna try to get off and go to the
concert with me?” she asks congenially.

Their voices drop into a more conversational
tone that I can’t hear as clearly and feel guilty for listening to.
Time to either get the hell out of here or make my presence known.
And trust me, it’s no easy decision. Just the thought of working
with someone like this girl Taryn gives me heartburn.

Before I can give much consideration to
backing out, I reach down for every last ounce of bravado I
possess, I clear my throat and I start making my way toward the
bar.

Both heads turn to watch me as I approach. As
I get closer, I can see that, although obviously in possession of
one hellacious temper, the girl is quite beautiful with her wide
almond eyes and full ruby lips. And the guy is…wow! He’s quite
beautiful, too.

He looks exotic. Maybe Hawaiian or Cuban. He
has light caramel skin, jet black hair and eyes to match. And the
smile he turns on me? Holy shit.

What is this? The land of misfit models?

I try not to be self-conscious in my outfit.
It’s not very revealing, at least not uncomfortably so, but I still
feel…nervous. The pants ride low, showing off a decent-sized square
of stomach, and the tank top is probably a size smaller than what
I’d normally wear, revealing a healthy shot of cleavage. All in
all, it’s nothing trashy, but it’ll get me plenty of attention, I’m
sure.
That’s
what makes me nervous.

I don’t fill my shirt out nearly as well as
Taryn, whose buoyant boobs are undeniably artificial. She’s skinny
everywhere else, though, which makes me kinda proud of my curves.
If there’s one thing I’ve got, it’s junk in my trunk.

I smile widely and stick out my hand. “Hi.
I’m Olivia. You must be Taryn,” I say, addressing the girl first.
Evidently, if there’s anyone I can expect to have trouble with,
it’ll be her.