Losing Control (13 page)

“Well, I’ll be prayin’ for ya buddy.”

Layne clasped his shoulder as he got up and made his way to the gym’s shower.

Left alone with his thoughts, Jagger had to admit that Layne had been right. When this crashed, it was probably going to burn.

Chapter Seventeen

“W
hy is it hopping on the night I
wanted
to go home early? I’m gonna make
such
a good impression tomorrow. This is the Lord’s Day, and all of these people are sinning with their drinking and sex,” Bianca whined.

She and her fellow waitress Jasmine had been busting butt for nearly four hours as they tried to keep up with the constant stream of patrons wanting food and drink in the club.

“I don’t know, girl, but my clothes are wet I’m sweating so much,” Jasmine whined as well, pulling her shirt away from her body.

“Heads up,” Dominic, their head bouncer, said as he stuck his head through the open kitchen door. “That guy that’s been giving you both a hard time just sat his fat ass in Bianca’s section.”

Bianca rolled her eyes and sighed. Jagger was here tonight, and she knew that this wouldn’t be good. “Motherfucker! Could he not pick another night to come in?”

They had taken to calling him Money Bags. He flashed a lot of cash, and it was obvious he enjoyed the finer things in life given the clothes he wore and the size of those clothes. He did tip well, but he insisted on putting his hands where they did not belong.

Jasmine grabbed her tray of food and drinks. On the way out, she flashed Bianca a smile. “Get that money, girl!”

Bianca grimaced and mumbled. “This is one of those occasions that I
don’t
want that money.”

Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and held her head high as she walked out into the main area. She looked around for Jagger and spotted him immediately. He sat at the bar with his back to her, laughing over something with Layne. Hopefully, he would stay that way for a while.

“Bianca, so good to see you!” Money Bags greeted, smiling so wide his double chin was apparent.

She had never been so glad that they didn’t use last names here. She was sure he would have found out where she lived by now if they did.

“Good to see you too,” she smiled politely. “What can I get for ya?”

He scooted to the edge of the booth so that he sat right next to where she stood. Bracing herself, she knew what was coming. He wrapped his beefy arm around her hips and hugged her close to him. She was so small compared to the length of his arm that his fingers almost touched her crotch every time he did this. She absolutely hated it. Trying her best to shrink out of his grasp, she posed ready to take his order.

“I’ll have a beer and some chicken wings to start out with. Give me ten with the nuclear sauce on them.”

She sighed inwardly. She hated when he got wings. He made a big production of eating them and waiting to lick his fingers when she showed back up to see if he needed anything else.

“Alright, I’ll get those right to you.”

As she turned around, she caught sight of Jagger looking at her and shook her head ever so slightly. As she began walking away, she felt it. Old Money Bags had slapped her ass. She jumped in surprise, calling out.

“I always figured you’d like that,” he laughed.

Jagger was off his bar stool and halfway across the room before Layne could grab hold of him. His arm around Jagger’s chest, he pulled him close and said something in his ear. Bianca’s eyes pleaded with him to take Layne’s advice and let this go. Nodding, Jagger turned around and went back to the bar with Layne. Finally, Bianca could breathe a sigh of relief.

“I didn’t like that guy slapping your ass.”

It was finally time to clean up and go home, and this was the absolute last thing that Bianca wanted to hear.

“Look, it’s something that men here do. It’s my job to appear available. It’s how I make money.”

“Well I don’t like it,” he argued.

She’d had enough. An independent woman since her teenage years, she didn’t put up with others telling her what to do or how to live her life. “I don’t recall asking you if you liked it or not, Jagger. Just because you’re my boyfriend doesn’t mean I’m going to stop living my life.”

“It’s disrespectful to our relationship.”

Now that straight up pissed her off. Quickly she grabbed the money she had been counting and made her tip out for the night before shoving $50 bucks in his pocket. “That’s the most hypocritical thing I’ve ever heard another person say. You fucking met me when I was buck-ass naked falling off a stripper pole. Apparently, you didn’t think it was disrespectful then. Another thing, there’s your payment for the week, fuck a bunch of dinner. And if you think this is going to change what I do, because we’re in a
relationship
– build a fucking bridge and get over it. I don’t change anything about myself for anyone unless I want to, and you’re not going to guilt me into doing it. I stopped changing for other people a long time ago.”

Just like that, she was gone, blowing out of the room like a tornado.

“You handled that really well,” Jasmine told him as she walked out after Bianca.

He sat at the table wondering just what in the hell had happened. He’d expressed his opinion, and she’d chewed him up and spit him out. Tyler ambled over and had a seat next to him.

“A word of advice. You can work women to your advantage, but you have to do it in a non-threatening way. I get Meredith to do what I want her to all the time by telling her
not
to do it. You need to learn some finesse my man.”

“So I handled that wrong?”

Tyler laughed. “There was absolutely nothing about that you handled right. I suggest that tomorrow, you have some flowers delivered to that woman on her first day of teaching. It’ll at least get her to answer your phone calls again because I bet you a million bucks – you call her right now – you’re goin’ straight to voice mail.”

This was all new to him, this relationship business, and he was beginning to think he had no fucking idea what he was doing. This wasn’t like the women he could just fuck and leave – the women he’d been with for years were friends of the club. This was something completely different. This was building a life with someone else and maybe Tyler was right. Maybe he did need to learn a little finesse, and that meant going outside of his comfort zone sometimes. Never before had he sent a woman flowers, but he would make damn sure he did tomorrow.

Chapter Eighteen

B
ianca’s stomach rolled as she walked up the front walkway to the middle school she would be teaching at for the day. She hadn’t ever been this nervous in her life, but she wanted so much to make a good impression and do a good job. Her hands shook as she opened the door and made her way to the front office.

The office was hopping, lots of talking and students coming in and out. It surprised her to see some of them at the school this early. A young woman sat at the front desk, a telephone to her ear, already looking stressed to the max.

“Hi, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go. My name is Bianca Hawks, and I’m substituting today,” she explained to the woman she assumed was the secretary.

“Oh hi! Sorry, it’s a little bit crazy in here today. We also had a few bus drivers need subs, and now they’re all running behind. Some of them didn’t even pick up their kids, so that’s why we have these kids in here – parents had to drop them off, and now they’re making complaints.” She took a deep breath and composed herself. “Anyway, I’m Stacey Young, and I will show you what all you need to know.”

Bianca shook the hand that had extended to her. “Nice to meet you.”

Stacey got up from behind the desk and told someone in one of the offices that she would be leaving for a few minutes. When she got back out to where Bianca stood, she mumbled to her. “Not that Mr. Tucker will do anything besides answer a phone and take a message anyway.”

“Mr. Tucker? Is he the principal?”

“Sure is. For ten years running. Between you and me, we’re all waiting for him to retire.”

It struck her as odd that someone she had just met was sharing information that she considered privileged with her, but she figured that was the way that normal people did it. She had to remind herself that her life was not conventional at all. Not sure of how to respond to that, Bianca just laughed. “I bet you are.”

“Oh yeah, don’t forget to put this on.” Stacey fished a badge out of her pocket that proclaimed her a substitute teacher. “You’ll need to turn that in at the end of the day so we can get your time to the Board of Education, that way you get paid.”

Bianca made a mental note to make sure she did that. Getting paid was at the top of her list right now along with getting a little bit of experience. “Will do,” she said as they made their way through the halls. Bianca did her best to pay attention to the way they had come so that she wouldn’t be lost later on. Stacey continued to talk.

“Are you hoping to teach middle school?”

She shook her head. “Actually, my teaching degree will have me with elementary education, but any little bit of experience helps.”

Stacey nodded. “Agreed. At one time I wanted to be a teacher. The substitute experience convinced me I shouldn’t be.”