Chapter Two
1653 Words
Harper
Straightening my shoulders , I pushed into the bar. The last one on the street. Even from the outside I could see it was different from the others that were dotted along the shore front. For one thing it was set further back and it looked …. Grungy.t
It was the perfect place for me. No one would think to look for me in a place like this and I knew it.
Still it seemed normal enough on the inside. The place was full, but not overly crowded and there was a decent amount of tourists milling about. Mainly women in their summer best, showing lots of leg and cleavage in the hopes of bagging themselves a bit of summer loving.
This was so far out of my comfort zone , that I almost turned on my heel and walked straight back out again.
But I needed a job.
And no other places were hiring. This was my last option.
And a job was a job even if the huge bike parked out front had sent alarm bells off in my head.
“Hi” I plastered an overly friendly smile on my face , but even that couldn’t hide the fact that I was nervous. My fingers trembled.
“Hi what can I get you” The bar tender was just a little older than I was if I had to guess but he looked older. There was a roughness about him.
I was so out of my depth it was unreal. Maybe I should have tried the ice cream parlour I had seen earlier.
“Um” I searched my memory , could I even afford a drink? The answer to that was no but I would buy one anyway. After all you didn’t come into a bar and not buy a drink. “Beer please and a job?” I tried for humour and failed. The smile slid from his face as he opened the bottle and placed it in front of me.
His eyes swept over me. I should have ditched the sweatshirt, shown a little flesh.
“We… look sweetheart why don’t you try one of the other places? A girl like you …” His eyes lingered a little too long on the diamond pendant that had somehow found its way out from under my shirt. And I knew what he was thinking.
Little rich girl.
“I” I tucked the glittering stone back where it belonged and reached for the bottle in front of me, I sipped it and paled. And never once did his eyes leave my face. A knowing smile was playing at the corners of his mouth. “I am asking you, I’m a good worker. Won’t give you any trouble” I sipped the beer again , this time schooling’s my face.
Second time round it wasn’t as bad.
“Sweetheart have you ever stepped behind a bar before?”
“I’m a quick learner” Even to my own ears it sounded lame.
“There’s a wine bar one street over , maybe try there” He moved to turn away.
“Please” It slipped from my mouth, and I hated how pathetic I sounded. “Please I’m desperate”
He turned back slowly. Whatever he had been about to do forgotten as he gave me the once over.
At first I thought his slight nod was for me and I opened my mouth to say thank you , stopping only when I felt someone slide up to the bar next to me.
“Jett” Another nod and I realised he hadn’t been nodding to me at all.
Turning slightly , beer still in my hand I came face to face with a white t-shirt covered broad chest. Only half covered by the black leather vest he was wearing.
The owner of the bike outside I was guessing.
He was standing so close I could smell the leather.
And then I raised my eyes and the hello on my
Lips faltered as they came into contact with the prettiest eyes I had ever seen. They would have been almost feminine if it wasn’t for the overwhelming masculinity he gave off.
Holy s**t balls.
Danger rolled off him in waves.
Definitely the owner of the bike.
Those baby blues lingered a little to long on the skin on my shoulder where my sweat shirt had slipped and subconsciously I covered it.
“Little lady here is looking for a job”
Blue eyes crinkled. “Are we hiring?”
The bar tender shrugged . “Not that I know of no but I’m not the boss”
“We don’t have any jobs going sorry sweetheart” The leather creaked slightly as he placed both elbows on the sticky bar and his gaze was a little too intense.
“Ah ok” I gave a little shrug before placing my beer down on the bar, I had hardly touched it but who was I kidding. I didn’t belong in a place like this. And they knew it. “Thanks anyway”
“Why don’t you stay for a drink” The hand on my arm was warm even through the sweatshirt and for a moment I just stared at it. “You haven’t finished your beer”
“Don’t think she likes beer much Jett” The bartender was laughing at me and I knew it.
“Wine?” Blue eyes asked me before turning back to the bar “Do we have wine, you look like you drink wine. A nice Chardonnay”
What the hell? Was he mocking me?
“If you’re buying then I’ll have a scotch, top shelf. No of that cheap crap” I smiled up at him. Take that me big bad biker. I wasn’t about to be stereotyped by the likes of him.
His face split into a wide grin, a deep dimple appearing in his cheek . “You heard the lady”
“Thanks” My hand wrapped around the glass gratefully.
“So What brings a girl like you to a place like this?” He was leaving so close I could smell the gum on his breath but I didn’t look at his lips. Or the red smudge of lipstick on them.
He had been the one I had seen when I first entered , well I had seen his legs . The rest of him had been blocked out by the blonde he was sucking face with.
“I was looking for a job” I answered honestly and knocked the amber liquid back in one. Beer I wasn’t a fan of but scotch? Yeah scotch I could handle.
His eyes lit up in approval. “Want another one, I like a girl who can handle her liquor”
I nodded silently. At least with a belly full of alcohol I was less likely to notice how hungry I was getting. Booze was good like that. “Sure, thank you….”
“I’m Jett” He reached out a hand and I shook it lightly, barely closing my own about it.
“Harper, nice to meet you”
“And you” He brushed his lips over my knuckles “now do you want to tell me who marked up your face?”
“Not really” I tipped the second shot into my mouth and turned to leave.
Shit, I had thought I had done a good job of concealing the fading yellowish green bruises on my face. Applying more makeup than I usually wore. I had even opted for the giant jumper so it hid the marks on my chest and arms and five minutes next to this stranger and he had seen straight through it.
His eyes darkened.
“Thanks for the drink”
“Hey wait, why don’t you stay a whole” His warm hand wrapped around my wrist and I had to fight the urge not to cry out.
“I think your date may have something to say about that” I gave him a small smile. I could see why all the girls flocked here. I really could.
“I don’t have a date” He was shaking his head, his eyes mischievous.
“Well the girls whose lipstick is still on your lips then, by the way she is heading this way and she doesn’t look happy”
He turned as I knew he would , dropping my wrist.
The sound of her slap echoed through the room and everyone seemed to freeze. “You son of a b***h, you left …”
“Careful now sweetheart, careful” His voice was a low gravelly and threatening.
“You said you had business and then I come out and find you with another girl?” Accusing eyes slithered over me and I held both my hands up. The last thing I needed was to get in the middle of a lovers spat.
All I wanted was a job.
“She came in for a job actually” Jett sounded bored now.
“You weren’t hitting on her?”
He chuckled and it made my heart beat a little faster. How could one laugh sound so dirty?
“Oh I was totally hitting on her” His eyes speared me to the spot “but she turned me down”
I laughed, shaking my head I pushed my way out of the bar and into the warm night.
- Writer
