Esmerelda (RAZORBACK MC NOVELLA #2)

5

EZZY’S Pov:

I was two hours into my shift when it actually started to become busy. I was rushing, smiling, sweet talking, and I was thankfully tipped well being one of the only waitresses working. I had to skip my first break and when one of the cooks noticed that I wasn’t planning on taking my lunch yet he shouted for Marcus.

“She’s trying to get out of taking her half day break when she didn’t take her first on.” He told Marcus and I sighed. I wasn’t trying to get out of it so much as I’d rather have tips for great service and then eat then try and do both.

“Esmerelda I need you to take your break now. I’ll cover the tables you still need to wait on, give me the run down.” He urged and I looked out and saw 5 tables still needing their food.

“Ok, table 4, French toast with strawberries on the side not on top, extra syrup, he wanted decaf all morning. Table 5 it was two garbage omelets, she wanted no mushrooms on the left. Both have regular coffee.” I told him the family table on 6 ordered 8 plates but I makes the three they’re taking home so it should be boxed up and made later. I went through the other two tables and he nodded before setting off to see if any of the orders were up. He surprised me by taking three plates at once and didn’t drop a thing.

“You… eat.” I heard the cook behind me and I turned to see my regular pancake over easy eggs and sourdough toast waiting for me.

“Thank you.” I told him before digging in. I was almost done when I saw some people leave after paying and they waved to me. I felt a little confused but waved back before they were fully out the door. Usually it was just the sweet little kids who would wave at me from the register because they had seen me their entire time here.

A group of grown men waving was… weird. I turned back to my plate and I heard Marcus call out an order to the chefs and he came to see if I had eaten everything.

“Travis should get here later, if you can take his order and just send him back to me that would be perfect.” He told me and I nodded, the heads up would make sure I didn’t get all clumsy and spill coffee again.

“Ok. I can bring him back and get both orders.” I told him and he smiled before looking around. No one else had come in, we’re good for the morning and it would just be those who have lunch to go next. We didn’t get as busy for lunch orders as we did for morning rush but it was enough to keep people coming back.

It was just before 3 when Travis finally pulled up. I heard his motorcycle before I realized it could be him. I had been relaxing in a booth since there was no one in the place, and I was up and getting my pen out of my hair. He walked in and looked around before seeing me and giving me a small smile.

“No coffee spills today?”

“Nope, Marcus wanted me to take you back and get you to order something.” I told him as I reached in and pulled my order pad out.

“What do you eat?” He asked and I rattled off what I had this morning and he nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“Coffee? Decaf?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Just regular, with two things of creamer.”

“Ok, anything else?”

“A date.” He smirked and I blinked before realizing that must have been a question.

“With?” Me?

“You.” He stopped walking with me and I turned and swallowed as I looked up at him and he moved in a bit, getting closer and I started breathing hard.

“I don’t really have days off, two jobs and all, I get my second schedule today.” I looked from his eyes who seemed to be pulling me in to his lips that were just slightly open and I could see his tongue swiping out to lick just the inside of his lips before he rolled them together.

“Then I’ll come in tomorrow and see when you’re free.” He smiled softly and I just clenched my jaw and nodded. “I look forward to it then.” He touched the small of my back and turned us so we were heading down the hallway again and once I got Marcus’ order I was out of there.

I got both orders in, served the coffee and juice, and then I was pacing. I walked around and around the bar table waiting for the orders and once the pancake and burger were done I headed in, but they seemed in a heated discussion so I smiled and said to shout if they needed any extras and turned fast.

I was sitting on a stool when some of the same guys that waved to me this morning came in. I smiled slightly and started to stand when one came and sat beside me.

“You get prettier each time I see you.” He almost reached for me and I glared.

“Thanks, what can I get for drinks for you three?” I asked getting behind the counter and making sure not to be too close.

“I’ll take a root beer.”

“Decaf coffee.” The second guy winked as I looked at him and I looked to the third and he was outright looking me up and down as if I was not dressed.

“I have a tall drink in front of me, but I guess I’ll go with a coffee too, decaf.” He told me and I nodded. “You’re probably as tasty as you look.” He made a show of licking all around his lips as if that was enticing and I made sure to focus on the coffee before I went into the back and got the soda.

“What else is good enough to eat here?” Two had been look at the menus so the third had been watching me.

“The boss loves the burgers. When he took over there was an immediate charge to a better class of meat that we buy and season ourselves.” I told them my little lines I had made up to sell the items on the menu and they ordered three burgers with fries and I was turned for a few seconds, writing and and calling out the order to the two chefs who took over around 2.

Before I knew it I could feel a chill on my upper thighs and then my ass and I turned hearing the men laugh a bit, they had pulled my skirt up so slow I hadn’t felt it.

“Get out.” I told them and kept it down as one of the guys leaned farther over the counter.

“Come on, looking isn’t touching.” He winked and I glared.

“Get out. Cancel the burger orders.” I shouted back to the chefs hoping they hadn’t finished forming the patties and would realize something was going on.

“Don’t be so mad, you have a great ass to look at. This morning when you were busy every time you turned too fast it would raise and we would get a small peek, we just wanted a better view.” The guy was up and looking like he could vault over the bar if he wanted to.

“Marcus!” I shouted loud hoping he would hear and that he wasn’t too busy.

“You have good lungs.” The first guy who ordered the soda laughed out and smirked before I heard one of the chefs asking if I was ok.

“Ezzy, something wrong?” I looked over at Marcus and Travis was just at his shoulder glaring at the men.

“They need to leave and not be able to come back.” I told Marcus and he nodded, no more explanation needed, and he set the thing in his hand down and I watched as the guys started to slowly back out, basically muttering how they were just having fun and that I had basically allowed it to happen and I was asking for it. Typical asshole men excuses.

“You ok?” Marcus asked and I just found a spot on the tiles to look at and nodded to him. “Wanna tell me what they did?”

“Let’s just say my uniform will be pants from now on.” I told him and he set his face into a hard stare and then he turned and headed out the door. “Marcus-“

The guys had still been in the parking lot, looking like they weren’t ready to leave. Marcus grabbed a guy by the front of his shirt and when I blinked Travis was right there, hitting one in the face so hard I knew his hand was going to hurt.

What were they doing?

TRAVIS’ POV:

“She was showing it off this morning, twirling around and marching around so it came up. She waved at us as we left.” I heard the guy Marcus had tell him, trying to blame her for their disgusting attitude.

“She is probably showing off for both of them.” I turned, slamming my fist into the guys jaw. He was out cold the second he hit the pavement, and then the third guy shouted how I couldn’t do that, that he was going to call the cops.

“You do that pretty boy, wait here and we can file reports together.” I heard Ezzy shout behind me and I turned to see her a couple feet away, almost out of breath like she ran out here to try and stop or to see something .

“I suggest you get out of here and if we ever see you around here, or her again, we’re going to do more than the cops would hope to do with men who sexually assaulted someone.” Marcus pushed the guy he was still grabbing back making him fall on his ass and I saw Ezzy push her hands down onto her skirt as air drifted through her hair and I nodded slowly so she would turn and go.

I stayed close to her back, keeping my eyes up as we got into the seating area. “Wanna tell me exactly what they did?”

“They were here this morning, I thought it was weird they specifically waved to me since Marcus handled getting them their orders and them paying, but I waved back to be nice.” She shook her head and sighed. “I guess that’s what they thought of me inviting them back.” She rolled her eyes.

“Don’t even blame yourself.”

“Well they came back in, I was waiting at the stools and I took their orders, ignoring the looks, as I called them out I had my back to them so I could write on the notes up there the specifics and then I felt the breeze of the fridge hitting my legs and when I turned my skirt fell from his hands.”

“Which one?”

“The one you hit.” She told me and while I felt better about hitting him now I wish he would have done more.

“Then what?”

“I told them to leave and they seemed to get a bit more… ready to do something so I shouted for Marcus.” She looked away and I didn’t get why. “Lifting up my skirt was enough to get them kicked out-“

“I know it was. Don’t get too riled up. I wanted to make sure that was it, nothing worse.” I told her and she nodded and kept looking away. With everything I know she has been through I would have told her to call out when men started to flirt with her, red flags and all that. “Do you want a ride home?” I asked and she gulped but didn’t say yes or no.

“I have Tara’s helmet with me, take her home and then bring it back.” Marcus ordered and I nodded slowly. He had been listening and I was thankful I wouldn’t have to tell him everything she told me.

“I have 30 more minutes left of my shift-“

“You’ll get paid those minutes. Let me know if you don’t want to come in for your next shift and you’ll get paid for that too.” Marcus said as he brought her the helmet right away.

“I’ll be fine. We all know this isn’t the worst a man has done to me.” She gave off a fake laugh and I didn’t like it, but it was true. “I’ll go get my stuff.”

“I’ll be awhile getting back, just gotta run an errand.” I told Marcus and he nodded slowly but kept his eyes on the windows behind me.

“I need to make a call to upgrade the cameras here so take your time.”

My errand was going on a long ride with her and making sure she felt safe again, in control.

Once we got on the open road, she was going to feel better, I hope.