The Game Of Love (#1)

Chapter 5 Walking Into The Lair...

Hazel wasn't expecting him up this close. It was baffling. And she could feel her hands get clammy at the sight of him even if he looked relatively harmless. Hell, he looked like some kind of supermodel. Someone like Jon Kortajarena but much more American. He had brown greyish hair and dark hazel eyes. Tall, over 6'2 for sure with a lean, lithe body and a jawline that was so sharp that Hazel was sure she can cut onions with it, he looked every bit rich and classy as he probably was.

"Hi there," He smiled warmly at her. It disoriented Hazel for a bit as his entire face lit up like the fourth of July but she got her wits together before it could start to become awkward and smiled back at him. She reminded herself that it was a part of her job.

"Hello sir," She muttered, trying not to keep eye contact. "Can I take your order?"

"Yeah...One Moscow Mule and one vodka and tonic with olives on the side," He answered, still smiling. Hazel nodded and quickly fed the order on the computer. She could feel his eyes on her and that made her exceedingly squishy.

"Name?" She asked. He paused for a moment, a frown creating a small crease on his forehead and Hazel wondered what was so big deal about his name. Was he by any chance a spy or something and has so many names that he was getting confused about which one to tell her? She scoffed at her lame excuse inwardly.

"Richard Taylor," He answered at last. "The VIP booth,"

Oh...even his name sounds expensive. Rich-ard.

"Certainly," Hazel muttered to herself, annoyed by her stupid thoughts. She noticed that he found her amusing for some reason, the smile on his lips and the twinkle in his eyes never leaving. Great, now she was an object for amusement c*m bartender, what a career to have. "We will send your drink right away. Thank you so much," She added gingerly and he nodded.

"Thank you," He smiled and gave her a nod before retreating to where he sat.

Hazel dare not look at him again because the last thing she wanted him to think was that she was flirting with him. These rich filthy men that scour these big fancy clubs don't think very highly of the females working here. They think that they were easy. But Hazel was anything but easy. One night with that devil has taught her to stay away from these exuberant men.

However, she wasn't really getting the feeling that this guy, Richard, wants into her pants. He has been hovering around her for weeks which got him the pseudonym hotshot lover boy from Madison. He was shy and Hazel could see that he was working very hard, contemplating hard to figure out a way to reach out to her. And that's what baffled her. Why would a guy like him be so wary of reaching out to her? And more than that...why her? By the looks of him, he can damn well date Bella Hadid if he wants. Why her?

"So he asked for drinks and left. That's it?" Madison inquired, as they headed home early in the morning after finishing for the night.

"What else did you expect? That he will propose to me with a twenty-four-carat diamond ring?" Hazel muttered sarcastically, trying to stifle a yawn. Working at a club was no small feat, to be honest.

"No but at least something," She answered scowling. "I mean he has been hovering around you like a bee for ages now. I bet my ass he is interested,"

"Well, I am not," Hazel grumbled. "It's early in the morning. Can we not talk about men? What would you like to grab for breakfast?"

"I want to eat a taco," Madison answered, stretching her lithe arms.

"You want to eat a taco for breakfast?" Hazel demanded shrewdly. "Who eats tacos at six in the morning?"

"I do. I should indulge as much as I can now because dude, once I get this portfolio shoot done...I will be living on green tea and oats," She fanned herself breezily and Hazel laughed, getting excited for her already.

"Fine, then you can have tacos and all the greasy food in the world you like. Who am I to stop you? After all, you will be lending me a room at your posh apartment soon, isn't it?" Hazel smirked and despite being dog-tired both the girls rolled over laughing at their silly jokes and wishful fantasies.

Hazel was positive about Madison but she was not so sure about herself. She was already twenty-four but yet she was clueless as to which direction her life was going. The idea of working in a club and as a pizza delivery girl until her fifties gave her nightmares. And she won't even be a girl when she reaches fifty. Hazel shuddered at the thought and tried her very best not to be so negative. Her dream was to go to a decent college like she used to until that one night changed everything in her life. That one night snatched her mother from her and forced her to drop out and start doing every odd job she could find to manage a living. The hospital bills were immense and even though Hazel worked as much as a person possibly could, she still struggled to pay the bills without a hassle.

Sighing, she climbed under the sheets and tried to sleep. Her shift at the pizza shop starts at twelve and she works there until four. Then she gets home, tries to get a little more rest before heading to the club with Madison by nine. This was her routine every day until Monday to Friday for the past two years and so far she can't see a way out of it. And for someone who hated routines, this was sure a certain accomplishment. She closed her eyes hoping to God that she won't have to deal with the horrifying nightmare again. She was too exhausted for that.

Sharp at twelve, she clambered into the pizza shop in her mundane uniform, the smell of herbs and cheese and olives invading her nostrils instantly. She liked it infinitely better here than the club. If she was not delivering, she watched the counter and the busy New Yorkers come in for a quick bite. She would listen to them talk animatedly about anything and everything under the sun. The men talking about golf and work and predominantly women. The women especially of her age talking about fashion and men and more fashion and more men. They generally didn't have much of the older customers here but she would have been interested in their conversations as well. The wide contrast of her life from theirs was both amusing and startling to her.

"Hi, Barney!" Hazel waved at the guy behind the counter, the owner of Barney's pizza and he waved back. He was a huge man and despite the business going pretty well most of the time, he always looked sullen for some reason.

She headed towards the kitchen and the store-room area combined, where Alonzo, the chef was busy sweeping out the deliveries for the day. He smiled at her and Hazel retorted with an even more enthusiastic one. Compared to Barney, he was as full of life as molten mozzarella freshly out of the oven.

"Ready for the day, baby girl?" He asked, chewing at his usual nicotine gums. Hazel shrugged and grabbed the boxes and the addresses stuck on them, her eyes scanning for any known household. She was surprised to find an address on the Upper East Side. Hazel can't remember if she has ever delivered to that area before.

"We have got a wealthy customer today," She chuckled and Alonzo grinned at her.

"Everybody loves Alonzo's pizza," He chortled, bowing dramatically. Hazel laughed as she grabbed the keys for the old but still going strong Vespa and giving him a wave, headed out into another hot day. Hot or not, she did love going around the city in her little yellow scooter for sure.

Her first delivery was at the posh neighborhood and she was incredibly surprised to find herself in front of The Kent, the exclusive luxury apartment complex on the Upper East Side. She almost wished she hasn't brought the Vespa with her, its yellow color even brighter than usual in the bright sun. The doorman held open the door open as she walked into the posh lobby and she smiled gratefully at him since her hands were preoccupied with three huge boxes.

"Let me," He even offered to press the call button for her and Hazel murmured a thank you again As she waited, glancing around the interiors, she tried to figure out what kind of life the residents of this place must-have. She can't even imagine herself here, even if she tried to.

"Which floor?" The liftman asked as she climbed in and Hazel peered at the address written on the post it.

"Uh...the penthouse," She answered and the guy gave her a weird look before nodding his head. Hazel frowned and glued her eyes on the indicator instead, counting off the floors. The doors opened at an elaborate foyer and Hazel walked out, a little dazed by her surroundings. She couldn't help but wonder...

Who the hell lived here? 

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A/N: Hello readers! Welcome back...to the ones who have already read it, just a little patience guys. Or you can read it again so that you don't loose track of what happened. To my new readers, I hope you are liking the story so far. The Game Of Love moves fast guys. I have kept the chapters shorter because I had to and it's a pretty fast read. So a lot will happen very quickly as my old readers already know. Do let me know if it's too fast for you guys and I would see what I can do. Also the book does contain mature content as mentioned in the starting note so I am not leaving a statutory warning every time a scene comes up. I am sure all of you are old enough. 

Thank you so much for stopping by readers! Patiently waiting for your reviews :)