Entice (5 page)

“I wait tables at Granny’s Kitchen and hostess at The Crossbow.”

Interesting…she’s either lying to me or changed jobs and I was looking in all the wrong places. I assure you, I never went looking for my stripper at Granny’s Kitchen. Maybe they fired her because she’s such a horrific dancer. I can’t tell ya how happy the thought makes me.

“So you’re 21, right? Do you know how to make drinks?”

“I’ll be 22 soon, and yes, I can make almost anything. I’ve tended some before.”

“Are there any hours you can’t work?”

“I take one class at Community, Wednesdays from noon to one. Other than that, I’m all yours.”

Oh, sweet Emmett, how you taunt me so.

“I’ll take all the hours you’re willing to give me, any job, any shift.”

The anxiety in her voice, along with her imploring eyes, triggers some baser instinct in me. Something is off, my gut telling me this girl needs me. I want her to need me. I already need her, after all.

“That’s great,” I answer. “I’ll keep it in mind. So, how much notice do you need to give your current jobs?”

“Will you think badly of me if I say none? I wouldn’t do that here, but I need the increase in pay to start as soon as possible. They only give me about twenty hours a week each anyway. How bad could they possibly miss me?”

“All right then.” I smile, letting her know I understand her standpoint.

“Does that mean I’m hired?”

“Yes,” I nod, “I’d love to have you.”

“Oh, thank you!” She leaps from her chair and runs over to hug me.

Very pleasantly shocked, I’m already standing when she gets to me, more than happy to return her embrace. She’s so tiny in my arms, barely reaching the middle of my chest, her arms struggling to reach around me. Far too soon, she pulls back and looks way up at me.

“I’m probably out of line,” she starts, her voice soft, “but you don’t understand how much this means to me. Thank you so much. I promise to do a great job for you!”

“It’s my pleasure, Emmett.” I clear my throat and step back. “How about you come in Sunday? We can do all your paperwork and go over a lot of logistical stuff when no one’s here to interrupt. I think we’d get more accomplished that way, so you can be on your own faster.”

“Perfect. What time?”

“Nine?”

She nods, her huge smile contagious.

“All right, I’ll see you then. Let me walk you out.” My hand reaches for the small of her back, itching to touch her, but I pull back quickly, actually contemplating my pursuit tactics for perhaps the first time ever. “Unless you’re hungry?” Even I can hear the hope in my voice; I’d kill for more time with her. “Can I feed you?”

The sweetest giggle reaches out and sucker punches me in the chest. “No, thank you, I’m fine.”

Disappointed our time together is in fact ending, for now, I turn to walk her out, moving slow and battling the hint of a shot-down scowl. Daney meets us at the bottom of the stairs, the blonde of the duo eyeing Emmett anxiously as my boss and awesome friend smiles coyly.

“I’m guessing you’re our new waitress? Emmett, is it?” Dane offers his hand.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Kendrick. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I promise you won’t be sorry.”

“I’m sure I won’t. This is Laney, my beautiful girlfriend,” he introduces. “Laney, this is Emmett. Sawyer hired her.”

Laney looks at him like he’s a circus sideshow, probably wondering why he reiterated what she’d already heard. “Hi, Emmett, welcome. You’ll love it here. Everyone’s wonderful, even my weirdo boyfriend here.”

“I can’t wait to get started. I’m so excited.” Smart girl; breeze right over the owner being weird part with a grin to the girlfriend.

Laney’s too sharp for her own good, her eyes smiling at me as she nods at Emmett’s response. “I can see you’re in good hands. Sawyer will take excellent care of you.”

I air kiss her over Emmett’s head and laugh when Dane growls audibly and pulls on her arm. “Come on, Emmett,” I say to my newest employee, “Mr. Kendrick’s gonna blow.”

Oh shit. Bad choice of words.

Emmett looks back and up at me, choking down her amusement. “Um, yes, okay. Nice to meet you both.”

I hold the front door open and she brushes past me, the slight hint of some wonderful scent I could never name teasing my nose.

“Red. It’s my favorite.”

“Wh—”

“You sniff pretty loud,” she teases. “My body spray is called Red. Do you like it?”

I gulp pretty loud too, ‘cause I hear it myself. “Sorry. Sniffing you probably seems kinda weird.” I run a hand over my head and shrug. “But yeah, I like it a lot.”

“Thank you. Me too. I’ll see you Sunday.”

“See you Sunday, Emmett.”

T
wo days down, two to go until I get to be alone with Emmett Young. It’s all I can think about and I’m proud to admit that I feel like an utterly brand new version of myself. I’ve never looked forward to anything more in my life.

I kinda feel bad, kinda, for every time I gave Dane or Tate or Evan shit about being pussy whipped, thinking they needed to grow a pair. I’m starting to understand a completely foreign word…anticipation.

“What are you smiling about?”

Damn sure not you.

“Hey?” I look behind the girl who spoke, wracking my brain as much for her name as to how the hell she got in. “Mariah, what’re you doing here?”

It can’t be more than six o’clock and we’re clearly not open, so why is she standing across my bar? Oh, and then there’s the whole how the fuck did she know I work here thing, but I snort aloud as soon as I think it—chick wants to find ya, she will.

“That other guy let me in. I told him it was really important.” She smirks and I grumble, noting to have a talk with Kasey. “Soo,” she props her elbows on the bar top and pushes up on her feet, “I wanted to invite you to my birthday party tomorrow!”

My mouth is open, “now why in the fuck would I—” on the tip of my tongue when a flash of brilliance snags me. Mariah is friends with Emmett.

“Your birthday, huh?” I say. “You having a big blowout with all your friends?”

“Of course!” Her lashes bat feverishly, body leaning closer. “It’ll be so much fun. Will you please come?”

No, but I will attend, for the chance to see Emmett. Or is that a bad idea? Will she think I’m there for Blowjob Betty? I could explain I’m not… Jesus, I am so bad at this. I have no idea what to do or not to do—my only known territory is nut and bolt. I’ll feel my way through it to spend some time with Emmett, though. She’s worth it.

Could I sound more like Evan “Romeo” Allen? Fuck.

“Yeah, I could probably swing by. I’ve got a friend I could bring too.” I concentrate on the rag in my hand, wiping the bar aloofly. “What about your friend from the race? She gonna be there? He’d probably like her.”

“Emmett?” She laughs viciously. “Probably, I invited her. But they’ll be plenty of other girls there for him to choose from. Fun girls.”

Sad, really; she can’t possibly buy that—that it’s more fun to fuck a stranger and be forgotten than to be the one girl who’s sought out for so much more than what any girl could give.

I gotta write that shit down! My mind never thinks that profoundly and might never do so again.

“Yeah, okay.” I slide her a napkin and dig around under the bar for a pen. “Write down the address and I’ll see what I can do. But then I have to get back to work.”

As in amscray, oozieflay.

M
usic is blaring, drunks are all over the yard and in the street, and this house is packed sardine tight. No way a neighbor’s not gonna call the cops soon. I’m figuring I’ve got an hour, tops, before this shit show gets busted. I’ve got to find Emmett fast.

I scramble through the droves of bodies, only pausing on dark heads of hair to scan the faces attached. No luck in the front, so I find the kitchen and stand in the farthest corner of it. This spot offers me a straight view of the only two doors into this place: front and sliding glass to the backyard. If she walks in, I’ll see her.

One glimpse, a single, “hey, funny seeing you here,” is all I need to tide me over until Sunday. I can taste my anxiousness.

Thirty minutes later, that stank flavor in my mouth is disappointment, turning rapidly into the hint of vomit as the birthday girl spots me. Awesome.

“Why is your fine ass hiding in the corner?” she slurs, blowing vodka breath in my face as she pretends to lose her balance and falls into my chest.

“Easy there.” I grip her shoulders loosely and place her upright and off me, immediately removing my hands. I really do hate to lie flat out, so I stare at the floor as I force out the necessary bullshit. “I’m watching for my friend, we’re gonna have to go soon. I was hoping he could meet your girl, Emily was it? She here?”

“Emm-ett,” she annunciates. “No, she couldn’t come. But where is he?” She looks around, drunker than I thought or simply missing the fact that she has no clue who she’d be looking for, even if he was actually with me. “I could hook him up with any other girl here, then you and I could—”

I latch on to her wrist, stopping her hand’s progression up my chest. I’ve heard all I need to—Emmett’s not here and she’s not coming. There’s 47 minutes of my life I’m never getting back. “You know what? Everybody’s here to see you. Why don’t you go be the birthday girl and I’ll go look for him. K?” I end on the low “talk to them like they’re a child” voice that works every time.

Such as right now.

“M-kay.” She grins, twisting her hips back and forth. “But come find me later. You can spend the night with me.”

“Go on.” I turn her, giving her a gentle push forward. “It’s your party, have some fun.”

She’s made it all of five steps before I’ve slid out the back door and jogged to my bike.

Make that 54 minutes down the fucking drain.

Chapter 5

There’s Something About Emmett

—Sawyer—

“
W
here are my keys? Fuck!” Four never-ending days, the longest of which was that dumbass, waste of time party where she didn’t show, I’d waited, and I oversleep? You have got to be kidding me!

My head jerks at the sound of keys jingling, and I see Laney dangling them from the end of her finger. With her other hand, she offers me a thermos. “Drink this coffee on the way or you’ll be grumpy.”

I snag both items, frozen in shock that Laney is both awake and efficient this early in the morning. “And chew this gum after, smelling coffee breath sucks.” She shivers. “I don’t know how you people drink that crap. She leans in and kisses my cheek. “Just be yourself, Sawyer. That’s more than enough.”

“If Dane didn’t adore you,” I wrap her in a hug, “I’d—”

“Get your ass kicked?” Dane rumbles, appearing around the corner. “Go train your girl and let go of mine.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll see you guys later.”

She’s standing out front when I pull up, the slight breeze blowing her dark hair up to tease her face, giving me a cheerful wave.

Hurriedly parking the bike, I jog up to her. “I’m sorry I’m late. You been waiting long?”

“No, not long at all. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Emmett.” Is it ever. “Shall we?” I ask, unlocking and holding open the door for her. When she passes, I inhale my dose of Red and then turn to lock the door behind us. “I doubt you’ll ever open, but just in case, the lights are here.” I begin flipping the switches one by one, bringing The K to life. “Let me show you the break room. We can get you a locker and you can put away your bag.”

She walks beside me, her eyes taking in every nuance of the club. “I really like the layout and décor. Such a modern, trendy feel. How long have you worked here?”

“Since the day it opened. I moved here with Dane from Connecticut. Here we go,” I open one of the unclaimed lockers, “you can put your stuff in here for now. I’ll grab you a new padlock when we go upstairs.”

“Thank you.” She takes her purse off her shoulder and sets it inside. “Do you mind if I use the ladies’ room before we get started?”

“Of course not, let me show you where it is. We have separate ones for patrons and employees. You can use either, and we keep them super clean, but I’d suggest the employee one all the same.”