House Rules (11 page)

Eventually, I picked myself up off of the floor and went to the bathroom. The woman staring back at me looked terrible. Her eyes were red and puffy, the outline of the guy’s handprint still covered her cheek. My jaw ached. Eventually I’d have to get ice to put on it to keep it from swelling. I hoped it didn’t bruise, not wanting to have to explain myself to anyone.

Needing to get the feel of them off me, I stripped and climbed in the shower. If I ever saw the little jerk that put me in this situation, I was going to kick him in the balls again. I thought Ray was different from the rest of the guys in my life. Man, I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried.

First, the bastard bet me in a freaking poker game and now it wasn’t safe for me to come home. He’d let his gambling get out of control and I kept having to pay the price. I’d have to call out of work to find a new apartment.

I crawled into bed, hoping to calm down enough to sleep, but my nerves were on edge. Every creak in the floor or the wind rattling against the windows had me wide awake again.

By three in the morning, I knew sleep would evade me for the rest of the night. I’d never be able to sleep in a place I no longer felt safe. I climbed out of bed and got dressed. If I wasn’t going to sleep, I could at least start packing. It would make it that much easier in the morning. Even if I didn’t find a place, I refused to come back here.

By the time the first rays of sun peeked through my bedroom windows, my entire bedroom was packed into the two suitcases I owned. The kitchen had a few dishes and such, nothing I couldn’t pack into a couple of cardboard boxes from the hardware store, but I still had a few hours before they opened.

Grabbing my laptop from my school bag, I sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. There had to be a place close, where the rent wasn’t too high. It took me a while but by the time everything opened, I had a few places to check out.

***

Apartment hunting was easier than I expected. Besides having to wipe out half of the money in my savings, which was a setback, I’d managed to find something with a decent rent in a safe neighborhood, the only issue being it was a one-bedroom place, meaning a roommate was out of the question.

This left me pounding the pavement, looking for a new job. I stopped in a few stores and filled out applications. The problem was I’d still need to keep my job in the clothing boutique to make enough money. Waitressing was the key. In a good place, tip money alone should be enough. That was when I remembered the sports bar Ray had brought me to a few months back. He’d left the waitress a pretty large tip, and that had been on a night in the middle of the week.

Even in the middle of the day, the parking lot was packed. The lighting inside was dim to accommodate the large screen TVs covering the walls and a variety of different games played. A sea of jerseys filled the room.

The one thing I’d forgotten when remembering the size of Ray’s tip was the short outfits worn by all of the female servers. One waitress bent over and I could practically see her ass cheeks hanging out, but until I was done with school and could get a job at a hospital or doctor’s office, I needed to take whatever job could pay the bills. If my ass had to be on display, at least maybe I’d get some good tips out of it.

Pulling my attention away from the waitress, I walked up to the bar and asked for the manager.

“What can I help you with?”

I turned to find a man standing behind me. He was tall, his long blond hair pulled into a ponytail at his nape.

“Yeah, I’m looking for a job.”

He looked me up and down. “Have you worked in a bar before?”

“No, but I’ve waited tables and I’m a quick learner.”

“Let me grab you an application from my office to fill out.” His eyes lingered on my chest a little too long. “But I think you’ll fit in fine, as long as you can handle the drunks and tables.”

“I can.” It should have creeped me out, the way he was looking at me, and if I hadn’t been desperate for a better paying job to finish school, I might have been outright pissed off at the way he wanted me to use my body. But I took a deep breath and remembered that in a few years this would all be a memory. I’d graduate and get paid to do what I loved. Until then, I needed to earn.

I followed him down a back hall to a small office. It held a desk with receipts, books, and paperwork everywhere. In front of the desk sat two chairs. The guy reached his hand out to me. “By the way, my name’s Jason.”

I took his hand. “Tess. Thanks for giving me a chance.”

He smirked. “Well, you do fit the part. Here’s the application. You can use my desk while I get you a uniform. When can you start?”

“As soon as possible. I work in a clothing boutique downtown, but I don’t work many hours there. If I can make enough here, I’ll leave there.”

“You’ll make enough.”

There was something in his eyes, but I didn’t know the man so I couldn’t tell what it might mean, even though it gave me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. But the important thing here was money. If I couldn’t stand one guy ogling me, how on earth would I cope when the bar was packed with drunk people. I brushed it off, gave him my sizes, and filled out the paperwork.

By the time I left, I was all set to start in two days. At least they didn’t have me starting on the weekend. It had been a while since I’d worked in a restaurant—since I left home, actually. It had been my first real job and I’d earned enough money there to keep me off of the streets. Eventually, I moved on. I wanted a job that would help me save for college. None of that mattered now.

I needed to get home and start making the few trips back and forth to get everything moved. The sun had started to dip on the horizon and seeing as no part of me wanted to stay at the old apartment tonight, I needed to move everything before the sun set. My shift at the clothing store was short tomorrow. I could unpack and finish all of my homework before my first shift at Rock Bottom.

Things were falling into place. I just hoped this would be the last upheaval for a while. My bank balance, nor my sanity would be able to cope with much more.

CHAPTER 10

Theresa

I knew my ass was on display as soon as the cold air hit my cheeks. It had been two weeks since I threw Ray out. For the past week the tips had been great and if things stayed that way, I might even be able to say that the skimpy outfit—little black boy shorts that didn’t even attempt to cover my entire butt—was worth it. With a small, ocean blue top that tied in the front, right at the valley of my breasts, my midriff completely exposed, I probably had more coverage with my bikini in summer.

In the last week of working here I’d made enough money to not only pay the security deposit, but the rent as well. More than once when I went home and counted my tips, I considered staying on after graduation. I’d still get a job nursing, but working in the bar on my days off could help pay off my student loans in the blink of an eye. With money that good, I would even be able to start paying them now.

So I worked any shift I could get my hands on. The more shifts, the easier it would be for me to climb out of the mountain of debt I’d created over the last six years.

Not for the first time, I was a little thankful that Ray had bet me that night.

“Hey, sexy.”

I flipped around. “Me?”

“Yeah you. Shake that fine ass over here and take my order.”

The guy seemed like the ultimate sleazeball. Hair so greasy it looked like he dipped it in a vat of kitchen grease. And the way he leered at me . . . it made my skin craw. The suit he wore hung loosely around his shoulders. He was definitely not part of the normal clientele at Rock Bottom. Mainly I dealt with rabid sports fans. They could be a little grabby, but they always tipped well.

I walked up to the table and did my best to keep my distance, out of the reach of his grabby hands. No way did I want him touching me.

“What can I get you?”

“You can come a little closer.” He reached behind me and squeezed my ass, pulling me closer.

“I don’t fucking think so,” a voice snarled.

That voice.

I
knew
that voice. And it wasn’t one I expected to hear again. I spun around so fast, I almost lost my balance.

Shit.

Miller stood a few feet behind me, arms crossed over his chest, the vein throbbing in his temple telling me he was anything but calm. This was not good. My stomach clenched. I never expected to see him in a place like this. That man was made for fancy restaurants and exclusive clubs. Right then he oozed power, wealth, and money. His three piece, most likely tailor-made suit fit him perfectly. He was all business; except his face. Jaw clenched, hands fisted, he had murder in his eyes.

His gaze slid over to the customer behind me. “In my establishment, the customers keep their hands to themselves.”

In my establishment . . .

Shit. Shit. Shit. Rock Bottom was the sports bar Miller had told me about the night we met. There were so many sports bars in town, but since Ray had taken me there I should have put two and two together. This was likely why the tips were so good. There was way more than drinking and sports watching going on. Probably sports betting. Jason took care of specific customers, always giving them a different menu, telling me they were special clients. I guess they were.

Greaseball held up his hands. “Sorry, man. It’s hard to resist an outfit like that.”

“It’s to look, not touch,” Miller bit out from between clenched teeth.

Relieved that was the end of it, I went back to my job. “What can I—” A hand clamped around my upper arm.

“Excuse us. I need to speak with Miss Carner for a minute.”

Before I had a chance to say anything, I was being led toward the back of the bar, where the offices were located. I tried to pull free of Miller’s hold, but his grip tightened.

“Don’t even think about it, Tess,” he snarled and continued to pull me forward.

What an asshole. What gave him the right to drag me where he wanted me to go? I wasn’t starting a battle with him in the middle of the bar. I needed the job, yes, but what I really wanted to do was turn around and slap him for his behavior.

The hall passed by in a blur until we reached a door near the end. His momentum propelled me across the room as he tossed me inside, letting go of my arm to shut us inside. I whirled around, ready to pounce.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” The deadly calm that had surrounded Miller only moments ago had disappeared.

There was no way I would let this man intimidate me. I crossed my arms over my chest, partly to cover what I didn’t think was his to see. Maybe it was stupid considering he’d most likely chosen the outfit for his employees, not to mention the hundreds of guys who’d seen me in it over the last week, but the difference was that the man standing across from me had seen me naked. He’d seen my flaws. Seen me at my most vulnerable.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

I knew I was playing with fire, but I wanted him to leave me alone so I could get back to work.

His eyes narrowed. “How in the hell did you get a job here?”

“Now that’s just insulting. I applied. It doesn’t take a much to wear almost nothing and shake my ass for tips.”

His nostrils flared and he took a step forward. I almost took a step back in response, but I held my ground. “I’m the only on who gets to see your ass.”

“I don’t think so. I was a one-night stand to keep
you
from killing the idiot I was dating, the same idiot who decided to get himself into debt with you. One night does not mean you own me.”

“I beg to differ,” he snapped.

“I’m going back to work.” I spun back toward the door.

He grabbed my arm as I went to move past him. “That’s not going to happen.”

My stomach churned as panic flooded my system. I needed this job. There wasn’t enough money left in my bank account for me to move again, and I refused to call it quits and go back home. That, and I had my pride. Failure wasn’t in my vocabulary. Keeping the job was the only way for me to stay afloat.

“Miller, please,” I begged. “I need the money.”

“Find a job where your ass isn’t on display.” He looked at me and then pulled out his cell, pressing a finger to the screen before snapping, “My office, now.”

I walked over and looked him straight in the eye. “Please. There’s nowhere else around I can make this kind of money without working more than one job. I had to get a new apartment when some guys came looking for Ray. They wanted more money. I was—”

Miller’s face hardened. “What did you say?” His voice was a low, deadly whisper.

I took an unconscious step back. With his brows drawn down over narrowed eyes, not to mention the rigid stance of his body, anyone would back away slowly and hope they weren’t his target. It became very clear that Miller was a man willing to take out anyone who stood in his way.

“Some men Ray owed money to came to the apartment, broke down my door to find him. I was so afraid that they’d hurt me, I packed that night and moved out the next day. But they trashed the place and the landlord kept my deposit. I had to clean out the little I had in my savings to get a new place.”

“Whose men were they?”

“I think they said Marcello something,”

“Motherfucker,” he snapped and began to pace. “Those assholes don’t stop until they have their money, no matter the cost. Should’ve borrowed the money from Ashton,” he said, the last part almost under his breath.

“Why would Ashton lend him the money?”

He glanced over his shoulder at me, one brow quirked. “Considering what I do, you don’t think my brother is just a simple restaurateur, do you?”

Everything clicked into place. I crossed my arms over my chest. “And Ashton wouldn’t want his money?”

“Of course he would. But Ashton only goes after the person that owes him the money, not people they care about.”

Fear trickled through me like ice in my veins. I’d thought I was free and clear of those guys but Miller’s last statement made me think differently, and it wasn’t a pleasant thought. “But I don’t give two shits about Ray.”