Vicious (11 page)

We ended up in the same city Damon was supposed to be in, but we never crossed paths. I tried to tell myself that I didn’t want to see him again anyway
, but when I got drunk, I did a Google search one night. Nothing showed up. I took that as a sign to stop being so pathetic.

I was clock watching. Work had been slow all night
, and the hours dragged on. There were a few drunks passed out on the tables, and I was supposed to wake them up and kick them out, but I never had the heart to do that. The cook was asleep in the kitchen, and the place was silent, so I took the opportunity to sit in a booth and go over the community college brochure. A customer had left it on a table, and I’d been looking at it all week. What would I even study if I did take classes? I was so tired all the time; I’d probably fail anyway.

I looked up as
the door banged open. A guy came in and for an instant, just an instant, I thought it was Damon, and my heart nearly stopped. He had the same bone structure and dark features, but he was taller, and older by at least a few years. He came in quite frequently, always too well dressed to frequent somewhere like this dive. He never spoke other than his order. This time was different; he was wearing a tuxedo, the tie was loosened and hung around his neck. He ran a hand through his short hair like he was tired, or fed up, before sliding into a booth, and it was then that I realized that he was drunk. That was what I was used to. Drunks flocked here like the greasy food we served could postpone their hangovers.

I gave him a minute of inspecting the menu before getting to my feet, pulling my notebook from the pocket of my
apron and approaching him. “Hi, what can I get you?”

He didn’t bother to look at me. That can tell you a lot about a person,
like if they’re a complete prick or not. “I’ll have the eggs, scrambled and some coffee.” He put the menu back on the table and pulled out his phone. I’d obviously been dismissed. That was fine. I was used to it. I didn’t bother to respond to him and walked off to the kitchen to wake up the cook who was going to be grumpy and seemed to think it was a personal affront every time he was asked to do his job. He was the owner’s least favorite son in law which is why he got stuck with the night shift.

A young couple came in next. They held hands and cooed and smiled at each other. A diamond flashed on the girl
’s finger; she kept touching it and pulling her eyes from her boyfriend to look at it. They were so happy it nearly made me sick. Had I been like that with Damon? That naïve and love-struck? It seemed like that was another girl now, like an alien had taken over that body and temporarily destroyed everything that I knew was bad about the world. I only tore my eyes away from them after the cook banged the bell several times more than necessary for service.

The prick’s eggs were up. As I placed them in front of him, he didn’t say thank you. He just asked, “Why are women so
self-involved?” Whether it was rhetorical or not, I didn’t know, but answered him anyway.

“I bet she isn’t. I’ll bet that you’re the
self-involved one and she’s just a girl dying for a little bit of your attention.” For the first time, he raised his eyes to look at me.

“She’s not a girl, she’s my step mother.”

I lifted a shoulder. “That still doesn’t mean that you’re not self-involved. Why is your step mother texting you at this time of the morning?”

His forehead wrinkled. “
I left her party early and she’s pissed.”

“Well, maybe she’s just a bitch then?”

He let out a laugh. “Yeah. That she definitely is.”

“Enjoy your food.
” I moved away as the cook rang the bell again with impatience. The in love couple’s dessert was ready. I discreetly watched them as they fed each other. They seemed so light and trouble free, envy rose in me for that kind of naivety again.

“It won’t last.” The prick had moved over to the register that I sat at and I hadn’t even noticed.

“What?”

“They’re only just engaged. She keeps admiring the ring more than him which means it’s new. I give them a year of marriage before they become as miserable as you or I.”

I straightened. “How do you know I’m miserable?” Prick.

“You are. I am.
Most people are miserable.” He slapped cash down on the counter.

I straightened m
y back, looking at his neatly trimmed, clean nails, the cufflinks, the watch, the
suit. “
And why are you miserable? You’ve clearly got money.”

“Not meaning to sound cliché, but money isn’t everything.”

I laughed at that. “The only people who say that are those who’ve never been poor.”

“See, there’s where you’re wrong. I’ve been poor, now I’m
clearly
not. I know the value of money, and it doesn’t buy happiness.”

“It buys a little bit of happiness.”

“Well, yeah.” He nodded slightly. “I’ll give you that. It does buy a bit.”

“Anyway, no offence, but you sound like a spoilt brat.”

He surprised me when his lips quirked up in a smile, I had expected an offended sneer. “Do I? I’ll work on that. Have a good night keeping your head above the poverty line.”

I flashed a sarcastic smile. “Thank you, sir. You enjoy spending that money now.” I watched him go before looking at the cash he had put down in front of me. At least he had left a big tip.

I left soon after that, and the moment I put my head on the pillow I was asleep, which was no easy task with the couple who lived next door having an argument. They yelled and threw things which landed against our shared wall with a jolt. Other times, they had noisy sex like they were making a porn movie or something.

I woke up to Connie banging on my door. She had a coffee for me which she shoved in my hand. The moment we moved here, Connie seemed to shed her childhood and baggage like a lizard sheds it skin. She bloomed here, as if she were a bud that had been encased in ice for years and finally the summer had come to free her. The chip on her shoulder had melted off and she grabbed life with both hands. For the first time, I genuinely liked her.

“Don’t forget about the hot double date we’ve got tonight.” She picked up a ratty strand of my hair and wrinkled her nose at it. “You really need to get your hair done.” I pulled it free from her. Her own hair was a sun kissed blonde that suited her now natural looking make-up and athletic beach body.

I groaned.
“I can’t stand Simon. He’s so stuck up, he looks down on us, which doesn’t matter to me, but it should to you, you’re the one sleeping with him.” I made a face as I sipped the coffee because it was so strong.

She grinned and sipped her own coffee. “Oh, I know, he’s a complete dick. But he’s introducing me to people, and when we’re alone he’s actually very sweet
. Plus he buys me the best clothes and jewelry, who can argue with that?”

I sighed.
“What’s his friend like?”

“Tim’s cute in a preppy kind of way. He’s some kind of banker.”
Her manicured hand started to play with the necklace she wore. It looked expensive and was obviously a gift from Simon.

“He sounds boring.”

“So? Who cares? Sometimes the most boring ones are the best in bed. Anyway, they’re taking us to
Lucien’s
which just got a Michelin star and there’s a waiting list so— ”

“What’s a Michelin star?”

“Who cares? Anyway, you need a good screw. Remember the girl who used to use sex as a tool? What happened to that girl? And don’t give me any bullshit about suddenly gaining self-respect, because I’m pretty sure you haven’t got any of that either.”

I rolled my eyes at her, but she just laughed. “Go have a shower. I’ll try and make you look respectable.” Her forehead wrinkled. “God knows it won’t be easy.”

When she was done with me, I looked okay. The dark circles were covered, and my hair had been wrestled up into some complicated chignon thing which hid the split ends. The little black dress she lent me was low cut and showed a generous swell of my breasts.

We met the guys at the restaurant. Everything wa
s white tablecloths and crystal and the maître d’ was arrogant which is how you knew that it was good place.             

“I’m ordering the wine before they get here,” Connie announced. “I only want the good stuff.” She ordered a bottle that was so expensive that it made my jaw drop open.

“Are you kidding? That bottle’s worth more than my rent for six months.”

Connie smirked. “Simon
likes everyone to know how well off he is.” She wiggled her fingers at me to show off the diamonds that flashed on them.

I shook my head. “He’s such a prat.”

“He sure is,” agreed Connie. “But he has his uses. Here they come…”

They were both dressed in expensive suits. Tim reminded me of a boy playing dress up, he was too tall and too thin. He was also arrogant. I was greeted with a brush of his lips on my cheek and barel
y a hello. That was okay though; I made a vow to order something expensive. Tim talked about himself the whole time. Even Simon couldn’t really get a word in which was odd. Tim worked for an investment firm and I didn’t understand what he did or half of what he spoke about.

But when he was in the middle of a sentence, he stopped abruptly and elbowed Simon. “Look!” he hissed quietly. “It’s Brody Nicolai.
God,
I would love to get my hands on his portfolio.”

“Really?
I’d hate to deal with any of that family; they scare the shit out of me. Anyway, he owns this place apparently,” Simon replied

Connie and I turned our heads to the direction the guys were looking in. I supressed a laugh when I saw who this so called scary
guy was; it was the rich prick from the diner. I wondered what he’d thought about our food if he was used to dining at places like this. Dressed in a dark suit, he had a stern look on his face and he was seated. His date was an elegant looking young woman, and I wondered how much her dress cost. He didn’t seem like much fun to be with, when she tried talking, he would pull out his phone and start texting, paying her next to no attention. She looked crestfallen, but the moment his gaze swept back up to her, she made sure to plaster a seductive smile on her beautiful face.

It was interesting watching them, far more interesting than listening to Tim drone on. Only when my food was brought out did I turn my attention to my companions. Tim paused in his monologue to be rude to the waitress, which had me sending mental daggers at him. A
t least Simon was polite to her. He was starting to not seem too bad, at least not compared to the insufferable Tim.

“I’m going to the bath
room,” I interrupted him loudly, getting to my feet. He continued talking like I hadn’t spoken.

“I’ll come too,” said Connie.
She had a smirk on her face which meant that she could read my irritation.

The moment we were in the corridor leading to the ladies’ room, I turned to face her. “Are you kidding me? What a jerk! How could you set me up with him?”

Connie giggled. “I’m sorry. I really am. I had no idea he was this bad. Seriously, I think this will go down in history as the worst date ever.”

I couldn’t help but giggle as well.
“Yeah. At least I’ll have a story to tell. Did you see how rude he was to the waitress though? I wanted to stab him with a fork.”

“You’re not going to
get violent in my restaurant, are you?”

Our heads turned to see Brody Nicolai had joined us in the corridor. I couldn’t tell if he was amused or not. Connie must have sensed his money, because a flirtatious smile crossed her face. “That’s what her ex used to call her, Violent Violet.” Then she frowned, “or was it Vicious Violet?”

“Both.” I answered, turning my back on him as I moved toward the door and entered the bathroom. Connie followed a second later. “He’s hot.”

“He’s a prick. He’s being rude to his
date, he’s barely talking to the poor girl.” I didn’t know why I cared about this stranger who obviously had a far better life than I did, but something about the way she was being treated really irked me.

“Well, she can have Tim who will do nothing
but
talk, and we’ll have him. At least he’s good to look at.” She turned to the mirror and started applying her lipstick.

I sighed. “Can I just hide in
here for the rest of the night?” I didn’t bother to reapply my own lipstick. No way did I want Tim to get the impression that I was making an effort for him.

“No way.
At least come enjoy the food.” Connie linked her arm with mine once she was satisfied with her appearance, and forced me out the door.

The food was great at least;
it nearly made up for the company. As we finished our main courses, Simon received a call. “Shit!” he said it so loud that the other diners turned in our direction and the maître d started walking toward us. Simon got to his feet. “My boss’s stupid dog got loose and got hit by a car. I’ve got to go take it the vet.” He pulled out his wallet and pulled out some cash, throwing it on the table.

“I
’ll come with you,” Connie said, grabbing her purse.