Oh, shit. I needed to smack myself out of those thoughts, but I couldn’t help it. He exuded sex in the way he talked, the way his lips moved, the defined planes of his muscular body—everything about him. An ache I hadn’t felt in years came rushing back and straight to my core.
My belly had turned upside down and what felt like a bolt of electricity had ignited in my bloodstream, throughout my entire body. You know those feelings you get, the ones where you feel hot and cold, and time stops? Yeah, it was that intense. It was as if he’d set me aflame on the inside and sent goose bumps skating across my bare flesh.
Surprisingly (and thank God!), my pasties hadn’t fallen off, even after my nipples had hardened to granite peaks just at his nearness. How would he have reacted if they had?
He’d said he’d been thinking about me after all these years. Or was he only saying that to get a rise out of me? I couldn’t get a read on him. Either way, it had worked.
Focus, April. Focus! You have work to do. Damn, it’s hot in here. I need a freaking fan.
Pulling myself together (somewhat—well, as best as I could under the circumstances), I headed to the bar to pick up a drink order for one of the tables. Overall, I’d had a decent night so far. I didn’t seem to attract as many men as the other girls, likely due to the size of their boobs, not that mine were small by any means, but theirs were…um, enhanced. At the beginning of my shift, I decided to act as if I were only walking around in a bikini—not half-naked, thinking about strange men staring at my body. That and the fact I felt oddly safe with the men and bodyguards who worked for Vorn made it much easier. Would I want to swing my boobs around all the time? That would be a hard hell no. But I sure as hell wanted to keep this job.
It took me a moment to find the table, still trying to familiarize myself with the layout of the club. When I finally reached the customer, I took a second to look at him. Jet-black hair, straight nose, and heavily tattooed…he had a dangerous aura about him, which was a minor—I was such a liar—major distraction from the fierce man I had just spoken to.
Steeling my nerves and taking a deep breath, I had to give myself an internal pep talk. I mean, this guy…was huge. And scary—I already said that, but seriously—and just overall gave me the heebie-jeebies. I inhaled and acted like I was doing something with an order on my notepad, knowing I must have appeared like an idiot. Ah, screw it.
Okay, dumbass, this is your job. Pull your head out of your butt! You’ve got this. You have bodyguards all around. Just because he’s scary as shit doesn’t mean anything. Treat him like any other customer. It’s fine. You’re fine. Totally fine. Plaster that smile on your face and get to it. Don’t be a wimp!
“Here you are, hon,” I said, putting his glass down in front of him, trying to downplay my insecurity. Oh, hell. This guy was even scarier up close. “Sorry for the wait. Is there anything else I can get for you?” I tried to keep my hands from shaking and knocking the damn drink over.
Oh, my God. Could I be any more of a wreck right now? Josh had caught me off guard, and now I was a bundle of nerves.
The man smiled up at me and gave me a nonchalant wave. “Don’t worry about it.” His voice was gruff, but he seemed nice-ish. His black hair was slicked back from his face, showing strong and hardened facial features. The guy had to be a Hell’s Seven member. I could feel it.
It was only after I was done kicking my own ass back into gear, that I noticed a sliver of what looked like Saran wrap on his forearm, peaking from beneath his shirt and exactly where a Hell’s Seven tattoo would be.
“Did you get some new ink?” I casually pointed toward his arm with interest. “I’ve been thinking of getting something myself.”
His smile didn’t falter as he picked up his drink. “You ever get ink before?”
“Nope.”
With a laugh, he took a quick sip. “I’d suggest something small then,” he said. “There’s a place down the road from here that’d probably be good for you.”
“Good to know.”
“You new?” he asked.
“Is it that obvious?” I quirked a smile.
He chuckled again. “Nah, I’ve just been here a few times and didn’t recognize you. I’m Jorge. Jorge Zahíno. Close friends call me Z.”
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Z. Thanks for the tip. Let me know if you need anything else.”
It took me a moment to realize he never answered my question about the new ink. Answering a question with a question was one of the ways most people dodged answering. If he was part of the club, he was likely a new recruit. I made a mental note to keep my eye on him in the future.
Unfortunately, waitressing took over the rest of my mental capacity. It had been a long time since I waitressed, and though my customer service skills were as sharp as ever—well, that’s what I told myself, anyway—my energy wasn’t quite there. I’d also wasted far too much energy staying on the lookout for Vorn. Not gonna lie, meeting him had short-circuited my brain. And not just for a second—no, the rest of the damn evening. I had forgotten how exhausting it was to be on my feet for long stretches of time, and by the time the night began to wind down and Marlene let me grab my shirt and sit, my feet were freaking killing me.
“You did a great job,” she said, seemingly impressed as I put my shirt on. “Not many first-timers can keep up with the demands of the job right away.”
“Thanks.” I flopped down on one of the stools. “Though, if anything, this job proves that I seriously need to work out more.”
Marlene chuckled and took the seat next to me. “I didn’t know you knew the boss,” she said. “The way you talked about him earlier, it seemed like you’d never met.”
For a second, my blood froze, and I hoped it didn’t show on my face. Had I already blown my cover? Shitshitshit! Think quick, April.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. I honestly didn’t realize it was him.” I didn’t have to lie. That was a relief.
The man in question was nowhere to be seen. I had lost sight of him a while ago, and he had yet to resurface. Most of the customers had been escorted out except for a few stragglers. The girls were starting to disappear backstage as well.
“Well, in any case, I think you’re going to do just fine,” Marlene said. “Come on, let me get you a drink.”
“That sounds amazing.”
Marlene hopped behind the bar and poured me a beer, sliding it over before getting herself one as well. I took a large gulp, grateful for the coldness as it slid down my throat.
“Drinking on the job on your first day? What kind of people are you hiring, Mar?”
I almost choked on my beer when Josh’s voice sounded behind me. He slid onto the stool Marlene had just vacated, giving us both a smirk.
“Hey, she earned it,” Marlene said, pouring one for him as well. “Not many people can serve Creepy Jim with a smile and avoid being fondled.”
“The trick is to know where their hands are at all times.” I raised my glass in a mock-salute before taking another gulp. “And then dance away to the beat of the music so they don’t think you’ve noticed them trying to make a grab.”