Page 5 of The Associate
As I cut the engine, I watch as someone staggers their way out of the bar. “Come on Viv, why ‘ave you gotta kick me out?” the man says, his words slurred.
“Because, Gary, you’re too drunk. Now go get into that taxi.” She points to the one just across the car park. “And get yourself home to bed.”
I swear this grown man throws a tantrum, but she holds her own with him.
Her petite frame does not match her attitude. She turns on her heel and sways through the doors and back inside. The large timber panels swing shut behind her.She looks like fun. My dick twitches and I groan in annoyance. I walk around to the boot of my car and open it up.
I pull off my white, blood-stained shirt and throw it in a bag. I’m not even going to try and wash it. It is going straight into the fire. Thankfully, I always carry spare clothing in my car for moments like these. Feeling around in the trunk, I find a fresh shirt that I pull on and button up. I roll the sleeves up to my elbows, the deer skull tattoo on my left forearm sits proud. Strands of my hair are falling in my face. If I let my hair out, it falls around my shoulders. I forget just how long it is as I run my fingers through it, untangling the ends before I pull it back and tie it into a messy top knot. My pants are black, so you can’t see any blood on them, and it is dark inside anyway.
Shutting the trunk, I pocket my keys and make my way up to the building. The gravel under my feet crunches as I take each step up to the big double doors. Chips of paint lie on the step, showing the weathered panels underneath. Not even a fresh coat of paint would bring these doors back to life. There is one street light illuminating half the car park, and there are about three cars parked. My eyes trail down to my gold watch. An hour to midnight. Just a few hours here, then I’ll head back home.
Pushing through the door, I make my way over to my normal booth: a dark corner in the back of the bar. There are two girls working tonight. One is the usual I see every time I come in here, but the other girl is new to me. The drunk had called her Viv. She either never works when I’m in here or she is new to the job and, judging by the way the old man spoke to her, it is the former.
I nod my head in the direction of the girl I know and she makes her way straight to the bar, placing her tray down and waiting for my drink. This is my time to zone out and just take my focus away from my life. I sit here and watch the people come in and out.
The occasional group walks in, most of them rowdy college boys just looking for a good time. I don’t pay them any mind. The waitress waiting for my drink walks over to the new group that came in, notepad in hand.
“Didn’t your mother tell you it is rude to stare?” a feminine voice says from behind me.
I grunt in response, not even turning around to see who it is. I don’t care. I just want to make sure those boys don’t try anything stupid. I’m not in the mood for stupid frat boys tonight. “Aren’t you the talkative one tonight?” the voice says again, this time a whisper in my ear.
I grimace slightly, turning my head. Her face is so close to mine I can see the light spray of freckles across her nose. The faint scent of mint comes from the gum she is chewing. The scent is intoxicating and memories of the past flood through my mind. “I got your drink, tough guy.”
She steps back and places the glass in front of me, half full with a copper liquid. It isn’t a deep, rich colour like the expensive bourbon most mobsters like to drink, but, quite frankly, the cheaper stuff goes down smoother, with just the right amount of burn. My gaze lifts back up to hers and she smiles. She fuckin’ smiles at me. This girl is pure sunshine and I hate how much I want her. She stretches out her hand. “My name is Viv, what’s yours?”
“Mason.”
I swear her eyes widen a little at my name. But that is the only response I am going to give.
My eyes trace up and down her body; her curves are more prominent now she is up close. I would have to use every fibre in my body not to take this girl out the back and have my way with her. Even her voice is angelic and I could listen to her talk all night. My eyes focus on her but I am drawn to the rowdy boys cheering over near the bar as a tray of drinks goes crashing to the ground.
The other girl picks up her tray and runs towards the bathrooms.What the fuck did they do.Viv’s head turns towards them. They look over to her as she walks in their direction. “Right boys,” she calls out over the noise they are making. “Which one of you cunts did that?”
Holy shit she’s got some balls.My dick twitches again. I shift my weight; now is not the time to be aroused by her. Taking a sip of my bourbon, I watch her fiery attitude staring down these idiots. I can already tell she can hold her own, so I just lean back in my seat and watch the show. One of them tries to grab her ass while another is distracting her.
A growl forms in my throat. I shift in my seat, wanting these idiots out myself, but then I see her hand pull backwards and fly forward, hitting him in the nose.Thatta girl, I grin and lean back against the wall.
Within a few minutes, they are gathering their things and she is escorting them out the door. I watch her hips sway as she follows them and pulls the doors closed behind them, even before the last of them can fully walk out the door. “Don’t come back here ever again!” she yells.
Turning and facing my direction, she winks at me with a little smile and makes her way back over to my booth. I raise a brow and my glass to her and take a sip, letting the burn run down my throat. As she gets closer, she presses her hip against the table.
“Not bad,” I say and she folds her arms across her chest.
“When you’ve grown up like I have, you learn to be a little tougher.” The corner of her mouth lifts into a smile.
She turns to face me fully, curiosity lighting up her expression as her hand reaches out to touch my face. “You’ve got a little som—” she begins, but my hand instinctively catches her wrist before she can touch my face. “Easy now, it’s okay. You’ve got something just under your eye.”
She moves her hand away from my face and picks up a napkin. Her hand makes its way back towards my cheek again and it feels like it is her bare hand touching my skin and not the napkin. Did she feel the same spark from her touch that I did? Probably not, but she did hesitate for a brief moment.
“Uh, here.” She holds out the napkin towards me.
My eyes move down to the napkin and there is a dark spot on it. Blood.Shit, I never cleaned off my face after what went down earlier. But when my eyes meet hers again, she doesn’t flinch. She smiles at me. This woman is as unfazed as I am and, honestly, I am even harder for her.
“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go and clean up.”
She nods and walks away from the table as I make my way out back to the bathroom. There is a jukebox next to the doors to the bathroom,Summer of ‘69is playing as I walk past, occasionally skipping.
I need to see just how much blood is on my face. I walk as fast as I can down the hall, pushing open the door that reads ‘MEN’.
