Bad Rep
Page 10

 A. Meredith Walters

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My eyes widened. “You're making that up,” I scoffed, shooting a look over my shoulder at Evian, who was hounding one of the high school bus boys about how to set the tables in her section. Jordan shook his head.
“No, trust me. Ev has a serious dominatrix side. Her boyfriend, Greg, is this uptight accountant. I think he's forty or something. But yeah, they're into some serious kink.” Jordan chuckled.
I shook my head. “How the hell do you know all of this stuff?” I asked him. Jordan tapped his ear with his finger.
“I keep my ear to the ground, my friend. It's amazing what you can learn when no one thinks you're listening.” I frowned at Jordan and got up from the stool, knowing I should go over to Evian before she tracked me down.
“Remind me to keep my deep dark secrets close to the chest then,” I joked.
Jordan's eyes smoldered at me suddenly and I found it hard to breathe. “Ah, but Maysie, I want to know all of your deep, dark secrets. I look forward to figuring them out.” His voice was husky and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. Shit. He was going to be difficult to stay away from.
But who says I even wanted to? We had chemistry and he was f**king hot. I was a hot blooded college girl, why shouldn't I indulge? So I shot him a saucy look before turning around to leave. “Well, you'll have to work for it then,” I told him over my shoulder. I could hear him laughing as I walked away with a little extra sway in my hips and I knew he was watching me as I did.
Once the evening shift started, we were slammed. Barton's was hugely popular and there was a 45 minute wait by 5:30. I was running around like crazy. It was official, I was Evian's bitch. Sure she took the orders and greeted the tables. And it was more than a little fascinating to watch how seamlessly she transformed her militant persona into a people pleasing, syrupy sweet, good ol' gal. Once she had played up the people at her tables, I was expected to punch the orders in, expedite the plates and take them to the tables. I had to handle the drink refills and getting orders from the bar. And that nasty bitch-face kept all of the tips.
Riley on the other hand lucked out and was paired with Damien. He was a cute guy who was also a junior at Rinard. They seemed to hit it off and she had already earned a wad of cash. I tried not to hate on the fact that my feet hurt and I had nothing to show for it.
The noise in the place was deafening and I could barely hear myself think. My calves ached and I was getting a headache because I had forgotten to eat before the shift started. My mood was going straight to the toilet.
I hollered out a beer order to Jordan and Lyla, who were slinging drinks like they were in Cocktail or something. They had a crowd three people deep all the way around the bar. They knew how to work the room, that was for sure. I watched them while I waited for my order. Lyla had turned up the volume on the speakers and was gyrating to a Bon Jovi song. The guys were hooting as she turned around to shake her ass.
I couldn't help but start to move myself. I loved to dance. Most weekends, I'd drag Riley or a few of my sorority sisters into the city to find a club. And I was pretty damn good at it, if I do say so myself. So, I started to move my hips in time with the pounding base.
“Damn, that's hot.” Jordan called out, watching me. I flushed red and stopped dancing. Jordan came out from around the bar and put his hands on my hips.
“No, don't stop,” he whispered in my ear and started to move behind me.
There were a bunch of catcalls as I caved and started dancing with him in time to the music. My ass swirled back against his hips. We rubbed against each other and Jordan snaked his arms around my waist to hold me and pull me back against his chest. We swayed together, our bodies moving in a perfect rhythm. The hot press of his hands mixed with the musky sweet scent of his sweat was intoxicating. I felt his lips brush the bare skin at the back of my neck and we both trembled with a need that threatened to consume us. I could feel the hammering of his heart against my back as I pressed even closer to him. I lost all sense of time and place and for a moment I forgot that we were in Barton's, and we were supposed to be working.
All I could feel, all I could think about was Jordan Levitt, with his arms around me, pressed against my back like he couldn't tear himself away.
“What the hell are you doing?” My head whipped up at the sound of Evian's terse question. She looked murderous. I moved away from Jordan instantly.
Jordan cleared his throat. “Aw, give her a break, Ev. You've been running her ass off.” I noticed his voice was ragged and I chanced a peek at him. He met my eyes and winked at me. I looked away, feeling suddenly embarrassed for dancing with him like that. In front of a room full of people. Shit, what had come over me? This was my work place! Not a damn club!
I was feeling flustered when Lyla brought the drinks to me that I had needed for one of Evian's tables. She gave me a knowing grin, looking between Jordan and me. I grabbed the order and practically ran from the bar. After delivering the drinks to the table, I went up to the hostess stand to grab a mint. And to catch my breath.
Riley came up beside me. “What was that? I think I got pregnant just watching you two,” she snarked.
I laughed it off but was quietly mortified that everyone in the place had been witness to our lascivious spectacle. “Great, just the kind of first impression I wanted to make,” I muttered. Riley snorted.
“Yeah, well, apparently that's Jordan. Damien says he's a notorious flirt. So I wouldn't worry about it too much,” she commented, sending my stomach to the floor. Good to know that Jordan wasn't acting any differently toward me than he had with anyone else. Nothing like feeling like the next in a long line of shameless flirting girls to make this gal feel all warm and fuzzy.