Sweet Little Thing(20)

Jerry also informed me he was single. I told him that he'd enjoy tonight  because most of the females here would be topless by nine o'clock and  they all looked like models.

Jasper had a very elite group of friends. I thought all of his friends  looked as if they had just stepped out of a magazine. It was  intimidating and overwhelming.

"Take these out to the monsters," Monique said as she handed me a tray  of food I didn't recognize. "You don't have to walk around with them.  Jasper said that was unnecessary. Just place them over by the bar on the  table I set up. We will keep food fresh in that area all night."

I nodded, I already knew this. She'd told me the plan several times. I  let her keep telling me because either she was worried about my memory  or she was forgetting herself. I didn't look for Jasper or make eye  contact with any of the people as I walked to the food area. Seeing  Jasper with whatever female he was with tonight wasn't appealing. I  didn't want to subject myself to that, which made me pathetic. But at  least no one was aware of my feelings for him. I could suffer and save  my pride at the same time.                       
       
           



       

"Beulah," Jerry called after I sat the food down. I walked over to him because the music was too loud to hear from any distance.

"You need something?" I asked him.

"Could you tell Monique that the ice is already melting. We need a cooler out here."

"I'll get you one."

"Thanks."

Jerry was pleasant to work with. If Jasper was going to have these  parties often I hoped he used Monique. The three ladies cooking in the  kitchen with her inside didn't speak much English, but they were nice.  When I asked if it was feta cheese or blue cheese crumbled over a  vegetable on a piece of toasted bread because a girl outside had asked  me, all three of them just nodded and smiled. I realized then that only  Monique could answer questions about the food.

"Why are you limping?" Monique asked as I walked back into the kitchen.  "Did you hurt yourself or is that an affliction I didn't notice last  time."

The shoes were taking their toll. My toes were bruised, and it was  harder to walk without limping. I needed to use some of my next paycheck  to buy shoes that fit. I'd been putting it off thinking I could just  deal with it, but as soon as I had Heidi's month paid for, I'd shop for  new shoes.

"It's the shoes. I'm getting new ones soon. I'll try not to limp."

Monique frowned and looked down at the tennis shoes I was wearing.  "They're not heels, darling. Why would tennis shoes make you limp? They  don't look new enough to give you blisters."

I needed to get Jerry that cooler and I didn't want to talk about it.  "Just uncomfortable," I replied. "Jerry needs a cooler for the ice. Do  you have one in the van outside?"

She was still frowning at me. My answer hadn't been sufficient. "Yeah. I  meant to grab it. Go ahead and take that next tray of food out, and  I'll get the cooler," she said glancing down at my feet one more time  before walking away.

I picked up the tray of what I recognized as calamari and headed for the  door. One of the ladies called out something to me in Spanish, and I  stopped to find out what she wanted. She was running after me with  slices of lemon, and placed them around the calamari on the tray as she  continued to speak in a language I wished I understood. Then she smiled  at me, and gave me a nod and a wave of her hand that it was okay for me  to go now.

When I stepped back outside this time, I was careful not to limp or  wince. Which I wanted to do both. I thought about putting on my flats  that fit me, but they wouldn't work coming in and out of the house  carrying food. I could slip and fall. They had no traction and the area  around the pool was wet from all the splashing.

I dropped off the tray, then stopped to let Jerry know a cooler was on its way.

"Monique is getting the cooler," I told him as he was shaking a cocktail.

"Great. Thanks," he said as he handed me a can of cherries. "Could you  open those and put them in that bowl over there that only has one left."

"Sure." I did as I was told, and just when I was about to toss the empty  jar I heard a female squeal Jasper's name. I looked up, I didn't mean  to. It was an impulse.

Jasper was carrying a gorgeous blonde around the pool that he had tossed  over his shoulder. He had a hand on her bottom that was bare due to the  thong she was wearing. She was enjoying it while she slapped at his  back. My chest ached. If I could make it not feel anything that would  make life so much easier.

"You're so much more appealing than her," Jerry said snapping me out of my thoughts. I had been caught staring.

"Do you need anything else?" I asked him not wanting to focus on what he'd just seen.

Jerry smiled then. He had a dimple in his left cheek. "Guys like that  aren't good enough for someone like you. He'd never treat you the way  you deserve. I've been around you for a couple hours, and I have spent  ninety percent of that time trying to figure out how to ask you on a  date or if you were already taken. That guy sees you all the time and he  doesn't notice you. And that's because he only sees himself. It's how  they are."

I opened my mouth to say something. Although I wasn't sure what.

"That's beautiful. Now Romeo, if you could get me a Maker's Mark that'd  be great," Stone's annoyed voice stopped me from having to say anything  at all.

"Sure thing," Jerry said with his easy smile. He'd just bashed Jasper  and the rest of them, but he was smiling at Stone like he'd said nothing  wrong.

"Don't you have a job to do?" Stone asked me. His tone condescending as usual.                       
       
           



       

I wanted to point out that he wasn't my boss. He worked for Jasper just  like I did. But I kept my mouth shut and gave him a short quick nod.  With my head held high, I walked away.

I didn't look at Jasper. I didn't look at anyone. I focused on my job.





Jasper

I PUT SASHA DOWN AND watched as Stone said something to the bartender  and Beulah. She looked upset. I wasn't sure what he'd said but he had  been rude. That much I could bet on.

I had barely looked her way all night. There was no reason for him to be  a jackass. Annoyed, I walked over to Stone just as he was getting his  whiskey. "What did you say?" I asked him, glancing back at the house  where Beulah had walked inside.

"I didn't say anything to her. Jesus. I was ordering a fucking whiskey.  God knows I need one to deal with this shit. Bunch of elitist shits."

He always acted like he wasn't from the same crowd. From the same home  life. He was just like us, only he was angry about it. "I saw you. She  walked off looking like she'd been slapped. Lay off all right? She isn't  doing anything to deserve that."

Stone smirked then, and turned his eyes toward the bartender who I  realized was listening to us as he made a martini. "She might be  working, but she's flirting too. I just heard this guy ask her out."

What? I noticed the guy then. He had my complete attention. "You asked  her out? She works three jobs. She can't go out." As I said the words, I  felt like a jerk.

His eyebrows shot up. "Really? I told her I had two jobs. She never mentioned she had three. Damn she's really something."

He was impressed. The admiration was obvious in his eyes. As it fucking  should be. He was smart. Any smart man would ask Beulah out. She  probably got asked out a lot.

"Did she say yes?" I asked.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Stone growled beside me. "What is wrong with you? Jesus she's the help."

"You need better friends," the bartender said and Stone ignored him. He wasn't one to get worked up over other's opinions.

"I'm going to find her." I didn't have to explain myself. Stone would  bitch about it, reminding me why I shouldn't run after her, and he would  be right. But I was going after her anyway. She'd been upset by  something Stone had said. I knew he did.

"Whatever," was Stone's response.

I was almost to the door when the caterer came walking out with food  instead of Beulah. She paused when she saw me. "Is something wrong Mr.  Van Allan?"

"Where's Beulah?"

The lady frowned. "I sent her to change shoes."

Change shoes? "Why?"

She didn't look very pleased with me but she was trying to hide it.  "Because the shoes that have been provided for her uniform are two sizes  too small. She's struggling to walk around."

Holy hell! That was why she was limping. Motherfucker! Why didn't she  said something? "Where is she?" I asked, walking inside not waiting for a  reply.