Until Series(91)

“Bill,” she says, looking at Cash. “I’m going to go now; I might see you guys this weekend. I’ll, um, let your Mom know.” She turns, walking back over towards cheap-ass suit Bill, who’s watching each step she takes. I have to hold myself back from going over and smashing his face into the wooden table.

“When are you going to stop fucking around?” Cash asks.

“She’s fucking innocent, man,” I mumble, shoving my plate away.

“So what, T? Because she’s not a fucking slut bag like the bitches you normally fuck, you aren’t interested?” he asks, and deep down I know he’s right. She was mine from the first time I laid eyes on her at my parents’ house. She was sitting outside, laughing with my mom; right then and there, I knew that she was mine. Then we became somewhat friends; one thing led to another the night of my niece’s birth. I finally had her under me, and she rocked my world with the news that she’s a virgin. Ever since that day, I try to avoid her.

“Gotta go,” I say; getting up, I throw some money on the table, and look at Liz one last time. Great! The guy is reaching across the table, putting her hair behind her ear. My blood boils. I know I need to get over it, or step up to the plate; but either way, I need to make a move. The guy looks over in my direction; his chin lifts in warning. “Game on, motherfucker,” I say under my breath, heading out the door.





Chapter 1




Liz


I get to the front door of the club and shove it open; my stomach is full of butterflies. In all the time I’ve lived here, I have never been inside this club. I never thought I would even visit, let alone come seeking employment here. The inside is dark, with the only light coming from the bar.

“Can I help you?” a very pretty older lady asks. She’s standing behind the bar, wiping out a glass.

“I, um, need to see Mike,” I say, taking another small step inside.

“Sure, honey. Come with me,” she says, walking me down a long hall. She opens the last door.

“Shannon, give me a minute,” Mike says, without looking up from his computer. “November added some new program on this damn thing, and now I can’t find my e-mail,” he grumbles. I smile and walk around the desk, take the mouse from him, and click on the e-mail icon. He chuckles, “Hey, darlin’. How are you?” He asks in the fatherly tone that I’ve come to love. Mike and my dad had been best friends until my dad passed away ten years ago. After his passing, Mike had helped my mom out with my brother and me whenever she needed an extra hand. I used to pray that Mike and my mom would get married, but they were never anything more than friends.

“Could be better,” I say, feeling the tears start to climb up my throat again.

“What’s wrong?” Mike asks, standing from the desk, pulling me over to the couch.

“Well, I need a job.”

“Okay,” he says, and I can tell he doesn’t know what to think. “What’s going on with the store?” he asks, and I can no longer control the tears.

“Tim stole all of our money, and I can’t tell my mom,” I cry, doing a face plant into his chest. I don’t know what happened to the brother that I used to know, the one who would come home at night to check in on me after our father passed away. We used to be close; then he moved away to school and everything changed. When I graduated from high school, I worked at a local factory for eight years, before it closed down due to the economy. Every week, when I got paid, I would put money away for savings. I have always loved to shop, and there were never any stores in town that carried anything that I would buy; so I made a plan, saved my money, and finally, my dreams were realized. “Temptations” was opened.

I sat up, looking over Mike’s shoulder. “Three months ago, when Tim came to visit, he asked if he could help me out in the store. I had been working so many hours and was exhausted, so I agreed. I didn’t know that the real reason he wanted to help me was so that he could rob me blind. Now he’s gone, and so is all of the store’s money…and mine. I can’t tell my mom what happened; she’s getting married in a few weeks and doesn’t need the added stress from this situation. I have a private investigator looking into finding Tim and the twenty-three thousand dollars he stole, but who knows how long that could take. I’ve already lost my apartment, and had to put everything I own in storage while I stay in the back room of the store. I thought that I was doing ok, until I got a notice two days ago saying that I was late paying the rent for the store. I can’t afford to lose my dream,” I whisper, my voice hoarse from crying.