Beautiful Rose (6 page)

“And let me guess, you hired her because she’s such a hard worker?” she sneered. She turned back to me. “Keep your little hands off my fucking boyfriend, okay? Don’t look at him, don’t touch him, don’t even think about him when you’re lying alone at night in your bed, touching yourself. Okay?”

My mouth dropped open in shock. She could not be serious. Who says that?

“Who the hell do you think you are? You don’t know me, so don’t pretend you know what I’m thinking,” I spat out. She glared at Jack, as if waiting for him to defend her. He looked as shocked as everyone else in the room. My heart raced as the silence became even quieter, until Harmony stamped her foot like a two-year-old not getting her way.

“Well, don’t let me interrupt your little meeting. Baby?” she said sweetly to Jack. “I’ll be in your bed.” She walked over to the staircase. When she reached the first step, she turned back to me, her eyes narrowing. “Keep
out
of my way. And trust me honey, you don't want to mess with me.” She started up the stars. Before I knew it, I was responding.

"Oh, honey . . .” I mimicked. She turned and glared at me. “. . . Your insecurities are showing." I looked back to Jack and my eyes swept over his chest, stopping briefly at the fly of his jeans. With a devilish smile, I turned back to her. "And thanks for the suggestion. Now I know what
I'll
be doing in the bathtub tonight." I winked at her.

She gasped and then flounced up the stairs, her heels clicking loudly with each step, followed by the slam of the door. No sooner than it had shut, a collective sigh of relief filled the room.

“Well, she seems lovely,” I joked, trying to break the silence. It worked. Darcy started to howl with laughter and the guys all shook their heads, like they felt sorry for Jack.

“Oh, we are going to get along fine.” Darcy giggled, grabbing my hand. “Do you want a drink? Jack, is that okay?” she said, turning to him. He nodded and waved his hand. Turning back to me, she smiled. “Wine? Beer? Soda?”

“I’ll have a wine. White. Dry, if you have it.”

Darcy chatted as she poured us both a glass of wine. I instantly liked her. She was friendly and not at all catty, the complete opposite of the whirlwind that just flew upstairs. Jack’s girlfriend. The fact that he was taken upset me, but the fact that he was with
her
baffled me.

I glanced back at Jack. His eyes were on me, and he made no attempt to hide that fact. I swallowed the lump that was in my throat and stared back at him. Our eyes locked for a moment, until he turned away. I breathed out, trying to keep my composure.
I will not turn to mush, I will not turn to mush.

What the hell was I even doing? He not only had a girlfriend, he had possibly the worst girlfriend in the history of the world. She would rip my head off and spit down my throat if I even looked his way. Why was he even with that psycho? I tried not to be a judgmental person, but that chick had some serious issues. She
made
me look sane.

I followed Darcy over to the sofas down near the stage.

“Wow. That was epic.” She giggled. “Seriously, I’ve never seen Harmony so pissed off!”

Harmony? Of course her name was Harmony.

“Do you think Jack was annoyed at me? I mean, she
is
his girlfriend,” I added, still nervous that I’d taken things too far.

Darcy waved her hand. “Harmony is a bitch. Besides, the way Jack was looking at you…” She whistled, before bursting into another round of giggles. I laughed, my body beginning to relax. I didn’t lose it often, but if someone pushed me far enough, I didn’t hesitate to fight back. When it came to people like Harmony, I didn’t need much pushing.

“Why is Jack with her?” I asked. “I mean, he’s hot, friendly, and I’m sure he could have anyone he wanted.”

“It’s weird. He knows what she’s like, and it’s almost like he’s with her because of what she’s like.” Darcy thought for a moment. “Does that make sense?”

I nodded. It made perfect sense.

“I remember Benj telling me about Jack, back when he first came over here. He was pretty messed up. Drank a lot, and played guitar—that was pretty much all he did. No women at all.” Darcy glanced over at the guys. “A guy like that always has women, you know? Fuck, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.” She laughed. I joined in, her words rolling around in my head.

What had hurt him so much that he felt like he deserved someone like Harmony?

“So, do you live around this area?” she asked me.

“Just temporarily, at the moment. I’m looking for somewhere more permanent,” I replied, taking a sip of my wine. Not a lie. I
was
looking for somewhere more permanent. I just left out the fact that I was planning on sleeping in my car until I found that place.

“Oh, really? Are you thinking of sharing, or living by yourself?” she asked. “I know someone who might be looking for a roommate.”

“Really? Yeah, I was thinking of finding a room somewhere. I couldn’t afford to live by myself,” I chuckled. My quick look through the classified ads this morning had confirmed that.

“It’s my friend’s apartment. She lives in the same complex as Benj and me. I’m not sure if the room is still available, but I’ll find out.”

“That would be fantastic.” I smiled. “I’ll give you my number and you can pass it onto her, if she’s still looking.” I waited as she pulled out her phone, and then gave her my number.

“Did you work here before Jack took over?” I asked her.

“Yes, I’ve worked here for about two years now. It’s how I met Benj.” Her face lit up as she glanced back over toward him. I smiled. I’d only known her for two seconds, but I could already tell we were going to be friends.

“You’re lucky, to have someone like that,” I said, an edge of sadness to my voice. I'd never had anything like that. Sure, I'd had boyfriends, but that was ‘Rose trying to act normal’ not the deep unconditional devotion I could see these two had.

“I know I am.” She smiled at me. “I take it there is no special guy in your life? Or girl,” she added, giggling.

“Nope, no one. Not yet anyway.” I forced myself to smile.

“Not yet, huh? You have your eye on someone then?” she asked mischievously.

I blushed. “No. I mean . . .” I covered my face with my hands. I wasn't ready for this kind of conversation. Darcy laughed and glanced back at Jack, shaking her head.

Oh shit, was it that obvious? Did she even need to ask who it was? God, if
she
knew then Jack had probably picked up on it, too. I groaned, suddenly feeling sick.

“Relax, Rose, it’s not that bad. I’m a pretty perceptive person. And if you ask me, it’s not just you.” I lifted my head, my brow furrowing. What did she mean by that? Before I could ask, Benj came over, followed by Ash, and then the others. I tucked away my anxieties, my eyes on Jack as he, too, walked over. What the hell had she meant by that?

Chapter Six

Jack

"What the fuck was that about?" I yelled, slamming the door shut. Harmony stood in front of me, hands on hips, her lip curled up into a sneer. I was so damn sick of all this drama. It was one thing after another with her, and I was nearing the end of my tether. Even the sound of her voice was beginning to drive me insane. It was just a constant whine in that high-pitched fucking voice. And the way she just went off at Rose for no reason? That wasn't cool.

"
You're
the angry one?" she gasped, her face animated with anger. "What about that little slut downstairs? Did you hire her so you can perve on her ass all night? Is that it? Give you something to think about while you're fucking me up the ass? You didn't even say anything when she said that shit to me!"

"I didn't say anything? Harmony, you attacked her! I've known her for ten seconds and you attack her for flirting with me? I don't blame the girl for fighting back. I sure as hell would've," I smirked. I couldn't believe she was behaving like this.

"You should have been on my side," she said through gritted teeth. Her voice was low, almost a growl. Yep, I could see it; slap a collar on her and she was my dog.

"You're being fucking ridiculous! Is this even about her, or does this come back to the fact that I didn't give you the job?" I asked. Harmony had never had a problem with other girls being around me before. She'd never said shit about Darcy, and she was cute—in an emo, schoolgirl kind of way.

She laughed harshly. "You think I give a shit about your job? Fuck you, Jack and fuck that skanky little slut downstairs."

"You don't know anything about that girl downstairs! I've known her for ten fucking minutes and I can already tell she has more intelligence in her little pinky than you do in our entire head! And class?" I tried to keep my breath even, and lowered my voice. "Tell me something, Harm. Do you ever wonder why men treat you like you're nothing but a piece of ass? Let me enlighten you---it's because that's all you are." I grabbed her purse and tossed it toward her, giving her an invitation to leave. "The next time you go attacking an innocent beautiful waitress, why don't you stop and think about keeping your mouth shut before someone slaps a muzzle on that filthy and disgraceful trap of yours." Harmony stared at me, mortified, before clutching onto her purse and storming out the door. I made no attempt to stop her.

The silence rang through my ears as I rested my head on the kitchen counter. My heart was beating so fast that I could feel the blood pumping through my veins. God, I was shaking. I was so angry with her, and annoyed at myself for asking her over. I should have seen this coming.

I thought it would be easier, having someone in my life who I could never love like that. But maybe it was easier not having anyone in my life at all. If only I could trust myself not to fall in love. I laughed to myself. That was it. Harmony wasn't my girlfriend. She was more like a guard dog. The only reason she was here was to stop love getting in. And I couldn't have been more obvious with the emotions that were starting to build for Rose. Snapping at Harmony was the first sign.

Holy shit, I was in trouble.

I gave it ten minutes before I headed back downstairs. There was no way they hadn't heard every single words of that fight. I felt embarrassed, and foolish that I could call someone like her my girlfriend. The guys were going to give me shit. I could handle that. What I wasn't looking forward to was facing Rose. Harmony's words echoed in my head as I pushed through the door.
Skank, slut, bitch
. I cringed, knowing I owed Rose an apology. I wouldn’t be surprised if she told me where to shove my job.

The guys stood gathered around the bar, their mouths hanging open. Rose and Darcy sat down the end, their faces just as shocked.

"What the fuck was that?" Ash finally asked, shaking his head.

"That was one pissed of girlfriend...Or maybe ex-girlfriend....Hell I don't know. Someone get me a beer." I leaned against the counter, rubbing my head. Ash jumped up and raced over to the tap. Moments later he pressed a beer into my hand.

"That didn't sound very good." Rose smiled sympathetically. "I get the feeling I've stepped on her toes."

"You heard all of that?" I asked, tension wrapping around my stomach.

Her eyes met mine. She blinked, and looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah, it was kind of hard not to," she replied, wincing.

Shit. I turned around and walked forward, toward the stage. This was not good.

"I'm sorry if I exacerbated the situation. I really hope I didn't make things worse for you with her."

I turned around and smiled at Rose, who had followed me away from the bar. I sat down. "She shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I should be the one apologizing to you," I added, wetting my lips as she sat down next to me. My arm brushed past hers. She bit her lip and moved her arm closer to her body.

She glanced at me, her eyes falling on my lips as my tongue ran over them. She looked away quickly. "Right, but I didn't have to push her buttons," she murmured, tilting her head toward me. Was she talking about...The thought of her lying in the bath, touching herself flashed through my head. "I'm just saying I could have handled that better,” she added, her cheeks flaming.

"I don't know, I kind of liked the way you handled that," I chuckled. Our eyes met for a moment. She grinned back at me, like she had just caught a glimpse of the guy she spoke to for an hour yesterday.

"Will you play me something?" she nodded toward my guitar.

“Will you sing?” I asked her.

She blushed. “No. I told you, I don't sing in public.”

“It's not in public Rose. It's me, and them.” I jerked my head towards the guys. She shook her head. I shrugged and stood up. “Then I guess we'll have to wait until you
will
sing in public.” I teased.

"Do you want something stronger?" Ash called out to me.

"No." Ash glanced up at the sharpness of my tone. "I'm okay with beer," I added, forcing a smile. The truth was, I hadn't had a sip of anything stronger than beer in three years. Too much of my life had been consumed by scotch. I'd lost count of the number of times I'd woken up, remembering nothing of the night before with a random woman in my bed. What scared me the most was ending up just like my father; old and alone, drinking until he was unable to feel his emotions. Three years ago that was exactly where I'd been heading.

"Okay, who’s up for poker?" I asked, ready to forget the last half hour had happened. Rose, now next to me, had followed me back over. I could tell she was annoyed that I didn't play for her. A little smile escaped my lips.

"I'm always up for taking your money, Jack," chuckled Ash. He grabbed the poker chips and threw them on the table. I glanced at Darcy and Benj, who shrugged and nodded.

"How about you guys?" I said to Alex and Rose. Alex nodded, setting down his glass. Rose made a face.

"I've never played before. Why don't I watch?" she suggested, shooting me a smile.

"You can spend the first few games watching me, then." I shuffled closer to her, trying to ignore the shortness of breath I was experiencing as I breathed in the scent of her shampoo. Coconut and Lime? Or maybe orange? I closed my eyes and breathed in. Definitely lime.