Enjoying Trouble (Trouble #3) (9 page)

Present

Janey

Standing at the bar, I looked around the empty club and waited for Jake to appear from the back. It hadn’t opened as yet and one of the beefy security men had let me in with a grin and wink. Even though I was as nervous as hell and felt like I was going to vomit, I took a deep breath and waited. The concept of being behind a bar and not in front of it drinking myself to oblivion was weird. I had no idea how Will could even think this was going to work. I wasn’t trustworthy enough to hold down a job; these people had no idea who they were signing up to work here.

“Who are you?”

I turned to see a girl step past me, her head down looking at her phone as she went behind the bar. She shoved her bag under the bar while reading something on her phone and then messaged someone back.

“I’m Janey.”

Her head whipped up in what looked like surprise for a second before she masked it and narrowed her eyes.

“I’m starting here tonight. I’m waiting for Jake?”

She looked me up and down for a moment longer and then huffed out a breath before muttering, “Aren’t we all?”

She started to prepare the bar for the night, our short conversation apparently over. I steeled myself and took a breath.

“And you are..?”

She opened the fridge and paused, looking over to me.

“Tilly,” she said coolly. I stared back at her, masking the anxiety that was crushing me inside. I may be lost in my pathetic life right now, but I wouldn’t let this girl get the better of me. Even if it felt like I was suffocating inside, I was a tough girl and she needed to know it.

“So how do you know Jake?” asked Tilly, loading bottles into the fridge.

“I don’t know him,” I said coolly. She closed the fridge door and started to flatten the empty beer box with her hands.

“I didn’t realise he was hiring,” she said next, looking me up and down again. Before I could respond, I heard my name called out and turned to see a guy walking towards me with a smile. This was obviously Jake - a six foot god-like specimen with a body you could spend days discovering.

“Don’t even think about it,” muttered Tilly. “He’s well and truly taken.”

So Tilly was with Jake and he was off-limits; I had found her weak spot. Noted.

“Nice to meet you, Janey. I’m Jake. I’ve heard great things about you,” he said whilst shaking my hand. I had no idea what great things he had heard. Was an abused runaway girl with a history of really fucking up and spending time in rehab considered great?

“They’re all lies,” I said with a smile. He laughed and motioned for me to come behind the bar.

“So you’ve met Tilly, I take it? She’s been here for a while now so if you have any questions through the night, just ask her. I’ll be around as well.”

“Okay,” I said, eyeing Tilly. She took her eyes off Jake for a moment to look at me. It could go either way with her - friends or enemies. I didn’t need any more enemies and this was also my chance to prove to myself that I could be capable at life. I would make this work, even if it killed me.

“Any customers that tell you to keep the change, the cash goes under the bar. Then we split it all up at the end of the night,” said Jake. I nodded, wondering how I would break it to him that this was my first time being on the other side of the bar. I wouldn’t last the night.

“Don’t move from the bar area unless you are on break, and don’t drink anything from the bar. That’s it.”

That was it? What about making drinks? Jake obviously saw the panic in my eyes and smiled, trying to reassure me.

“Tilly will do the hard drinks like cocktails. If you stick to straight spirits and beers tonight, you should be fine.”

His phone went off and he glanced at the screen. “I’ve got to take this, so I’ll leave you in Tilly’s capable hands,” he said, walking away to the front entrance. “Oh and just one more thing,” he called out. I turned back to him.

“Always stay on this level; never downstairs.”

“Okay,” I said, a little confused. He turned back around and continued on to the entrance, now talking to his caller.

“What’s downstairs?” I asked Tilly.

“It’s on a need-to-know basis,” she said, continuing to work while looking across the club to a large metal door. A bodyguard stood at the door, packed with an ear piece and gun holster.

“Right,” I said, feeling anything but. “So do you actually know what’s down there?”

“Maybe...,” she replied, enjoying that she had one up on me.

“What if someone asks me about it tonight?” I asked.

“They won’t,” she said. I let out a frustrated sigh, every muscle in my body wanting to me walk over there and ask the bodyguard to let me in.

“The water bottles need to be stacked in the fridge,” she said pointing to a box. I stepped over and opened the fridge, starting to load it with the bottles.

“So you and Jake, huh?” I said next.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, not looking at me. I hid my smile and continued to load the bottles.

“I don’t have eyes for him; I’m here to work and get my life sorted. Nothing else,” I added.

“Best you remember that.”

“I don’t forget anything,” I said coolly. She stopped to take me in again, assessing the situation between us, then she decided to play nice. “If someone tips you, you keep it in your own pocket, not under the bar. Don’t get under my feet, work as fast and hard as you can and we’ll get along fine.”

“Deal,” I said.

“And don’t take shit from anyone tonight. They smell fear a mile away.” I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Import beer bottles are here, beer on tap is over there, glasses under the bar. Spirits are behind us with the glasses under them. Put this card around your wrist and use it to activate the register. All drinks are listed on the screen for you to choose from. It’s pretty simple.”

“Sounds anything but simple, but hey, I like a challenge.”

“What the fuck?” I looked up to see a guy with wet, dark hair that sat just above his shoulders, standing at the bar, holding his keys and phone in his hands. He was staring at me in disbelief. I quickly looked down at my top and then back at him, wondering what was wrong. I wasn’t flashing anyone. I wiped at my nose, just in case there were any hanging bats in the cave.

“Sebastian, meet Janey. Janey, meet Sebastian, our other bartender,” said Tilly. Sebastian tilted his head in question at Tilly, who shrugged and went back to work. Sebastian went back to looking at me. I couldn’t fathom as to why he was looking at me like I was some insect to be studied but I didn’t like it.

“Take a picture,” I said, motioning to the phone in his hand. “It will last longer.”

Tilly laughed and Sebastian started to grin. He swung his phone up and took a picture of me.

“Is that for the spank bank later?” asked Tilly.

“You know it,” he said, winking at me as he came behind the bar. I watched him tie his hair back, getting ready for his shift. He was hot, but I would try my hardest to not even go there.

I was here to get my life on track.

Two hours later I was rethinking my “getting my life on track” plan. I hadn’t stopped to breathe from the moment the doors opened. I had managed to grasp the process of pulling beers from a tap; I had managed to work out the register. The rest I was still floundering with.

There was a constant barrage of people with the bar mostly four bodies deep at any given time. The speed of Tilly and Sebastian at the bar compared to me was in fact, hilarious if I had a sense of humour about it. They had finished two complete orders while I was still pouring one beer. Once things started to slow for a while, Sebastian pulled me away from the bar and showed me the back room where we could take our breaks. It wasn’t anything special, other than a room with a couch and some coffee-making facilities. He went on further to a door and went through so I followed him. It led to outside and the narrow side alley along the club. I watched him light a cigarette and then pass it to me.

“Thanks,” I said, taking it from him and inhaling. I blew the smoke into the cool early morning air and watched him. He leaned himself against the brick wall and smirked at me.

“So, you want to fuck after our shift?”

Yes. No. I really do. But I shouldn’t.

“No,” I said taking another drag of the cigarette. “I’ve had enough excitement for tonight, thanks.”

“You got a boyfriend?”

“No.”

“You want to do something quick right now?”

I laughed and shook my head. “No.”

“Your loss,” he said with a grin.

“You usually proposition girls like that?”

He nodded, still grinning.

“Does it work?”

“Always.”

“Well, I’m happy to be the first to deny you then,” I said taking another drag. “Is it always this busy?”

“Yep,” he said, checking his phone.

“So, what’s downstairs?” I asked next. He glanced up from his phone and cocked his head.

“Couple of rooms, cob webs, paperwork and a few computers – why?”

“Don’t worry,” I said, putting his response down to him not knowing about the clubs secret.

“Oh sorry – I thought you said upstairs,” he said with a smirk.

“You know what I said,” I returned.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

“Oh, please,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Or you would want me to take you there. You just might enjoy it,” he said thoughtfully, his eyes diving into mine.

“Enjoy what?” I asked, staring back at him.

“Sex and debauchery – the sweetest kind.”

My eyes narrowed at him and I asked, “Are you on drugs?”

“Why? Want some?” he threw back.

“I’m clean. Need to keep it that way.”

“Now that’s a real shame.”

“Some nights it is,” I said truthfully, throwing my cigarette into the laneway.

“So this is your first time working behind a bar isn’t it?”

I laughed. “How could you tell? I’m usually the one drinking heavily from the other side.” The door suddenly opened and Jake stuck his head out.

“Both of you inside now; Tilly is swamped.”

I quickly ducked in and started to make my way through the room until I heard my name and turned to see that they hadn’t come back in yet.

“She’s off limits, Seb. You’ll only get one warning.”

“You can’t blame me; she’s fucking hot.”

“There are strict orders that no one touches her. Fucking keep your dick in your pants.”

I heard the door start to open wider and kept on walking, like I hadn’t heard their conversation. What orders? Who had given them?

I was soon lost in the craziness of the bar again and didn’t stop until it was closing time. I finished cleaning up the bar and looked to Tilly who was getting her bag.

“You survived then,” she said, starting to tie her hair back into a bun.

“Just,” I said with a smile.

“Let’s get out of here. Seb can do the final things.”

“I heard that,” he said, appearing at the end of the bar.

“You were meant to,” she said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out from the bar.

“Looking forward to doing it all again with you tonight,” he called out.

“Please tell me you didn’t fuck him tonight,” muttered Tilly as we went out into the early morning.

“No I didn’t - why? Did you expect I would?”

“He only has to give the look and most girls drop to their knees.”

“I’m not most girls.”

She smirked at me and said, “I know. See you tonight, you did okay.”

“Liar,” I laughed as I went over to my car. She gave me a final wave as she drove away and I got into my car and let out a deep sigh. I was exhausted. I needed to go home and sleep until my next shift started. I started the engine and then checked my phone. There was a stack of missed text messages.

Will:
Hope all okay. Call me when u have ur break

Zac:
Brotherly advice - DON’T drink the merchandise tonight. Oh and good luck

Ava:
Hey babe, hope new job is going well! I’m can’t wait to come in for a drink ;)

Will:
Getting thousands of tips? I just know you would be…

Ava:
Wish you were here.

Will:
Is Jake looking after you?

Will:
Call me when you finish

I smiled and put the phone down, loving that they were all thinking of me. I had to prove to them all that I could do this, that I could be a normal, hard-working, upstanding citizen. I put the car in reverse, checked my rear view mirror and then frowned. Three black limousines appeared from the side alley, the same alley that I had my cigarette with Sebastian. They slowly pulled out onto the road and then disappeared into the morning. Too tired to even think about where they had come from or who was even in there, I backed out of my car space and headed home.