La Cosa Nostra, This Thing of Ours (4 page)

I have
a 1990 Jetta that has seen better days, but it is paid for. It gets me to where I need to go and is better than the bus or subway. After a couple of tries it starts like always.
Good girl
. I pat the dashboard before I head home. All I want is my bed right now. 

Chapter 4

I only get about f
our hours of sleep that night. I toss and turn, thinking about what the hell happened to me that night. I'm no prude, just not experienced. I had a boyfriend my senior year.  We had sex three times before we broke up. The first time was awkward and uncomfortable, the second and the third were better, but not what I would call pleasurable. 

I've been so busy
with work and school the past four years I've barely dated. Went on a couple of dates with Jax Page, my lab partner, but now we are just good friends. We've always had a flirting thing going on, and he is really good-looking, just never felt any chemistry. 

I've made out with
Jax, and this one time at a party when I was drunk, I kissed a cute guy. He was so drunk he was about passed out by second base. Other than those few times, I've given myself an orgasm a time or two, but damn, nothing has ever felt like it felt when Liam looked at me.
Shake it off, Harper. He is so out of your league. Not to mention a giant man whore, and spoiled rich kid
. Kid he is not, though. He is a man, a delicious hunk of a man. 

I just barely make
it through my two classes that day.

"Where's the fire?"
Jax comes running to catch up with me as I hurry to my car. 

"I was thinking I could get a nap in before work
," I tell him, not slowing my pace as he is now walking next to me. 

"How'd it go?"

"All right, I guess. Don't like the uniforms, but bartending is kind of fun." I leave out the part where I spilled a drink on Liam Tarseta. 

"I b
et you look smoking hot in it. You'll have to beat them off with a stick," Jax says, leaning up against the driver side door of my car. "If you need to you can tell them you have a boyfriend.  You know I would be more than happy to play that part."

Even though I just want to be friends,
Jax has made it very clear he wants more. He has the cutest, boyish grin. And tall, he's almost a foot taller than me. He is really athletic so he plays for the basketball team. Also, he's super smart. He's the one who is beating the girls off with a stick. Supposedly, he is waiting until after graduation to get serious with anyone, but I know he has had his fair share of one-nighters. 

"Yeah, you would sacrifice you
r freedom like that.  You are just so sweet." I smile at him, putting my hand on his chest. He shows me that grin while looking down at me.

"Hey, that's just the kind of guy I
am," he chuckles. Moving aside, he opens the door for me. "Hey, we are forming a study group over spring break. You in?" he says, leaning on the car door as I climb in. 

"Yeah, I need all the help I can get." He shuts my door as I start my car
. Giving me a wave, he jogs off to catch up with a group of girls. I just shake my head as I drive off.

My cell rings
just as I enter the house and I see it's my big brother, Easton. I had already ignored Tara's call because I knew I would never get her off the phone. I knew better than to duck one of my brothers' calls, though. If I didn't answer, I wouldn't put it past them to be in Chicago before night's end. 

"Hey
, E," I answer.

"What's up
, Sis?" Easton's cheerful voice greets me.

I am
very close to both my older brothers. They are, and probably always will be, living in Iowa helping dad with the farm. They're both your typical Iowan farm boys; muscular and know a hard day's work. Both my brothers are very attractive. They've got the girls eating out of the palms of their hands. Kade is a little bit of a male slut and the bigger of the two. He is, for lack of better word, a hothead, who loves a good fight. Whereas Easton is gentler, fighting is not his favorite thing. He would never back down from one, but would try to avoid it. Neither one would give a second thought to protecting me, though. 

"Just got done with class,
was going to take a nap before going to work. I got a new job at a swanky club, so I'm hoping the tips will be a lot better," I tell him, but I am going to leave out the fact that it is a gentlemen's club. I'm also not going to indulge him with the facts of my uniform, especially since he's my very overprotective big brother.

"So out late at night
then, huh?" I can already tell I'm going to get an argument. 

"Yes, but I got my mace.
I will always go straight from the club to my car. Don't worry yourself about it, E. If anything, you've taught me how to handle myself with big meathead guys," I laugh, referring to the many times that I had to wrestle my brothers apart when they would get in a row about something. I know how to protect myself thanks to them showing me all kinds of self-defense moves before I moved to Chicago. 

"When
are you coming home? Mom and Dad are missing you." What he really means is he is missing me and wants someone to pick on for a while.

"After graduation, finals will have me tied up during spring break
," I tell him. He tells me what has been happening on the farm, pretty much the same old stuff but a different day. After I finally get him off the phone I no longer have time for a nap. I make me some ramen noodles and get my work clothes together. They gave me five sets of everything, which I was very thankful for. I didn't have time for laundry except on the weekends. I put my work clothes in my bag before heading out.

Chapter 5

After I arrive at The Guardian, I head straight for the lockers. I am the only one in there except for a blonde named Donna. She is nicer than the other ones I'd met, but still she has a way of telling me not to get in her way.

I
leave the locker room to find John to find out what he wants me to do tonight.

"Hey
, Harper, little surprised you came back," he chuckles.

"Behind the bar
?" I ask, ignoring his sarcasm.

"I want you to take table 8,
9 and 10."

"Isn't 10 the
Tarsetas table, and I was hired for behind the bar?" I'm shocked and a little horrified at the same time.

"
Matty requested you tonight, so it's sink or swim time, my girl," he says, starting to walk away.

"I'll be behind the bar, John
," I yell after him, stopping him in his tracks. 

"I don't know if you are the smartest g
irl here or the stupidest one." He turns, shaking his head at me. After last night, seeing the way the girls flirt, sitting on some laps here and there, it's just not me. 

"Look, I
was hired for behind the bar. So that is where I'll be. I'll tell Matty that is what I want to do." I know that this might get me fired, but I'm not going to work here if I have to strut all over this club.

"Whatever." John rolls his eyes and walks away. 

"Hey, kid," Sarah greets me when I walk behind the bar. "You look tired." 

"I had an early class, didn't get much sleep." We make small talk
as the club starts picking up. We are super busy in no time, neither one of us having time to talk. I didn't realize a Tuesday night would be this busy, but I'm okay with it. Hell, if I have to be here at least I'm making money. 

I missed Salvatore walking in
, but I know he is here when Monica comes bouncing up to the bar ordering a glass of red wine that is reserved just for him. 

I chance a look at the table, which I regret immediately
, because those dark eyes are staring back at me. Monica just orders the wine and a Diet Coke. I take it Liam isn't much of drinker because I'm pretty sure that's all he had last night as well. 

I notice Liam doesn't ha
ve the redhead with him tonight. In fact, it is just him and his father right now.  

"Does Liam
Tarseta drink?" I ask Sarah when we get a slow minute. I don't know why I am asking, he just seems the drinker, partier type. At least that is how he is portrayed in the tabloids.

"Oh yeah, why do you ask?"
She raises one eyebrow at me.

"Just trying to get a feel for who drinks what." I lie, I real
ly don't care who drinks what. For some insane reason, I am interested in what Liam Tarseta drinks. 

"Shit,
Matty's here." I avoid eye contact with him as he goes to his table. 

"So,"
Sarah says as she brushes past me to go to the cooler. 

"I'm supposed to be waiting on his table tonight." 

"What? Wait, then why aren't you?" I don't have time to answer her because a very upset looking Matty is summoning me over to the table. I give Sarah a nice to know you look then walk with as much grace as I can over to the Tarseta table. The heat of Liam's stare on me makes my legs feel like jelly. 

"I wanted you working our table tonigh
t," Matty says when I reach the table.  

"Sarah was so busy she needed help.
Since that was what I was hired to do, I helped her," I lie through my teeth. I am not going to have this conversation with him right now. Not in front of everybody, especially the heated stare of Liam. I decide that I will come in early my next shift to have that talk.

"When you are given a table assignment
, I expect you to keep it, Harper." I can tell he wants to be upset, but can't be with the prying eyes of the men in the VIP section.

Not knowing what
to do or what to say, I turn and walk away. Before I get too far, I hear who I assume is Salvatore say, "I don't want some brunette bimbo waiting on me." I stop in my tracks and turn around. My mouth opens to tell the asshole where he can stick his comment.  Nothing comes out, though. I am speechless when I see the shock on Liam's face, which turns into a sexy half grin. He is daring me with his eyes to say something. I turn on my heels and return to the safety of the bar.

What the hell is with this family
, are they all jerk wads?
Yet, I can't help but wonder if Liam thinks of me the same way.
Why do you care what he thinks, Harper?
 

Trying not to care what he thought was hard no matter how much I tri
ed to push it out of my head. After four hours on my shift, I take a break, going into the locker room to drink a soda and get off my feet for a few minutes.

I had just popped the tab of my
Diet Coke when the door opens. Like déjà vu, Liam enters the locker room, except this time I am sitting with my legs crossed and fully clothed.