Chapter 15

Cora

T oday is my first day working at Zack’s club. Or I should say night. I wanted to start immediately the next day. Why sit around and wait?

But, they both insisted since a lot has happened in the past week with me moving here and the auction. They wanted me to take a week to settle in before jumping into something new.

A whole week sitting on my ass while they worked sounded like a horrible idea. Too much time on my hands to over think. And I knew I would.

So, I agreed to a few days and I’d start Wednesday night.

The past few days haven’t been too bad. I’ve been mostly dealing with the banks, finding out what cards needed to be paid off first. The bank's financial adviser said it was best to pay my outstanding debt first, and worry about my father’s later so I can start building back my credit. Not sure how many years it’s going to take me, though. I can’t finance a house or car, evenif I wanted to.

Eventually, I’ll get a car, save up to buy it outright. One less thing to worry about.

It took a huge weight off my shoulders getting all the paperwork showing I was clear. That all the damage he did to me has been taken care of. But it doesn’t fix the scars he left behind.

That doesn’t matter right now. What matters is getting work, saving up and paying the rest off. It’s going to take a few years, but if I really work hard, I should be able to do it. I’ve already set up with the bank to take most of my checks straight to paying things off.

“You look cute,” Kimmy says as I stand, looking at myself in the body length mirror.

“Are you sure?” I ask, running my hands down my body. I’ve never felt so formal before. Yes, my past uniforms have been black, but I just bought things from Walmart. These are a Kimmy original.

“Yes,” she says, stepping into the room. My eyes meet hers in the mirror and my belly flutters. We’ve been practically inseparable whenever she’s home. She’s been coming into my room, crawling in my bed where we will spend hours talking, laughing and it’s been like a dream. A dream I never want to wake up from.

But it’s also left me with conflicting feelings. She’s trying to be my friend, and here I am falling hard and fast for her again.

Am I that starved for love that I’ve made myself feel something so strong for the two of them in under a week. Am I thinking too much into it? Are these feelings even real or is it my mind making things up.

“Cora?”

My eyes blink, Kimmy’s face coming back into focus and I realize I zoned out. “Sorry.” My cheeks flush.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” I smile and nod. “Just in my own head. Nerves I guess. I’ve never worked at a high-end place before and these clothes.” I look down.

“You don’t like them?” she asks, tilting her head to the side.

“No, I love them. I think it’s the fanciest thing I’ve ever owned.”

When Kimmy asked me my size, I didn’t think she would bring me home something from her shop. The pants are a perfect fit and make my ass look like I actually have one. The shirt is more of a blouse with buttons on the front.

Something that hasn’t changed is our feet are the same size, so when I refused to let her buy me shoes, she went into her massive closet and grabbed me a pair of hers.

I didn’t want to know the brand or how much they are because if I ruin them, I feel like my soul might leave my body. She doesn’t seem worried about it, reminding me just how much money they have.

Even when my dad was with Rose, I never got used to the amount that my new family had. My dad sure as hell enjoyed it, but me? I didn’t like to just spend it wildly. No point in owning things you don’t need, when you can buy things that are almost the same for insanely cheaper. I could be the richest person on the earth and no one would know it because it wouldn’t change anything. Okay, that's a lie. I’d use it to buy a nice little house and car, maybe take a few trips, but that's about it.

Kimmy doesn’t say anything and just smiles. I can tell she wants to say more, but I’m thankful she doesn’t.

“Ready to go?” Zack appears in the doorway. He looks at his wife and winks before turning to me.

I want to squirm under this gaze as his eyes travel over my body. The way he’s looking at me right now; does he not realize his wife is watching?

“You look good.” His voice has a bit of a husky rasp to it.

Kimmy doesn’t seem to notice, or care. “Doesn't she? Like her hair? I helped.” She grins. She did. She put it up in a pretty updo with some curly pieces of my bangs.

“It looks great,” Zack says, eyes still on me.

Can he hear how my heart is pounding in my chest? Does he know my body is breaking out in a sweat?

He used to love me. He used to want me. I still don’t know what to do with that.

“I’m ready.” I manage to find my voice.

“Have a good first day,” Kimmy says, giving me a hug. I hold on to her a little bit longer than I should. But I can’t help it. Her touch, it settles something inside me. Or maybe it’s me being afraid that if I let go, I’ll lose her.

When she pulls back, she surprises me by kissing my cheek lightly. It was a friendly kiss but the way my cheek burns and my belly clenches. It’s much more than that to me.

I WAS NERVOUS AT FIRST , but after being here for an hour, I love it. The music is amazing, and I find myself singing along. For the most part, the customers are nice. There have been a few guys whose eyes linger a little too long and some who tried to flirt with me, but Trenton, the second bartender, would step in like a pro and save the day.

Not that I didn’t enjoy some of the attention, at least from the more subtle men, but I’m at work. And work is not a place to pick up guys. Even if they are really good looking.

The attention I’m getting isn’t like at my old job. It’s not sleazy gross old guys.

“Hey, Cora,” Trenton says. “Do you wanna go on your break now?”

“Oh. Ah yeah, sure, I guess.”

He chuckles, he has a nice laugh. “You look a little surprised.” When he smiles, I can’t help but look a little longer than I should. Trenton is a good looking man, blond hair, tall, muscles and I even see a few tattoos.

“Sorry.” I laugh, speaking a little louder to be heard over the music. “My old work hated when we took breaks.”

His brows jump and my cheeks heat. “Well, your old work sucks. Zack hates it when we don’t take breaks. The idea of us overworking ourselves pisses him off.”

“Sounds like Zack.” I laugh.

“Come on. It’s pretty chill right now, Hailey and Robin have this. I’ll take my break with you.”

“Okay.” I smile, a little excitementhitting me.

I follow Trenton to the staff room. I can’t get over how nice it is in here. Leather couches that look brand new. Vending machines that don’t cost anything and a fridge filled with drinks. I’m in awe with how Zack runs this place.

It’s exactly what you would think a fancy nightclub would be with black and gray but it feels safe. I’ve never felt safe at work before. How fucking sad is that.

I’ve also never really talked to my co-workers before. None of the girls ever tried to be friendly but I don’t blame them. None of us wanted to be there, we had to be there. Every shift was like pulling teeth. All to be treated like we’re nothing but a piece of meat and getting shitty pay for it.

I nearly choked when I saw how much I was getting paid an hour. Fifty dollars. That's more than some lawyers make. The average for bartending in Detroit is about fifteen. Even the fancy places get maybe twenty-five. But not Zack. And from what Hailey, one of the other bartenders that’s working tonight, said when we had a chance to chat, Zack pays his servers at his restaurant the same thing.

I’m in awe of that man and the pride I feel for him is almost suffocating. He turned into one of the good ones. No, one of the amazing ones.

Trenton grabs some waters from the fridge and brings one over to me. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He grins and we sit on the couch. “So, Cora, tell me about yourself.”

“Me?” I ask, suddenly feeling nervous. “Ah, well. I was born in Los Angeles. Stayed there until I was fourteen. My dad got married and we moved here to Detroit. Sadly, they got divorced when I was seventeen and we moved to Utah for my dad’s work. And that's where I was until a few weeks ago.” I give him a friendly smile. No way I’m getting into my hot mess of a life with a stranger. A cute, nice stranger at that.

“What brings you back to Detroit.”

Not telling him I came back to sell my body to a room full of rich strangers. “Needed a new start. My father died and I had nothing in Utah.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss.” He gives me a sympathetic look.

I’m not. “Thanks.”

“Well, I’m glad you came back. This place is an amazing place to work, trust me. And, the perks are you get in free when you're not working, and the drinks are free too.”

“Really?” My eyes widen. Not that I care for the free drinks part seeing how I don’t drink much, but that's amazing.

“Yeah, I’m telling you, Zack is an amazing boss. It’s hard to get a job here though. How did you manage to get it?”

That has me laughing. “Nepotism?” I don’t even feel bad about it.

He gives me an amused smile. “Ah, know the boss then.”

“Yup. Old friend. And, well he used to be my step-brother.” So weird to say that seeing how I had a dream last night where I was the middle of a Kimmy and Zack sandwich.

“Well, shit.” he laughs. “Yeah, that would do it. But hey, it got you here and I got to meet you.” He winks. “Look, I know we just met, and please tell me if I’m being too forward, but any chance you want to grab a drink this weekend? A group of us usually come here during the day when it’s pretty dead before we start our shift.”

I chew on my lower lip. He wants to hang out? I’ve never been asked by any of my co-workers to hang out with outside work before.

Part of me wants to say no, but another part of me wants to say fuck it. Life is short and it’s time I start living my life.

“You know what, I’d love that.” I smile. “It’s a date.” My eyes widen and my cheeks flush as he grins. “Shit, sorry, I just meant—”

“I know what you meant,” he chuckles. “And hey, maybe if I can win you over by the end of the night, we could make it into just that.”

My body flushes. “Maybe.” Am I flirting?

What is wrong with me. I’ve been confused about my feelings for Kimmy and Zack. I shouldn’t be entertaining the idea of dating someone right now.

But why not? Zack and Kimmy are married. Why torture yourself pining after something you're never going to have?

BY THE TIME MY SHIFT is over, my feet hurt, I have a bit of a headache and I can’t wait to get back home and crawl into bed. But as I walk through the empty club with Trenton, I’m in a good mood.

“Need a drive home?” Trenton asks.

I’m about to say yes, because even though Zack brought me here tonight, I wasn’t sure if he was picking me up. Not that he would have to, it’s not his job.

“She has one.” Zack’s voice has my head snapping over to find him standing a few feet away, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dress pants. He’s always in a suit. Except when he’s not. Like in the early morning when he comes down to the kitchen in low slung PJ bottoms that have my mind thinking downright naughty things.

“Oh, cool. Hey, boss.” Trenton nods at Zack.

“Trenton.” He nods back.

“See you later, Cora. I'm glad you're working here. See you tomorrow.” He grins, gives me a wink that has me laughing and leaves.

When I turn to face Zack, I find him watching Trenton with a hard look on his face. “Thanks for coming to get me. You didn’t have to. I could have found a way home,” I tell him.

He drags his eyes over to me and pushes off the wall, taking a few steps forward until he’s towering over me.

My pulse starts to race as I tip my head back to look up at him. I don’t move. My body can’t seem to, even if I wanted to.

“I wanted to,” he says. There's that husky voice again. “It’s no problem. How was your night?”

I swallow hard. “Good,” I whisper.

His eyes hold mine for a moment. “Good.”

He wraps his arm around my lower back and guides me to his car. I don’t say anything, I can’t fucking breathe whenever he touches me.

My mind thinks all the wrong things. He’s a married man, Cora. To an amazing woman. What is wrong with you?

When we get to the car, I find Kimmy in the front seat. “Oh, hey.” I smile, a feeling of joy filling me at seeing her. I’m so fucked.

“Hey, babe.” She grins at me through the open window.

I get into the back seat. As we drive home, they ask me how my night was and I spend the whole way home word vomiting, but I can’t help it. It was a good night. And my co-workers are awesome people. I might even make some new friends.

God, that sounds so stupid. I’m twenty-seven and I’m excited about making friends. I really do need a life.

To be fair, I didn’t get the chance to have one until now.

As we get into the house, Zack stops and looks at me. “You know, you seem to mention Trenton an awful lot.” He raises a brow and crosses his arms.

“Ah, yeah.” I clear my throat, my eyes a little wide as I’m taken aback. “He was working next to me all night. He’s really nice and was awesome with showing me the way to do things. Why, should I not be friends with him or something?”

“Not that.” Zack grunts. “He’s a good guy. Hard worker. Respectful to the staff.”

“Oh, good.” I smile. “That makes me feel a lot better with accepting his invite to hang out.”

“You're hanging out with him?” Kimmy asks.

“Yeah.” I shrug as we head into the kitchen. I’m dying for a late night snack. “He asked me to hang out with him and some of the others before work on Saturday.”

“So, it’s not like a date or anything?” Kimmy asks.

“No,” I say slowly. Why are they acting weird. “But, who knows. Trenton is nice. Good-looking. And I’m starting over, finally living my life. Why not start dating? I have the time for it now. No one holding my life hostage.” I snort out a laugh, looking down as I pick the sticker off my apple. “Maybe I can break my life of celibacy and let loose.”

Both a choking sound and a growl fill the air. I look up to find Kimmy’s eyes wide and a scowl on Zack’s face.

“Are you two okay?” My brows furrow. “Are you mad at me or something?” My eyes widen. “Shit, I didn’t ask for this.” I hold up the apple. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” Zack says, clearing his throat. “No one is mad. Sorry. Just a long day. And Cora, this is your house. Never, and I mean never, ask before you eat something. Have what you want, as much as you want, and if we don’t have it, just ask.”

“Oh.” I smile, biting my lower lip. “Thanks.”

Kimmy and Zack share a look. A long look that I don’t understand. “I’m going to head up to bed now, if that's okay. I’m pretty tired.”

I don’t want to be rude and would love to hang out with them but I can feel my eyes shutting and my body swaying.

“Of course.” Kimmy steps forward and gives me a hug. “Get some sleep, babe. We’ll see you in the morning.”

Once I’m done with my apple, I toss it in the bathroom trash and take a shower.

I don’t even bother to get dressed before I plop down on the bed. My eyes are so heavy, they already begin to close before my head hits the pillow.

I ended up dreaming things that have me waking up needy. Things that will make me unable to look Zack and Kimmy in the eyes.

Yeah, I think spending time with Trenton might help. Maybe he can get these thoughts out of my head.

Wishful thinking.