Sweet Rush

Four

The days fly by quicker than I can keep up with and just like that, Friday is back. Unfortunately this is the time where the bartenders need to show more skin than usual. It's literally a policy and makes the bar more profit as college kids and married men come in on these nights. The science behind it is that the more slutty you look the more they keep hitting on you increasing the number of drinks sold. Even though I don't really wish to see eye to eye with this policy, I can understand the logic.

That's the harsh truth about capitalism- sex always sells. I pair my almost nothing short black dress with my go-to leather jacket and dash out the apartment towards the bus stop.

Just shy of five minutes late, I enter the bar, the music is up, young people are already present and I can feel my battery depleting with every step I take that gets me closer to starting my shift. I head behind the bar gathering everything I need before people start requesting drinks. The bar easily becomes packed, keeping me occupied. I get the strange urge to look up towards the office directed above the bar and when I do I wish that the floor could swallow me up. Jane standing in a white button up and navy blue pants stares down at me, unwavering when he sees me looking right back at him. My control to stop myself from checking him out is impaired by nature. His hands are planted in his pockets and his expression is neutral, yet I can see the concentration in his gaze. It's as if I'm hypnotized by his beauty because no matter how much I try I can't seem to rip my eyes away from him.

"Are you gonna get my drink or not?" The old man awaiting his whiskey asks sizzling with annoyance, pulling me out of Jane Pritchard's trance. With warmth rushing my face, I compose myself before answering.

"Of course." I say with a pulled smile. I scramble around for a few minutes before gaining balance of my ship, trying my best to keep steady.

If those eyes could've bore holes through my body, I'd be a sponge. I discreetly glance up every now and again to see if he's still there and like a freaking creep he is. There's a difference between looking down at the bar to overseer the workers and staring at someone in particular. I know the difference.

I can't tell if I'm flattered or concerned, either way that still doesn't solve my paycheck dilemma that I need to talk to Jane about. I decide to do it in my lunch hour. The week had rolled away so quickly and I didn't want to pester Jane about my pay so quickly. I just thought I'd wait it out until he calms down and can comprehend how ill-considered his reasoning is.

After concocting Grumpy's Irish whiskey, I plop it in front of him, some liquid spilling from the glass and trickling in between my forefinger and thumb. He gives a tiny smile before drawing it nearer to him, causing a bit more spillage.

When my lunch rolls around I diabolically drag myself towards Jane's office. I had realized earlier on, that senior Pritchard was not going to be at the bar for a while so I'll just have to deal with Jane. I knock on the door, with a bitter taste of deja vu before I am given permission to enter. I swallow it down before stepping inside.

"Thank God it's you." Jane sighs as soon as I enter the room and I'm taken aback by his statement. Not only that but he'd actually picked up his head from off his phone screen and gave me his attention.

"Why would you say that?" I struggle to hide the confusion in my tone and face.

"Because Crystal has been visiting me all morning." He sounds about five minutes away from a temper tantrum, and I almost decide not to ask him about my pay again. On the other hand, seeing him so troubled with Crystal nearly kills me because I've been putting up with her for months and I'm nowhere near as frustrated as he is.

"Okay well I just want to let you know that I'm still not satisfied with what my pay is. It's two hundred dollars short and that's not okay. It's borderline illegal." I say firmly hoping he's in a state of mind to negotiate. He stays silent for a moment before standing up and walking towards me. He's not as close as he was last time and I try to ignore that nudge in me wishing he can invade my space like he did before. To suffocate it, I secure my arms across my chest.