Leaning against the round couch was Thomas and what she assumed were a few of his friends. Of course, her first customer would be him. She swallowed hard. "$30," she said, trying to avoid eye contact.
He let out a snorting laugh. His eyes ran over her body, making her hand, holding the tray, tremble. He was at least in his late twenties; why was he looking at her this way? "Oh, so cold. Don't be that way, sweetheart~" He pulled his wallet out of his pocket. "Are you being this way 'cause I got you and your little boyfriend thrown in jail, baby? You were just cultural damage on that." His friends laughed beside him, but this wasn't funny to her. Going to jail wasn't fun.
She placed the card reader on the table, sliding it across at him. It slammed against his chest.
"Okay, kitty, I see you've got claws. I like that."
She glared at him, just wishing he would scan the damn card so she could leave. "How is that boyfriend of yours? Is he here tonight?" He twirled the card between his fingers.
She let out a huff. "Can't you just scan your card?" he shook his head no with a smile. "No, he's not," she said, hoping he'd scan his card now, but she was wrong "So, he is your boyfriend?" Why the hell did he even care? she thought to herself. It wasn't any of his business. He could read the frustration on her face. "Oh, I see. You're just his dirty little secret, right? Am I right?"
She swallowed hard. She didn't really mind that she and Blake didn't have labels, but the way Thomas was talking didn't sit right with her. Maybe she felt a bit guilty. She wasn't his secret—she'd met his family and his friends. He was more like her secret. Apparently, her not answering gave Thomas all the information he needed, because a smile spread over his lips.
"Is there a problem here?" Chris said suddenly from behind Emma, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's not Emma's fault you lost your race with Blake a few months ago. You should have finished the race, Thomas." Chris said, taking the tray of drinks from Emma's hands, setting them on the table.
Thomas pressed a few buttons on the card scanner before scanning his card with a grin. "I got exactly what I wanted that night, and I know exactly what I need to know now." He slid the scanner back to her. She picked it up off the table.
Chris rolled his eyes. "Whatever, weirdo. Just stay away from her. I may not be able to kick you out of the club because you technically haven't done anything, but I can still kick your ass, so don't try shit." Chris glared at him before leading her away. "I told Whitney not to make you give Thomas and his dick friends their drinks and to let one of the other girls do it," he said in a frustrated voice.
She looked down at the card reader.
"Claire was the one that told me to go to the table; she probably didn't know all the drama going on." On the card reader, it showed Thomas had left her a $50 tip, and a message was underneath. She tapped the message to read it:
-Thanks for the info ❤️
Her heart stopped in her chest. What kind of information did she give him that he was so happy about? As they reached the bar door, she took a minute to look back, seeing Thomas already looking at her. He was on the phone, having an intense conversation. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.
"Come on, Emma. I'll make sure to let Claire know to let one of the other girls take drinks to him the rest of the night," Chris said in a soft voice, leading her back behind the bar with the other girls. And although Emma didn't serve him the rest of the night, she could feel him watching her every moment, most of the night, putting her on edge, hoping what she said tonight wouldn't come back to bite her in the butt later.
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
