The Dealers

Chapter 25 - Lena

When the leggy brunette walked into the bar, my first thought was that I admired how sexy and confident she was in that red dress that barely covered her up. But then, as she made her way through the club and over to Noah—my Noah—I found the jealousy and anger hard to bare.

Was that what Noah felt constantly? I suddenly understood his brash overreaction to other men going near me. I, too, felt the urge to pummel that bitch for even talking to him. Still, I kept my composure because for one, I was at work and two, she seemed to know him.

Noah tried so hard to play it off as if he didn't know her at first and I was supposed to believe he just didn't recognize her? Did he have eyeballs? It was impossible to miss her.

They worked together? There was still so much I didn't even know about what Noah did for a living. He went off on work trips—with women that looked like Nora—and I was supposed to just be okay with knowing nothing?

I tried my best to contain the jealous rage building up in me and the urge to yell at Noah over the bar and demand he tell me the truth. Instead, when I just couldn't take it anymore, I walked away.

Bursting through the back door leading to the loading dock, I didn't care that I left the bar unattended on a busy Saturday night. I could barely keep myself together at that point and the tears were threatening to spill down my cheeks.

"Lena?" I heard Jacob's familiar voice as he came out of the walk-in freezer with Dorian in tow.

The familiarity and comfort of Jacob's voice was almost enough to cry into his shoulder and let everything out. But, I continued to hold it in. Instead, I swiped the lone tear that had broken lose down my face and turned to him with a fake smile on my face.

Jacob didn't buy it and neither did Dorian.

"I'll cover the bar until you're able to close out the register." Jacob told me as he pulled me in for a friendly hug.

I nodded and Jacob headed off to the bar to take over the surely backed up drink orders.

I was grateful for Jacob going out there for me since, I surely couldn't face Noah and Nora.

Oh, how cute—Noah and Nora.

I wanted to throw up but I realized that Dorian was still standing there staring at me.

"What happened? He asked. His usual cocky attitude was gone and a look of genuine concern was on his face instead.

"Nothing." I bit at him because he was the last person I wanted to talk to about anything.

"Oh, nothing, huh?" Dorian teased me as he came around to face me after I tried turning away from him.

"Look, I'm sorry for earlier." Dorian sighed as he referred to when I first got to work.

"It's fine." I lied. I would say anything to get him to leave me alone.

"Can I just have a minute?" I said, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions.

Dorian gestured to two large, overturned crates beside us and I sat down. Unfortunately, he sat beside me.

"—I meant alone." I added but he didn't waiver.

"I was out of line earlier." He continued but rehashing everything with him wasn't something I had the capacity for at the moment.

When I first arrived for my shift earlier that evening, Dorian was insistent that we talk privately. Not interested in anything he had to say, I refused and so he proceeded to do it in front of staff and customers alike at the bar.