Some guys leaned over the bar—buzzed on a Tuesday night—and eyed me. They looked like they worked down in the city, dressed in suits withI’m important, and everyone should know itsmirks.
I smiled at them and walked over. “Need anything else?”
“Your number, sweetheart,” the blond one said, eyes lingering on my tits.
My cheeks flushed, and I shook my head. “Sorry, I’m taken.”
The other one leaned closer to me, moving his fingers against my forearm. “It’s just your number. It won’t hurt.”
“I said no.”
I pulled my arm away from them, all my friendliness washing away, and walked toward some other customers at the other side of the bar. But the two guys didn’t stop staring at me with that look in their eyes.
Cruel. Disgusting. Terrifying.
Looks that I had seen so many times before when Mason would come home drunk and wanted to have sex with me, when he wouldn’t take no for an answer because he always got what he wanted. He wasthe man—or at least he thought he was.
“Come back here, sweetheart,” one of the men said again. “Didn’t mean to—”
Serena sat down in the seat in front of me, glancing over at the men and pulling me toward her. She pecked me on the cheek. “Hey, babe. How’s work?”
To my surprise, the guys took the hint, grabbed their drinks, and walked back to their table. I took a deep breath.
Serena glanced back at them and rolled her eyes. “Surprised they didn’t stay and ask for a foursome. Repulsive pigs. Don’t know when to take a hint.”
After a few moments, she rolled her eyes and glanced back at me, a huge grin crossing her face. “Anyway, I have news!” She clapped her hands together and squealed. “My internship offered me a full-time position!”
I pulled her into a hug from across the counter. “That’s great! I’m so excited for you! When do you officially start?”
“Monday, I’ll be full-time. Getting paid the big bucks.” She giggled. “Well, at least, more than what my internship paid me.”
My boss, Sal, walked up from behind Serena and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “New job? That’s great news! I’ve been trying to get Mia out of here forever.” He winked, let out a deep chuckle, and pointed to the bottle of whiskey. “Free shots on the house for that.”
Serena wiggled her brows and glanced at Sal’s departing figure as he disappeared into one of the back rooms. “Think I can get a sugar daddy like Sal?”
I grabbed her a shot and scrunched up my nose. “God, Serena, Sal is like eighty, and gross.”
Serena laughed and tipped the glass in my direction. “Hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
I playfully rolled my eyes and grinned at her. I was so happy that she had gotten a job. Everyone seemed to be moving on with their lives, and I was still stuck in school for another semester. I gulped, everything turning shitty all of a sudden.
“I saw Mason today,” I said, gnawing on the inside of my cheek.
Her eyes widened. “What the fuck? Where?”
“When I went to get the car at your house. He was parked out front.”
Her hands balled into fists, and I grabbed her shot glass from her hand before she broke it and started bleeding everywhere, like I had a few weeks ago. “Does Michael know?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t had time to tell him yet. And the truth was, I didn’t want to tell Michael because I didn’t want to add to our problems, but I needed to tell him whether I wanted to or not. I didn’t want him finding out from Melissa or Mason himself. He needed to hear it from me.
“You’d better tell him!”
“I will. I haven’t had a chance to see him after that, and I didn’t want to bother him again today.”
Serena nodded, then became deathly quiet. Her cheeks tinted pink from the alcohol, and she tugged on a strand of her chocolate-brown hair. “So, speaking of Michael, I’m meeting with Melissa tomorrow, like you suggested.”
“You are?”
