Claire
This had to stop.
Another day. Another hangover.
Working at a bar was great. The tips were good, the people were nice, but the after-work cocktails were really starting to kick my arse. I needed to find some will power and start saying no. And soon. Or my liver was going to fight back.
Feeling miserable again, I forced myself out of bed, and after a quick shower and a piece of Vegemite toast, I found my sunglasses and went for a walk. I hadn’t been for a run in a few weeks, and I was feeling more than a little blah, but with my stomach protesting the way it was, I wasn’t going to risk it. Even thinking about it made me want to hurl.
After an hour in the sunshine, I stopped in at a caravan parked in the car park up on the headland and bought myself a well-deserved cup of coffee and blueberry muffin before sitting in the sun.
Grabbing my phone, I opened my email and checked to see if any of the applications I’d sent out last week had amounted to anything. As much fun as I was having working at the café, it wasn’t where I wanted to end up. I was still determined to finish my course and get my qualifications. The dream was to one day open my own salon. Not one of those cheap and nasty ones with trashy magazines on the table that were older than I was in the middle of a noisy shopping centre, but a classy place with a coffee machine and soothing music. A place where people wanted to be stuck for a couple of hours.
Nothing.
Complete radio silence.
Trying not to let defeat drag me down, I opened the job app and kept searching. When I stumbled across one that looked interesting, I couldn’t help but get excited. It was further than I wanted to travel, but it was everything I was looking for. Before giving myself a chance to back out, I submitted an application and crossed my fingers.
After draining the rest of the coffee from my cup, I tossed it in the trash and headed home. I was halfway there when my phone rang. Looking down, I saw Seth’s name blinking back at me.
“Good Morning,” I greeted, trying to sound cheery.
“How’s the head?” he chuckled, the timbre of his voice doing all sorts of things to my body that it shouldn’t.
“I’ve had coffee.”
“So, better than it was then I take it.”
“Much.”
“What are you up to this afternoon?”
“Well, I did have big plans for a nap, but I could be persuaded to change them. For the right guy of course.”
“Of course.”
“Know anyone interested?”
“Maybe. Although he likes playing hard to get sometimes.”
“That’s a shame. I’m not really into playing games.”
“You’re not? Bugger. Games are my favourite.”
“You know what, I may have read that about you,” I tossed back sassily.
“Don’t believe everything you read,” Seth grumbled.
Trying to keep the mood light, I pressed on. “What? You’re telling me there’s no truth in advertising?”
“Not at all.”
“That sucks. Good thing I know better.” All I could think about was the way Seth played my body like a pro.
“Speaking of…this afternoon.”
“I can be ready in an hour,” I confirmed, my body buzzing at the memory and already looking forward to an afternoon of relaxation in the best ways.
