“Okay, Mary.”
Mary is a sweet mother hen. She reminds me of my grandmother.
Just then, Harry walks by, giving me a wide berth. He barely speaks to me, except for a greeting in passing, and he keeps his distance as if he’s afraid to come near me. It’s the strangest thing. His demeanor is completely different from my first day of work.
I look up when I hear the door open.
Oh no.
King Asshole, Dee, and Nix, along with Queen Bitch and her two minions walk in.
I don’t want to deal with this shit today. I had enough of them during the school week. I’m at work, so I can’t let them get to me. I must remain professional.
Count to ten, then put your game face on.
I hope my inner pep talk helps me to remain calm, cool, and collected.
“Good afternoon, what would you like to order?”
“Oh my God. You work here?” asks Victoria, laughing with glee.
“I would die if I had to work on a Saturday,” says Lori.
“Damn, mutt, it must suck being born into a low-income family,” adds Rebecca.
I take deep, calming breaths. The best thing to do is not react, because that’s what they want. They want to get under my skin and watch me squirm, but I won’t give them the satisfaction. A few more customers enter.
Maverick doesn’t say a word. He just watches me, and I just stare right back. Victoria notices our staring competition. She loops her arm through his, but he snatches his arm from her grasp.
Victoria stomps over to a booth in the back corner, red-faced.
“If you’re not ready to order, can you step to the side, please?” I ask impatiently.
“You better learn to control your attitude, ghetto trash,” Nix says, causing the two minions to laugh.
“Maybe I should speak to your supervisor about your lack of customer service skills,” adds Dee.
“I’m sorry. Are you ready to order?” I ask with false calm.
I take their orders then ask Chuck to cover for me while I go to the bathroom to gather my composure. I hear someone enter the bathroom as I close the stall door. When I’m done, I flush the toilet before opening the stall door…oh fuck.
Maverick.
He pushes me back, causing me to fall against the toilet. He steps into the stall then locks it.
“You’re crazy as fuck to pull that shit in a public place,” I say, righting myself
“I rule this fucking town. I’m untouchable,” replies Maverick.
He roughly squeezes my breast with his left hand, while trying to push his right inside my tight black shorts. I grab two fists full of his hair and yank hard. Maverick grasps my hands in an attempt to pry my fingers from his hair, but I won’t release my hold. We’re so close together our mouths are practically touching.
He kisses me. I turn my head to break the contact, but his lips follow. He releases his hold from my hands to lift me from the floor and guide my legs around his waist. He twists his hands in my hair to roughly turn my face forward again to gain easier access to my lips. He grinds his hips between my legs as he groans against my lips. His violent kisses lack warmth. I start to return his kisses with just as much anger. We fight over control of the kiss. Gradually, we release each other’s hair to frantically clutch each other, our anger turning into passion.
When the bathroom door opens, we break the kiss. We stare at each other, breathless.
“Did you see the way Mav was looking at Cocoa?” asks Lori.
“Yes, that’s not the first time I’ve seen him staring at her like he’s obsessed,” replies Rebecca.
