We exchange a resigned look, but she goes without protest. I know how capable she is, but she shouldn’t have to deal with assholes like this.
I look down at him. He’s squirming, trying to get his arm free.
“You made a mistake,” I say gently, not even acknowledging his stupid friends in my periphery. I loosen my hold on his wrist and place his hand gently onto the table. “You meant to catch my server's attention, but instead you almost grabbed her ass.”
He snorts, his friends all smirking like it’s funny. “I apologize,” he says. “I was just getting tired of the slow service.”
The music is softer here, but it’s still hard to hear him. The cocky ones are always the least impressive when they’re challenged about their behavior.
“I understand,” I say, passing around the drinks from the tray Marty left on the table.
I don’t know what they’ve each ordered, but I make a guess, and I’m spot on. Bourbon, vodka, and an Old Fashioned for this little dickhead.
“Here you go,” I say sweetly, placing the glass down in front of him. “I’m sorry if you think you’ve been waiting too long. I want you to have a great night tonight, so if there are any more problems, ask for Jax Jenson, and I’ll be right over.”
There’s a flicker of recognition from him as he realizes my last name is the same as the name of the club. But it doesn’t instill respect. Oh no. Being reprimanded by a woman is a challenge for a guy like this.
Behind my back, I silently signal to the security guard, Lenny, at the edge of the room. I can predict what’s about to happen without even trying.
“Thanks,” he says, running his eyes languidly over my body as he drinks half of his cocktail in one swallow. “So are you the head waitress?”
“Manager,” I reply.
“You should take a load off and come join us,” the dickhead says and scoots a little further along the booth, patting the space beside him like I’m a dog.
“Tragically, I have to work,” I say calmly.
“Work? What do you even do? Waltz around in a mini skirt, assaulting people?”
“Trust me, if I assault you, you’ll know it.”
There’s a chorus of ‘oohs’from the table, like they’re fifteen-year-old high school boys. These guys are young and stupid, but the swagger has faded from them a bit. The tense atmosphere cools as I consider moving on.
Maybe I was wrong, and he’s not as arrogant as I thought.
Then I feel it. The edge of his finger is sliding up the back of my thigh. I let him get an inch higher and then wrench him out of the booth, flip him over, and jam his arm so hard against his back that I could dislocate his shoulder.
He screams in pain, and the hum of chatter around us stops. All I can hear is the guy’s labored breathing and thethump, thump, thumpof the music.
“You were warned, asshole,” I hiss into the guy’s ear as he struggles ineffectually to get up. “Len,” I bark out, as the security guard steps up beside me, impassive and solid as a fucking rock. “Would you kindly show this man and his friends where the door is?”
“Right away, Ms. Jenson,” he says cooly. The dickhead is still struggling beneath me, and I press my full weight into his back.
“Clearly, you haven’t been to this club before. I have a zero-tolerance policy on little assholes like you getting their kicks with my staff. You picked the wrong woman to put your hands on tonight.”
I pull him upright, shoving him at Lenny, who has him pinned in seconds as another member of my security team arrives to escort his friends out. They’re a lot less vocal now as I eye their leader with intense disdain.
“If you ever set foot in this place again, you’ll be leaving in cuffs with a bloody nose courtesy of themanager.”
Chapter 2
Jax
“Sorry about that, ladies,” I say loudly as I turn back to face the room. “Carry on!”
The tables behind me are almost entirely made up of women enjoying the beginning of their weekend. I can sense the relief in the air as the asshole and his friends are tossed out, but there’s tension, too.
I turn to a little party next to me, made up of impossibly young-looking women. I’m only 24 myself, but I feel ancient compared to their fresh-faced innocence. They’re all staring at me, eyes wide with alarm.
