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“Sorry Tone. I think I’m starting to like New York a bit too much and I guess I’ll just have to pass on that name tag.”
Rafe clears his throat as I finish giving Tony a hug and I bite back a laugh. The second we pulled into the parking lot, he’d grown uncomfortable and it’s simply amazing that I’m the one who’s totally relaxed. I mean let’s get real, if you had to ask who’d be most likely to be found in a strip club would your answer be the man who grew up in New York City or the girl who lived in a tiny rundown town where everyone knew everything about you?
“Tony, I’d like you to meet Rafe Gordon, my new boss. Rafe this is Tony, the bartender here and the best pizza maker in all of St. Louie.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rafe says, and I can tell he doesn’t really mean it but that’s okay. He’ll come around in due time.
“There’s a booth in the corner with your name on it Ames. I’ll have your pie out in a few,” Tony tells us, and we head over to it.
I let Rafe choose his spot first and I’m happy when he chooses not to look directly at the stage, at least he hasn’t decided to go for broke. True to his word, Tony brings out the pizza before we’ve been there for five minutes, and he includes my favorite wine and a choice of beers for Rafe.
I am not shy when it comes to pizza and Tony’s…I love them, love them, love them. I would probably marry the man simply in order for him to make them for me day after day after day but since he wears more eyeliner than I do…that’s not gonna happen. I finish a slice before Rafe does and simply shrug at his amused look, but I know better than to waste my time since half the girls working know I’m here and the half that don’t are quickly becoming aware of it.
“Best pizza you’ve had?” I ask taking a long sip of my wine.
“It ranks pretty high,” he admits, and I can hear the victory shouts in the nonexistent soundtrack of my life. “So this is where you worked? Is it always like this?”
“This is tame…the place does a pretty solid early evening but it’s usually about nine before it gets packed and since it’s Thursday there’ll be a special on drinks starting at seven.”
“So you know the people who’ll be coming in?”
“Not like that…I’ve never dated anyone who comes in here, especially not the regulars. It’s too…weird to imagine it really,” I tell him as a smile appears on my face and I raise my hand in a tiny wave.
His head swivels around to see whom I’m sending it to and the way his body relaxed spoke volumes.
“Ame!” Sam shouts rushing over and pulling me from my seat. “Look at you. Maura said you’d been to her place but left the weekend before last.”
“I got a new fulltime job with Rafe and his company,” I say nodding towards him.
“Excuse us for a moment,” Sam states and pulls me away from the table. “Amelia, please tell me you’re not doing what I’m hoping you’re not doing with him.”
“Sam! No…you know me better than that,” I finally cry when I get her drift as she raises her eyebrows at me. “I am not sleeping with him and especially not for money or anything else. I was working as a temporary fill-in, and I had some info that helped them acquire Lemans, the place I worked for here.”
“I know who they are girl. I’m just surprised you’d bring him here.”
“It’s a long story and it looks like you’ve got some problems to take care of,” I tell her nodding towards the girl who’d just come in on crutches.
Sam let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush before she turned her eyes to me pleading.
“Oh no….no, no, no, no, no…I am not…NO!”
“Ame, please, Crystal already called in and I was planning to double up Misty’s tables. She can’t work on a bum leg, and I need someone who knows what they’re doing. We’ve been slammed the last few Thursdays.”
“I’m here as a paying customer for some of Tony’s fabulous pizza,” I tell her as I head back to the booth. “I am not filling in.”
“Ame, just for tonight. Come on, do it for old times’ sake,” she prodded as Tony headed over to us.
“I take it you’ve seen Misty. Becca called, she’s down with this bug too,” Tony states and I feel myself wavering, but I can’t do it. I mean it’d be one thing if I were here on my own but Rafe’s sitting right there watching and hearing everything now.
“Sorry, I can’t,” I tell them as they turned to me again.
“Why not?” Rafe asks and my mind blanks.
Did I really hear him just say that? Did he really just give me what seems like permission to waitress and why do I need his permission in the first place? He doesn’t own me and if Iwant to continue to work at Vivian’s when I get back to New York that’s exactly what I’m going to do and it’s none of his damned business…
Whoa, so not what I need to be thinking of right now.
I should be figuring out how to get out of this club without everyone turning on me.
