Page 10 of The Killer Card

NO! My not relationship! My situationship?

God fucking dammit.

We finally get to the counter as I mutter under my breath, “I really fucking hate you.”

“Yes, I know.” He smiles at the barista, leaning his elbow on the counter. “Good morning, we have kind of a large order, so I apologize in advance.”

The barista blushes violently, smiling so prettily I can’t help rolling my eyes. Sure, Cristian is obnoxiously good looking, but does every girl who sees him have to bat her lashes? “That’s no problem!” She taps at the tablet in front of her. “Go right ahead.”

He starts listing off items, “Two sausage, egg, and cheese please. One bacon, egg, and cheese—”

“Make that two, and one breakfast burrito,” I interject. “Two avocado toasts. Then we’ll also have one dirty Chai with oat milk, one caramel macchiato, a hazel nut latte- all iced.”

“Two black coffees with like six scoops of sugar in one of them,” Cristian adds, my nose wrinkling. “A regular iced coffee—”

“Extra-large,” I throw out.

“And an americano, por favor,” Cristian smiles.

The barista keeps tapping away for several seconds after we’ve wrapped up the order, bouncing on the balls of her feet with a smile when she gets it all in. “Anything else?”

Cristian glances back at Nelly, currently reading the back of two books at once, then to the barista. “My friend is getting married,” he tells her. “Can you write a little note on her cup with some congratulations? Oh, and let’s throw in an order of French Toast as well.”

I raise a brow to which he answers, “For tomorrow when she’s hungover as shit.” He holds out his father’s card, tapping it against the little black reader. “No doubt Dad prepared for such an occurrence, but it never hurts to be prepared.”

“How is it that you only became so good at taking care of her after got engaged to your dad?”

Maybe I said that last bit a little too loud. The barista’s smile becomes slightly less enthusiastic as she glances between us. She holds out the receipt. “Your order will come out down there. Have a great day.”

Cristian forces an equally painful grin as he shoves me out of line and toward the pick-up end. “You are such a cunt,” he growls. “Could you not, for the next week at the very least, mention how all this,” he gestures vaguely from himself to Nelly to the café. “Went down?”

I lean my hip against the counter. “Why? Scared a fan will hear and it will be blasted on all the gossip rags? Futból Star, Cristian Santos, Cucked By Famous Father, The Island King—”

“I truly hope you get gonorrhea,” he mutters.

“Oh! Or maybe The Island King Steals Impotent Son’s Girlfriend, Half His Age—”

“Do shut up?” Cristian requests. “Forever, maybe?”

“That would really hurt your chances with the models, wouldn’t it,” I smirk, hand on my hip as our drinks start coming out.

Cristian grabs two caddies and begins filling them while I watch. “I don’t date models anymore,” he sneers. “And I know what you’re doing. No amount of insults is going to distract me from the fact that you and Graham are about to have the worst week of your lives.”

My smile falls but he keeps grinning shoving one of the caddies into my hands. “And I so look forward to seeing just how badly you two managed to fuck it all up.”

4 Years Ago

Chapter Four

Graham

“Coño de la madre, maldito mamagüevo!” I shout, tripping over a dish bin left in the middle of my path behind the bar. “Juan! Cabrón, what the fuck?! Are you trying to kill me?!”

“Lo siento, jefé,” the kid grabs the bin, shoving it under the counter where it belongs. “I got three orders at once and I forgot—”

“Go help Gigi on service.” I wave him off, away from my side of the bar. When he opens his mouth to protest, I shove a tumbler into his hands. “Go!”

He does without further hesitation. The last thing I need are these youths fucking up my flow. Shaking off the twinge in my ankle and the irritation with the support Elias insisted on hiring I turn a smile on the newest set of ladies at the bar. “What can I get you tonight, muchachas?”