Chapter 11
Tempest Miller
After finishing up the stock room, I checked my watch and saw it was around 10:30 am. Time to check in with Corvus. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and made my way to his office, feeling the tension in my chest as I approached the office door. Taking a deep breath, I knocked quietly.
”Come in,” Corvus called out, his voice rough but authoritative. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside and took a seat on the wooden chair in front of his desk. The room smelled like leather and whiskey, just like him.
”Stock room”s all done,” I reported. ”Unloaded everything and got it on the shelves. Didn”t know where the boxes go, so I broke ”em down into carryable size and stacked ”em on the floor.” I tried to sound confident, even though my heart was pounding in my chest.
”Thank you,” Corvus said, looking up from the papers he”d been shuffling through. ”Hammer will take care of those when he gets in later.”
Feeling the weight of Corvus”s gaze on me, I couldn”t help but raise a brow. ”You all have such strange nicknames, but you don”t seem to have one. Why”s that?”
”Because I don”t want one,” he replied, his voice firm yet calm. ”We choose whether or not to take on a nickname. I like the name I was born with, so I use it.”
”Fair enough,” I said with a smile, finding a sense of sincerity in his answer.
”Want some food?” he abruptly changed the subject, leaning back in his chair, ”are you hungry? I”m heading over to the café across the street to grab something to eat.”
”No, thanks,” I responded.
Corvus raised an eyebrow. ”You didn”t eat breakfast? How are you not hungry?”
Fuck, he”s observant, I thought to myself. Without thinking, I blurted out, ”I”m used to not eating.”
His brows furrowed further, concern written all over his face. ”Why?” he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.
My cheeks flushed red as I scrambled for an excuse. ”I just always forget,” I lied, trying to cover up my true reasons for skipping meals.
Corvus narrowed his eyes, seeing right through my bullshit, but he didn”t push it. Instead, he said, ”You can talk to me, you know. I”m not going to judge you.”
”Thanks,” I muttered, giving him a half-smile. ”How about you just grab me a muffin when you go?”
”Alright,” he agreed, standing up from his desk. ”I”m heading over now. You sure you don”t want to join me?”
”Thanks, but no,” I replied my resolve hardening. ”Amanda mentioned Saturdays are your busiest days, and both bars open at eleven. I wanna get a head start on the bar today.”
”Suit yourself,” he shrugged before striding toward the door.
As I watched him leave, I couldn”t help feeling a strange mix of relief and disappointment. Shaking it off, I stood up and headed back out to the front bar. The sooner I got to work, the less time I”d have for stupid thoughts like that.
”Focus, Tempest,” I muttered under my breath, tying on my apron with determination. I grabbed a cloth and spray bottle from underneath the counter, my eyes scanning the room for any signs of filth or disarray. The bar had seen better days, that was for damn sure.
”Christ, what a shithole,” I thought as I started wiping down the sticky surface of the counter. The pungent smell of stale beer assaulted my nostrils, making my stomach churn.
Still, there was something oddly satisfying about cutting through the grime, restoring a semblance of order to this place.
I gritted my teeth as I scrubbed the underside of the glasses rack, the layers of grime built up over time making it a hell of a challenge. ”Fucking disgusting,” I muttered under my breath, feeling the sweat beginning to bead on my forehead. The work was hard and dirty, but I welcomed it – anything to keep my mind busy.
The door swung open, and I heard Corvus strolling back in his boots heavy on the wooden floor.
”Hey,” he called out, jumping behind the bar where I was bent over, still working on that stubborn spot. His sudden presence startled me, causing me to smack my head on the edge of the rack as I stood up.
”Shit!” I cursed, rubbing the sore spot on my head. Corvus”s face twisted with concern as he hurried to my side, gently cradling my head in his large hands. He inspected the area for any injuries, his touch both soothing and unsettling all at once.
”Hey, it”s okay, I”m fine,” I insisted, trying to push away his fussing.
”Are you sure? That sounded like it hurt,” he said, his eyes searching mine for any sign of pain.
”Positive,” I said softly.
His face was mere inches from mine, and I could feel the heat radiating off his body. The warmth was intoxicating, making my heart race and my breath hitch in my throat. It felt like a drug, and I couldn”t help but crave more.
”Are you sure you”re okay?” he asked again, his voice low and intense. His eyes bored into mine, searching for any sign of pain or discomfort.
”Y-yeah,” I stuttered, feeling my face flush with embarrassment. ”Just caught me off guard is all.”
Before I could say anything else, the front door swung open, letting in a gust of warm air. Lisa, Emily, and Amy strolled in, their laughter echoing through the room as they spotted us standing there, our faces close enough to kiss.
Corvus cleared his throat, his gaze shifting from me to the girls and back. ”I better go finish up out back,” he said, handing me a muffin and coffee. ”Here”s your food. I also grabbed you a coffee.”
”Thanks,” I mumbled, accepting the items with a tight-lipped smile. He hurried off, leaving me alone with the trio of gossipmongers.
”See, Tempest,” Lisa chided with a smirk, ”whoring already.”
”Shut up,” I spat.
”Corvus is a one-hit wonder,” Emily said, rolling her eyes. ”Just make sure you don”t get too attached. Once he has had you, he won’t bother again,” she smirked at me and headed to the back bar.
———————————————————————————
”Fuck me sideways,” Amanda muttered. ”What happened here?”
”Hey, Amanda,” I said with a proud grin. ”Came in early with Corvus and got the storeroom done. Then I cleaned this up a bit before the shift started.”
”Early with Corvus?” Her eyebrow shot up as she gave me a curious look. ”Why”d you come in early with him?”
I could feel my cheeks warming up. ”Well... I”m stayin” at his place for now, just till I get my house keys. Bought a little somethin” just near the outskirts, so I”m waitin” to move in.”
Amanda leaned against the bar, her smirk lighting up. ”Oh, so you”re stayin” with him?” Her tone was teasing, making my cheeks burn even brighter.
”Look, it”s not like that. We”re not... like that,” I stammered, trying to regain control of the conversation.
Amanda threw her head back and laughed. ”Sweetheart, I know it ain”t like that, and that”s why I”m lovin” this so much.” She shook her head with a smile, ”But seriously, Tempest, don”t be so blind.”
”Blind? What are you talkin” about?” I asked, confusion settling over me like a heavy fog.
Her laughter subsided, and she locked eyes with me, her expression turning serious. ”Honey, that man likes you. How can you not see it?”
”Wha— No. No way. He”s my boss, Amanda. And he”s older than me,” I protested, shaking my head, trying to dismiss the absurdity of her words.
”Age is just a number, honey,” Amanda said playfully, giving me a knowing wink as she threw on her apron. ”I”ve seen the way he looks at you. There”s somethin” there.” She said making me laugh.
My laughter died as the air around us seemed to grow thick with tension. I could feel their eyes on me before I saw them – Lisa, Emily, and Amy, the three bitches who ruled the back bar like it was their own little kingdom. They sauntered over, their hips swaying in perfect unison, like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey.
”Can we help you ladies with somethin”?” Amanda asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Lisa fixed her icy gaze on me, a smirk playing across her lips. ”Why are you here, Tempest?”
I met her stare head-on, raising an eyebrow. ”At work? Or in Phoenix?”
”Both,” she sneered. ”What was so wrong with you that you had to leave Australia and come grace us with your junkie ass?”
I clenched my fists, trying to maintain my composure.
Emily sneered, her eyes narrowing as she took me in. ”I mean, look at you,” she drawled, a cruel smile playing on her lips. ”When was the last time you ate something? You”re all skin and bones. You must be a junkie, right? What”s your poison of choice?”
My cheeks burned with humiliation, but I clenched my jaw, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing me falter.
Amy chimed in next, her tone venomous. ”You know, the VP likes his women with much bigger assets. It seems you have none of them.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and stepped closer to me, cutting them off. ”Oh, the Wicked Witches of the West have arrived. Worried Tempest is gonna take something you couldn”t get?”
Emily laughed, her voice grating like nails on a chalkboard. ”Couldn”t get? I think you mean have gotten and will continue to get.”
”Look, girls, I think you need to move on,” Amanda warned, her voice dangerously low. ”Or I might need to go visit the office and have a chat with Corvus.”
Lisa scoffed, flicking her hair over her shoulder with an exaggerated flourish. With one final, disdainful look at me, she led her two bitches back to their domain at the back bar.
I glanced over at Amanda, the tension in my chest easing slightly. ”Thank you,” I muttered, my voice shaky. ”I”m not very good at sticking up for myself.”
”Sweetheart, don”t trust a word out of their mouths,” she advised, her voice dripping with disdain. ”For one, you don”t know whose cock they”ve had in it. And second, they”re club whores—the whole club fucks them daily. They were made with claws that try to scratch anything that walks past them.” She made a swipe in the air with fake claws. ”Don”t pay them no mind.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. Easier said than done.
At that moment, Corvus emerged from the back room, his eyes scanning the bar before settling on me. A shiver ran down my spine, and I quickly averted my gaze.
”I have to head out,” Corvus announced his voice firm. ”But I”ll let you know when I”m back. I”ll be back before your shift ends, then we can head home. I”m having an early one tonight.” His gaze flickered to Amanda as he said the last part, and she gave him a knowing smile.
”Alright, VP,” she replied, her tone light. ”Stay safe out there.”
The door slammed shut behind Corvus, leaving a gust of wind. I heard his bike roar to life and disappear down the road. Amanda leaned against the bar, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
”See?” she said, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction. ”He hasn”t had an early night ever, and now he wants one with you?”
I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the heat creeping up my cheeks. ”Don”t start, Amanda. We”re just... friends.”
”Friends?” Amanda snorted, shaking her head. ”You two are anything but ”just friends.””
”Whatever,” I muttered, focusing on wiping down the counter. The last thing I needed right now was to get sucked into some stupid gossip about me and my boss. I had enough shit to deal with already.
”Suit yourself, babe.” Amanda shrugged, clearly not bothered by my dismissal. ”But mark my words – there”s something going on between you two. Just wait and see.”