Chapter Ten
Charley
He was hard.
That thought hasn’t stopped running through my mind for my whole shift. Not only was he hard, but he was flummoxed too, he didn’t know what to say. I can’t believe I had that much of an effect on him. The Nashville everyone knows is never lost for words.
It makes me feel powerful, it gives me confidence that what I did back there was enough. Even his comment about seeing my tits didn’t upset or embarrass me. The more I think about it, the more I understand what Lily has been telling me about how dancing makes her feel.
Okay, she says it feels like she is holding their balls in her hand, that she could do or say anything and they’d give her whatever it was she wanted.
Having that kind of power over anyone isn’t something I want but I do understand it.
While I wait for Max to fill a tray with drinks for me, I think back on the interaction. He agreed, no questions asked, to help me tonight. He took me home not caring that it was out of his way, and he rescued me from that house, letting me into his home.
No one has ever been so selfless toward me before. He’s always been respectful, but occasionally I’ve caught him watching me, he always tries to blow it off with flirty joking banter. I may be younger than he is, but I’m not blind, or dumb. Or immune to his charms.
He is a gorgeous man, his hazel eyes are so expressive, and his smile could melt ice caps off the mountains. And his body… I caught him coming out of his home gym a few nights ago, shirtless, covered in sweat and trying to catch his breath.
Instead of facing him all hot and bothered I hid in the shadows and waited until he had gone upstairs, then imagined him in the shower.
It’s been a really long time since I had sex. And honestly, I wish I could forget every second of it. I’m not looking to get close to anyone. It isn’t worth it. You always end up being hurt in the long run, that’s the way things have been for me since I was nine years old.
Even the one person I thought could never turn their back on me, did it without a second thought. All because he was too weak to fight back against her. The woman who ruined my life.
How did I go from thinking about Callum having a very hard, very large bulge in his pants, to remembering the horrible place my step-mother turned my home into?
I’ve got more important things to worry about than the past, or a crush on the guy who would probably enjoy a few nights with me but isn’t looking to get into anything serious.
Like I am. Shit.
The drinks are ready to go and I lift the tray as someone slams into me from behind, hard enough that my hip hits the bar. I scramble not to drop the tray but my wrist twists and the tray goes over, all the drinks falling off the tray.
Alcohol spills all over the floor, my legs and the suit pants of the idiot who ran into me, and glass is shattered all around us.
“Jesus, Charley, I thought you’d got over that?” Max comes back along the bar, not looking happy.
My instinct is to say it wasn’t my fault, the asshole ran into me, but we don’t blame the clientele for anything and given my history who would ever believe me? Having Max think I’m back to being a klutz is annoying as hell.
I apologize to the man who glares at me.
“Look at my pants,” he snaps.
“It was an accident,” I say, through gritted teeth because it was caused by him. Not me.
“An accident, do you know how much this suit cost, you dumb bitch?”
“Excuse me?” How fucking dare he call me a bitch.
“You heard me, what kind of fucking idiots do they have working here? One word from me, and you’ll be fired.”
He is so angry I take a step back, bumping into the bar. I’ve come across men like this before, men who never take responsibility for their actions, who think nothing of belittling women. Or hurting them.
I don’t know who he is, haven’t seen him here before and have no idea if what he just said is true.
I hate groveling to anyone but losing my job can’t happen.
“I’m very sorry that we bumped into each other.”
“We bumped into each other?” He takes another step toward me but there is nowhere left for me to go so he is in my face when he shouts. “What the fuck-”
“Mr. Cantrell.”
We both turn to Ellie, looking gorgeous as ever in a nude colored dress with sequins over her breasts and down between her legs, everything else is see-through. Her beauty stops Mr. Cantrell in his tracks.
“I can only apologize on behalf of our wait staff, she’s new and still learning. Please allow me to get your table some complimentary champagne and we will of course pay for any dry cleaning.”
It’s hard not to let my mouth fall open, or be hurt that Ellie could say something like that about me.
“Max, three bottles of our best champagne please.”
“So long as she doesn’t bring it over.”
“Of course not,” Ellie turns to me. “Please go in back and wait for me.”
“I hope you’re going to fire her ass.”
Ellie just smiles and links her arm through his walking him away. Max is busy getting the champagne and calling over one of the other girls.
I’ve never felt so stupid. And not because of what happened with that bastard, I never thought Ellie would treat me like that. So stupid that my heart hurts.
Instead of standing here waiting for people to ask questions, I turn and head to the back, dodging around people so I don’t bump into anyone else.
Damn it, I can’t believe I’m going to lose everything, when I was so damn close, because some idiot can’t admit that he was in the wrong. Or that I ever thought anyone was going to have my back.
Just the way it has been for the last decade. Dumb, he’s right. I really am.
Instead of going to the office to wait, I head to the dressing room to get my things. I’m not hanging around to be fired. My hand hurts when I pull my bag out of the locker and I wince, only just noticing a cut and blood running down my fingers.
“Charley? I told you to wait in the office.”
Ellie’s tone is sharp. I quickly hide my hand and she eyes my bag and frowns.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting my things.”
“Why?”
“You said…”
“I said what I needed to. I didn’t want that fucking twat causing a scene. Do you really think I would fire you?”
“I… You were very convincing.”
“Something I’ve learned over the years. If you think I would take his side over yours, then you don’t know me very well.”
“You're kind of hard to read sometimes,” I tell her honestly.
“His father is important. The Cantrell’s are working with the club.
” When I frown she shakes her head. “The Disciples, not Elegance. That means we don’t rock the boat.
Sometimes, the best way to diffuse a situation like that is to give the man child what he wants.
In this case, to feel important. He wanted you fired, I let him think it would happen. ”
“That’s smart.”
Now I feel even more stupid. This isn’t my world though, I’m still not used to it.
“Is that blood?” she looks at my wrist and pulls a face like she might get sick. “That fucking asshole.”
She takes out her phone and texts someone while I set my bag down and go to one of the tables to grab a tissue and clean up the blood. There is a lot of it. Shit, the wound is deeper than I thought.
A few minutes later, Walker comes into the room and Ellie tells him to look at my hand It’s throbbing now, I guess the adrenalin of feeling like no one gives a shit about me, and I was about to lose my job is wearing off.
“Jesus, Charley.” Walker guides me to a chair to sit down. He grabs a towel from the chair behind me and places it under my arm. “Ellie do you have any tweezers?”
“There should be some on one of the tables. If you’re about to do something gross, I’m leaving. Do I need to call an ambulance?”
“No,” I protest. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”
“There is glass in the cut, Charley.”
“Okay, I’m leaving and I’m putting in a call about this. No one hurts a member of our staff and gets away with it. I don’t give a fuck who their daddy is.”
She disappears while Walker gets the tweezers. I’m not squeamish. I’ve learned to deal with injuries over the years. Still, it hurts when he pulls out the small glass shards. He’s so good at it, he must be used to this kind of thing.
“Walker?” I ask, as he cleans off the blood.
“Yeah?”
“Who is Mr. Cantrell?”
He frowns and looks up at me. “That’s who did this?”
“It was an accident,” I say with a note of sarcasm in my tone.
“His father is connected.”
“To what?” Walker laughs and I realize what he means. “Oh God. Like that.”
“Yeah, like that. They’re not good people but then again, who is? You don’t need stitches but I’m going to put some of these on to keep it together before I bandage it. You’re lucky,” he smiles. “It won’t need amputating.”
“Good to know,” I smile back. “Thank you.”
He sets the butterfly stitches on after cleaning the blood and wraps a bandage around it. Lily has come in by the time he’s finished which I’m glad about because she didn’t have to see Walker fixing me up, but her eyes widen in horror at the mess around us. Walker starts gathering it up.
“Jesus, Charley, what happened?”
“Nothing, I just dropped a tray and cut myself.” Walker lifts his eyes to mine but keeps his head down. “I’m fine.”
“Does it hurt? That’s a stupid question. Here, I have some pain pills that will help.”
“I don’t like taking pills.”
“Relax, its over-the-counter stuff, it’s not strong but it will take the edge off. Do you need a hospital?”
“She’s fine, Lily.” Walker stands and looks over at her. She stops talking. “The pills will help, Charley, that is gonna hurt.”
I guess that means I’m taking the pills, I read the box when she hands it to me. It’s not that I don’t trust her but I don’t like the idea of not being in control of myself. This brand is non-drowsy, so I follow the directions and take two.
Walker offers to take me home, but I have Callum’s car so I tell him I’m fine.
“Can you let Ellie know and… tell her I said thank you.”
Walker nods and heads out. Lily chuckles about my being clumsy again and I let her run with it.
As I drive back to Callum’s house, I’m not sure whether I want him to be there or not. This would be one way to break the tension, but I doubt it would be in a good way. I’ve heard enough times that the Disciples protect the girls. Or maybe he wouldn’t care…
That isn’t true, he’s already proven that in the way he treats me now.
None of it matters, because he isn’t here when I get home.
It’s hard to fall asleep. Despite the pain relief the cut is throbbing, and I’m too scared to take a shower because I’ll never be able to re-wrap it the way Walker did. And for a long time, I listen out for Callum coming home.
But he never does.