Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Just The Tip
Pizza girl train
“I’ve got another one for you, Riley?” my boss, Carl Jones, says.
He keeps sending me on run after run and it’s getting old.
I work as a pizza delivery driver and he has me working open to close six days a week.
I’m not going to complain because I do need the money, but God, I never get time to just relax.
I spent my one day off sleeping and catching up on errands I couldn’t do any other day. A sugar daddy is what I need.
“Alright,” I call out as I knock the cherry off my cigarette and put it back in the pack.
I should quit smoking, but I am pretty sure working ninety-six hours a week will be what kills me first. You’d think I’d be rolling in money over here, but no.
I get paid minimum wage plus tips. All the good jobs in this town require a college degree or the ability to make meth, neither of which I have. Shame.
I go back inside and grab my hot bag before going to the front to get the next order.
I take the ticket down and see that it’s Cole Wilson’s address.
He requests me four days a week and orders five of the same pizzas.
Three all meat and two plain cheeses. Every time I drop them off, he’s alone.
I have no idea what he does with them, but he doesn’t look like the type to eat five pizzas alone.
“Why does he keep requesting me?” I ask Carl.
“Because you’re young, hot, and you aren’t scared of him,” he says simply.
“Why would I be scared of him?” I ask. “He’s just a muscly dude who lives in a giant house alone… Okay, maybe that is a bit weird.”
“Go on,” Carl laughs. “Don’t keep him waiting.”
I shrug and turn to put the pizzas in my bag before going out of the side door to get into my car.
The poor thing has been through everything with me, including almost three hundred thousand miles.
I have a faded red 2005 Honda Accord. She’s not much to look at but she runs like a scalded dog.
I switched the radio out for a newer Bluetooth one since I am in my car most of the day.
I do all of the maintenance myself because mechanics are expensive, but YouTube is free.
I have done everything to this car but replace the engine and I hope I never have to do that.
I may as well just buy a new car because I would never have time to do that.
Never mind the fact that driving is literally my job.
I have worked at Southern Slice Cafe for a year. Before that I was at Mama’s Dog’s until the health department came in and shut them down. How they never made anyone sick, I have no idea. I was the only one who washed their hands or did any cleaning.
I get into my car and “The Kill” by Thirty Seconds to Mars starts playing.
I don’t bother typing in the address since I know exactly where I’m going.
It is raining like an old cow peeing on a rock out here.
I can hardly see ten feet in front of me.
It also doesn’t help that it’s over a hundred degrees in July.
The rain is trying to evaporate before it even hits the road.
I manage to get to Cole’s house, but it’s still piss pouring rain when I go to get out.
I grab the bag from the back seat and run up the driveway to the front door.
The thunder is killer. And it makes me jump every time it booms through the sky.
I ring the doorbell and wait impatiently for him to hear me.
There is no covering in front of the main door so when he opens the door I am soaked to the bone.
“My God, Riley,” he says as he grabs my hand and pulls me inside. “Come inside so I can get cash. Don’t need you catchin’ your death out there.”
“I don’t want to get your floor wet,” I say, and he chuckles.
“It’s alright, darlin’. Wait here and I’ll get you some cash for that,” he says before turning and walking away.
He must be a goddamn penguin in disguise because it’s freezing in here. I am also drenched, so that doesn’t help. When he comes back, I am shivering so hard that my teeth are chattering. I get the pizza’s out and damn near drop them as I try to hand them off.
“Let me get you a towel,” he says as he takes the pizzas and sets them on his coffee table.
“It’s alright,” I say, shaking my head. “I need to get back.”
“You’re not driving in that and getting yourself killed,” he frowns. “At least get warm before you run away from me.”
“I don’t run away,” I say, matching his frown. He simply chuckles and walks away again.
“You still haven’t paid me for the pizza,” I call after him.
I look down and see that my shirt is completely see through now.
Being wet is fine. Being wet and cold, I feel increasingly vulnerable when I look down to see that my nipples are extremely visible under my white lace bra.
I quickly cross my arms over my chest to avoid the embarrassment of him seeing my tits by accident, if he hasn’t already.
I’m glad I decided against the red lace today.
“Here,” he says, handing me a white plush towel.
“Thanks,” I say with a sigh. He lays a towel on his couch and points for me to sit. “I really should be going, Cole.”
“Carl will be fine,” he says. “I didn’t know it was raining so badly or I wouldn’t have ordered.”
“Oh, but you’d miss out on requesting me,” I say with a touch too much attitude as I sit down.
“The cold makes you sassy,” he laughs as he moves the pizza over and sits in front of me on the coffee table.
“I didn’t mean to be rude, I’m just tired. I still have a while before I can go home.”
“Working a double today?” he asks, and I laugh. “Something funny?”
“Sorry, it’s just that I work a double every day,” I say.
“I’m sorry? Every day?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I work every day but Tuesdays. He has me working open to close,” I explain. “It wouldn’t be so bad if I got paid more than minimum wage, but the tips are nice sometimes… in hindsight, that made me sound a bit like a beggar. I’m sorry.”
“You apologize a lot,” he remarks as I use the towel to squeeze the water out of my hair.
I have my long, dirty blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail and it is also soaked.
All of me, down to my underwear, is dripping wet.
Cole sitting in front of me without a shirt on is certainly not helping.
Cole is a rugged man but fucking ripped. I think he could bench press a car if he tried. I don’t know what he does for a living, but it has to involve weights
“Force of habit,” I laugh nervously.
“When’s the last time you ate?” he asks, opening the top pizza and offering me a piece.
“I’m not allowed to eat on shift,” I say and he almost chokes on the piece he’s just bitten into.
“What?” he asks.
“Yeah, Carl is weird about us eating company food on the clock,” I say. “But to answer your question, I generally eat when I get home. He sucks at giving breaks, so I just eat before and after work.”
“You work sixteen hours a day, Riley,” he says, shocked.
“I'm used to it,” I say with a smile. I was hoping that would relax him a bit, but it doesn’t.
“Why doesn’t he give you breaks?” he asks.
“No idea. He sure does take his breaks to fuck everyone he can get his hands on,” I say. “I shouldn’t be shitting on my boss to a customer.”
“I’ll come back to that,” he says. I furrow my eyebrows at him. “Eat.”
“You don’t have to…”
“Eat, Riley,” he says with a soft tone that takes me by surprise. I nod and take the pizza from him. “What time do you get off normally?”
“Uh, the restaurant closes at ten. I try to leave when the cooks leave though. I’m supposed to stay until Carl leaves,” I say, eating my pizza.
“Why don’t you stay?”
“Well… To be blunt, I’ve learned to not hang around for too long while alone with him,” I say.
“Why?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me.
“I feel like I’m missing something here,” I say, stalling.
“Why, Riley? Why don’t you like closing with him?”
“Ya know how I said he likes to fuck everything he can get his hands on?” I ask.
Cole sighs and nods. “Well, we call him “Creepin’ Carl” behind his back.
He has a habit of forcing himself on the girls.
The guys try to look out for us, and we make sure to not be alone with him if we can manage it.
He’s tried a couple times with me, but he’s always been interrupted by one of the cooks before it gets too far.
None of us can do shit about it because jobs are few and far between around here without a degree. Food service is all I know.”
“Yeah… you’re not going back to work. I’ll call Carl and let him know,” he says.
“No,” I say as I stand. “You might have the luxury of taking time off anytime you want, but I have bills to pay.”
“Damnit, Riley,” he snaps but immediately softens again. “I will pay you for the rest of the day, but you are not going back to that restaurant with him.”
“And who the fuck are you to tell me…” I start to say but he cuts me off.
“You do realize I own that place, right? Carl just runs it,” he asks.
“Uh… no,” I say. “No one told me.”
“I didn’t think so,” he says as he pulls his phone out.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Calling Carl. Sit and eat,” he says. I huff and sit back down as he makes his call.
“Hey… yeah, it’s piss pouring rain out there and Riley is drenched so I’m sending her home for the day…
you know you are capable of driving too, right?
Well, you’ll be okay. I’ll send Finn up there to help you close…
Okay.” He ends the call and sets his phone down.
“Did I just get him in trouble?” I ask quietly.
“He got himself in trouble a long time ago, Riley. You just made the decision that much easier to make,” he says.
“Let me get you something dry to put on so you’ll stop shivering,” he says.
“Cole, seriously. It’s fine. I can change when I get home,” I say.