Breaking Shaun (12 page)

After showering and putting on a tight pair of jeans and a black V-neck shirt, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and put on more makeup than I usually wore. My blue-green eyes looked extra vibrant when I wore black, and that worked to my advantage. Bars wanted attractive bartenders, and I knew how to use my assets. When looking for a job, I’d found it was always a good idea to dress for work. It would give the manager a good idea of what I would look like behind the bar, and I would also be ready to start working on a moment’s notice. There had been plenty of times where I was hired on the spot and put to work.

I sprayed a little perfume onto my wrists before leaving the apartment with my purse and a few copies of my résumé just in case.

As I drove by the shop, I slowed down to stare at the line forming outside.
What the fuck?

I knew we were having a Memorial Day sale today, but that couldn’t be the cause of that crowd. With all the chicks waiting to get in, it looked like a fucking boy band was inside.

When I pulled around to the back of the building, I saw Marcus’s black Chevelle parked in my spot. Now, it all made sense. Marcus must have been spotted, and he was now trapped inside, signing autographs.

Well, it’ll definitely help sales.

After parking my Jetta, I folded out of my seat and went to make my way inside when I heard a familiar voice.

“What the fuck’s goin’ on?”

I turned around and smiled when I saw Dre and Dank approaching from the other side of the street.

“Looks like Marcus made an appearance,” I told them as we gave each other our usual greeting of slapping hands and raising our chins.

“Well, shit. We just came by to get some wax, but after seeing that line, I think I might have to stick around for a while,” Dre said, giving me his wicked grin.

Personality-wise, Dre was like my twin. His eyes were hazel instead of my green, he was half black and half Puerto Rican, and he was a couple of inches shorter than me, which put him at about six foot. Besides that though, we were mostly the same. Marcus was like my brother, and he would always be my closest friend, but Dre seemed to get me more than anyone else. When Marcus had been building his career out in L.A., Dre and I had been getting into trouble here. We’d been through a lot of shit together—nights spent in jail, fights, female drama. Name it, and we’d done it. I always knew Dre had my back, and I had his.

Smiling, I lifted my sunglasses onto my head before turning around and making my way through the back entrance of the shop. Dank and Dre followed behind me. It was loud inside from all the talking and squealing coming from the main floor. I walked down the hall and past my office when I saw Doug, one of the shop’s employees, watching the chaos from the hallway entrance.

“You gonna work or just stand there all afternoon?” I asked, successfully scaring the shit out of him.

“Oh. Yeah…I, um…I was just on my way to get more shirts.”

Dank and Dre eyed him as he walked past them and toward the back.

I saw Marcus in the middle of the room, posing for pictures and signing everything being thrown at him.

Looking at Dank and Dre, I tilted my head toward the crowd. “Come on, help me out a second.”

After pushing our way toward Marcus, I stopped when I got next to him. He looked relieved when he recognized me.

“Okay, people!” I shouted to everyone hovering around him. “Get in line! If you’re not in line, you don’t get an autograph! Come on, move it, ladies. Get in line.”

People quickly started forming a line in front of us, and when I went to look for something to separate the line from Marcus, I saw Dre and Dank approaching with a long table. After they set it down, things began to look more organized. I spotted Doug coming out of the stock room with stacks of T-shirts in his arms, and I yelled at him to bring them over. When he set them down on the table, I instructed him to get some Sharpies and a chair for Marcus.

Before long, the line was flowing, and so was the cash. I would have to double all my orders just to restock the shelves.

“Oh my God! You are, like, a million times hotter in person than on your posters,” some chick told Marcus as she and her friend made their way toward the table.

He just smiled and took the poster she’d given to him to sign. Her eyes moved up to me, and she blatantly checked me out before looking at Marcus again.

“Please tell me that one of you is single. Seriously, it should be illegal to look that good,” the girl said before running her hand through her blonde hair.

Her friend seemed timid as she just giggled next to her.

Marcus chuckled before responding, “Sorry, I’m taken, but Shaun here isn’t.” He jerked his thumb at me before smiling and signing the girl’s poster.

Motherfucker.

“Shaun, huh?”

Her eyes came back to me, and the way she looked at my body made me feel dirty. She wasn’t bad-looking, but she reminded me of some of the horny construction workers I used to build houses with. I could just see her grabbing guys’ asses and telling them to shake it for her.

“So, what do you say, Shaun? You looking for a good time?” she asked me before winking.

“You make me uncomfortable,” I told her, crossing my arms over my chest.

Marcus burst into laughter, but he quickly tried to hide it by covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

“What?” the woman asked, looking down at Marcus and then back to me.

“I mean, you seem like a nice chick and all, but I’m not just a piece of meat, you know? I have a brain.”

Her friend started laughing, and I looked at her and smiled. She was actually cute in a sweet and innocent kind of way. It made me wonder what she was doing with that chick. Her friend would be corrupted in no time at all from hanging out with her.

“Whatever.” The girl smiled and rolled her eyes.

At least she could take a joke.

“Thanks for coming out,” Marcus told her.

She walked away, and someone else took her place.

A few minutes later, Dank came to stand next to me as Marcus posed for a picture.

“There is so much pussy in this room right now. I think my dick is getting hard just from all the estrogen in the air,” Dank said as his eyes scanned the women standing in line.

I followed his gaze and took a few seconds to admire the view myself. I smiled as I got an idea.

When the next group of girls approached the table, I handed T-shirts to the ones who wanted them. “Hey, have you girls met Dank yet? He’s a pro surfer, and he’s just here visiting from Cali.”

The girls’ eyes got wide as they looked at Dank, and I saw his face light up with a smile when he realized what I was doing. Marcus peered over at me but kept quiet as he continued signing.

“Wow! Hi! Can I get your autograph?” a blonde asked, handing her shirt to Dank.

“Uh…sure.” He grabbed a Sharpie off the table.

“Dank has never been to Virginia before. You girls know anything he might be able to get into tonight?” I asked them, trying to help lead Dank in the right direction.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” the blonde said, giving Dank a coy smile and fluttering her eyelashes.

Mission accomplished.

I’d been to a few bars and filled out applications, but none of them had seemed to be hiring. I was downtown and decided to stop and get some dinner before continuing my search.

As I walked down the sidewalk, I saw a big building with a huge neon sign that said,
Red
, over the double doors in front. I wasn’t quite sure, but it looked like a club, which meant it had a bar, so I decided to try it out. I pulled on the front doors, but as I’d suspected, they were locked. Cupping my hands in front of me, I pressed them against the glass and tried to peer inside.

“Can I help you?” a deep voice asked from beside me.

I let out a startled yelp and jumped back from the doors.

“Jesus, you scared the shit out of me.” I covered my heart with my hand.

I turned to see a man in a suit.
An incredibly sexy man in a suit. Good God.

He chuckled and raised his hand as if to tell me he meant no harm. “I’m the owner. Can I help you with something?” he asked, motioning toward the building.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry,” I said as I reached into my purse for a copy of my résumé. “I’m new in town and just wanted to see if you were hiring any bartenders. I have about four years of experience,” I told him as I held the paper out for him to take.

His blue eyes studied mine before he took it and looked it over. I found myself fidgeting as he read it. I felt like a kid in the principal’s office or something. It seemed weird, considering this guy looked to be about my age. He just seemed so composed and authoritative. It was a little unnerving.

“Come back tomorrow around noon,” he said, handing the résumé back to me.

“Don’t you want to keep it?” I asked before reaching out to take the piece of paper.

“No, I read it already.”

“Should I ask for someone specific tomorrow?”

“When you come back, go to the back door right down this alley.” He pointed down the alley beside him. “Just knock, and someone will open it for you. Ask for Jay.”

Before I could respond, he turned around and walked away. I stood there, staring at his back, as I wondered what had just happened.

Did I get the job? Who was that guy?

I wasn’t sure who he was, but I knew he was hot. I had no idea what they put in the water out here, but I was grateful for whatever it was because it had made some gorgeous men.