Chapter Nine: Take Me For A Ride
Harper
I wasn’t having my best day at work. One of the waitresses had called in sick, apparently forgetting that we were following each other on Instagram, because an hour after we got off the phone, she posted pictures of herself at the beach with her new boyfriend. I had the unpleasant task of firing a girl that I liked. I hated to be the bad guy, but I had the employee records available to me, so even though I’d only been working here for about a month, I knew she called in frequently, and I had to wonder how many times she’d pulled this kind of thing. It was unacceptable and made her untrustworthy.
The worst part of the whole situation was that I couldn’t get anyone else to come in. Most of the other waitresses who had the day off didn’t answer the phone. I couldn’t exactly blame them as they had to suspect why I would be calling, but it did leave me in a bind. The one waitress I’d been able to get a hold of was out of town visiting family, or so she said. I was out of options.
This meant I would be stuck covering the position myself, on top of my normal duties.
That was how I came upon Bones sitting at a slot machine. It had been three days since I saw him when he’d brought me breakfast and laid a kiss on my lips that rocked my world. We hadn’t exchanged numbers, and it wasn’t like we ran in the same circles regularly, so it was probably all for the best.
After having a few days to think about it, I was back to having reservations about his position in a motorcycle club. They seemed like good guys, but I couldn’t quite shake the concern that they might be involved in some bad stuff, especially after what Brianna told me about Rebel Saints’ history. I felt like my gut and my mind were at odds with each other, my gut telling me to trust him and go for it, while my brain kept reminding me that my mom always overlooked Rick’s flaws because she trusted her feelings over the evidence, right in front of her.
Being so attracted to Bones didn’t change the fact that I didn’t want to be like my mom. I wasn’t sure what I wanted at this point.
“Are you on the job? Or just here to try your luck?” I asked, unsure if he was here to gamble or act as extra security. Since the man Bones had tackled was dealing drugs on the casino floor, my boss and I decided it would be best for the club members to blend in with the crowd, be inconspicuous. They could keep an eye on things that might happen when the customers believed there were no security guard actively watching. There were cameras, of course, but those had blind spots.
“Yep. I feed a coin into the machine every once in a while to blend in, but I’m keeping an eye on things.”
I felt safer knowing he was doing that, but I didn’t say so. “You’ll be reimbursed. Keep track of the amount you spend, unless you win big.” I grinned.
“I’ve won big before, but not on the slots. I was a craps table guy. In fact, that’s where my name comes from.”
“Bones, as in dice?”
“You got it. I was playing in this very casino. That’s how I bought the bar; I used my winnings.”
“Interesting.”
“What is?”
“Well, I’ve been in this business long enough that I know a lot of people who win big get addicted to the thrill of it. Those winnings usually end up right back at the tables, gambled away in an attempt to recapture that feeling. It’s almost impossible. You know what they say, the house always wins.”
“Might want to lower your voice,” he said, glancing around. “Don’t want anyone to overhear the way things really work around here.” He grinned at me.
“It’s no secret. There’s a reason that casinos are so successful. We almost always get our money back.”
“Except for me.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “except for you.”
“I’ll take a Coke,” he said, putting a coin into the machine and pulling the lever. “By the way, I love the outfit.”
I glanced down at the waitress uniform I wore. It was a corset-style black top and short red skirt. I didn’t love that this oversexualized outfit was what the wait staff wore, but it had been in place long before I was hired, and changing it would be a fight I didn’t want to take on until I had been here longer, and proved myself as a good manager whose opinions mattered. The shoes were what I hated most. Black pantyhose covered my legs and there were two-inch heels on my feet. Even a small heel was hell on my feet. But I couldn’t help enjoying that Bones liked the way I looked.
Making my way across the casino, I stopped to get a few more drink orders from others at the slot machines.
When I got to the bar, Brianna was staring at Bones. “Couldn’t help but notice you flirting with your biker friend,” she said, giving me a suggestive smile.
“Talking,” I said, handing over a ticket with my drink orders. “We were talking.”
“Maybe that’s what you were going for, but I was watching you and the smile on your face was all flirt. Also, I read a book once about body language, and the way that you were turned into him, your hips and shoulders pointed in his direction that means you’re interested in the man.”
“Well, he’s interesting,” I said, fidgeting with a cardboard coaster on the bar. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t want to admit to her how much I was attracted to him. Maybe because that would make the whole thing real instead of harmless flirting.
“That’s one word for it.” Brianna handed over the drinks she made.
I loaded them onto a tray. Working backward toward Bones, I dropped off drinks along the way, but before I reached him, a hand reached out and groped my behind as I walked by. I went rigid, turning to glare at the man who was still touching me.