Chapter 1
"Here's your drink, Sir. Enjoy." Shirley said in a flirtatious voice, bending a little more, and her customer tucked a dollar bill between her cleavage. She flashed a sexy grin and turned to leave with a little sway of her hips that would drive any man crazy. She went back to her work behind the desk.
The bar was dimly lit, but in contrast to the lights, it was booming, and everyone was lively. Everyone was dancing and chatting; some were practically eating each other's faces, preparing for a hook-up, and some were drinking to forget something or someone.
She sighed and continued wiping the counter and then the glass with a worn rag. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and her eyes were intently focused on the glass.
"Hey, can I get something that'll make me forget and loosen up tonight?" She glanced at him and a smile curled up her lips.
"It depends on whether you want to just loosen up or not care about anything at all." She asked in her flirtatious voice. The guy sitting in front of her scanned her face, a teasing smile forming on his lips when his eyes landed on her cleavage.
" That'll cost you 20 dollars." His eyes returned to her, and she winked mischievously, passing him his drink. " Only 20? I thought you'd bankrupted many already." He smirked and brought his drink to his lips. The tension slipped away from his muscles little by little as he took another sip.
Shirley went to her next customer, who was annoyingly loud. " Hold your horses, cowboy, you know God only gave us two hands." Frustration was etched in her tone, but he didn't seem to notice and continued being a jerk.
" Oh yeah, and you can have much more fun with your two hands." He licked his lips, making Shirley infuriated, and scanned her from head to toe, practically eye-fucking her. She inched a little closer, mustering every ounce of control she possessed, and replied in a low rumble. " Yeah, I know, and I'm going to show you a demo." * SMACK* The sudden force of the slap made him stumble backward, and everyone around him looked at him in shock.
" You whore, how dare you? You are a fucking waitress, and you dare lay a hand on me." he spouted venomous words at her, but she didn't back down and gave him her angriest glare. She didn't even flinch when he stepped closer to her, and this fueled his anger.
She squared her shoulders, ready to strike him; just when he was about to hit her, a firm hand held his and manhandled him.
" Okay, cowboy, I suggest you leave. Now." Her previous customer came to her rescue, but the fiery one didn't learn his lesson and glared back at him as if ready to strangle him then and there.
" Who the fuck are you to interfere? It's between me and her?" He spat on the ground. " Well, whoever I am, but I'm not a coward like you who lays hands on a woman. Now get the fuck outta here before I beat you to a bloody pulp." The bouncers came and threw him out of the bar. The crowd dispersed, returning to their previous activities.
"Kitty got claws," he remarked, making her lips twitch. " Yeah, you should consider yourself lucky that these claws didn't tear your shirt apart."
Her words made him swallow hard as some heated images crossed his mind. Him being half-naked with her in a room. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
" What made you shake your head so violently?" she raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow in question. " Nothing you want to know." his voice was suddenly raspy, and his throat dried up.
He lifted his drink. Her eyes fell at his Adam's apple, bobbing up and down as he downed his drink, making her lips dry. She had never felt attracted to anyone's Adam's apple before, ' he looked delicious, though.' Her train of thought suddenly became sultry.
" You were drooling. I guess you enjoyed what you saw?" he teased her, knowing very well what effect he had on females. She cleared her throat, " Hmm. Just okay, nothing appealing," she lied, maintaining her arrogant composure, making him laugh.
She was awestruck at his deep laugh; it felt as if his laugh had a magnetic pull. A strange, deep-consuming feeling crept up in her heart. Feelings she had never felt before.
" By the way, I'm Ken." He extended his hand. " I'm Shirley." She took a moment to steady her rhythmic heart and firmly shook his hand.
" If you don't mind telling me, why did you slap him? I mean, I'm just curious." Curiosity was at its peak in his voice, and his eyes helped convey a serious expression.
" Because he shouted and abused my co-worker, and she was the only support I had when I first joined." She shrugged. Her honesty made his heart squeeze a little, but that moment ended soon when his friends joined him, completely ignoring Shirley and dragging him along with them.
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Shirley's eyes kept drifting back to him. She was getting impatient and was eagerly waiting for her shift to end. She absent-mindedly served her next customer when she saw Ken talking to another waitress, and she pressed her side to his biceps, flirting without any care.
'But what's there to care about? Boss just wants money.' she tried to talk some sense into herself. She sighed and looked at him again. He flashed a sexy grin at the waitress, and she felt a pang of disappointment in her heart.
She so much wanted to march there and smack that grin off of his face, but she forced down her anger and plastered a professional smile when someone asked for another drink.
' Wait. Why the hell am I being dramatically disappointed in myself over a random guy?' She was self-annoyed and internally kicked herself.
Finally, when her shift was over, she was dreaming of having a bubble bath and then lying on her beloved bed. She changed into her clothes and was ready to head but her damn stupid heart begged her to scan the crowd for Ken.
Unfortunately, her determination was resolved, but he was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, she sighed heavily and dragged her feet outside the bar. The back alley was eerily quiet, she could even hear her heartbeat.
The cold breeze made her shiver even after layers of clothing. The leaves were flowing with the wind against their will, just like Shirley. She never wanted a life where you constantly kept running from a danger you didn't know was lurking in which corner or at what turn.
She was lost in her thoughts when a creepy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She felt someone's presence behind her as if someone was watching her every move.
'Where's my self-defence keychain?' Her face became pale, and her heartbeat quickened while she kept searching for her taser. When she was about to take a turn on the road, someone grabbed her by the waist and clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes widened in horror.
