Chapter 1
Have you ever been hit on? If you haven’t, let me break down what it’s like. Usually a man will stare at you for a while, slide over a snarky remark, usually something similar to: “Lemme get your number”, “I can show you a good time”, or “You’re hot”. But, have you ever been kidnapped at work because some rich guy thought you were pretty? Yeah. I win. My name’s Scarlet, and this is my story.
I work as a bartender in a busy club called 'Starzone' in the upper, busier part of New York city. Let me tell you more, the boring stuff, that you may want to know before we move on to anything else.
I've lived here for fourteen years, and worked at this particular club for only three. Yep, ever since I turned twenty-one. It isn't as bad as it seems, sure we get the occasional weirdo that doesn't know when to stop, but we have our ways of stopping them like any good club does.
For the most part it's just rich guys in their mid-fourties who stand around and talk, groups that just turned of age, and scruff looking young men who only came here for a good lay.
See? Nothing much to worry about. It actually gets pretty boring. You see, I make the same drinks every day, considering our regulars that I mentioned, and the weirdos only turn up once in a while. And they almost never target me.
I'm not the prettiest, but I'm not the ugliest woman you'll ever see. I stand at 5'3, 125 pounds, a good average that's easy to maintain. My hair is 'chocolate brown' as those wattpad stories would say, slightly wavy and hits the small of my back. My bangs however, are fluffier and frame my face, and after many failed dye sessions, they're a sandy blonde that I can't seem to get rid of.
I say my eyes are simple, they're brown, but they're lighter, almost hazel. I love them, but my eyesight is absolutely horrid. I wear contacts to work, only because I fear breaking my glasses that I only wear at home. Listen, getting frames here are extremely expensive, getting a new pair would take weeks, so of course it's better to be safe then sorry.
Enough about just my appearance, let's talk pasts for the story's sake. I lived in old Phoenix, Arizona with my mother and sister. My dead-beat father was thrown in prison when I was seven, and he's been rotting there since.
We lived comfortably, and close to family, so I had a good childhood. But unfortunately, my mother always liked to follow the crowd. So when my family decided to move to New York for a scenery change, she followed right behind them and packed me and my sister up.
Past forward about six years, I'm sixteen. My family moved again, and my mother couldn't afford to follow them, so she stayed. They visit once in a while, but it's been quite dreary. My sister is growing up alone, because my mother has to work a lot. And I feel a little guilty for leaving my sister, Anastasia, when I moved out just days after I turned eighteen.
Don't get me wrong, I swing by every other day, or when I can to hang out with her. And every month I send a portion of my check to her and my mother to keep them steady. As for myself, I live in a small apartment close to work, considering the fact that I have to walk. With my salary it's kind of hard to buy a car in this kind of city. I don't mind it, usually my walks are fairly calm.
I'm getting distracted again, so heres just some more vague basics for you to know before you can move on; I've been single my whole life (-1 boyfriends), I work from mid-afternoon to 12am on the clock when the club closes, I'm claustrophobic, only have one friend, Eva.
So yeah an-
"Scarlet! It's not time to daydream, get back to work!"
I jolted up, my elbow knocking into a half empty glass, spilling the sticky liquid all over the counter.
God, his voice never ceases to annoy me. I mean, I barely slept, can't he give me a little brea-
"Chop chop, red! People are rolling in like waves, so stop sleeping on the job!" Jacob yelled as he walked behind me, hitting the back of my head with a washcloth.
"Okay, damn it! I got it! Asshole." I muttered the last part, not wishing to be hit again but still wanting to put what I thought of him into the universe. But, it came anyways.
I whipped around, glaring at him as hard as I could. He just laughed at me and kept walking, headed towards a man to probably get his order. And I couldn't help but stare at Jacob while he wasn't looking.
I mean, he is a jackass, but he's still extremely attractive. His hair is a light brown, usually flowing over his face while he was working, his eyes are a beautiful shade of icy blue. And oh, his shoulders- I just want to grab them while he-
"I SAID GET BACK TO WORK!"
"OKAY, GOD! I GOT IT!"
I grumbled and turned around, walking towards the general area of the bar where a group of guys I've never seen before are sitting, incase they needed any drinks or anything. Look at me, doing my job. I'm so proud of myself.
I lazily leaned against the counter few feet away, and before I could even take a breath, one of them called out to me, as expected.
"Hey you! Come over here, we need our drinks now."
I closed my eyes as I made my way to them, which wasn't very far, just to mentally prepare myself to actually do my job. When I opened them I audibly gasped.
Oh. My. God. These men are beautiful.
I felt my face pale a bit as I asked them what they wanted in the best steady voice I could. When suddenly a man pushed forward and sat on the one empty stool in the middle of the group.
" I'll have your favorite. You choose."
This man. He has raven hair that's styled, his skin is dark and smooth, he smells expensive, and his eyes are the most gorgeous hue of emerald. I felt myself practically foaming at the mouth when I snapped back into reality and nodded as curtly as I could, quickly shuffling off to make a drink.
Wait, did he say whatever I want? What do I even like? Is this a test? I bet it is. If he doesn't like me he'll put a spell on me or kill me or something. No, that's just ridiculous. Or maybe, he was flirting? No, absolutely not. Just look at him, then look at me. No. Who would even flirt like that? Okay Scarlet, just make the drink.
With shaky hands, I went with the safest option and made a strawberry margarita. I carefully took it back to them, setting it on the counter in front of the man.
I looked down at him, awaiting his reaction and he just smiled, nodding at me. I mentally cheered and was ready to walk away and serve someone else when he spoke.
"So, are you single?"
Excuse me?
Did he just ask me? No. I must be mistaken. He must be talking to someone else, but no. He's talking to me. What do I say? I mean he's the most handsome man I've ever seen. Is he playing a sick joke? Is Jacob in on this? Stop overthinking, Scarlet! Just answer his bloody question.
I nodded, averting my eyes as I awkwardly waited for what he had to say next.
"How? You're gorgeous. Shouldn't a woman like you be somewhere off with a man, and not in some place like this? You know what, come with me."
Okay, so much just happened. What? I froze, furrowing my eyebrows as I thought it over. Go home with him, go home with him, go home with him. Yeah, it doesn't make sense. He's asking me to leave work and go home with him. I couldn't possibly do that, no matter how much I want to. I've seen those tv shows where the girl goes home with the guy and gets murdered or raped or something. Besides, Jacob would kill me way before he does. I have to say no. Decline Scarlet.
"I'm sorry, sir. I don't think that would be appropriate, considering I'm on the job. If you attempt something like that again, I'll have to tell security."
Okay, not good. But, good? I said what Jacob would've told me to say. But, it was a bit much. And telling by the look on this guy's face, he isn't happy about it, and he actually looks surprised. I mean, how could he not be? He's probably never gotten rejected in his li-
"I'd like to see you try."
Huh? I glanced at him questioningly, curiosity flaring in my eyes.
What? What does he mean by "I'd like to see you try,". I mean, Jim and Tod, the security, are right over- oh shit. What the hell? Where are they?
I looked around in panic, and it really sank in. Everyone was gone. Where did they go? I looked over to where Jacob was standing just a few minutes ago and he's gone too.
I quickly looked back at this mystery god-man, and two of the guys that were sitting next to him were gone too, and only three remained. Where did they-
Okay, now I'm actually panicking.
I feel strong arms grip me on either side, and I let out a loud yell, looking at the man now grinning below me stand up as one of the men grabbing me cover my mouth with something damp and cool.
"You see, love. You don't really have a choice. I get what I want."
As he spoke I felt my body going limp, my vision was clouding and going black. No. Scarlet your phone is in your pocket, if you can just reach it and call anyone. Jacob, mom, Eva, the police, even Anastasia. You'll be okay, now go for i-
"Now that she's out, bring her to the car. And tell Luca to prepare the house, let him know we're going to be having a guest stay for a while."
