The alarm on my cell phone goes off, telling me it’s six in the morning and time to get out of bed. It sucks that I was up before it went off. Sleep has become such a luxury in my life. Nowadays, I’m lucky if I get six hours. But that is the story of my life.

When I moved to the Windy City, I didn’t think it would be this hard. I thought a full scholarship to the University of Chicago would be enough. They took care of tuition, and I would find somewhere inexpensive to live. But I was wrong — dead wrong. I’m working two jobs, and I’m barely making ends meet. My last conversation with Brennan, the man my father expects me to marry, replays.

“Why the hell do you want to go to Chicago? If you want to attend college, you can go somewhere local. We are supposed to get married when you turn twenty. But it’s all right. You will return before the year ends.”

His tone was humorous, but I know better. Brennan is the type of guy who always gets what he wants. He asked my father for my hand in marriage, and he agreed. Brennan is four years older than me. I nearly had a heart attack since I was only sixteen at the time. My mother convinced my father to let me finish high school first. I was grateful when my father agreed.

Then, I convinced Brennan to give me two years for an associate degree. My argument was that I wanted to get an associate’s degree for the benefit of our family. I had the scholarship, so we wouldn’t have to come up with the money. Of course, that is a lie. The last thing I want is to be married to him.

Everyone thinks Brennan is perfect. He could do no wrong. Then, he became a deputy in our small town. My parents believe he is the perfect catch. But none of them see the darkness in him. When he is angry, his response is violence. I have hospital records that verify it, even if I’ve never confessed it to anyone. So, I ran out of Arkansas the day after graduation. He has kept his distance, and I’m grateful. Hopefully, he will find someone while I attend college and move on.

My alarm goes off again. I slide out of bed and stand on the cold vinyl floor. Who would have thought the only place I could find to live was a Motel 6? I stretch my arms in the air as I walk to the bathroom.

“How did my life come to this?” I ask myself as I stare in the mirror.

I take a deep breath and start brushing my teeth. There is no point in dwelling over something I can’t control. Twenty minutes later, I’m stepping out of the motel room. Despite being exhausted, I need to do whatever I have to. I refuse to return to Arkansas. Brennan won’t have the last word.

____

10:00 PM

“It’s busy as hell.” My coworker Dana says sarcastically, fanning herself.

“Hey, don’t just stand around. Get back to work. The tables aren’t going to clean themselves.” The manager at Grappa Gastropub orders.

“Jesus, Mike.” Dana's voice booms with an exaggerated tone. “Take a breath. There is no one here.”

I don’t challenge Mike and walk toward my section. It’s been a long quiet night which sucks. No customers mean no tips, and right now, tips are what I need. I saw my bank account earlier and only have enough money to pay the Motel 6 until the end of the week. I’m one hundred dollars away from being homeless.

“Don’t pay him any mind. He’s just mad he isn’t getting any action from his girl.” Dana says, prompting me to shake my head. She has no filter and is proud of it.

“Watch your mouth. I can hear you.” Mike tells her.

“I wanted you to hear me asshole,” Dana rebuttals.

The splash of cold air suddenly alerts me that someone entered, making me grateful. The last thing I need is to get into the middle of whatever argument Dana is preparing against Mike today.

I look toward the door to greet the customer walking inside. Several men are walking inside. My heart skips a beat. I’ve never seen a man like the last one who walks inside.

“That’s Lex. Don’t stare.” Dana warns me. I turn and face her, confused by her comment. “He owns the place but hates people looking at him.”

I’ve heard people say the name Lex before, but I never paid attention. It’s not like I care who owns the place. All I care about is my check clearing on payday. But I’m going to be honest: I thought Lex was an old man, not the athletic-built man walking toward a table in my section. He looks like he just stepped out of a GQ magazine.

“Shit, he is sitting on your side, switch with me.” Dana pleas.

“Fine. I’ll continue cleaning.” She jumps up and down like a child when they get a present. If I disagreed, she would bug the rest of my shift.

“You’re the best!!”

As Dana walks toward my section, I walk toward hers. Her last table left, and Mike sent the busboy home. I lose myself by clearing the table and think I probably shouldn’t have given Dana the table. I’m pretty sure the owner is probably going to tip well. I gather the plates and walk to the kitchen as the door opens again.

“Cassie, sit the customers who walked in,” Mike screams across the bar.

I set the plates on the bar counter and walk to the door where three guys are standing. Immediately, I knew this wasn’t going to be a good table. One of the guys has been here a few times and always tries to cross the line with me.

“How nice is this? Red is working tonight.” The man says.

“This way,” I gesture, not meeting any of their eyes.

As I walk, I hear the disgusting whispers about what he would do to me while lying on his bed. I stop at the table and step aside to allow them to sit. I scan the clock, and there are only two hours left of my shift.

“The kitchen is now closed,” I say once the last guy sits. “What can I get you to drink?”

“You in a glass would be nice.” The jerk says, and the other men laugh. He would be wrong if he thinks I’m going to catch the bait.

“I’ll be back with your drinks.” I turn to leave, but the jerk grabs my arm.

“Come on, Red. We are just having a little fun.” I try and pull my arm back, but he grips it harder.

“How about you let go of my arm and tell me what you want to drink?” I try to be braver, but my voice wavers.

“Let her go, Jude. Don’t be a dick.” One of his companions says.

"Tsk, whatever." Jude spats and let me go. I pull my arm back and immediately take a few steps back. “Bring us a pitcher of beer and four whiskeys’ neat.”

“Okay,” I say, already walking away.

As I walk, I take a few deep breaths. I’m used to drunk assholes from back home, but this Jude unsettles me.

“Are you all right?” Dana asks when I reach the bar. I didn’t even notice I had reached it.

“Fine,” I say, refusing to look at her. “I need a pitcher of beer and four whiskeys,” I call to the bartender when he stands before me.

“You got it.” He says before walking away.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Dana asks. “That’s the asshole from last week, right?”

I don’t have to answer because the bartender returns with the pitcher of beer and the whiskeys. Dana says something, but I ignore her as I grab the drinks. I just want time to fly so that I can get out of here.

“You took your sweet time, Red,” Jude says, licking his lip. I ignore him, set the drinks on the table, and then step back.

“Would you like anything else?”

“Your number would be nice,” Jude says, but I ignore him.

“If you don’t need anything else, I’ll leave you to your drinks.”

Just as I turn to leave, I feel someone smack my ass, followed by my arm being grabbed and pulled.

“What the heck? Let me go.” I demand when I land on Jude’s lap.

“Don’t be like that, Red. I know this is what you want.” Jude says, laughing.

“Let me go!” I say louder, but it does nothing. He keeps me in place.

“She said to let her go.” A deep voice says. The air around us feels colder. I follow the voice, and it belongs to the man Dana said is Lex.

“Stay out of this, bro. I’m just having a little fun.” Jude says, laughing.

“NOW!” Lex repeats loud enough to make my skin vibrate.

Suddenly, two other men appear from somewhere and stand on each side of Lex. Instantly, Jude lets me go. I rush to stand but trip on my own feet. Right before I fall, Lex catches me.

“Time to go.” One of the men with Lex orders.

“Jude, let’s go.” I hear someone say.

I’m about to move but realize Lex’s arm is wrapped around my waist. I take a small step back to break the embrace, but he doesn’t let me go. Confused, I look up and meet his hazel eyes with flecks of gold. They’re so intense that it makes me shiver.

“Are you hurt?” Lex asks.

I swear I can taste the sweetness of his breath. His scent quickly makes my head foggy.

“Are you not hearing me?” His voice is colder this time, snapping me from the daze. I move hard enough to break the embrace.

“I’m fine. Thank you.” I say, already taking a step away from him. He says something under his breath, but I don’t stick around to hear it.

“This is the last time I tell you about starting trouble,” Mike says when I reach the bar. “You’re fired!”

“What?” I say, confused. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You’re causing trouble we don’t need here.”

I want to argue with him, but there’s no point. Mike has had it in for me since I turned him down on my first shift.

Quickly, I rush to the breakroom for my things.

“What’s going on?” Dana asks, walking into the break room.

“Nothing,” I answer, closing the locker.

“You can’t leave.” She says. “Mike can’t fire you. Lex won’t allow it since he was the one who came to your rescue.”

She keeps talking, but I ignore her. Mike is still by the bar outside the breakroom when I step out. He is such a tool. I take my apron off and throw it at him.

“You need to give me my final check,” I tell him, trying to swallow my unshed tears.

Mike glares at me. “Payday is Friday. It will be ready then.”

“What the fuck is going on here?” Lex’s voice demands.

“Nothing for you to worry about, Mr. Biagini.”

“Last I checked, this is my establishment, so everything concerns me.”

Mike is silent for a few seconds, then says, “Cassie isn’t a good fit for this establishment. She’s always causing trouble.” I can’t help but notice the stiff shoulder and nose flaring coming from Lex. He’s angry, and I don’t understand why. He doesn’t know me, so why?

“Blame the new girl you harass every chance you get because I said no,” I say, surprising myself.

“Excuse me?” Lex turns to me.

I turn my head away. “Nothing. I’ll be back Friday for my paycheck.”

I step to leave, but Lex grabs my arm to stop me. I face him.

“You aren’t going anywhere until you explain yourself.”