Page 29 of First Touch

My blood runs cold but it’s fleeting as I’m consumed by rage.

Without hesitation, I’m barreling across the room and knocking past everyone that’s in my way trying to get to her. I don’t have time to care how my reaction might affect my undercover persona. Nothing changes the reality. No one gets to hurt her. To touch her. To scare her.

I register the ghostly paleness of her face before throwing a fist at the old man holding her against her will. The crack of my knuckles hitting his jaw is like a record scratch. The whole bar goes silent, staring as he falls to the ground. He’s a big guy and when he hits the floor it rattles all the glasses sitting on the bar nearby.

I grab him by the collar of his shirt, forcing his face up. “Don’t ever touch her again!”

Chapter Fourteen

Thea

Ionly need to clear this last table and then I can get back to my apartment and study. I’m exhausted but the semester is almost over and I’m close to getting a break for the summer. Working and going to school is draining but it’s necessary.

I shift my catering cart around the scattered chairs, trying to get through the chaos of this ballroom. The wedding has been in full swing for hours and all the guests are inebriated. It’s fine when they ignore the wait staff, but a few of the groomsmen have been eyeing me all night, making my neck prickle.

I feel like I’m being stalked by a pack of rabid hyenas. When one of them breaks from the pack, stalking toward me, my back stiffens. Please, no.

“Hey little lady, wanna dance?” He slurs in my direction.

“No thank you, I’m working.” I keep stacking glasses on my cart, trying to ignore him.

“Well, work your way over here.” He gives me his best ‘come hither’ look, but it falls flat because he’s so drunk.

“Uh, no. No thanks.” My voice is trembling now. Whenever my first refusal is denied, my nerves start climbing. Nothing good ever comes next.

“Don’t be a waste of ass.” He stomps around my cart, grabbing my forearm roughly. “Dance with me.”

That’s all it takes for my breath to whoosh out of me, my body reacting to the unwelcome touch. Despite my sudden tunnel vision, I watch his eyebrows scrunch up, looking at me like I’ve grown two heads.

My head starts swimming and the room goes black before I can attempt to care about his opinion of me.

When I blink awake and out of the darkness, my manager is standing over me, glaring with disapproval. All I can do is curl into a ball and cry.

“Call Liv. Please, just call Liv,” I plead to whoever will listen.

She’s the only one who knows what’s wrong with me. The only one who doesn’t treat me like damaged goods.

* * *

“There she is.”

My conscious mind slowly starts picking up on the world around me as I blink my eyes open. Daya, the other bartender, is squatting down in front of me, brushing the hair out of my face.

“Hey, sweetie. You okay?” She asks, her blue eye shadow drawing my attention.

She’s older than me, probably closer to forty, and looks like she belongs on the back of someone’s Harley. Or, should be driving her own. She’s sweet though and has been welcoming since my very first shift.

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

She helps me stand. “It looks like you fainted. Are you going to be okay to get home?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine, it’s happened before. I’ve just had a long day and didn’t eat much,” I lie. “I guess I panicked when that guy grabbed me and overdid it.”

“Well, I’m sorry I didn’t stop him myself, that bastard is gone for life. Sunny doesn’t stand for people grabbin’ us like that, but I convinced him not to ban your boyfriend.” She pats my arm as we walk past the empty kegs and toward the backdoor.

“My boyfriend?” Everything aside from panicking and fainting is a blur.

“Yeah, he laid it on Russ. Whooped him real good for grabbin’ you. It was pretty hot actually.”

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