Page 2 of Never You

The liquid burns through my body and my stomach roars in response while both men do their best to keep a straight face. My eyes go moist, albeit for a completely different reason this time.

Shivering, I eagerly grab a lime wedge from the dish on the bar to replace the bad taste.

“You did a damn good job, though, sweetheart.” Mr. Davis continues when he is able to relax his face again. “I’m sorry to see you leave. Are you sure I can’t make you another offer? Maybe throw a new car in the mix?” He winks, referring to the black company SUV I’ve been driving since I started working for the team.

He never admitted it through the years, but I know Johnny pulled a few strings as a peace offering after basically kidnapping me, and when I handed in my resignation, I was sad to see it go.

But last week, Johnny had a big smirk on his face when he handed me the registration papers with my name on it.

“Happy birthday,”he said.

And the uncle of the year award goes to...

“How about you buy me another shot and I’ll think about it?” I playfully bump my shoulder against Mr. Davis’s.

“Oh, God. She’s really not on the job anymore.” Johnny shakes his head as Mr. Davis drums his fingers on the bar top, his lips curled.

“You heard the girl,” he calls out to the bartender. “Three more!”

The corner of my mouth rises in an evil grin, glancing at Johnny who playfully shakes his head. Mr. Davis hands me another shot and gives the other to Johnny. “Now, sweetheart, I like to see this wild side of yours, but don’t fall off your expensive shoes. Okay?”

I softly chuckle, bringing the glass to my lips, and I again feel the tequila surging through my body. My stomach hurls in defense, telling me it’s not on the same page as my head, but I’m not the one to back out of a challenge.

“Don’t you worry about me, sir. I’m stronger than I look.” I slam the glass on the bar, then put another lemon wedge in my mouth.

The sour taste shuts my eyes instantly, and I let out a small shriek to pump myself up as the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. They follow my example, and Mr. Davis shudders when the liquid flows through his body, a pinched look on his face.

“You’re not working for me anymore; you can call me Bob,” he orders, his expression still tense from the shot. “You want another one?”

He looks from Johnny to me, and we both nod in agreement, even though there’s a possibility my stomach isn’t on board with the idea.

“I have to warn you, Bob. You do realize she’s related to me?” A warning flashes in my uncle's eyes, combined with an amused smirk that matches mine. “My niece can do this all day without so much as waggling an inch in her high heels.”

My tolerance for alcohol used to piss him off when I was still a teenager, as I used it to my advantage all too often, though it still got me in a shit ton of trouble. But now, a proud glint is visible in his eyes as I survey the people around us to see if anyone heard him calling menieceout of habit.

Being the niece of the General Manager of the LA Knightsandgetting free passes is one thing. Being the niece and getting a very high paying, most sought-after job without any credentials?

Yeah, not something the entire world needs to know.

Before you know it, I’ll be eaten by all the media sharks this city is crowded with. It has already been enough of a hit to my ego that it was the sole reason I got the job, having barely finished high school before Johnny took me to LA with him.

So, I overcompensated.

I worked my ass off, didn’t ask for any favors, and made sure no one ever questioned me. Considering Robert Davis just asked me to stay, I think I have succeeded with flying colors.

“You’re shitting me.” Robert’s wide-eyed gaze moves from me to Johnny in total disbelief.

“I will deny it if you ever tell anyone, but yeah. She can drink like a sailor.” Johnny shrugs, then brings the shot to his lips. “Frustrates the hell out of my sister. Gave us quite the worry when she was a teenager.”

I breathe out a laugh.

Rebel Rae, they used to call me.

It started out as a joke from Johnny when I was fifteen and convinced the entire class to skip the last period to go to the riverbank instead. Cheeky stuff like that still pulled a silent chuckle from most of my family after I faced the consequences. But by the time I hit eighteen, alcohol and drugs were part of daily life, and the only one still laughing was me.

I cock an eyebrow, making it clear I have no desire to give my boss an opening to learn more about my troubled teenage years.

In the last five years, I tucked that version of me away, as far as possible, making sure she’d never show her face.

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