Page 25 of Ruthless

"Here ya go hun." Stevie set the two pitchers down and spun around to fill another order.

"Orders up!" George yelled out.

I grabbed a large tray, set the two pitchers down on it, and moved to the window for my wings and sandwiches. My first stop was the asshole and his preppy friends. "Here you go," I said with a frozen smile on my face. As I set the basket of wings down I looked up to see Lola talking to Rebel and his friends across the room. What the hell? She was leaning against the table close to him, half-in, half-out of the booth.

It wasn't clear to me which man she had her sights on. All three were getting the benefit of her low cut blouse and too-short skirt. The flirty smile on her pretty face and the way that she flipped her long, blond hair were obvious attempts to get and keep their attention. Even from where I stood across the room from them I could see that Rebel's eyes were checking out her cleavage. I clenched my teeth. I’d understood her disappearing act when I'd thought that she'd gone to the bathroom, but now I was a little pissed that she was neglecting her tables to hit on a table of sexy bikers.

Well, it wasn't my business who she flirted with, and it was her job at stake. Vinny didn't have any problem with us coming on to the customers because he knew it meant bigger tips for us. He also didn't care what we did after hours on our own time, but he didn't like it when we ignored one table over another, especially when we were busy and short-handed. Lola was clearly crossing the line. Rebel's table wasn't even hers.

Carrie came up to where I was leaning against the bar, facing the customers. "Can you believe her? She must be horny." I chuckled along with her. "Do you think she wants to take on all three?" I shrugged. "I wouldn't mind hopping on to that train myself."

I snorted with surprise. "You're into threesomes?" Or would it be foursomes?

She threw back her head and laughed. "Hell, no! I'd do them one after another!" Her heavily made-up eyes were focused on what Lola was doing. "Which one do you think she’ll go after first?"

I knew which one I would have wanted, and not just because we had a history, though it didn't hurt that I knew what Rebel's hands and mouth were capable of making me feel. He was by far the most drop-dead gorgeous outlaw I'd ever seen, and our attraction had been palpable from the start. The years apart hadn't done anything to diminish that. I'd tried to capture it with other men, I'd wanted to, but I hadn't been ready to move on. Hadn't accepted the fact I may never see Rebel again. The steamy kiss that we'd shared that morning had been filled with heated promises and had taken me from zero to a hundred in seconds flat.

I had to wonder where that kiss would have taken us if his phone hadn't rung.

As Lola sank further into the booth and sided up alongside Rebel, it became clear that it was he that she’d set her sights on. I fought the urge to walk over and yank her away, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her and Rebel. He seemed amused by her flirtation, and he didn't appear to mind when she got touchy-feely with him. I, on the other hand, was fuming inside, jealousy burning a hole in my stomach. I had no claim over Rebel, and God knew how many women he'd been with since we’d parted years ago, but that had all been beyond my knowledge and control.

Besides, the thought of him fucking someone that I knew made me feel sick inside.

I steeled myself against my emotions, but I was only fooling myself.

"There is something insanely sexy about the one she's sitting next to, but I think I'd go for the dude with the little bit of gray in his hair. I've always been attracted to older men, and you have to admit, there's something about him. Turns me on."

I rolled my eyes. Carrie's comment about being attracted to older men struck my funny bone because the man in question couldn't be more than forty and fairly close to her age, which was thirty-three. She was the oldest of us who worked at the restaurant, with the exception of Stevie, who was forty. I was in the middle at twenty-five, and Lola, of course, was the youngest and definitely the most immature at twenty. As she petted Rebel's arm he glanced up and our eyes met. I didn't like the sudden quirk of his sexy lips. If he was waiting for me to show jealousy, he was in for a disappointment.

I smiled and turned away as if anything he did with Lola didn't bother me in the least.

"Order up!"

I jolted, surprised at the extra loud yell coming from Vinny's mouth. A glance at him revealed that he was looking directly in Lola's direction, and I realized that the level of his voice had been raised in order to get her attention. Carrie and I exchanged amused looks. Seconds later, Lola scurried over to the window.

"You don't get paid for sitting with the customers," Vinny grumbled irritably. "Work it on your own damned time. You hear me?" he snapped, his eyes flashing angrily. "Consider that your break."

When Vinny spoke to someone in that tone, they didn't argue with him, and he was right to give Lola hell, anyway. She'd been caught red-handed and had no one to blame but herself. She lowered her eyes, cheeks flushing red, and picked up the order that he'd all but thrown her way. What could she say?

"Sorry, Vinny," she mumbled, turning away, but the smile was right back on her face once she was no longer facing Vinny. She gave me and Carrie a wink as she moved past.

Carrie and I locked eyes.

"She looks like she might have gotten lucky," Carrie said in reference to the cocky smile on Lola's face.

"Good for her," I responded, sick inside.

An arm went up, and I made my way to the table.

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