La Cosa Nostra, This Thing of Ours Read online

  "Harper, bella darling." Matty has come up to the bar beaming at me as he looks me up and down. "Why are you not on the floor?"

  "John told me to work with Sarah tonight to get a feel for everything."

  "Smart, yes, very good. Sarah won't scratch your eyes out." He laughs. "I was right about you. You look absolutely magnifico in your uniform. You have the best legs I have ever seen. Bella darling, bella." He's mixing Italian with his English. I am pretty sure that bella means beautiful.

  "Thank you," I say hesitantly, not sure how to respond to the very uncomfortable ogling.

  "Matty, go sit, I will bring you your drink," I hear a syrupy sweet voice come up next to Matty and see it is Monica. Then she turns to me seeing what is taking his attention away from her, I get daggers. I mean shoot-me-dead daggers. They weren't kidding when they said that these girls were mean, catty bitches.

  "Monica, have you met the new girl, Harper?" Matty says, still looking at me. She turns to me and forces a smile, it looks absolutely painful for her to do it, too, and I can't help but let out a little laugh at the look on her face. "Bella," he says one more time before he turns to join his brother in the corner booth that overlooks most of the club.

  "Listen here, you," Monica is standing up against the bar speaking to me in a low bitchy tone. "They're mine, especially Liam, so keep away or I will cut you." She grates her warning to me through gritted teeth. Her warning is funny to me. I grew up on a farm with two older brothers, and if she thinks I'm going to be afraid of a little blonde gold digger, well, that is just fucking hilarious.

  "No worries," I say, still laughing, holding up my hands like she has won. I'm not going to get into it with her. She is not worth the time. She can claim anybody she wants because I just don't care. Seeming pissed at my laughing, but also triumphant at the fact that she thinks she scared me off, she bounces off, satisfied, to the Tarseta brothers to do her thing.

  "One milestone down," Sarah says, coming up next to me. "It usually takes a few weeks for Monica to throw the 'I'll cut you' line to a new girl. She must feel really threatened by you."

  "Whatever, I'm not here to land a rich man. I'm here to pay for college," I tell her, which gets me a look of admiration from Sarah.

  Chapter 3

  Hello gorgeous. Not long after the encounter with Monica, in walks Liam with that silky black hair and the obvious muscular body under his $1000 suit that hugs him in all the right places. His jaw is chiseled and strong, and those eyes dark as night. He looks my way only for a second. I've seen pictures of him, but none do him justice. He has a beautiful redhead attached to his arm. She is wearing a blue gown with a slit up to her thigh. It shows off her ridiculously long legs. Her halter top is very low. In fact, it is showing so much skin I'm not even sure why she is wearing anything at all.

  I watch as he walks through the club with grace, stopping to shake hands with a few of the patrons. I turn my head when he scans the room again, this time he has noticed me staring. Looking at Sarah for a distraction, I fight everything in me to not look in his direction again.

  "I see you've noticed Liam," Sarah says. I'm biting my bottom lip so I don't look again. "It seems he has noticed you too," she says, nodding a hello, which makes me turn to see that he is still looking this way. In fact, right at me. Shit, shit, shit.

  "I've seen pictures, but damn up close ... damn." I turn back to Sarah fanning myself with my hand. She has amusement on her face.

  "He's coming over," Sarah says with closed lips. It takes me a second to figure out what she just mumbled when I turn around horrified to see Liam and his redhead standing there.

  "Hi, I'm one of your bosses, Liam Tarseta," he says, putting his hand over the bar to shake mine.

  "Harper Troy," I introduce myself, taking his hand. It feels like an electric shock jolts through me. I let loose of his hand fast which he doesn't seem to like.

  "I can't believe that Matty hired a brunette," he says, standing up straight after leaning over the bar to shake my hand. What is with these people and blondes?

  "I didn't realize hair color was such a big deal." I don't even know what to say to this.

  "It is with my dad, you should get it dyed right away," he says, looking at me intensely.

  "All due respect, Mr. Tarseta, but that won't be happening." I stare right back at him. The redhead has become beyond bored with this conversation.

  "Let's go sit, baby," she whines, rubbing her hand on his chest.

  I think he is going to respond to my comment, but instead just nods at me and turns, escorting his date to their table in the corner.

  "Holy shit, kid, I could feel the fire from over here," Sarah says.

  "What?" I give her a confused look.

  "I've worked here eight months and Liam Tarseta has never introduced himself to me." She is leaning with one hand on the bar giving me a one eyebrow raise. "In fact, I doubt he even knows my name."

  "Oh, whatever." I wave her off, but when I look in the direction of the Tarseta table I am met with those damn dark eyes. The redhead is flirting with Matty, and even though I can't really see all of Salvatore, from this angle I can see that he is trying to talk to his son. Just when our eyes meet, Liam looks away, putting his arm around his date.

  Monica comes up to the bar to put in a drink order. "I can't believe he is with her again," Monica spouts to Sarah and me. Apparently, I'm not her worry anymore now that there is an obviously bigger threat. Sarah just shrugs her off and I make her drinks.

  I do a good job of avoiding eye contact with the Tarseta table as the club picks up. Sarah and I are busy making drinks when one of the club patrons comes up to sit at the bar.

  "Whiskey double, please," he orders when I'm standing in front of him.

  I pour the drink and set it in front of the man who is already rather drunk. Before I am able to pull my arm away, he places his hand on my wrist.

  "I want you to come home with me, hot stuff," the thirty-something man says with a slur.

  "I am still working. You need to let me go so I don't get fired." I smile sweetly at the good looking, very drunk man who is holding my wrist even tighter.

  "I'll take you home and take care of you. You don't need this job, sweetness," he says, not letting go. Instead, he starts pulling me toward him so I have to lean over the bar. I could have this man begging for mercy if I wanted, but I don't know how much force I am allowed to assert with frisky patrons.

  Before I have the chance to assess the situation, I see a hand reach over, grabbing the man's arm. I set myself straight, fixing my blouse that is tousled from being forced over the bar. It's only then I see my rescuer is Liam.

  "Now, Pete, you're drunk so I am going to overlook this one, but you know the rules. I think it is time for you to call it a night," Liam whispers in the man's ear.

  "I like the new girl, she is prettier than all the rest," Pete says, slurring his words, turning in his seat to head for the door. Liam motions for the security guard at the door, a giant black man, to come escort him out.

  "Petal, if you are going to work here you need to learn a few things," he says smugly, putting his hands on the bar and leaning onto it to tell me his words of wisdom. What I want to do is show the fucking sex god in front of me what I could do with asshole men.

  Instead, I hastily grab for the man's drink that is still on the bar. As if in horrible slow motion, I knock the glass over instead of grabbing it. Pete's still full glass goes airborne. The golden liquid flies in the air landing on Liam, hitting his shirt and his crotch.

  "Shit!" I yell, mortified. "I am so sorry, Mr. Tarseta," I stutter, horrified. Real fucking smooth, Harper. "I'll pay for the dry cleaning."

  "Jesus Christ, you're an idiot!" Monica comes rushing up and grabs a napkin. She starts rubbing Liam's shirt then moves to his crotch area and starts rubbing slower. Really, it's like she is giving him a hand job right in the middle of the restaurant.

  "Fuck, Monica, I'll get it," he grates, swatting her h
and away he walks toward the bathroom.

  "What are you still doing here?" Monica shouts at me. "You are so fired! You might as well pack up your shit and leave." I turn to Sarah for confirmation as Monica scoffs off in a rage.

  "I don't know, but I've only ever seen one girl spill a drink. It was on a customer, not the owner, and she was fired," Sarah shrugs. It is apparent to me that she could care less if I stay or go. I decide I will leave on my own to save some of the dignity that I have left.

  Heading for the locker rooms to grab my bag, I see Liam exit the bathroom. Avoiding his black eyes, I dart into the back room to change and get the hell out of here. I kick off my high heels first before I start to unbutton and remove my shirt. I hear the door open behind me. Turning, I see Liam standing in the doorway. Standing only in my mini skirt and black lacy bra, I grab my shirt to cover myself.

  Liam steps all the way in the room, shutting the door behind him, and leans up against it with his arms crossed. Damn he looks sexy as hell standing there all confident and in charge. Too sexy. In my state of undress, I feel my body betraying me. My stomach goes tight while I feel a pull deep down.

  "What are you doing?" he asks in a low seductive voice.

  "I'm changing." And getting fucking turned on as hell, stop looking at me like that.

  "Why are you doing that?" He slides his hands in his pockets, slowly walking toward me.

  "Because I don't think it's very smart for a girl to walk around in this outfit at night in Chicago." I answer not moving, as he is now within touching distance of me.

  "Yes, that is true." He gives me a steamy sideways smile. "What I meant is, why are you changing because your shift is not over?"

  "Monica said I was fired." He lets out a low sexy laugh. With one swift move he grabs my shirt from my hands. I stand there, not able to move or breathe as he stares at me. I swallow hard, not knowing what to do or say at the moment. He holds up the shirt to me like he is going to help me put it back on.

  "Well, Monica is not your boss, I am, and you are most certainly not fired. So get dressed and get back to work, Petal." The words knock me out of my trance. I yank the shirt from his hands and throw it on as fast as I can. I turn around so my back is to him and start buttoning up the shirt. The door opens again, turning around, he is gone. What the fuck is wrong with me. My panties are soaked with excitement, yet I feel like I want to punch the arrogant asshole.

  I inhale a sharp breath, my heart starts pounding. I sit on the bench in front of the lockers feeling dizzy. My heart's racing, my palms sweaty, I think I'm having a panic attack. Jesus Christ, did he just give me a panic attack?

  After I calm myself down, I return to the bar with Sarah.

  "What happened?" Sarah says to me when I return.

  "Nothing, Liam said I wasn't fired, that's all," is all I say. What else is there to say? He came in and I think I had an orgasm at the way he looked at me.

  "Liam came out of the locker room, took Monica off to the side, and she started crying. I think she is still in the bathroom. Whatever Liam said to her really upset her," Sarah says, looking at me like I am not giving her the whole story.

  "I just told him Monica said I was fired and he laughed and said I wasn't. That's it, I swear." She still doesn't seem to believe me, but whatever. I can't help the little bit of satisfaction I got from knowing that Monica was crying in the bathroom.

  I don't even dare look in the direction of his table. If I'm not making a drink, I'm studying the bar for where everything is.

  Liam and the redhead get up to leave. Still avoiding his eyes at all cost, they stop to talk to Matty right in my line of sight. I would basically have to turn around and stare at the wall to not see them. While Liam is talking with Matty, the redhead has her arms under Liam's jacket wrapped around his waist. She's making out with his neck like they are the only two people in the room. After Matty walks away, he looks at me. Our eyes meet, and even though he has a leech trying to suck the skin off his neck, he doesn't seem to notice. I look away from his mesmerizing eyes and watch the redhead practically dry humping him. I shake my head and let out a little chuckle. He looks away from me, turning his attention back to his date. He puts his arm around her and the two walk out.

  A little after one, the last of the patrons have left and the cleaning crew is arriving. I help Sarah clean up the bar before going into the locker room to change. Monica is in there already. I can still see her eyes are red and puffy. I only saw her once the rest of the night, serving the Tarsetas their drinks after their meal. She avoided me at all cost.

  I open my locker to grab my bag. I pull my jeans up under my skirt and then slide the skirt down around the jeans. It's like one round piece of elastic that stretches, but also shows every curve. I button my shirt up all the way, deciding not to change into the t-shirt I brought, and then throw on some Converse. Putting my jacket on then grabbing my bag, I leave the locker room, not saying a word to anyone, especially to the pouting Monica in the corner.

  I have a 1990 Jetta that has seen better days, but it is paid for. It gets me to where I need to go and is better than the bus or subway. After a couple of tries it starts like always. Good girl. I pat the dashboard before I head home. All I want is my bed right now.

  Chapter 4

  I only get about four hours of sleep that night. I toss and turn, thinking about what the hell happened to me that night. I'm no prude, just not experienced. I had a boyfriend my senior year. We had sex three times before we broke up. The first time was awkward and uncomfortable, the second and the third were better, but not what I would call pleasurable.

  I've been so busy with work and school the past four years I've barely dated. Went on a couple of dates with Jax Page, my lab partner, but now we are just good friends. We've always had a flirting thing going on, and he is really good-looking, just never felt any chemistry.

  I've made out with Jax, and this one time at a party when I was drunk, I kissed a cute guy. He was so drunk he was about passed out by second base. Other than those few times, I've given myself an orgasm a time or two, but damn, nothing has ever felt like it felt when Liam looked at me. Shake it off, Harper. He is so out of your league. Not to mention a giant man whore, and spoiled rich kid. Kid he is not, though. He is a man, a delicious hunk of a man.

  I just barely make it through my two classes that day.

  "Where's the fire?" Jax comes running to catch up with me as I hurry to my car.

  "I was thinking I could get a nap in before work," I tell him, not slowing my pace as he is now walking next to me.

  "How'd it go?"

  "All right, I guess. Don't like the uniforms, but bartending is kind of fun." I leave out the part where I spilled a drink on Liam Tarseta.

  "I bet you look smoking hot in it. You'll have to beat them off with a stick," Jax says, leaning up against the driver side door of my car. "If you need to you can tell them you have a boyfriend. You know I would be more than happy to play that part."

  Even though I just want to be friends, Jax has made it very clear he wants more. He has the cutest, boyish grin. And tall, he's almost a foot taller than me. He is really athletic so he plays for the basketball team. Also, he's super smart. He's the one who is beating the girls off with a stick. Supposedly, he is waiting until after graduation to get serious with anyone, but I know he has had his fair share of one-nighters.

  "Yeah, you would sacrifice your freedom like that. You are just so sweet." I smile at him, putting my hand on his chest. He shows me that grin while looking down at me.

  "Hey, that's just the kind of guy I am," he chuckles. Moving aside, he opens the door for me. "Hey, we are forming a study group over spring break. You in?" he says, leaning on the car door as I climb in.

  "Yeah, I need all the help I can get." He shuts my door as I start my car. Giving me a wave, he jogs off to catch up with a group of girls. I just shake my head as I drive off.

  My cell rings just as I enter the house and I see it's my big brothe
r, Easton. I had already ignored Tara's call because I knew I would never get her off the phone. I knew better than to duck one of my brothers' calls, though. If I didn't answer, I wouldn't put it past them to be in Chicago before night's end.

  "Hey, E," I answer.

  "What's up, Sis?" Easton's cheerful voice greets me.

  I am very close to both my older brothers. They are, and probably always will be, living in Iowa helping dad with the farm. They're both your typical Iowan farm boys; muscular and know a hard day's work. Both my brothers are very attractive. They've got the girls eating out of the palms of their hands. Kade is a little bit of a male slut and the bigger of the two. He is, for lack of better word, a hothead, who loves a good fight. Whereas Easton is gentler, fighting is not his favorite thing. He would never back down from one, but would try to avoid it. Neither one would give a second thought to protecting me, though.

  "Just got done with class, was going to take a nap before going to work. I got a new job at a swanky club, so I'm hoping the tips will be a lot better," I tell him, but I am going to leave out the fact that it is a gentlemen's club. I'm also not going to indulge him with the facts of my uniform, especially since he's my very overprotective big brother.

  "So out late at night then, huh?" I can already tell I'm going to get an argument.

  "Yes, but I got my mace. I will always go straight from the club to my car. Don't worry yourself about it, E. If anything, you've taught me how to handle myself with big meathead guys," I laugh, referring to the many times that I had to wrestle my brothers apart when they would get in a row about something. I know how to protect myself thanks to them showing me all kinds of self-defense moves before I moved to Chicago.

  "When are you coming home? Mom and Dad are missing you." What he really means is he is missing me and wants someone to pick on for a while.

  "After graduation, finals will have me tied up during spring break," I tell him. He tells me what has been happening on the farm, pretty much the same old stuff but a different day. After I finally get him off the phone I no longer have time for a nap. I make me some ramen noodles and get my work clothes together. They gave me five sets of everything, which I was very thankful for. I didn't have time for laundry except on the weekends. I put my work clothes in my bag before heading out.