Lost in a Reverie 18+ Only (Book 1 of Lastor Series) ['23/'24 EDIT]

Chapter 56

I placed four bottles on the bar and took the bills the man handed me, entering them to the cash register and shoving his change into the tip jar. I lifted my head, looking through the visor of my baseball cap and catching someone ask for a glass of Johnnie Walker. On the rocks. Another called out for a Long Island Iced Tea. One yelled for a Sazerac. And I caught from the corner of my eye Mindy holding up an empty bucket.

Quickly memorizing the orders, I moved along the bar to gather all the necessities. I grabbed the bucket from Mindy and filled it with ice before shoving five beer bottles in. I slid it by her and started mixing the cocktails, relying on muscle memory and plain routine to swiftly serve the drinks. I placed the glasses on the bar and called out the orders, taking their payment. By the time I closed the cash register, I already caught eight more orders.

I glanced at MJ as he stood on the other side of the bar. Instead of taking orders, he was hitting on a light skinned chick who I could clearly see had pierced nipples through her skin tight tube top that could have been a freaking headband. I grabbed a cluster ice cubes and threw them at MJ. He jumped as the ice bit into his bare back.

"Fuck her on your own time, jackass!" I yelled over the horrendous music the band was playing. "I'm getting swamped here! Fuck!"

He flashed me an unapologetic grin before taking a series of orders in quick succession, calling out each one. I canceled out the ones he mentioned and took the ones he missed from the crowd. It went on that way for most of the night. Me taking the first sequence of orders I heard and sliding each glass towards them. Busting out some tables during slow intervals. Making a stop to any ensuing bar fights. Kicking out underaged dumbasses who thought their pimple riddled faces and pubescent odor would go unnoticed.

It was the weekend and Viktor came in earlier tonight to collect half of the month's beer earnings. I had to make the introductions between him and Alex since he'll be managing everything when I left by the end of summer. I also still had to conduct a general meeting with the staff about his position since, according to him, they respected a rat more than him.

I decided to stay after the business meeting with Viktor since I'd rather do something than stalk outside the hospital while waiting for Rick to clock out. It's what I've been doing ever since we got back from Cabo. Following him around like a creep. It was pathetic, but I had to make sure Father's pets weren't bothering him. Or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

I was drenched in sweat, the summer heat becoming a burden even in the night. The bar was packed tight with patrons tonight and the AC could barely blow enough air to breathe for everyone. By midnight my thin camisole was sticking to my skin. MJ was already shirtless beside me and I decided to fuck it as I stripped my top off. The bar was dim lit enough that my fresh scars and bruises weren't so visible and I was hidden behind the bar. As long as I kept my cap on and my head down, a scandal about me wasn't going to break out tomorrow.

"Christ, Red. Put a shirt on," MJ bit out.

"Forgot to bring a spare," I muttered as I wiped at my sweat.

He rolled his eyes and tended back to his side while I dealt with men obviously ogling my chest. I ignored them and just kept my head down as I took their orders. A few lame ass pickup lines were thrown in here and there, and I would just force a laugh. The upside of it all was the attention meant more orders and more orders meant good business. I was willing to strip for a good cause. As long as they didn't touch. Then I'd have to beat them with a baseball bat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I heard the last voice I wanted to hear tonight.

I stilled from mixing a drink.