Resurfacing

Chapter 24:

A few minutes later, Ezra was pulling into the bar's parking lot to drop me off near the employee entrance. I leaned over and kissed him before jumping out of the car.

"Behave tonight." He shouted after rolling down my window.

"You know I will." I blew him a kiss back. I skipped up to the employee entrance where Rachel and Jules were sharing a quick cigarette before the crowds started pouring in.

"Hey guys," I chirped. My tone was far too cheery.

"Hey, Riley." Rachel beamed back at me. "Looks like you're in a good mood."

"Maybe just a little." I smiled.

My body was buzzing and I couldn't keep myself from bouncing around. Ezra had decided he was not going to keep his hands to himself in the car.  I was feeling pretty good from the instant stress relief he just gave me. The things that boy could do with his long fingers surprised me every time. 

"Save some of that energy for work." Jules said. "Rough crowd tonight."

"I can handle it." I winked at him before I turned to walk in the door.

Jules was not lying.

The male to female ratio in the bar tonight was totally out of balance. It was like there was a sign on the door that said, "Boy's Club: No girls allowed". Nights like these were rough as a female server. Tips were usually pretty good with the men competing for the attention of the only females in the bar. It had its drawbacks like "accidental" groping. The worst by far were the guys who were convinced they could get you to come home with them by using cheesy one-liners. They would spout things like, "Come on, baby, don't be shy." and "I think you would look better on top of me."

When the last customer left the bar, my feet were sore and sweat was pouring down my face. Jules offered me a drink and I actually took him up on it since I knew I wouldn't be driving tonight. I gulped down a powerful screwdriver as I watched Rachel dance with the broom that she was using to sweep the floor. She had a couple of drinks herself and was out of her mind. Jules kept looking up at her, laughing as she swayed and sang to the broom. I looked over at him, watching her and started laughing myself.

He had the look.

Jules was infatuated with her.

"You should ask her out." I whispered to him. I put my lips to my third drink. It was hitting me a little harder than I planned, but I was having a blast. He made them a lot stronger than he would have if we were normal customers.  Since I didn't drink that often anymore, I was already feeling the tingles.

"Nah, I'm her boss. It would be too weird." He said, finishing up the dishes in the sink. He looked back over to her and smiled.

"Seriously, I know for a fact she's single." I said, gulping down the last of my drink. He continued to shake his head no.

The door opened and I grinned when I saw Ezra standing in the door frame. He looked nervous but returned the smile when he saw me leaning against the bar. He jogged over to me and jumped over Rachel's dance partner, who was now resting peacefully on the floor.

Even the broom couldn't keep up with Rachel.

"Hey, beautiful." He greeted me by wrapping his arm around my body.

"Ezra, this is my boss Jules. That brunette vixen over there is Rachel. They are my best friends." I slurred a bit when I introduced him and he raised an eyebrow at me.

Jules chuckled at me.

I was a little bit more gone than I realized.

"You have a drink or two tonight?" Ezra turned and asked. His eyes narrowed as he studied my face. He didn't look very pleased with me at all.