This is just a sneak preview of the story coming on here when Politically Incorrect is finished, which sadly, will be soon :'( This is actually going to be R, so it can't be entered into the Watty Awards for next year, but I still hope you all enjoy it! :)
Please leave me some feedback on what you guys think, okay?
When you get to the song In the Mood, I posted it in video form on the side for you to hear it :)
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An open relationship is a relationship in which the people involved agree that they want to be together, but in which romantic or sexual relationships with additional people are accepted, permitted or tolerated.
Chapter 1
I looked in the mirror for the last time before heading to work. My dark hair was pulled back and my makeup was simple enough to just make my large dark eyes pop a little more. I sighed and grabbed the keys off the table and proceeded out the door.
The jazz club wasn’t too far away, and I had no problem just walking there. However, it wasn’t exactly a fun-filled walk home. Usually I was able to have my brother walk me home, but I wasn’t even sure if he was working tonight.
I come from a family consisting only of adopted children. My parents couldn’t have any of their own, so they adopted. My sister Hollis and I were adopted together (though we’re not blood sisters). Our brother, Wes was already part of the family when we joined and looks more like our parents than we do. While we were a little on the tanner side with dark features, Wes had sandy blonde hair he kept short, with honey brown eyes. Wes took the big brother profile very seriously and didn’t like to hear of anyone messing with his little sisters. The three of us actually live together in a three-bedroom apartment in the city, close to the jazz club Wes owns.
I avoided the eyes of everyone I passed before I felt safe inside the club. “Hey James!” Hollis shouted at me. Yes, I had a very strange name for a girl, but I liked it. I assure everyone I meet that James is a unisex name and that I don’t like to be called Jamie to be more girly. I waved to her before heading behind the bar and tying on my half apron.
“You’re off early.” I commented as I walked over to where she was seated at the bar.
“Yeah, a couple of the guys from the station are coming to meet me for drinks. I finished my work so they let me head here early.” She answered with a shrug. “Anyway, they said they hadn’t been here before and wanted to check it out.”
Hollis worked over at the police station behind the desk. She mostly filed papers and kept things organized, but she worked here when she got off there. The two of us both worked two jobs to keep afloat while paying for school, but bartenders made good tips so we didn’t mind when we had extra spending cash. My day job wasn’t so different from hers. I worked over at city hall doing basically the same thing she did.
“So, you’re not working tonight then? Is Wes?” I asked. Wes worked a lot, but that didn’t necessarily mean I saw him every time I was here. Sometimes he was held up in his office keeping things organized. Running a club was not an easy task. However, there were times when he helped us work the bar and the floor. He was too stubborn to hire anyone else. He said employees were expensive.
“Um, I think so. He’s back in his office if you want to ask him.” She said with a shrug.
The jazz club had actually belonged to our father before he decided to retire and leave it to Wes. Both Hollis and I had turned down any part of the ownership because we had wanted to go to school and pursue other things. Wes had been more than happy to take over. Our mother was a lawyer, so she was pretty busy the majority of the time. She hoped for one of us to follow in her footsteps, but we were slow to follow.
To be honest, I was looking more into teaching. I was almost finished with school, after taking mostly online courses and classes where I could fit them. I felt that at twenty-two I had done fairly well so far. Hollis was two-years older than me, and from what I could tell, she just wanted to get married and have children. The way the guys at the station acted around her, I was sure it would happen. She just had to stop being so picky. I suppose I shouldn’t talk. I didn’t have a boyfriend either, or any one I was interested in at all. I guess I was just as picky as her.
“The rush is going to start soon. Where is James? Oh, there you are.” Wes had come out from the back looking just as handsome as ever. I had to give my brother that, he was very attractive. He was just as single as us though. Whenever I asked him why, he always responded with “Eh, no one’s jumped out at me yet.”
“Yes, here I am. Are you working the floor tonight? I was kinda hoping to walk home with you.”
“Er, actually I’m closing up tonight. So once you don’t mind staying, then sounds good to me.” He walked behind the bar and shoved me. “By the way, you’re working the floor. I’ve got the bar.”
“Aw, please no. Come on!” I begged. I didn’t go to classes to be a bartender to have to work the floor like a waitress.
“Tell you what. You work the floor, give me the bar, and I’ll give you half my tips.” Wes really hated working the floor, but so did I. I constantly got pinched and whistled at. I tried to look mad at him, but failed. He always made good tips because all the girls thought that would get his attention.
“Fine.” I grabbed a tray and got out from behind the bar.
“Thanks, best sister ever.” He said in a sweet voice and I grunted at him.
The club opened at about seven, so the doors were about to open. “Hey, big crowd coming in.” Jeff, the bouncer announced to us, poking his head inside. He was a big guy, but a sweetheart. However, if I didn’t really know him, I would be scared too.
“Hollis, do you mind helping James on the floor then? Abby called out tonight, so it’s just us and Jack.” Wes yelled out to Hollis who was helping the band get on stage.
“What? Come on! It’s my night off!” She whined.
“Just get your butt back here and put on an apron.” He snapped and she pouted, but obliged nonetheless.
“In a mood are we?” I asked Wes and he let out a long sigh.
“Today’s not been my day. The piano was out of tune, the bassist sprained his wrist or something like that. Our liquor orders got all mixed up and I had to sort all that shit out. Anyway, you could say that I’m definitely in a mood.” I gave him a pat on the back over the bar and he narrowed his eyes. “It’s a good thing I’m not letting you work the bar. You have those things just out there, watching people…”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.
“Those…” he pointed to my chest and I let out a snort of laughter.
“Hey, when I have a little more cleavage, I get better tips. It’s not my fault most guys are sleazebags.”
“Opening the doors!” Jeff announced and I put my hand up to signal the band to start. I instantly smiled when the music started and I recognized it as Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby. I had a special place in my heart for jazz, especially swing jazz. I heard the chatter of outside as the people filtered in from the door and took seats around the club. Jack was helping Wes at the bar, so it was just Hollis and I on the floor. I secretly cursed Abby for abandoning us. It was Friday night and extremely busy. It wasn’t long before all the tables were full. I gave Hollis an exhausted look and she mirrored it before we started the rounds.
My job was relatively easy: take orders, deliver them, get tips. The crowd changed throughout the night before I finally saw Hollis’s friends come in. The club had already been open for two hours before they had even shown up. I could see the annoyance on Hollis’s face when she had to tell them she had to work. She signaled me over and I headed over.
“Everyone, this is my sister James. She works here too. James, these are the guys I work with.” She introduced them out to me and I nodded accordingly with a polite smile on my face.
“You have a pretty sister,” one of the guys commented. “Beauty must just run in your family.”
“Yeah, we’re just a beautiful family.” I agreed, jokingly. I never felt the need to tell people that we were all adopted and not blood relatives. We were a family and that’s all that mattered.
I was about to walk away when I heard one of the officers talking to his friend that he had brought along with him. “Noah, you should make a move. She’s a pretty one.”
“Don’t even joke like that.” The guy named Noah replied. “Though, I will admit, she is pretty.” I turned to see what this Noah looked like and my breath caught in my throat.
He was bulky; you could basically see the muscles through his shirt. He had an angular, cut face with a bit of stubble on his cheeks and chin. His hair was dark and a bit shaggy. He caught me watching him and I looked away quickly, feeling my cheeks burn in embarrassment. I took the order of the table next to theirs and went back up to the bar, handing it to Wes.
“What’s with you?” He asked, amused. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“No, much worse. A guy caught me checking him out.” I smacked my head down on the bar.
“That’s not bad. Most guys like to see girls checking them out. Makes them feel better about themselves. Especially when it’s someone pretty like my little sister.” He pinched my cheek teasingly and I pulled back, sticking my tongue out at him.
Suddenly, In the Mood started playing and I looked over at Hollis. She had met my eyes almost instantly and we ran over to the dance floor. “No. Guys…” Wes warned, but I ignored him. This was the only song worth making a fool of ourselves over.
When we were little we had spent a lot of time at the club with our dad, and had, in turn, heard this piece a great number of times. In our dance classes we had taken, we had choreographed a little dance number to this piece of music and whenever it came on, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to relive that. Before everyone knew what was happening the two of us were on the dance floor together, doing our dance. Afterwards, we got roaring applause and we both bowed, laughing like idiots.
Thankfully, the night passed by quickly and before I knew it there was only a small crowd remaining and it was almost closing time. I was sitting at the bar talking with Wes when I jumped at a tap on my shoulder. “That was quite the dance.” I turned to see Noah taking the stool beside me.
“Oh, um, thanks.” I replied, awkwardly. “Hollis and I can’t help ourselves sometimes.”
“That’s not a bad thing. It was very entertaining to say the least.” From this proximity, I could now see his eyes were a light hazel color and I looked away to stop myself from staring again.
“Good to know. Maybe that’s why we got such good tips tonight.” I laughed.
“I’m not the greatest dancer but I was wondering, if maybe…do you maybe want to dance? If you’re not busy, that is.” He seemed nervous and I smiled a little embarrassed. I caught Wes wagging his eyebrows at me and I sent him a scowl.
“Sure,” I took his hand and he led me out onto the dance floor, and he held me close as we swayed to the beat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re a divine dancer.”
“Divine? I don’t know about that.” He chuckled before dipping me and I laughed.
“Now you’re just showing off.” I looked out at the floor and caught Hollis watching me. She gave me a thumbs-up paired with a wink and I turned away from her before I started blushing again.
When the song ended I stepped a little back from him and looked shyly at him through my lashes. “Um, thank you for the dance.”
“It was nice meeting you, um…”
“James.” I answered for him. “And you’re Noah.” I added.
“Could I maybe get your number, James?” he prodded and I was honestly surprised for a moment.
“Oh, um, sure.” He took out his phone and let me punch in my info.
“I’ll call you then.” He smirked before giving me a wink and heading out the exit.
I jumped when I felt Hollis poke my side from behind me. “He was hot! You hit the jackpot James. My friend Henry, from the station, said that Noah’s a really close friend of his. Want me to get the spill on him?”
“The what?”
“You know, I’ll get all the information I can get on him out of Henry.”
“No, don’t do that. That’s desperate, isn’t it?”
“It’s not desperate.” She snipped, defensively. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about that. I’ll get to know him my own way. If he calls that is.” I answered and gave Jeff a smile as he ushered the last stragglers out the door. We started cleaning up and Wes started counting the till. We were happy when everything was finally done.
“Nice pull-in tonight, ladies. Here are your tips, and please don’t spend them all in one place.”
“Yes mother.” Hollis joked.
“I’m just going to pay the band and we can head home.” Wes said before heading over to the stage where they had packed up.
The walk home, the two of them had no problems teasing me about Noah. “You looked so cute, dancing up there. She was so shy, Hollis. You should’ve seen her blushing like mad when he asked her to dance.” Wes teased.
“Shut up! I was not!” I snapped.
“You were. Don’t deny it.”
“So, do you like him?” Hollis asked and I shrugged.
“I don’t know. I just met him. Let’s not talk about this, okay? I mean, I don’t even know if he’ll really call.”
“He will, James.” She assured me.
“And if he doesn’t, I’ll kick his ass for leading on my baby sister.” Wes added for good measure which made me laugh. I really did hope he’d call. I mean, who wouldn’t?
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Please let me know what you guys think, okay? <3 And Remember, this was only a SNEAK PEEK. This means, I will not be updating anymore of this until Politically Incorrect is finished. This should be at least by the end of August :)