Cash's Fight

  She took another deep breath, and walked back into the bar.

  As she walked through the crowded bar to her table, she saw their eyes drop to her breasts, just as she’d expected.

  “Hey, fellas. Can I get you anything else?” The sultry voice she had perfected made her feel unclean as she bent over to pick up some of the empty dishes.

  “Another round, sexy,” one of the men next to her slurred as he slid his hand up the inside of her thigh.

  Ria felt the shock of being touched intimately again but forced herself to shake it off. It was getting late; their wives would be getting suspicious. While they would act like arrogant assholes with her, at home were probably whipped by their domineering wives. Hell, they probably didn’t realize they had a dick until they left home in the morning.

  “No problem. I’ll be right back.” She smiled down at him as she smoothly maneuvered herself away from his wandering hand.

  As she walked back to the bar, she stopped by her two other tables to get their drink orders, as well. At least the other two tables had men and women, so she didn’t have to deal with more than one table of all males. Why any woman would voluntarily come to this place was beyond her.

  “Four Utopias, four Buds, two vodka-crans, and two Miller Lites,” she yelled to Chris, the bartender.

  When he turned and grinned at her, she couldn’t help smiling back. Chris looked like a complete bad ass with his bulging muscles covered in tattoos. He was good at dealing with the drunks who got out of hand. Yet, when you got to know him and talked to him, he was actually the sweetest guy—that is, until you pissed him off.

  Chris whistled. “High rollers. You are getting some green tonight, Ria-baby.”

  Their boss always kept some expensive beer for the businessmen that came in at night. Even though it was a bitch waiting on them, those types of men were pretty free with the cash.

  Ria rolled her eyes at his nickname. If he didn’t have a nickname for all the waitresses, she would have liked it, but he was the ultimate ladies’ man. She wasn’t going to fall victim to his flirting, and he knew it, which was why they had become good friends.

  “I deserve it tonight,” Ria responded with a glare.

  Chris looked at her and she saw his face soften. “Sorry, Ria. Want me to deal with them?”

  “No. I’m hoping this is their last round—they have to go home to their wives eventually—but thanks Chris.”

  Chris finished getting the beers for the men first, so she grabbed the bottles and sashayed back to their table with a smile.

  “Here you go.” She placed each bottle in front of the men, making sure to stay on the opposite side from the two men who had touched her. Unfortunately, it didn’t help.

  The man who had grabbed her breast earlier in the night leaned across the table. “Honey, how would you like to see the view from the top floor of The Plaza?” he inquired as all the men looked at her.

  Well, she had been wrong about them going home to their wives. They must be on an out of town trip and looking for some fun.

  “Wow, that sounds incredible, but I have to work late.” She tried to put her most seductive smile on her face, not wanting the rejection to hurt her tip. “I’ll just have to picture it in my head.” She pretended to pout.

  She watched his eyes narrow in anger, but then he tried to cover it up with a fake smile. “I understand.”

  Ria could see him holding back his temper, and she wanted to get away as quickly as possible. A feeling of foreboding came over her. Men never took her refusal without an argument.

  “Anything else?” She looked at the rest of the men, but none of them responded.

  “No. I’ll put the last round on my card,” snapped the man she had just rejected.

  She nodded her head and went back to the bar where the rest of the drinks were ready. She quickly took them to her other tables then completed filling out the check and took it to the table of men.

  As she approached, the main guy lifted his hand to take it. She started to leave and wait for him to put his card on the table, but he told her to wait and handed her the card. She took the card and quickly went to the register to close the tab. He was really starting to give her the heebie-jeebies.

  She returned to the table and handed him his card back with a pen and the receipt. “Thank you so much, gentlemen; it’s been a pleasure serving you. Enjoy the rest of your stay at The Plaza.” She was doing her best to play dumb and act like she didn’t realize they were looking more like ferocious werewolves than businessmen. She pitied the woman, or women, they ended up with tonight, but at least whoever it was would most likely be getting paid and had volunteered to be with them.

  She walked away casually and stopped by her other tables before heading back to the bar.

  She sensed Chris watching her approach and forced herself to keep her face calm. She didn’t want any of the patrons thinking she was upset. She met Chris’s eyes and smiled.

  “Hey, girl. They’re gone,” he said soothingly.

  She just nodded her head in return. She didn’t want to cry. She was facing worse problems than getting groped to earn a small paycheck, plus tips. Tonight was nothing she hadn’t dealt with before over the last six months. She was pissed at herself for letting a few assholes get to her. She knew it was the strange vibe from that table that was throwing her. It was time to shake it off.

  “Thanks, Chris. I’m fine.” Ria felt herself relaxing, knowing they were gone now.

  Glancing up, she saw her reflection in the mirror behind the bar. She noticed her breasts were pushed up in the red bra and her recent weight loss had thinned her facial features, resulting in bigger than normal eyes and the appearance of fuller lips. She looked like an easy lay. No wonder the men were treating her like she was a whore. It didn’t help that the bar was in a hotel. The men inevitably began to assume she would be willing to keep them company in their rooms for a price. She couldn’t believe she had sunk to this level, all for a fucking tip.

  She pulled the zipper up to cover her bra. She knew she had to find another job fast, but with her shitty references, it wouldn’t be easy in a city already overwhelmed with unemployment.

  She walked back to wipe down the table and pick up the receipt. She looked down to make sure it was signed and to see what the dicks had left her and noticed the tip line was blank.

  That fucking son of a bitch didn’t leave me a tip! The small group had spent over fifteen hundred dollars during the course of the evening and she had put up with all that shit for nothing!

  As she stared in disbelief, she also noticed that he’d only signed his name; he didn’t write down a total, either. Before she could change her mind, she scribbled down three hundred dollars in the tip line and filled in the total. She deserved the twenty percent tip, dammit.

  With the tip already spent in her mind, she glanced around quickly to see if anyone had seen her actions. Her heart was thumping, and she could feel herself sweating. It was dark enough to where she didn’t think anyone had seen her. She felt unbelievably guilty, but that money would help her with next month’s rent. The thought of just one month of not having to scrape together rent money kept her from changing her mind.

  She finished cleaning the table then carried everything to the backroom to be washed.

  It’s okay, she kept repeating to herself. He probably would have left the tip anyway if he hadn’t been drunk. Twenty percent was a standard tip; she hadn’t overdone it. She still felt guilty as hell, though.

  She took yet another deep breath and walked back into the bar and got to work again. Thankfully, the rest of the night was uneventful, but the cloud of guilt stayed with her.

  At the end of the night, everyone turned in the receipts and Chris counted the drawer down for the night. Ria held her breath when he looked through her receipts, but he didn’t give her any indication that he saw anything out of the ordinary. It was a normal tip. There was nothing unusual about it. There was no reason for him
to think differently.

  He turned to pay the waitresses their tips.

  “Sexy Barbie, nice job tonight,” he said to Barbara as he handed her the money.

  Ria kept herself from rolling her eyes when the tall blond blushed. These women were such suckers for Chris until he screwed them and told them he just wanted to be friends afterwards.

  “Hot toddy, what a night!” While Tatiana stepped forward with a toss of her long, dark hair to take her tips, the other girls laughed.

  Tatiana was a dark-skinned beauty with sexiness radiating out of her. Ria envied her boldness. Tatiana would have known how to handle the assholes from earlier tonight.

  “Ria -baby, another good night for you,” Chris said as she reached for her money.

  Chris continued until everyone had been paid for the night. Then they all helped clean up and left together.

  She was the last one out. Her desperation almost let her make it; however, her conscious couldn’t stand the guilt.

  “Chris, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  She reached into her purse and counted out the three hundred dollars, handing it back to him.

  “The high rollers left without giving me a tip; I fudged the credit card slip. Will you fix it before you put tonight’s receipts in the office; credit it back to his account?”

  His face became furious. “Those fuck-wads stiffed you?”

  “Yes. I was so mad I filled in the tip line. I’m sorry. Are you going to tell?” Ria bit her lip. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost this job.

  Chris’s face softened. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of it.”

  Ria reached out, giving him a quick hug. “Thanks, Chris.”

  Chris stood in the doorway, watching the waitresses get into their cars, before going back inside.

  After locking her doors, Ria sat in her car for a few moments to gather herself. She needed that money so badly. She had come from a life of luxury to this. She hated herself for it, but she had also promised herself it was only temporary. She would get herself and her mother out of this situation if it was the last thing she did.

  Chapter 2

  “What are the cause and symptoms of a febrile seizure? Ria!”

  Ria jumped and saw the exasperated expression on her friend Lacey’s face.

  “Wake up! You’ve got to be ready for the exam.” Her pointy finger prodded her shoulder.

  “Sorry, Lacey, I had a late night,” Ria explained.

  Ria didn’t mention that she’d stayed up half the night, worried about the repercussions from giving herself that tip. It hadn’t mattered that she’d done the right thing in the end.

  Lacey folded her arms across her chest. “Unless you were up all night studying, that’s no excuse!”

  Ria rolled her eyes. Lacey knew damn well that Ria had spent the night working.

  “Couldn’t sleep last night; work sucked,” Ria replied.

  “If you don’t pass the exam, you’ll be stuck there even longer,” Lacey snapped.

  Ria sighed. Lacey was right. Ria was studying for the paramedic cognitive exam. She had been an EMT before and had done so well she was often given the lead role when sent out for emergencies. That was, until she was fired for being disrespectful. She wasn’t able to get another EMT position because it was a small world, and no one wanted to hire someone with an attitude. It hadn’t even been her fault. If not for that Rocky-impersonator, she would still have her well-paying job, not showing the depth of her cleavage.

  Lacey was the perfect study partner. She was currently in med school, and had fully dedicated herself to being one of the top students in her class. She didn’t take kindly to slackers, considering how hard she worked to obtain her own success, and didn’t want to hear Ria’s excuses. For Lacey, there were no good excuses for not accomplishing a goal. Ria respected her dedication; she just wished Lacey was a little more understanding of the responsibilities Ria held.

  They had met each other their freshmen year of high school. Lacey’s family were all highly educated and expected the same from her. Ria wasn’t as studious, and her family couldn’t care less about her education. Unfortunately, Ria wasn’t one to sit in a classroom, but she was still a hard worker.

  Becoming an EMT had required training in the classroom, yet it had also consisted of a lot of hands-on, keeping Ria interested. Now, it was time to move up to the next level and become a paramedic. She felt guilty knowing that Lacey was taking time out of her busy schedule to help her study. With that thought, she picked up her mug and took a gulp of the lukewarm coffee to try to give herself a caffeine boost.

  “Okay, febrile seizure… young child, rapid elevation in body temperature, loss of consciousness, typical seizure actions. Emergency services called if seizure lasts longer than ten minutes with abnormal sleepiness and breathing problems.”

  Lacey nodded. “That should be enough info for the exam.” Her stern expression softened into a sweet smile.

  Ria knew there was a lot more information behind all the questions, but Lacey did a good job of making sure Ria didn’t waste her time on too many details, knowing she would pick up the details later. It was more important to study for what would likely be on the exam.

  They studied for the next three hours before calling it a day. Then they talked about what to do for dinner that night.

  “How about Chinese?” Ria asked. She had a coupon for buy one get one free, so it wouldn’t cost too much.

  Lacey stared at her. “This is how you pay me back for helping you study?”

  Ria smiled mischievously at her friend. “Come on; maybe he isn’t working today.”

  “Let’s go somewhere else, and I’ll pay,” Lacey offered.

  “No, you paid last time. It’s my turn,” Ria replied firmly. Her friend hated going to Ria’s favorite restaurant because she had a burning hatred for one of the waiters working there.

  Peter was a really nice guy, as far as Ria was concerned. However, Lacey felt Peter was lazy and partied around too much, while Peter felt Lacey was too boring and studious for her age.

  “Okay, then, but when it’s my turn, I’m picking El Grande,” Lacey said vengefully.

  Ria nodded her head. Lacey believed in fair play. Whenever she went to a Mexican restaurant, the waiters treated her to abundant attention and drinks. By the time they would leave, she was often drunk and felt like J-Lo.

  Both women gathered their things.

  “Ready?” Ria asked as Lacey touched up her makeup.

  Ria hid her smile. For someone who declared her dislike of Peter often, she was making sure she looked her best.

  “Yep. Let’s go,” she replied, snapping the compact shut.

  They always studied at Lacey’s apartment as Ria barely had enough room for herself and her mother in her own. Lacey had wanted her to share the apartment with her, but Ria had been unable to leave her mother behind, even at the cost of being dragged into her world.

  Lacey often offered money to Ria, but Ria couldn’t take it. She didn’t want to feel indebted, even though she knew Lacey wouldn’t expect to be paid back. Ria didn’t envy Lacey’s money and taste for the fine things in life, either. She merely wanted to be in the situation to care for herself and her mother. Ria knew she had to find a way to fix the precarious situation they were in, though.

  They stepped into the elevator and made their way to Lacey’s Avalon. Ria liked to tease her about her staid car, but Lacey said comfort was more important to her than being flashy. Ria didn’t disagree; her own piece of shit felt like she was sitting on a tractor when she drove.

  They slid onto the leather seats and made their way to the restaurant. It was a local place, off the main strip. Most tourists tended to stick to the chains and even most of the locals didn’t realize how good the small restaurant was. It was one of Ria’s favorite places to eat.

  As they walked in, they heard their names.

  “My favorite ladies. R
ia and Lacey, where have you been?” Ria smiled at Peter. He always greeted them with a smile and usually gave her a big discount on food.

  “Work and school, what else?” Ria replied with a smile.

  “Oh, Ria, you must always make time for fun.” Peter winked at her. “Come out with me, and I’ll show you.”

  Ria laughed and shook her head. He was a harmless flirt, yet she couldn’t help appreciating his flattery. He was friendly with Lacey, but was always a little more reserved with her when Lacey didn’t return his friendly chat.

  He ushered them to their usual table and went to get their drinks without asking them what they wanted. He always brought them a surprise mixed drink each time they came. So far, they had all been delicious, and she looked forward to whatever concoction he brought them tonight.

  “Ria, I think he likes you. You probably shouldn’t encourage him. We may need to stop coming here,” Lacey said.

  “What the hell, Lacey?” Ria scowled at her. She was trying to hide the flicker of hurt in her eyes, but Ria had known her friend a long time.

  “Do you really want to date a guy who flirts with every woman he sees?” Lacey questioned.

  “I thought you liked this place?” Ria asked.

  “Yeah, it’s good food—period,” Lacey stated.

  Ria started to snap back at her to quit being so obnoxious, but she chose to bite her tongue. Lacey didn’t date often, and when she did, it was with men who shared her serious outlook on life. When a woman looked at Peter, her thoughts would be of sex—wickedly fun sex. Subsequently, Ria was sure Lacey found him disconcerting.

  She liked Peter and coming here. She enjoyed returning the harmless flirtations, letting them take her mind off all the crap going on in her life. If she had to come without Lacey in the future, she would. She had hoped Lacey would gradually ease up on him, but Ria had been wrong. Lacey was only becoming more antagonistic.

  “Okay. Let’s enjoy whatever he brings us, okay? No worries.” Ria smiled at Lacey and saw her relax.