Chapter 3
Jake
So I’m an idiot. There’s no time for self-loathing. But, it doesn’t mean that I don’t spend a few moments participating in it. Carmen is sitting there with ketchup staining her chin. In a normal situation, I would have glared in disgust at her carelessness. Who needs that much ketchup for a sandwich? Instead, I fold up my napkin and wipe at her face. She doesn’t even look embarrassed like anyone else should. I’m guessing that when you are a snoop, you are very comfortable in your own skin.
“Thanks,” Carmen mutters before going back to devouring her food. Steak-burgers tastes a million times better than nasty cheeseburgers. I think that I might order this again if I come back here. The fries aren’t awful either. “You have any more questions for me?” Carmen asks. I mentally curse. Carmen Philips is very nosy. She might ask questions about Adriana, and if that comes up, Amber might. Most people assume that Adriana and I broke up because she preferred my best friend, Dillon. In truth, I encouraged that relationship and pretended to be scarred by her betrayal. But I hold on to a secret that kills inside. And let’s just say that it has nothing to do with young love. Just thinking about Amber makes me lose my appetite. It’s weak to admit, but I miss her. She was a breath of fresh air. “Jake, are you okay?” All of this is too much. I need to get away. So I clear my voice and stare straight into her beautiful golden brown eyes.
“Dessert?” She frowns at me and somehow Carmen looks disappointed.
“So your back to one-word sentences again?” She studies me. I take a sip of my water and shrug. Maybe if I say nothing, she’ll get the hint and shut up. Thankfully, Carmen reads people well because she’s silent. All I want to do is leave this restaurant. So I change my mind about dessert. “We’ll get pie another time,” I say, wanting to escape this throng of people. The restaurant is loud, and it’s beginning to give me a headache.
“Oh, I was hoping for some,” she confesses.
“You’ve eaten enough,” I say, and immediately regret it. Carmen’s mouth drops open as if she can’t believe what I’ve said. I try to apologize because that’s not what I meant to tell her, but a familiar voice calls my name. This has just gotten worse. Wildflower walks over to our table, her hips swaying. She wears a low cut short dress and spiky heels. Her blonde hair is long and curly. She’s beautiful in the “I’m trouble” way. She isn’t my type. I go for the classy kind of girl. But she hasn’t taken the hint. She stands beside me and starts touching my hair. I want to rip her hands from my hair, but I can’t. The only reason Alex hasn’t danced is because Wildflower is under the impression that she has a chance with me.
“Who’s your little friend?” she purrs as she massages my scalp. Thinking about how many men she has serviced makes me cringe. I will be taking a nice hot shower after this encounter.
“Carmen Philips,” Carmen snaps after I don’t bother introducing them. Maybe if I don’t say anything, Wildflower will just go away.
“Well, Carmen Philips, you need to leave so Jake and I can discuss some business,” the woman says. Carmen looks from me to her, and she storms out of the restaurant without another glance. I want her to come back, but there’s no helping it. Alex is in trouble. I’ll make it up to Carmen later. Wildflower tries to slide onto my lap, but I shake my head and move closer to the wall. Wildflower sits in the booth beside me, her side pressed against mine.
“How much?” I ask.
“Two thousand dollars and a goodnight kiss,” she purrs. A mixture of dread and disgust fills me. I know exactly what Wildflower wants, and it isn’t just a kiss. Damn her! Why can’t Alex just quit her job and take my offer? I understand that her mother brain-washed her into believing that Dad didn’t want her. But how could he have wanted a daughter that he didn’t know he had? I stare at the table top, not wanting to contemplate what Wildflower is asking me to do. This isn’t good.
“Why?” I ask, unable to form any other words. There is no amount of money that would even convince me to go near Wildflower. Let’s just say, she isn’t just a stripper. She has been known to offer other services. Some male customers walk away from the exchange with itchy warts and a prescription for anti-biotic. No way will I even touch her.
“Who’s she?” Wildflower whines.
“A childhood friend,” I respond, hating that Wildflower even knows Carmen at all. She pouts and sighs.
“Just kiss me Jake, and I’ll lower the price to one thousand. Alex will spend the night serving drinks and cleaning the club bathrooms,” she pleads. Wildflower is lying, but I play along anyways.
“Really?”
“But if Alex insists on dancing, I can’t stop her.” That means that I have to hang around “The Rhino” this weekend. That strip club is the emptiest one known to man. I’m guessing it’s because the place is a dump and the drinks are watered down.
“Fine,” I grumble, not wanting to kiss her thick implanted lips. The woman is in her mid-thirties, but you would never know it because of all of the effort she makes to look young. I pull my wallet from my pocket and leave 40 bucks for the waitress. I don’t want to wait around for the bill. Hopefully, Carmen is waiting quietly by the car. I’ve forgotten to leave her the keys. She is going to be pissed at me, but I’ll take it. What other choice do I have? It isn’t like I could tell her that Alex is a stripper. If anyone finds out, my uncle’s political career is finished. I could only imagine the criticism that his opponents will throw at him. “Why does a rich man’s niece work in a strip club?” “If he can’t take care of his family, how is he going to take care of his state?” Then, Alex would be blamed and shunned by our family. Well, it is her fault. She’s annoying, and I hate that I have to clean up her messes for her. Someone needs to give her a shake. Wildflower gets out of the booth, and I follow her, a scowl on my face. I don’t want to go near the woman because I know exactly what she wants. Wildflower wants to get me into bed in hopes that she will get pregnant. Then, she will hound me for outrageous child support. This “kiss” is an attempt to get under my skin. It isn’t going to work. If this broad thinks that I’m kissing her in public, she has another thing coming. I know I shouldn’t be paranoid, but the press have been following the Philips family closely since the shooting. Maybe someone’s trailing Carmen. She stops in the foyer and stands between me and the outer door. I reach into my wallet and hand her money. She smiles and tilts her head up, and I glance around, trying to figure out if anyone’s watching. Too late, I realize that the woman is moving. Wildflower presses her body to mine and wraps her hands around my neck and gives me a kiss. I untangle myself from her, gently shove her aside, and leave the restaurant, scrubbing my lips. I scan around the parking lot, trying to find Carmen. And that’s when I see her, running toward the street. She saw the kiss. Great! Resigned that I’ll have to chase her, I rush to my car, cursing under my breath the whole way.