Page 97 of Crushing Clover

“Of course, ma’am.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

I shook my head not sure what to say.

She dug through her bag and pulled out a business card. “My grandson, Alexander, might be perfect for you. I had these little cards made with his socials.”

“Oh Alina, you’re terrible! You didn’t get cards made.” The entire group started to laugh. Was I supposed to interrupt and gain control of the situation, or was I supposed to stand here looking interested? Should I leave and go to another table for now?

“Alina, you can’t set up every server with your grandson,” Lucky said from behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Oh, Lucky, I don’t mean any harm.” She took Lucky’s hand and squeezed it affectionately.

“If you make Kate’s job too difficult, she’s going to run out of here screaming, and we’re going to be short a server again.”

“No! Who left?”

Lucky turned the conversation away from employee information, but still gossiped with them for a few minutes, flirting shamelessly, before they finally settled down and gave me their order. When things were going more smoothly, Luckymoved away to go and check on the others. I should have known he wouldn’t throw me to the wolves.

In all the time I’d worked at the club, I’d never thought about the camaraderie there, or how nice it was to feel useful. Being stuck in Cygnet’s office every night, like a dog waiting for its owner to come home from work, sucked.

Serving food at a nice restaurant, instead of drinks at a strip club, was a definite shift for me. People were patient and kind, and many of them seemed to be regulars. The other servers were helpful, and it was a relief that there didn’t seem to be any real drama.

The guys were exacting, but the staff respected them.

As much as Saint had complained about Lucky talking to patrons too much, it was obvious that everyone loved him, and he had a memory like a computer. The information went in, and he didn’t forget. It was strange seeing him in his element, where he was sure of himself and in charge, instead of a chaos demon. The other servers looked to him for direction when they needed it, but he kept everything organized and moving.

The tips were fantastic, and it only took me a few minutes to familiarize myself with their point-of-sale system. Lucky checked in with me several times but didn’t micromanage. Of course, I fucked up a couple of orders, but it went well enough.

“How did that go?” Rush asked after close, once all the tables were cleaned, the condiments were refilled, and we were hanging around the kitchen with a few stragglers.

“She kicked ass out there,” Kara, one of the other servers, cut in. “I never would have guessed tonight was her first night here.”

I flushed at the compliment.

“Yeah, yeah. She’s perfect,” Saint grumbled, scrubbing his hands in the sink.

“Don’t mind the grump,” she assured me. “His bark is worse than his bite.”

“Bye, Kara,” Lucky said as she grabbed her coat. “You kicked ass tonight, too.”

“Thanks boss!” The door banged closed behind her a few moments later, leaving me standing in the kitchen with the guys, Ran, and a dishwasher named Angel.

“Can I speak to you in the office for a moment please, Kate,” Saint asked with saccharine politeness.

“No fraternizing with the help, boss,” Ran called after us as he headed down the hallway. “It’s against company policy!”

Exhausted, I couldn’t help but laugh.

When we reached the office, Saint urged me through the door and shut it behind us.

“Is everything okay?” I asked immediately, unable to handle the suspense.

“You did a really good job tonight. You pulled our asses out of the fire,” he admitted.

“You’re welcome.” He hadn’t exactly said thank you, but it was probably the closest he was ever going to get.

“I know it probably feels good to be out in public doing something useful, and not, you know, sex-related.” He’d stumbled over what he was saying. Trying not to insult me? That was a first. “You looked like you were having fun out there, but if anyone found out, we would all be in deep shit. I can’t let you do this on a regular basis.”

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