Chapter 1 – The Billionaire’s Obsession

The club was crowded today, the people on the dance floor were really enthusiastic, the energy around the club was amazing. Nights like these were the nights I didn’t quite mind working at the club. It wasn’t that I did not enjoy my job but if I could pass on working nightshifts on school nights I would. Glancing at the busty blonde in front of me I noticed she only had eyes for the amazing Brandon, my co-worker. She was swooning over him, not even hiding the fact that she was undressing him with her eyes. Biting back a chuckle I handed the blonde her drink and raised an eyebrow at her when she beckoned me over. Not wanting to be rude to her I leaned over so I could actually hear her over the loud music blasting through the room.

“He is hot.” She practically screamed in my ear, “Could you do me a favor and get me his number?”

It was hard for me not to burst into laughter right then and there. Glancing over my shoulder I observed the amazing Brandon, wanting to see what many women before me saw in him. Brandon was tall, had a nice athletic built and a smile which Prince Charming would be jealous of. But that was just the exterior, what I saw wasn’t a drop dead gorgeous man who could make women’s panties drop just by smiling at them. I saw a man who knew he was drop dead gorgeous and used it to his advantage. He never apologized for his behavior, he lived his life to the fullest. Not getting too attached to anyone because life was too short to waste it on a monogamous lifestyle. Knowing all that I could never see what other women saw in him. He was an amazing friend but a horrible lover. Relationships were not something he did, at this time I doubted he even knew how to maintain one.

Turning back to the blonde I shook my head at her, “Sorry, I’m not allowed to do that. Work policy, but you know, you can ask him for his number after his shift is over.”

She reached for her drink and smirked, “I’ll do that.” The flirtatious look she threw Brandon didn’t leave anything to my imagination. If they did meet up after his shift there was no doubt about what they would be doing tonight.

I raised an eyebrow at Brandon when I recognized the look in his eyes. Those two were definitely meeting after his shift. Knowing and actually witnessing your best friend being a playboy was something else. Trying to brush it off I focused back on the customers, trying not to mess up their orders. Brandon who walked past me gave my arm a light squeeze. He froze beside me, his eyes scanning the crowd which worried me.

“What’s wrong?”

He narrowed his eyes at something, following his gaze I noticed Victor, our club manager, heading toward us. His look even more alarming than Brandon’s. Something was definitely up. Victor walked around the bar and stood behind us, his eyes doing a quick scan from head to toe.

“Victor?” Brandon turned around to face the worried looking club manager.

“He is coming over tonight.”

Now Victor was simply scaring me. When in horror movies one of the characters whispered that it was always bad news. It meant someone was going to die tonight. I was pretty sure no one was going to get brutally murdered tonight but something bad WAS going to happen tonight.

“Who?” Brandon asked confused, ignoring all the people who were surrounding the bar waiting for their drink to be served.

“The owner.”

Those two words made actual shivers run down my spine. Glancing aside I noticed Brandon was not doing any better but unlike me, he handled the situation better. He composed himself and quickly straightened his uniform, running his hand through his hair to fix that as much as possible as well. When he was satisfied with his appearance he turned to look at me.

“We both look good.” He mumbled and turned around to go back to his task, “At least he can’t complain about our attire. We’re dressed properly.”

“That aside you two also need to be on your best behavior.” I noticed how Victor focused on me when he said that, ignoring Brandon completely, “I’m serious about that, you two, last time that man visited the club he fired one of the employees because he opened his mouth at the wrong time.”

I snorted, “That’s a lie.”

“Well, that and the fact that the guy drenched his date in red wine.”

Rolling my eyes I turned back around as well and helped Brandon with his orders, “That sounds more reasonable than someone talking freely, this is a free country and all.”

I felt Victor’s eyes piercing my back, “That attitude is what’s going to get you into trouble, Em. Keep it in check, at least until the owner leaves the club. He’ll be here in five.”

“We’ll be fine, Victor.” I didn’t mean to sound so harsh but the words slipped out of my mouth before I even realized what effect it would have on him.

“I’m just worried about you, Em.” His tone softened.

Flashing him a smile over my shoulder I tried to reassure him as much as I could, “Thanks, I’ll try and keep my mouth shut if I’m near that man.”

I guess my words pleased him because he left the scene as quickly as he arrived. Brandon beside me burst out in laughter, making a few ladies at the counter swoon. I had to admit the sound of his laughter was better than the crappy music which was blasting through the speakers.

“He so wants to bang you.”

Hearing those crude words spill from his mouth I turned toward Brandon and covered his mouth with my hand, “Should I remind you where we are at the moment? You better take back your inappropriate words, Bran.”

My eyes widened when I felt something wet against my hand, making me squeal and jump back. My reaction only humored Brandon more. Ignoring the smug look the blonde had on his face I rubbed my hand against my black skirt.

“The f**k, Bran, you licked me.”

He smirked, “You taste good, babe.” He told me which made me realize how inappropriate our conversation must sound to others and they did notice because the women who were swooning over him a minute ago giggled at the sight of us, “Don’t deny it, even you must have realized what his intentions are.”

I realized from the very beginning that Victor treated me differently from the other employees. He was nicer to me, talked to me more and yes, the way he looked at me told me he often undressed me with his eyes as well. That didn’t mean I had to acknowledge his feelings toward me. It was best to ignore them to avoid embarrassing situations. At least until I finished college and could quit this demanding job.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I told Brandon, pushing him aside so I could wash the glasses.

Brandon thankfully didn’t continue that conversation and changed the subject instead, “Why do you think the owner is visiting the club? He has people paying the club a visit for business things, right?”

“Don’t know, I’ve never met him. I’m sure that it’s not business though, it’s after midnight.”

“I haven’t met him either but I Googled him, you didn’t?”

“Didn’t feel the need to Google him, I figured we would never run into a guy like him.” I glanced at Brandon who seemed awfully into this subject, “Guess I should have Googled him.”

“He is young and according to the stuff, I read online a ‘s*x on legs’ kind of man. Whatever that means.”

I couldn’t help but to smirk, “Is someone jealous?”

“I’m not.” Brandon sounded calm and collected but I could hear the slight change in his tone, “I’m not! Don’t look at me like that.” He pushed my head down so I could focus on the glasses I was washing instead.

“So how young is he exactly?”

“I read that he is twenty-eight or so. I’m not sure if that is his exact age but I could tell from the pictures that he is long from retiring.”

“Older men could totally be s*x gods too.”

“That’s the attitude which Victor told you to reel in, Em,” Brandon warned me.

“Oh, someone is jealous again.” Drying my hands I placed the towel on the counter again, “But looks aren’t everything. Firing someone because the waiter spilled drinks, I mean, isn’t that a bit too much. Shouldn’t he at least have given the guy a warning?”

Brandon shrugged, “Em, he owns the club. If he wants to fire someone because his date’s dress got ruined he has the right to do that. Just make sure if you do have to serve him drinks, don’t spill the drinks over his guests.”

With that the whole atmosphere in the club changed, I noticed how people were gathering together and figured that the owner must have arrived. I couldn’t see anything from where I was standing and decided to focus on my job instead. The odds of us meeting was low anyway so I couldn’t be bothered with a guy like that.

“Guess Mr. Woods has arrived.”

When the ruckus died down I glared at the stairs which led to the VIP section where Mr. Woods was entertaining his guests.

“You know that he can’t see you, right?”

I averted my gaze, “I’m aware of that, I’m cursing him though. Hoping he spills his drink over his date so he knows that sometimes accidents happen. There is no reason to make such a big deal over it.”

We went back to work when another wave of customers arrived to order their drinks. I smiled at the guy whose order I was going to take, “Can I help you?”

The way his eyes wandered over my body didn’t sit well with me, it was unnerving really. Brandon was never bothered with the looks he received and though it actually didn’t bother me when Victor looked at me like that when this guy in front of me looked at me like he was undressing me it made me feel sick. Trying to shake the feeling off I reached for my shirt and buttoned it up till my neck, hoping that little action would make the guy back off. Meeting my gaze he ordered his drink and purposely brushed his fingers over mine when I handed him his drink. Guess some people really couldn’t take a hint.

“What time does your shift end, sweetheart?” He asked me as he leaned over the bar to get closer to me.

I refrained from rolling my eyes, “That’s none of your business, sir.” I told him firmly, “And for the record, I don’t date customers.”

My words only widened his smirk which confused me. He left me a large tip and joined his group of friends near the back. I didn’t want to take the tip, not from a guy like that and thankfully Brandon understood because he took it off the counter and placed it in the jar next to the sink instead. Brandon grabbed gently onto my arm and pulled me closer to him, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

“When your shift is over you need to head home straight away.” He whispered to me, “I don’t trust that guy.”

I agreed, “I will. I still have an hour to go though.”

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