Urquia

Chapter 5: The bar

Andrea POV

After I picked up my kids from school, I went home where Cristina and baby Sam were waiting for us. After lunch, we trained. Karate for the kids, or Muay Thai for Cris and me. We’ve tried every type of martial art in our backyard, but those two were our favorites.

Our house has a top floor with four bedrooms for my kids and me. The basement is Cris’s secret heaven, as she calls it, and half of our "headquarters," where we manage the few companies we've invested in, like security and eco-friendly businesses we've managed to support.

We also have a bunker that we can access through a secret path underneath the stairs. We have a big yard that ends in a nice forest. I found this house when an old couple went to the clinic where I work, and we just clicked. They sold me this house for a really cheap price because it needed a big renovation. In exchange, we set them up with a world tour honeymoon, celebrating almost 43 years of marriage. That is a life goal right there.

This past week started to feel like a holiday. Mom took over our meals, and now I’ve managed to catch up with my other projects. I missed her mixed cuisine; she can make dishes from all over the world, and my kids love her cooking more than mine (I really don't care, as I get to cook less). With their help, I have slept more, eaten healthier, and actually been on time more often. I even got to shower more often! (My hair really appreciates it.) And I got more focused on our operation.

I asked my boss at the pub for the weekend off because I want to take my parents camping. We normally do this once a month, but I'm hoping that this will make them see I haven't lost it yet. Even if I have my life organized to the millisecond and am successful at doing motherhood perfectly, they still believe I need help and try to take charge of everything, and that has led to a lot of arguing. Well, that and my mom disapproving of how I manage the whole thing. So I'm hoping with this trip they’ll back off a bit.

After our training, I let the kids do their homework while I breastfed, and we all did our responsibilities (even though my mom always tries to argue with me about it).

I have taught my kids how to be independent people, actual functional human beings. I played with them as much as I could before shower time, then pumped both breasts, kissed my babies good night, and left my mom in charge.

It's the first time we've left "our" kids with their grandparents. Cris is advancing our natural soaps order so we can have the weekend free, too.

She’s also working on our side project. She has a talent for technology, a hacker, one of the five best known around the globe. She sees the world differently, and that's why we work so well together; we have success at almost everything we do. We are each other’s keepers.

I went to work wearing a white long-sleeved top, my high-waisted jeans, and leather boots. I had my leather jacket for when I got cold. I gave Cris a lift before heading to the club. We sang "Sola" by Raymix and ATL; it's a cumbia. Then we changed to Afro dance to get into the Friday mood.

When I parked, I put on some mascara and red lipstick. I breathed myself calm, and my mind focused. I had to play the role of a nice girl who wouldn’t take s**t from anyone who dared to look my way. Even if I was super insecure and scared shitless inside, you would never know it by my perfected emotionless face. You have to be tough to handle so many drunk people and at the same time nice enough for them to give you tips. So as long as they kept their hands to themselves, I could keep my foot from their asses.

After chanting my mantra a few times, I got ready, putting my apron on. I was to serve the eight tables on the left side of the club. Jenny (she's nice) and "Blondie" (I didn't care to learn her name; she's a bratty, slutty, bitchy type) got the other 12 tables on the right, including the VIP section. I got kicked off that section for punching and knocking out a guy who grabbed my butt once. Now I'm behaving the best I can, not because I need the money but because it was my first job when we got here. It grew on me. Here I can be normal, and I can keep an eye on my MC people. I've made some friends I know I can count on if I ever need help, so I try smiling more and being as polite as my face lets me. My boss knows me and my zero tolerance and he lets me be IF I take the fight outside. We have one bulky bodyguard (he looks tough but he's actually a big teddy bear), and I also like taking care of kicking butts, so it's a win-win situation that I'm the backup. I know it's crazy, but I've got some Bruce Lee moves on my sleeve.

The night went swimmingly. I had good tables. My habitual clients like to sit where I serve, so I'm actually having fun. But tonight I have this feeling—I know I have eyes on me like I was prey to hunt, and it's getting on my nerves. After a while, I put on my no-s**t-serious face, but I still feel like I'm being watched. Then a group of young men came in, probably in their twenties. It’s the first time I've seen them here. The youth... They were already drunk, so I know this is going to be a pain in my ass. They are being really loud, sneering and eye-f*****g girls like they were the hottest people around here... gross.

-"Hello, guys, I'm Samantha, your waitress for the night. What can I get you?" I wrote down all their orders but didn't look up at anyone. The guy who's sitting in front of me is undressing me with his eyes. My face is blank and serious.

He says in a cocky tone, -"You know, you should smile more if you want me to give you a big tip." and all of them started to laugh like he had said the funniest thing in the world. Lame. Pretty lame.

I showed him my teeth in the most weird smile.

-"See, I can't smile, but don't you worry, I'll serve you guys the best I can to earn my really big, big tip," I said in an obvious sarcastic voice and exaggerated the word "big."

The guys laughed harder, and I rolled my eyes as I turned to attend another table. I walked to the bar with my orders and told Paul, my boss, we might have a problem with table 6. He looked up with narrowed eyes, assessing the potential problem, and nodded for me to proceed.

Awe, I guess today I might get to let out some steam. I looked at Joe, our bodyguard, and he nodded at me, too. I got my tray full of drinks and headed to my tables. When I got to table number 6, I noticed the guy who spoke to me wasn't in the center anymore but on the left corner. I mentally rolled my eyes. Here we go. I said,

-"Anything else I can get you?" while blocking my front with my tray.

The guys had their eyes on the dumbshit on my left, and he obviously had to act.

-"You can give me your number," all this while grabbing my butt with his f*****g hand. I closed my eyes and really tried to calm this fire igniting inside me. I grabbed his hand in a painful lock and twisted it until he was on his knees, saying with an ice-cold voice,

-"You want to lose your hand, boy?"

He tried to shut the whining scream that came out of his mouth when I twisted harder, but it was too late. We all heard it, and now his pride was hurt, and I saw it in his eyes. I cursed mentally; I should have avoided it. I could hear a commotion at the VIP section (a growl maybe?), but I didn't care right now.

We locked stares, and eventually he backed out. I loosened my grip, and he stood up, shaking the dust off himself violently.

I turned, and the fucker actually dared to try and attack me from behind, and he even called me "b***h!" I was expecting this, though, so I grabbed his hand again and twisted it to his back, now almost breaking it.

-"Okay, listen, you dumbass, you don't touch a lady without her consent and buying her at least dinner first. Come on, I bet your mother taught you better than this! Now you owe me dinner and my big, big tip," I exaggerated the last part.

I looked at the table.

-"Anyone care to join him?" I said as I watched the rest of the table. No answer, but I could see some snickering. Pinches pendejos (f*****g dumbasses).

I took this bozo outside, and although I was really tempted to kick his ass, I just waited at the door with Joe for him to relax.

He struggled to get up straight, but eventually, he left. After a while, his buddies left, too, and I returned to work.

Suddenly, my boss took me to the side and told me to switch tables with Blondie because one of the VIP tables asked him to. I wondered why (sarcasm). Probably she was way too slutty for them, probably pissed off someone's girlfriend.

I straightened my shirt and my hair, got my tray in one hand, and went to the VIP section. Maybe today I'll get a big tip after all. Time to put on my best fake smile.

When I got to Blondie’s table, I started putting all the empty glasses on my tray right away. Then I took my notebook out, and as I raised my eyes to look at the table, I said,

-"Hello, I'm Samantha, I'll be your waitress for the rest of the night, what can I ge—" My voice left me as I stared at those deep eyes again. My eyes went wide, and my heart literally stopped beating for a few seconds before my brain started to function again, noticing everyone at the table was watching me.

I blushed and looked at my shoes, cursing at my teenage hormones while I still felt his gaze on me. He didn't speak either, and I took a breath to focus and look at them, waiting to note their order. I looked over at the first guy on the left of the table; I've seen him before. But the guy on his right started chuckling.

-"Um yeah, we'll want 15 shots of tequila, two cosmos for the ladies, a bottle of your best whiskey," he stopped.

-"And a piña colada for NATHAN here," he said while putting his arm on the guy from the airport.

Nathan.

-"Right away," I smiled awkwardly and turned with the tray to the bar to place my order. I don't know how I managed to get a firm hold on the tray because I was shaking.

I told Paul, my boss, I was going to the bathroom really quick after placing the order. I washed my face, and as I stared at my reflection, my mind was bursting with questions. Why is he here? Is he after us? Did they find us already? Those other guys, I've seen them following me. I panicked for a few seconds and then I breathed my anxiety down and remembered what my life was really about.

-'You are ready for this. You have three kids. You have lives depending on you. Don't panic. Don't give up.' I calmed myself and put on my best automatic poker face.

I took the drinks to the table as if HE was any other man and not the sexy beast that's been haunting me in my dreams for the past weeks, and with my best fake smile, I said,

-"Enjoy your drinks." I looked at my watch and pushed a button. Then as I turned around, the guy number two, who is pretty good-looking himself, asked, stopping me,

-"Can you please tell us your name again?" I turned my head only, narrowing my eyes instinctively, quickly debating if I should give my name or not. Then I shrugged and said,

-"Samantha."

I left the VIP section and tried to work as normal as possible, and after making sure everyone was attended to with their drinks full, I looked at my watch: 12:12 AM. Cris's message popped up:

-'It's them,' confirming my suspicions.

I asked for a 20-minute break. I pumped, and I had only two more hours until I was done for the night. Sigh. I went outside to get some fresh air to gather my thoughts. Suddenly, I heard a deep, sexy, husky voice.

-"I've been looking for you."