The Billionaires Southern Belle

"Harper honey, I wish you'd give this a little more thought." My Aunt pleaded with me. "I've got to do this, Aunt Olive. There's nothing here for me, please understand I have to go." I sighed, closing my trunk, turning to face her. She stood a few feet away, tears threatening to spill from her caramel-colored eyes. Her hair, pinned back in curls, was disheveled from the summer heat. "I know, I just don't know what I'd do without you." The flood gates finally broke, she was a blubbering mess before me. She hugged me for what seemed like forever before rushing off into the house. Without another thought, I buckled into my little Hyundai Accent, and headed north. ~~~~~ That was 3 years ago, almost to the day. I kick myself, nearly every day for leaving her like that. It was for the best thought. Having taken care of me my entire life, it was time for her to get on with her life. She soon met my now Uncle Tony and got married a year later. I've never seen her so happy, she finally had her prince charming she always dreamed about. I sit here, in my studio apartment above the bar/strip club I work at. My living room doubled as my bedroom. I slept on a futon. My kitchen had one countertop, a stand-alone sink, my refrigerator, and a stove. The bathroom had an old clawfoot tub that doubled as a shower as well. I saved up enough for a portable washer machine, since the laundry mat that I was going to got a little too sketchy for my liking. The front window gave off a nice view of the city since it was 4 stories up from the club. I sectioned off a corner of this space to have a make-shift closet. Some days I wonder if I have made the right decision to move here. It seemed like I was just getting by. By the time I paid my rent, phone bill, electricity, car insurance, gas, and internet, there was barely anything left for groceries. Unfortunately, s*x sells. Towards the end of the month, I would do dance for the extra cash. Usually, the last weekend of the month, sometimes I didn't have to, but I chose to just to ensure I had enough. Tonight will decide if I can make enough so that I can skip dancing this month. Seeing as I needed at least $200 in tips, I didn't see that being a possibility. My shift starts in an hour. I grumble before getting in the shower to freshen up. I rummaged through my clothes, deciding on a black and white plaid mini skirt with a chained belt and black crop top. I laced up my knee-high chuck Taylors, and went to spray my hair. Megerly satisfied with my curls, I huffed and headed down to the bar. "Harper, you're early." Eddy, my boss/landlord, spoke, checking his watch. Eddy was a small portly guy, with olive-colored skin and short black hair. His dark eyes would intimidate you if you didn't know him. He was really a sweet middle-aged man, with an eye for beautiful women. "I know, I'm not clocking in yet, I just needed to restock a couple of things and make sure everything was ready. I was so tired last night, I can't remember if I got everything done." I explained, walking behind the counter. "Go ahead and clock in, it's just an extra 30 minutes." He smiled, before walking over to talk with security. Eddy's was, of course, a little on the classier side of clubs in the city. It definitely wasn't a 5 star place, however, a lot of high rollers definitely frequented it here. I'm glad I decided to come in, my glasses aren't stocked and I can't seem to find any straws. Great. "Johnny!" I bellowed, waving over one of the bouncers. "Yes, miss Harper?" His million dollar smile answered back. "Could you give me a hand getting some ice up here? Those bags are ridiculous." I huffed. "Of course, how many bags do you think you'll need to start with?" His heavy Italian accent was overwhelmingly intoxicating. "I'm gonna need at least 7 bags brought up. Eddy has a pretty big clientele on the schedule for tonight, and it looks like tomorrow night as well." My eyes rolled, not realizing it was going to be packed. I almost feel relieved though, this may be the crowd I need for a decent payout at closing. I went ahead and sprayed the bar, making sure to scrub it clean. I do remember doing that last night, but I like to make sure it's freshly cleaned before the customers flock in. After that task was over, I began cutting up my limes, lemons, and orange garnishes. Once I washed my hands to admire my handy work, Eddy's voice rang overhead announcing to open. Most of the night went by pretty smoothly. A lot of my regulars came in jabbering on about their lives and relationships. I really should start charging just to be a therapist to some of these people, but I digress. "Rhett, potty break." I nudged my fellow bar mate before pulling my apron off. "Don't fall in." He winked, going back to rinsing a few glasses. The line for the first floor bathroom was ridiculous. I ran up to the second floor where the VIPs were seated. Thankfully, as expected, there were no lines. I sat and checked my phone quickly to scroll through my messages before heading out to wash my hands. You'd think I was scrubbing for surgery as high up as I clean my hands and arms. Can't be too careful in places like these, on top of handling drinks and appetizers. I checked myself out in the mirror to ensure I was still presentable before yanking the bathroom door open and tripping over someone's foot. "Shit." I gasped, anticipating falling on my face. But to my surprise, I was caught by a pair of strong arms under a very soft navy blue suit jacket. "I apologize, I was too busy typing on my phone." His raspy voice almost danced through my ears before I could even fathom his features. His face nearly covered with a neatly trimmed beard, his deep blue eyes mimicked the Atlantic ocean. His dark brown hair was faded up the sides and back, leaving a few inches on top that were geled back and parted to the side. His defined jawline could probably break someone's fist if they ever tried to fight him. He had to be 6 feet even if not a little more, compared to my 5'7 self. "No need to apologize, I was rushing to get back to work." I smiled, pulling away from him to head back. I rushed back down the stairs, my heart racing a mile a minute and my face flushed. God, he was gorgeous. "Did someone have a hookup in the bathroom?" Rhett's eyebrows rose up and down, looking at my flustered state. Rhett's one of my closest friends in New York, he was one of the first friendly faces once I took this job. He was born and raised in the Midwest, his naturally tan skin complimented his curly blonde hair and hazel green eyes. He took really great care of his body, he had an exceptional taste for the finest looking men. "No!" I gasped at the absurdity. "However, I did run into a smoking hot man when I came out of the bathroom. I tripped over him and he caught me. Like something out of a Disney movie. Did I mention he was smoking hot?" I explained. "Point him out!" He ordered, his bright green eyes scanned the club looking for who I was describing. "He's on the VIP floor." I laughed, pushing his shoulder playfully. "Hey Eddy, how's it going tonight?" I stopped laughing long enough to greet my boss as he came behind the bar. "We're doing well tonight. You have been requested to deliver this drink order upstairs to Mr. De'Rossi's party." Eddy responded by handing me a list of drinks to prepare. "De'Rossi? Like Luca De'Rossi?" Rhett nearly choked on his own spit. "Whose that?" I asked with an eyebrow c****d. "He's someone with really big pockets." Eddy answered, before Rhett could come up with anything. "Why did they ask for me? I don't even know who he is." I asked honestly. "I suggest, if you want a big tip tonight, that you'll just fill their order and take it to them at seat 11 upstairs." Eddy responded curtly before turning on his heel and walking off. Rhett gave me an uncertain look before focusing back on filling the pretzel bowl. I filled the 8 drinks requested and walked them upstairs. As soon as I reached the top of the steps, I locked eyes with the man I had run into before. It's my luck he's the one sitting at table 11. " OK Harp, you can do this." I thought to myself before walking over with a smile. I was met at the table with 8 men. Ages ranged from the early 30s to the early 60s. "Good evening gentlemen, I'm Harper. I have your drink orders prepared." I smiled, spreading them out to the lot of them. "Nice to meet you Harper, I'm Luca." The handsome man from earlier smirked, taking a sip of his drink and reaching for my hand. "That's a pretty accent you have, Harper. Where you from?" One of the older looking men asked with a very distinct New York accent. "South Carolina, sir." I answered, setting the tray to my side. "Was there anything else I could grab for you guys?" "Another round in about 20 minutes," Luca requested, placing a one hundred dollar bill in my apron pocket. For the next two hours, I went back and forth grabbing the same drinks. I learned that they were business associates, celebrating a new deal. By the end of the night, I had over $600 in my apron just from Luca's hands. With the tips I made downstairs and with Luca's party, I cleared over $800. I didn't feel right, however, taking all that home to myself, so I split it all with Rhett and Carla at the bar. I think I may dance tomorrow, just to have a great head start for next month's bills.