Down and Out(62)

He glances around as he discreetly tries to adjust himself. “So who was that waitress you were talking to?”
“Oh, that was Macy. I went to high school with her.” My eyes widen as I remember what she told me. “Do you have any idea what these girls are getting paid to waitress this party? It’s insane.”
“Jimmy pays all his employees very well.” Declan shifts, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “You’re not . . . thinking about trying to pick up a couple shifts, are you?”
I’m not, but I’m interested in where he’s trying to go with this. “Why?” I ask, crossing my arms as I look up at him skeptically. This will not end well for him if he’s about to try and tell me I can’t do something. It crosses the line from cute, alpha-male bullshit to douche canoe territory.
His face hardens as he matches my stance. “Yes or no, just answer the question.”
“Are you kidding me?” I scoff, walking past him.
He grabs my elbow and says, “Wait,” as I jerk out of his grip.
“I can’t believe you think I’d do something like that. Were you not listening when I said I didn’t want to take off my clothes for money anymore? Because hello, that’s exactly what this is,” I say, gesturing to the half-naked waitresses in the room.
We’re so caught up in our own little world that we don’t see the girl approach us. It’s only until her shrill voice demands, “What the hell, Declan?” that we’re ripped out and thrust back into the present.
My blood turns cold as I turn, seeing the one girl I swore I’d cunt punch if I ever had the displeasure of seeing again. But before I can open my mouth to spew my hatred all over her, Declan says, “Goddamn it, Jamie, not now.”





This is the Jamie that Declan was telling me about?
No. Oh, God, please no.
My stomach churns as a drum beats in my chest, the noise steadily increasing until it drowns out the sounds of the crowded room, its deafening blast echoing in my ears. I struggle to breathe as my throat tightens, my head growing dizzy as I glance back and forth at them, oblivious to my distress as they yell at each other.
Just like that, this beautifully foreign feeling I have for Declan is tainted with something ugly and painful.
“First you ignore my calls, then you show up tonight with some skank?” Jamie shrieks, giving me the evil eye.
The whole thing makes me laugh. My sheer dumb luck. Her obvious boob job, and the duck lips she has from one too many collagen injections. The fact that Declan f*cked her. I’m laughing at it all.
It’s official. God hates me.
My hysterical laughter has them looking at me like I’ve gone crazy, but I don’t care. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter to no one in particular.
Jamie frowns as her gaze locks on me and I see it—that dreaded moment of recognition. “Holy shit,” she says, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. “If it isn’t little orphan Annie.”
Declan’s eyes dart back and forth between Jamie and I, widening as realization flashes in them. “Oh, shit.”
Jamie tsks at him. “I thought you had better taste than that, babe. I never would’ve pegged you for a dumpster diver—”
Before I realize I’m even doing it, my fist smashes into her nose and she stumbles back, slipping off the ledge of the pool and falling into the water with a big splash. A chorus of gasps erupt around us as everyone stops and stares at the commotion we’ve caused.
“Jesus Christ,” Declan breathes next to me.
Jamie flails in the water, pushing her mop of bleached hair out of the way as blood gushes out of her nose, briefly turning the water in front of her pink before dissolving. The water makes her makeup run, and she covers her bloodied face, screaming, “You f*cking broke my nose!”
“Buy yourself a new one. It’ll go great with those flotation devices you bought when your tits never came in.”
Declan snickers beside me, but tries to cover it up with a cough.
Two girls I hadn’t noticed before rush to the ladder sticking out of the deep end as Jamie tries to climb out of the pool, looking like a wet cat. Her friend grabs a nearby towel and hands it to her. Jamie takes it and says, “Call the cops,” while glaring at me. “That bitch just assaulted me.”
Rage overtakes me and I automatically take a step in her direction, more than ready to finish what I started. Strong hands wrap around my biceps, holding me back as I glare daggers at Jamie. Her smug face only incites my wrath and I grit my teeth and struggle against Declan, making him grip me tighter and press his hard chest into my back.
“Easy there, Kitten,” he murmurs into my ear. “You drew enough blood, okay? Time to retract your claws.”
Jamie’s face turns from triumph to something bitter as she watches Declan whispering in my ear. She looks away, the hurt on her face evident.
I should be happy that I finally gave her a modicum of revenge, but I’m not. It doesn’t taste as sweet as I thought it would. In fact, it tastes kinda shitty.
Movement catches my eye, and I see the MC walk in, flanked with security.
Oh, hell, I’m getting kicked out.
Declan loosens his grip but doesn’t fully let me go as they veer off and head for Jamie, stopping in front of her and her two friends.
“Jimmy, I’m glad you’re here,” Jamie says, looking over his shoulder at me smugly. “I want that girl arrested for assault. Look what she did to me,” she says, pointing to the bloody towel pressed to her face.
“Miss Beckett, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you and your friends to leave.”