Alphas on Top Page 24

  After two weeks of getting settled in and healing, it is time to start living in the real world again. The world where you need things like a job and money to survive. My dad and I are going to the club to meet some of his employees. To say I'm nervous is an understatement. It takes me longer than normal to get ready. I mean really! What do you wear to the strip club that your dad owns?

  After settling on my gray, empire-waist sweater dress with black legging and black boots, I curl my hair in large waves down my back and put on light makeup. Looking at myself in the mirror, I’m happy to see all the bruising is gone and I look like myself again. I go upstairs to give Beast some love, before Dad and I take off. I know Beast is happy here. He has a large backyard and room to run, and I take him on a walk every night.

  “Okay, Dad. I'm ready!” I yell into the living room while scratching Beast behind his ears.

  “Wow, you look beautiful,” he says, kissing my cheek. “Let’s get this shit over with.”

  I smile at him, knowing that he’s nervous. I think at this point, he’s more nervous than me.

  “Dad, it’s going to be okay.” Going with my dad to his club is completely nerve racking for me. I mean, my dad owns a strip club where naked girls work. I'm freaking out on the inside but trying to act cool. I don't want him to feel any more uncomfortable than I know he already does.

  “Just so you know, baby girl, the women who work for me are not your friends. There is nothing wrong with what they do, but you are not going to be hanging with them.”

  I raise my eyebrows at him and he shakes his head. “I know you won't be there during club hours, but I want to make it perfectly clear—there is no reason for you to ever be in the front of the house when you’re in the building. You can come in, sort shit out in the office, but there will be no drinking at the bar and no socializing with the employees. The only reason I'm bringing you here tonight is because I want the people I trust to meet you. That way, you will always have someone to go to in case I'm not around.”

  “Dad, don’t worry so much. You’re giving yourself grey hair and soon you’re going to look like Uncle Joe.”

  “Very funny!” he says, smiling.

  The club is pretty much how I pictured it. Not that I've been in a strip club, but what do you really think of when you imagine a strip club. There's a long bar on the back wall with stools in front of it. Off to the side, there's a stage with two poles and a girl dancing. Along the stage, there are four tables with guys of every age watching the show. In the back of the room, the lighting is so dim that you can barely make out the couches. Behind them is a wall of mirrors. Looking around, I’m surprised that everything is new and modern.

  “Okay, baby girl.” My dad snaps me out of my perusal. “This is Rex.” He points to the guy behind the bar. “Rex, this is my daughter, November. She's going to be doing the books and helping me out from behind the scenes. You won't see her much, but I wanted you to meet her so if I'm not around, she knows who to talk to.”

  “Hey, girl,” Rex says, wiping his hands on a towel. “Nice to finally meet you.”

  “You too,” I say as my dad pulls me into his side.

  “Wow, Mike, with your ugly mug, I didn't think you could make such a pretty girl,” Rex says and I feel myself turn red.

  My dad looks down at me with so much pride. “Yeah, I did good,” he says, smiling.

  “Oh, geez, Daddy, stop,” I say while squeezing his middle and rolling my eyes. That's when I feel someone’s watching me. I look around, but don't see anyone.

  “I'm gonna take her to the office and show her my mess,” Dad says.

  “Okay, man, but when you’re done, we need to talk about the shit Skittles pulled the other night.”

  “Once November leaves, I’ll be on the floor,” my dad says, pulling me with him.

  After meeting a couple other people, we go into his office. He was not joking—the place is a mess. It's going to take me weeks just to get everything organized. There are papers, books, and files everywhere and the computer looks like the first one ever invented. “Well, here you are. You can start tomorrow morning. Just try to be out of here by three. Once you get stuff figured out, you can always move your office to the house if you feel like that works better.”

  “Okay, I'll start tomorrow. It's gonna take some time just to get things sorted. After that, I should be able to do it from home most of the time.”

  “Sounds good,” Dad says, looking around. Just then, the phone rings on the desk. He moves some papers around. When he finally finds the handset, he puts it to his ear. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be out. He hangs up, I have to go, baby girl. There's a problem out front.”

  “That’s fine, Dad,” I say to his back as he runs from the office. Looking around for a few minutes, I see that I have my work cut out for me. I decide to go home and get some sleep so I’ll have all my brain cells in the morning when I come back to this disaster.

  I walk out into the cool November air. I pull out my phone and text Dad that I’ll see him tomorrow. The music is now just background noise, but I can still smell the alcohol, perfume, and beer that lingers on my clothes from being inside the club. I'm almost to my car and my mind has drifted to Beast. I want to take him for a walk before it’s too late and we have another skunk incident like we did the other night. “Yo!” I hear shouted from behind me. I jump and end up dropping my purse and keys to the ground. I pick them up, and then look around.

  All the air is pushed out of my lungs. The most beautiful man I have ever seen is standing a few feet from me. He is more than a foot taller than my five-foot four--inch frame. His dark brown hair is cut so short that I can see his scalp. His jaw is square; it looks like its cut from glass. He has a couple days of stubble on it that makes me want to rub my cheek across it to see how it feels. His nose looks as if it may have been broken, but it does nothing to take away from the beauty of his face.

  With only the light from the street lamp above us, I can’t tell his exact eye color, but they look blue or light gray. His lips have a perfect cupid’s bow at the top and bottom. They’re so full, they would make my mom, the queen of lip injections, jealous.

  Taking in his face, I’m completely caught off guard by the anger I see in his eyes. He is about three times my size. His arms are so large he could squash me like a bug. I can make out the definition of almost every muscle in his torso. His body is as impressive as his face and the thermal shirt he’s wearing does nothing to hide it from me…or anyone with eyes. His legs are planted shoulder-length apart. His jeans hang low on his hips, and with the way he stands, I don't even think a tornado could move him. He crosses his arms over his chest while looking down at me.

  I take a step back toward my car and remind myself that I need to breathe. I adjust my keys in the palm of my hand so they become a weapon. He doesn’t miss this move, judging by the flash of surprise I see cross his face.

  “Hi,” I squeak out.

  “Yeah, hi,” he says back in a mocking tone that surprises me. “You need to have an escort to your car anytime you leave the club.” He’s practically growling at me.

  “Wh−Wha−What?” I ask, stuttering.

  “You,” he says slowly, like I'm stupid, “need an escort anytime you leave the club to walk to your car. All the girls know this shit.”

  “Um…okay?” I say, still not understanding.

  “It’s my boy’s job to make sure your ass is safe from the building to your car. So don’t piss me off by not doing what you’re told. And trust me, sweetheart, I don’t give a shit if you’re fucking Big Mike. Next time, wait for one of the guys to walk you out here.”

  “Who’s Big Mike?” I ask. I’ve only been in town a short while, how can rumors of me and some guy already be going around?

  “Big Mike, the guy you were hanging on and calling Daddy!” he says with distaste. “I don't give a fuck if you’re sleeping with the boss. He should have told you this shit himself or had the decency to walk your ass out he
re to your car.”

  Oh my God! Ewww… Now, I get it. He thinks I'm sleeping with my dad. Gross! And he's being totally rude.

  “Excuse me?” I ask, narrowing my eyes, hoping he gets the message that he should choose his next words wisely.

  “What part don't you understand, sweetheart?” he says, mocking me. I'm sure at this point, my eyes are bugging out of my head and steam is coming out of my ears.

  I jerk my hand out angrily in his direction. “I'm not ‘sweetheart’, I’m November. I'm also Big Mi—”

  “Don't give a fuck who you are.” He cuts me off.

  “Wow, you are so flipping rude, buddy.”

  “Don't care that you think that shit either.”

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” I ask him, hands on my hips, my anger bringing my New York attitude out in full force.

  “The guy who’s waiting for you to get in your car and leave so I can go do my job instead of standing out here with you.”

  “Ugh, you are such a jerk,” I growl, feeling like I should kick him.

  “November?” I hear my dad call me. I smile on the inside. This is going to be good.

  “Yeah, Daddy, over here!” I yell back, exaggerating the daddy part. I look at the guy in front of me, daring him with my eyes to say something. He doesn’t, but his eyes narrow.

  My dad walks towards us, and then sees big jerk face standing across from me. He pats him on the back while smiling. “Hey, Asher,” my dad says.

  Oh my God, seriously? Asher. Why did this guy have to have a hot-guy name? Why can’t his name be Urkel or Poindexter? I mean really, some things just are not fair.

  “I see you already met my daughter.” I can't help the small giggle that climbs up my throat from the look of pure shock on the big jerk’s face. Okay, it’s safe to say that his look makes me feel somewhat better. My dad looks down at me, smiling, not understanding what has gone on for the last few minutes.

  “Um, yeah, Dad. He was just telling me that I need an escort when leaving the club,” I say through my laugh.

  “Oh,” my dad says, scratching his head. “Yeah, I didn't think about it because you’re not…uh, you don’t work here…I mean, you work here, but not really in here.”

  “Dad, it’s okay. Asher didn’t know and just wanted to make sure I was safe.”

  “Yeah, okay,” he says, looking a little sheepish. “Anyway, Asher, this is my baby girl, November,” he says, pulling me into his side. “She just moved here.”

  I look to Asher and he still looks stunned, but there's also something else working behind his eyes.

  “Hi,” I say, sticking out my hand with a big smile on my face. When he puts his hand to mine, I feel a jolt go from our connection straight through my body. What the heck is that?

  “November,” he says softly, looking down at our hands, and it makes me wonder if he feels it too. Then, without another word or look, he turns around and walks back toward the club. Well, alrighty then. He might be hot, but he’s definitely strange. I look at my dad and he’s watching him go.

  “Um… Hey, Dad, I'm gonna go,” I say, regaining his attention.

  “What?” he says, while looking at me.

  “I'm leaving.”

  “Oh, yeah. Of course, honey. I’ll see you tomorrow at home.” He bends, kissing my forehead. When I pull out of the parking lot, I can see a tall figure leaning against the door to the club. He appears to be watching my car leave. My pulse starts to race as I wonder if it’s Asher. Then, I remind myself that he’s a jerk and not to think about him anymore. Sadly, I don’t stop thinking about him until my head hits my pillow and I'm dead to the world.

  “I'm coming, I'm coming. Geez, you have to slow down, boy. My boots are too high for running,” I say, following Beast to my car.

  The minute I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride, he was running out of the house, dragging me behind him. Today is the day we visit the nursing home, and I swear he knows exactly where we’re going. We have been doing this every week since we came to town.

  Beast loves the attention and the elderly love Beast. It's been six days—not that I’m counting—since I last saw Asher. I wanted to ask my dad about him, but I chickened out. Really, I just want to see him again. I don’t really want to talk to him because, truthfully, he’s a jerk. But I do want to look at him. He has made me consider taking an art class. Maybe something like body sculpting or painting. It’s not normal for a guy to be that beautiful. Now I sound like a weird stalker. Like that movie where the guy puts the girls in the hole and forces them to eat so he can wear their skin. Okay, I'm not that creepy, thank God. I need to stop. Maybe, he brainwashed me? I need a hobby.

  The last few days have been uneventful. Monday, Grandma and me went up to Nashville and got new computers. One is for my dad’s home office and one is for the club. Tuesday, I went to the club at seven in the morning so I would have plenty of time to get the computer set up and to start organizing the office.

  I don't know what I thought I would find, but there were no lap dance spread sheets or pole dancing tables. It was all normal office paperwork. Spending reports, payroll, and ordering sheets. I finished as much as I could before I had to leave at three. The next few days went the same. I was at the office till three, making dinner with my dad before he went to work, walking Beast in the evening, and then setting up my dad’s home office before I went to bed at night.

  I'm getting settled. I feel more at home here in Tennessee than I ever felt in New York. Everyone in town is so nice. They always have a smile for you. The thing I had to get used to was everyone waving at you when you pass them on the road. At first, it caught me off guard. Then I asked my dad about it and he said it’s just what they do. Now every time I pass someone, I make sure to wave. Okay, okay, my wave may be a little dramatic but I like it and it makes me smile.

  “Alright, boy. Let’s go inside,” I say as I turn off the car. The nursing home we visit is a long brick building. The front sits on a hill of green grass with large pine trees that give shade to sitting areas located all around the building.

  “Hi, Beth,” I say quietly while giggling. Beth is in charge of greeting people as they come into the building. At least she should be greeting people but she's always asleep in her wheelchair with her chin tucked to her chest and her blue hair is the only thing you can see.

  “Damn.” I sigh to myself. Now I want some cotton candy. Every time I see her hair, I get a craving for the stuff. I look down at Beast and his head comes up. “Looks like we're gonna be making a stop at the store on our way home, boy.” I should have bought more than one pack of cotton candy the last time I was there. He looks at me and tilts his head.

  “Okay, boy. First stop is Max, so you better be on your best behavior,” I tell him, walking into Max’s room. Billie Holiday is playing on an old record player and Max is sitting in his chair with the newspaper in front of him.

  “Hi, Max. I brought Beast here to see you,” I say loudly, knowing he never remembers to put in his hearing aid.

  “Well, hello there, pretty lady. How are you today?” he shouts at me.

  “I'm good. How are you?” I ask, bending to give his wrinkled cheek a kiss. I find his hearing aid in a small bowl by his bed and hand it to him. He shakes his head and puts it in.

  “Well, gotta say that my day just got better,” he smiles. “Hey, Beast. How are you, boy?” he asks as Beast places his head in his lap for a rub. “Betsy was in here earlier bugging me about going to the dance tonight. I keep telling her that I'm not interested but she won't leave me alone. She’s already stopped by four times,” he grumbles.

  I laugh. Betsy is one of the older ladies here and has more energy than I do. She’s always on the hunt for a new man. “Aw, Max, you should go. You might have fun. I hear the band that's coming is really good.”

  “Nope, I aint going. You couldn't pay me enough to go to a dance.”

  “Well, you don’t have to dance. You could just go listen to music.
”

  “Not happening, darlin’, and we’re not talking about it again.”

  I giggle. Max is set in his ways. I know there will be no convincing him. We visit for a while longer until I look at the clock and see how late it is.

  “Oh, crud, Max. Beast and I better go. We have a few people to visit before dinner.”

  “All right, darlin’. See you in a few days,” he says while still petting Beast. “And see you too, boy.”

  Walking down the hall, the smell of cleaning supplies is overwhelming until we reach the assisted living units. Then, it’s like walking into a country club. The floors are beautiful printed carpet. There are fresh flowers on all the tables along the wall. The whole place looks warm and inviting with sitting areas and cozy nooks to read. I can't help but feel bad for the people who can't afford to live on this side of the building.

  “All right, boy. One more stop. Remember, be good,” I say, looking down. He just looks at me, and then back toward the direction we are walking. I was just dismissed by my dog.

  Walking into Miss Alice's room always makes me happy. She has photos and things from all over the world on shelves and bookcases. Her husband was in the military and they traveled a lot. When he retired, they moved to town and opened a hardware store. They were married for sixty-two years and when her husband passed away, she refused to move in with her family. She moved here when she could no longer be on her own. But still, the room feels like a home.

  “Hi, Miss Alice. How are you?” I ask, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

  “Oh, November. I'm wonderful. I was just talking to my grandson. He's on his way to visit too.”

  “That's nice. We won't stay long then. I just wanted to bring Beast by and say hi,” I tell her, sitting down.

  “Hey, you handsome boy. Come here and give me some sugar,” she says, patting her leg. Beast walks to her and puts his head in her lap. “You are such a sweet thing, just like your mama,” she says, making me smile.

  Beast is like my child. I feed him, love him, and make sure he is cared for. But I hope one day I find someone to have a real family with. I don’t want to be single for the rest of my life and become known as the crazy dog lady. Since I'm allergic to cats, I can’t even be the norm and have a million cats. Well, I could but then I’d just walk around with puffy eyes and a runny nose.