Still Water Read Online Free

me to stay the hell away. He was asshole personified. I could smell a jerk from less than thirty yards away, and this guy… this guy was trouble.
    "Well, I see you met the new hire." Tiffany, the girl that hired me, was smiling like a cat that caught the canary. Tiffany's long black hair was effortlessly straight and polished; her bangs formed an exact line just at the brow line. She had tattoos covering her arms, and I could see the tips of cherry stems peeking out of her low-cut tank that had the Blue Bar logo printed on it. She had smooth angular features and stark hazel eyes. The hard look was only just that, a look. She was, in fact, lovely.
    "Yes… I did. Thanks for the heads up." Todd slowly removed me from his death glare.
    "Don't give me shit. You left me here for three days. I'll hire who I want." Tiffany, who couldn't be more than five foot-one, poked the bear right in the chest with her teeny finger. I stifled a giggle. They both whipped their heads in my direction causing my smirk to falter… but only a little.
    They didn't really scare me. Well, he scared me… but only because right now, the look I couldn't decipher earlier weighed heavy into the "I want to screw you" category. Never going to happen . Besides, I sort of already hated him. First impressions were a bitch.
    "What's so funny, Red?" Todd's deep, gravelly voice permeated the thick air. My posture was prideful at the dare in his tone. Who the hell does he think he is? Red? What the hell is that?
    "You, if you really want to know." I smirked again and turned my attention to Tiffany. "Is he always this big of a dick?"
    Tiffany smiled. "Always."
    "What was that about my big—"
    "Ugh, Todd! Don't even start talking about your man parts. Jace is bad enough." Tiffany's face pinched into a scowl as she shook her head.
    Todd's dense, warm laugh made me smile. At least he could make fun of himself.
    "Shit, Tiffany, you're so right. Jace is a douchbag." His head tilted back exposing his throat as he laughed. I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He really is an attractive asshole.
    "Who's Jace?" I asked.
    Todd's full lips pulled into an easygoing smile. "He's another bartender. Worked here forever. He'll show you the ropes. Should be here in about an hour."
    "Oh, crap. I need to go home and get ready." I grabbed my purse and keys from under the bar. When I'd come in earlier to fill out paperwork, Tiffany asked if I could start stocking and cleaning while she ran some errands. My shift started at five, and I needed to get my butt home and ready. Sweaty and messy didn't get you tips. I wasn't paying attention as I stood from under the bar and walked straight into the wall that was apparently my new boss.
    "Gah! How'd you get back here so fast?" The words tumbled from my mouth.
    "Whoa. Watch where you're going, Red." Todd's cut arms enclosed around my waist stopping me from falling flat on my butt. My forearms and the palms of my hands splayed across his solid chest. The scent of peppermint, cedar, and bar soap filled my personal bubble. Why did he have to smell so good? I was in Hell, that's why. I pushed away from his embrace only to see a cocky smile. Yup, total jerk. "You look a little flush. You gonna make it?" Oh God was he ever the arrogant ass.
    "I'm fine. Don't give yourself too much credit… boss." I reached up and spun the silver ring around the chain. My nervous habit.
    The humor vanished from his face. "You better not be late. I have at least twenty applications on my desk that say you're one hundred percent replaceable."
    A small huff escaped my lips at his rude words. My chin shot up with indignation as I stormed past.
    "Don't worry about him. Like I said, he's always a giant dill weed." Tiffany winked at me, and I couldn't help but smile. She's right. I wasn't going to worry about him. I didn't travel this far to let some narcissistic asshole try to run me down. I had one goal — get a record deal.
     

     
    T HE BAR WAS BUSY , I