"Hey, Kid." Ryan called me, practically screaming over the thumping music. "Can you go to the storeroom and get two more bottles of vodka?"
I looked at the twenty-six-year-old Korean-American by my side calmly.
"I stocked three extras in the bottom cabinet before we opened."
Ryan nodded and said something but I couldn't hear him. He repeated it while showing both his thumbs down.
"The extras are over?" I asked surprised, aware that my voice was barely audible because of the loud noise.
He leaned over to my ear and I tilted my head to the side.
"At the rate people are asking for these drinks tonight, we'll need two more later beside the two I'm asking you to bring, so make it four."
I nodded and looked at him as he smiled his toothy grin.
I moved swiftly behind Alec and Petra, dodging Noah as he turned to get glasses at the back shelves right when I passed by him. Once I was out of the bar, I kinda danced my way through the sea of people to be able to get to the storeroom.
It had already been three weeks, and I was really loving to work at the club.
I knew my way around pretty well and everyone was treating me as part of the team and not like the new kid anymore. Although I seemed to be stuck with the nickname...
Well, it didn't bother me that they kept calling me "kid", after all, I was the youngest member of the staff.
The word only annoyed me whenever it came out from very specific (and enticing) bow-shaped lips... But Jasper hadn't called me like that much, mainly because, although he was always around, he was never in one place for long, which meant we barely had opportunities to interact, which meant he would barely speak directly to me.
To be honest, not having many opportunities to interact with him annoyed me way more than the "kid" thing...
Anyways... He was my boss and, even though I had already admitted to myself that I had a major crush on him, I knew nothing would ever happen between us. There were several reasons why I didn't have the slightest chance, and one of them was the fact that I was indeed a kid in his eyes. I had recently learned from Petra that the guy was thirty-four (although he looked way younger than that). Besides, he was hot as hell and he could have anyone he wanted. He had so many options laid to him that I would bet my weekly wage he could have a different lover for each time of the day and there would still be a waiting line before his door. Why would he ever glance at the thin redhead new kid who looked like a nerd? If he were to look at someone from the staff, which I thought was very unlikely, he would look at someone exotic and interesting like Ryan, or maybe even someone sweet and beautiful like Lindsay.
I didn't even know if he liked guys or girls, or if he had someone already. What I knew for certain was that he was total outta my league.
The storeroom door closing behind me muffled the pounding electronic music and I felt just a tiny bit relieved. I was almost used to the constant noise from every night, but I was enjoying quieter places more lately.
Top last shelf on the right...
I reached for the box and easily took it from the shelf, placing it carefully on the floor. When I finished picking up the four bottles I needed I heard it... Sounds I was slightly familiar with, sounds of skin meeting skin when someone is having sex...
Turning was not an option, basically because I was frozen by embarrassment, but also because I didn't want to alert the lovers. It took me some seconds to decide what to do, and then I held my breath, slowly placed the box back on the shelf, and took the bottles from the floor. I tiptoed my way to the door and hurried up outta there.
Once I got back to Ryan's side, I craned my neck to him and he leaned to me sideways.
"Should I alert security if I find someone having sex in the storeroom?" I asked hesitantly but loud enough for him to hear me.
Ryan looked at me with a facial expression that I didn't really understand. He seemed amused and, at the same time, as if he was privy to something questionable.
He leaned to me.
"It happens from time to time. Just pretend you didn't see it."
"I didn't see anything, I just heard it." I explained in a haste.
"Even better." He replied. "Forget what you heard, and if you ever hear it again, or see it, remember... Pretend you were not there and that you know nothing." He backed away and winked at me as I looked at him.
I nodded, but I was intrigued as hell. I tried not to wonder what that was about, but I'm a very curious person, and therefore curiosity always gets the best of me.
Besides, something about what Ryan said and the way he said it got to me...
The sex in the storeroom was definitely a frequent thing, implicitly allowed and deliberately overlooked. It had to be involving people that had privileges in the club...
For no apparent reason, my stomach churned. In the back of my head, a name came up but I ignored it. Or I tried to... Because I kept glancing obsessively toward the storeroom door while I served people until it opened almost thirty minutes later.
I confess my heart accelerated a bit, and I felt oddly anguished as a guy left combing his hair with his fingers. I couldn't identify well his face because of the lights and the distance, but I was sure he was just an ordinary client since I didn't recognize him. I felt immediately and strangely relieved until the next person left the room soon after.
It really seemed as if my heart had stopped for a split second.
I placed the beer bottle I had picked up for the girl that was waiting before me on the inner counter while my lips parted at their own volition to allow the air to leave my lungs in a gush.
Jasper passed through the storeroom open door, tying his loose hair in a high bun, undisturbed, and walking calmly as if nothing had happened and as if he owned the place.
Well, he did own the place.
What I felt right at that moment took me completely by surprise, I had never felt that before. It was a total alien emotion that made me need desperately space and air.
Numbly, I gave the girl her beer bottle and held the wrist of the person next to me without really caring who it was.
I turned to see Noah looking questioningly at me.
"I need a moment." I spoke over the music.
He nodded, and I guess he saw something on my face that made him understand that was serious. He leaned to me.
"Are you okay?" I just nodded. "Take fifteen, I'll cover for you."
I mouthed "thank you" to him and soon I was hurrying past the crowd to the backdoor.
As I got to the empty street behind the club, I took a deep breath and leaned on the wall with my eyes closed.
Why am I so affected? I barely know him, we barely even talk, and it's not like he owes me anything, he doesn't even know about how I feel...
I straightened up in a haste, my eyes popping open and widening.
How I feel?! I don't have feelings for him, it's just a crush!
"Isn't it?" I thought out loud.
"Isn't it what?" The deep voice seemed to resound in the night silence even though he didn't speak that loud.
Suddenly all my body was rigid, and I was painfully aware of his presence. I didn't want to, but I tried to turn my face to look at him... Although my head was not responding to my command.
Jasper was right in front of me in the blink of an eye.
I felt a shiver inside.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly and frowned as if he was truly worried. "You're paler than usual."
I had to force my mouth to open so I could talk.
"I-I'm fine. Just needed some air."
Jasper squinted.
"Are you sure? You don't look well."
His face was too close, he was to close, and that was keeping me from thinking straight. I closed my eyes for a second or two, just to be able to gather my thoughts. When I opened them back, Jasper was staring at me with this curious glint in his amber gaze.
"Maybe I'm a little tired," I was inwardly perplexed at being able to continue lying to him. That had seemed really hard until then. "but I won't let it affect my work, I promise you." That part was true.
He chuckled, and I had to look away not to stare at his endearing dimples and lush lips.
"I'm not worried about the bar, Kid, I'm worried about you." He said in a light tone that sounded very honest.
His words and the tone he used would have warmed my heart, I'm pretty sure of it... If it wasn't for a tiny detail.
This fucking word again.
I looked at him.
"I'm twenty-one, you know." It came out before I could stop myself in a slightly snappy tone.
Jasper frowned, apparently confused, but just for a second.
"I do know." He answered naturally but seeming slightly amused.
"I'm not a kid, I'm a man." I asserted confidently, which kinda astonished me.
I'm not really sure about what happened... If he saw something on my face, read something in my stance, identified something in my eyes, or simply heard the underlined annoyance in my tone. What I do know is that outta the blue his whole body language changed. He suddenly seemed taller, bigger, more intimidating... But oddly open.
The air shifted between us, his countenance became earnest, and he was practically digging holes in my face with his piercing eyes.
I forgot how to breathe.
"I see that." He spoke in such a deep tone...
Jasper kept staring at me and I realized he seemed a bit... Expectant?
I held his gaze, at first forcefully, but soon this alien intensity gave me confidence, and I involuntarily straightened up, craned my neck, and stepped closer to him. He didn't move, so I got closer.
Have you lost your mind?
Shhh!
I wasn't thinking, and I didn't want to. I allowed my impulsivity to take over just this once.
My hands were around his neck and our lips were connected a millisecond later. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest that I was sure he could feel it.
It took only another millisecond for him to hold my face in his big hands and push me against the wall.
He pushed his pierced tongue inside my mouth, and I eagerly welcomed it. The moment our tongues touched the kiss that had started urgent became strangely soft although deep. Jasper's hands slid to my neck while mine went up to his hair. I untied it and he let me. I entangled my fingers with his incredibly soft strands and he groaned low when I tugged at them.
The kiss became more serious after that, and for long delicious minutes, we were connected in a way that I had never been to anyone before...
It wasn't just our tongues, lips, hands, and bodies that were in contact... I could feel his heartbeat and it was strong and fast and seemingly in sync with mine. And that was what made the answer to my previous question crystal clear.
This is not just a crush... I'm fucked.
I squeezed my eyes, not wanting to be in my head. That would make me self-conscious and would definitely ruin the mood for me.
Jasper sneaked one of his hands in the back pocket of my jeans and I involuntarily released a soft moan in his mouth. He pulled me impossibly closer, and my arms circled his neck with a mind of their own.
I want you... So fucking damn much.
What the fuck is happening to me?! I've never felt anything like this.
You're just lonely and in need of some loving, you're not falling for him...
Am I falling for him?! But I barely know him!
Damn mind! It kept pulling me away from the moment.
Focus on him... Concentrate on Jasper, the guy that's kissing you. The guy that's been dazzling you for the past three weeks. He's kissing you! Kissing. you! Focus on Jasper...
Fucking too late... I was too much in my head and all the reasons why I shouldn't have done that flooded me and made me feel uncomfortable and misplaced.
I guess Jasper felt the shift in the mood because soon the intensity was fading and we were just nibbling each other's lips as if trying to prolong something that was actually already over.
He pulled his face away from mine just a little and my eyes dropped to the floor as I covered my mouth with one of my hands. I felt his fingers under my chin, lifting my face up.
Once our eyes met I couldn't hold back my thoughts.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." As expected, I blurted it out. "I..."
"Don't say anything else." He asked gently, and this time I couldn't avoid it, his tone warmed my heart. "If I didn't want it I would've just pushed you."
His assertion that he had wanted to kiss me provoked a wave of excitement inside me, and I went weak in the knees. And then I was very aware of his hands still on me... One on my back pocket, the other one on my chin.
My heart went into overdrive. I realized one of my hands was still around his neck and suddenly my face felt warm... I was fucking blushing and I couldn't stop it or disguise it.
"Y-you're my boss." I sounded even more hesitant than I felt.
"I know that." He replied in such a kind smile.
"And..."
"And nothing." He stated simply. "Are you cheating on someone?" He arched his eyebrows. I shook my head slightly. "Good, neither am I. You're not a minor, and neither one of us forced the other, so..." He shrugged.
We shared a weird look... Well, it was weird at least for me, I couldn't really read the emotion behind his soft gaze.
"Is this something that can... happen again?" He asked hesitantly, and I was promptly and utterly shocked!
It was the first time I saw him not being bold and annoyingly confident.
Unexpectedly the memory of the storeroom sounds flooded my mind, and I remembered that he had been fucking someone in there not more than half an hour before.
Ryan's words came back to me...
"It happens from time to time."
I pulled away from him not so subtly and he seemed surprised.
"I... I don't think it's a good idea." I spoke my mind without a filter. Not very surprising...
Jasper looked at me with clear confusion written in his eyes, and then his countenance softened, and he slightly smiled.
"Up to you." It was all he said before stepping back while carding his fingers through his hair and turning to the door.
"Jasper." I called him impulsively and closed my eyes as he turned to look at me. "Sorry, Aiden." I corrected myself before looking at him again. "Are we okay, I mean... Is it... Am I... "
He chuckled lightly as he always did.
"I'm not gonna fire you over a kiss, Freckles." He assured me in a kind tone with his killing smile. "You can breathe now. I see you inside."
He opened the door but stopped and looked at me again, his face abruptly serious.
"It was a hell of a kiss, by the way."
And he left me with that.
I huffed, partly angry at myself, partly overwhelmed with the emotions that were drowning me, partly astonished that we had kissed.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I mumbled.
What the hell were you thinking?!
"I wasn't. That's the fucking problem." I scorned myself before taking a deep breath and moving toward the door.
I had to count to ten once I was back in... Jasper was inside the bar, serving clients right next to Ryan. He was at my station. And by the way he looked at me as I got closer, I knew he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.
As I passed by Noah and Petra and stood right next to him, trying to ignore the sensation his proximity elicited in me, my eyes were involuntarily beckoned to my wrist.
I sighed, looking up from the black hair tie to him. And he winked at me.
He fucking winked at me!
I focused on the person in front of me, but I was damn sure he could see the smirk I was unable to contain.
#(Dis)Sonant*Chapter2#
I disabled the car alarm and threw my backpack on the passenger seat before undressing my hoody. I was feeling hot even in that cold weather.
I threw the blue coat over my backpack and moved to get in the car when a low roar startled me.
I looked to the side in time to see him approaching me in the empty lot.
A black motorcycle, of course...
Jasper took off the helmet, jerking his head to push away his stupid beautiful hair.
"Can I have it back?" He asked in a smirk.
I just stood there looking at him like an idiot.
"Edward?" He arched his eyebrows.
Ridiculously, I involuntarily shook my head to snap out of the trance.
"Huh?"
As I said... Like an idiot.
Jasper chuckled and pointed to my wrist.
"The hair tie." He spoke slowly. "Can I have it back?"
I nodded while pulling it and immediately offering it to him. But I didn't let it go when he held it between his fingers.
Once again the air shifted. His eyes seemed bigger all of a sudden and I couldn't breathe.
I didn't realize I was moving until we were so close I could feel his fresh breath on my face.
"If you want it so much I can give it to you." He spoke in his enthralling deep tone.
I had the impression he wasn't talking about the hair elastic...
"I wanna kiss you." I heard myself saying.
Why the fuck do you have to spill everything when you're with him?!
Jasper didn't chuckle like I had expected him to... he heaved a sigh.
"By all means, go ahead." He whispered.
His eyes were sparkling so much I couldn't look away, I was hypnotized.
I leaned in...
What are you doing?
Inches from his lush lips I stopped myself.
"I-I can't." I said as I pulled away and finally let go of the elastic.
Jasper closed his eyes and sighed. Then he calmly tied his hair in his usual high bun and looked at me.
"Come with me." He asked softly, and I was disconcerted.
"Where?" I asked skeptically.
"My house." He answered so naturally, it seemed easy.
It was my turn to chuckle.
"You're crazy." I mumbled.
"Guess I am."
Oddly I started considering the offer. We shared an intense look. He slid his upper teeth along his bottom lip and smiled devilishly.
"Don't... do this." I uttered impulsively.
"What am I doing?" His eyes were dancing with mirth.
"You know what you're doing, you're enticing me."
"Is it working?" His smile became broader.
I shook my head, incredulous of his boldness.
"I have to go home." I said but I didn't move.
"Can I go with you then?"
I chuckled more openly this time and he followed me.
"Seriously, as tempting as it is, I don't think it's a good idea."
He nibbled his bottom lip while nodding, then put on his helmet.
"See you at night, red." He said as he started his motorcycle.
I smiled and nodded before he accelerated and rode away.
He had already disappeared around the lot corner when I finally moved. I sat in my car still feeling all the cells in my body trembling.
I want him.
I knew I was fucked... I just didn't know the extent of it.
