Page 12 of Shaken and Stirred (Bottle Service Boys #1)

Parker sighed. “Trevor, what have I said about unannounced visits during the day?”

The growled tone didn’t seem to bother this Trevor guy in the least. A mischievous grin curled his glossy lips. “You said not to. Guess I didn’t listen. Oops. If you feel you have to punish me, I suppose I deserve it.” His grin slipped into a juicy pout.

I snorted out a laugh. It couldn’t be helped. This guy had it bad for Parker and had no problem expressing it.

“Trevor…” The rumbled tone held a warning Parker didn’t seem to realize would only encourage his much younger fan. “I’m finishing an interview. Can we please have a few minutes?”

As though Parker hadn’t spoken, Trevor sashayed into the room and set the food bag on the desk. Then he propped his bubble butt against it and gave me his full attention. “Hello there, handsome. What’s your name, and why do you look familiar?”

Damn, this guy was a firecracker and a half. “Ryder,” I said, holding out my hand. “And I was here Saturday night.”

“He’s replacing Lars. Starts tonight.” Parker narrowed his eyes at the bag. The delicious aroma of Mexican food permeated the room. Hell, if he didn’t want it, I’d eat it. “Oh, and he knows Alex.”

“We go way back.”

Not a lie.

A storm cloud moved across Trevor’s face, darkening his features. “Wait… you’re—”

I hopped to my feet. “Well, thank you, Parker.” Shit. Trevor knew who I was. The gig was up. If he told Parker how much Alex hated me, I’d be out on my ass in a heartbeat. Time to go. “I’m really looking forward to working here. See you gentlemen tonight.”

I turned and darted toward the staircase without offering to shake either man’s hand.

If they found it rude, so be it. I could come back from a minor infraction like a rude exit.

I couldn’t come back from the boss learning that the golden boy of his staff hated my guts.

Hopefully, Trevor wouldn’t spill my secret.

He seemed so smitten with his boss that he’d probably forget about me five seconds after I left him alone with the object of his desire.

Was Parker getting some from Trevor? Did he break his own ironclad rule and bend Trevor over his sturdy desk after hours, or was he as much of a stickler with himself as he seemed to be with the staff? I’d find out soon enough. Workplace secrets never stayed buried long.

As soon as I stepped outside, harsh, frigid wind whipped across my face.

Winter in New England meant business, and I hadn’t dressed warm enough, something my mother had complained about since I was a kid.

I tugged my leather jacket closed as I jogged toward my Range Rover.

Once inside with the engine running, my seat warmers kicked into gear, and within seconds, I sat in a cocoon of warmth and comfort.

This sure would come in handy on a middle-of-the-night drive home after a shift at Top Shelf.

I laughed out loud. None of my buddies would believe I’d gotten a job serving alcohol in a nightclub. God, I couldn’t wait to see the look on Alex’s face when he saw me in my skimpy uniform. His head might explode.

My father would also lose his shit if he caught wind of this—another reason to start looking for an apartment. Over the past few days, I’d had fun reconnecting with my sister. Maybe she and I could get an apartment together near campus.

The more I thought about it, the better that idea sounded. I’d have to run it by her later.

Just as I was about to put the car in gear, my phone rang through the car’s Bluetooth.

“Dad calling,” the generic female voice announced.

“Answer phone,” I commanded my electronic helper. “Hi, Dad, what’s up?”

“Hello, Ryder. I trust your day is going well?”

Rolling my eyes, I pulled out of the parking spot. “Yeah, not bad.”

“I have a meeting this afternoon with the CEO of a biomedical company I’m considering investing in. I’d like you to join us. The more you get involved now, the easier it will be once you’ve finished your MBA.”

‘I’d like you to join us’ sounded like a benign offer, but it wasn’t.

It was a command. He might as well have said, “Get your ass here in twenty minutes if you know what’s good for you.

” And since I’d yet to tell him I had no interest in the life plan he’d been laying out for me my entire life, I had no excuse to bail on him.

“Uh, okay, I can be there in about half an hour. I just need to run home and change.” My stomach dropped at the thought of spending the afternoon watching businessmen mentally jerk each other off while trying to screw each other over at the same time.

I loathed the whole corporate environment.

The thought of commanding a billion-dollar corporation made me want to hurl, while spending my day wrangling a classroom of little gremlins sounded like heaven.

“Excellent. I’ll have Cindy print you some credentials so you can access the executive floors. They’ll be at the front reception desk before you get here. Proud of you, son. There’s nothing I’ve ever wanted more than to pass on my legacy to my son.”

Bile crawled up my esophagus, burning my throat. What the hell was I doing? He’d never accept this. Not in a million years. He had the power to stop me, and I feared he’d do it without losing a wink of sleep.

“Thanks, Dad. See you soon.” Each word cut like shards of glass ripping through my tongue.

The phone beeped as my father ended the call.

“Fuck,” I said as I pulled up to a red light and slammed my hand against the leather steering wheel.

“ Fuck .”