She’s slumming. Great. Dad must lov

She’s slumming. Great. Dad must love this.

“And I think he’s young,” he continues. “She’s dressing like she’s twenty and listening to music that would only appeal to a silly teenage girl. I caught her working out in a Justin Bieber T-shirt a few weeks ago while listening to some boy band. She’s too damn old to wear that sort of crap. What woman her age does that?”

I want to laugh but I don’t. I’m not laughing at my dad’s irritation. More like at her desperation and the fact that she seems to like them young. It’s either that or go into a complete rage. She’s disgusting. “How do you know she’s having an affair?”

“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I hired a private investigator. He’s tailing her now. Finding out all her juicy secrets. Bitch doesn’t stand a chance.”

Neither do I if he finds out the juicy secret I share with her. “I hope it doesn’t blow up in your face.”

“How could it? I’m not the one who’s done wrong here. She is. I’ve been faithful to her our entire marriage.”

My good friend guilt nestles in deep within me and I push my plate away. This is the last thing I want to hear. I’d almost prefer it if my dad admitted he’d done nothing but cheat on Adele. “Really, Dad? You can be honest with me, you know. Not like I’m going to tell.”

“Really.” His expression is hard; his eyes, as blue as mine, are cold. “I loved her. Deep down inside, I still do. I have to wonder if she ever loved me. How long has she been unfaithful? Who else is involved? How deep do her lies go?” He shakes his head, his disgust clear. “She’s wronged me. Made a fool of me in front of our friends. For all I know she’s been flaunting this boy toy of hers while I’m out of town working. I don’t know.”

“You talk like you want to get revenge on her.” I don’t know how to react. Don’t know what to say. His words…fill me with fear. He could push her to admit things I never want to her to confess. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen my dad like this.

“Maybe I do.” He laughs but it’s an angry sound, as if torn from his throat. “Maybe I want to make her suffer. Make her look like a stupid slut. I gave her everything. When we first met, she was perfect. Beautiful, fun, thoughtful and amazing in bed.”

I grimace. Last thing I want to hear. “Didn’t need to know that.”

“Come on, Drew. You’re an adult. That sort of comment shouldn’t bother you.” He studies me. “Now that I think of it, you haven’t mentioned your little girlfriend. Are you two still together?”

My entire body stiffens at the reminder of Fable. “We broke up.” Not really, but technically we were never together so what else can I say?

“That’s a shame.” His words are completely insincere. “Not that I thought she was the sort of girl for you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I growl, flexing my hands into fists.

“You know exactly what I mean. She’s the sort of girl you screw on the side, not the one you keep forever.”

I stand so fast I knock my chair into the person sitting behind me. My blood boiling, I glare at my father but all I can see is red. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Fable is one of the best people I’ve ever known. She’s loyal, kind, sweet…”

Dad’s gaze meets mine, his eyes full of contempt. I’m making a scene and he doesn’t like it. I really couldn’t give a shit. “If she’s so great, why aren’t you with her?”

The truth falls from my lips with ease. “Because I’m not good enough for her.”

I leave the restaurant without another word.

Fable

“You look different.”

I smooth my hand over my newly colored hair, my freshly painted nails catching my eye. They’re red, as bright as the color coating my lips, and I feel like a different person. But I want to show indifference. As if this sort of thing is common for me. That handsome men who just so happen to be my boss whisk me to a popular and expensive hair salon in the late afternoon without an appointment and pay for my complete makeover. All the while he’s standing by with a satisfied grin on his face, like he’s solely responsible for my transformation.

Which he sort of is.

I should be insulted. Colin taking me to the salon is basically saying I don’t look good enough to work for him. I need to change—at least physically.

But secretly, it’s also flattering, his attention. No one pays attention to me. They all just…count on me to get stuff done. My mom, my brother, my old boss at La Salle’s—yep, I gave notice this morning, finally. Drew paid attention for a little while but he’s too wrapped up in his problems to worry about mine.

I miss him. I hate that I miss him but I do. Funny how someone can come into your life for such a brief time but leave such a lasting impression. He permanently imprinted himself on my heart, and I permanently imprinted his name on my skin.

It’s silly, longing for a man who doesn’t long for me.

“Your hair—the blonde is darker.” Jennifer smiles at me, nodding with approval. “I like it. Suits you better.”

Colin is a great boss but he employs a bunch of bitches at his restaurant. And I’m starting to realize why they’re so bitchy—we’re all in direct competition with one another, not only for being the most wanted waitress at The District, thus getting the most in tip money at the end of the evening. But we also want to be the most wanted waitress in Colin’s eyes. Which is all sorts of f**ked up if I think about it too long.

So I banish the realization from my brain, like I’m so good at.

Jennifer so far has been the nicest to me, but she was the new girl on the block until I showed up so she’s probably thankful there’s a fresh target here for them to hate. She’s pretty in an exotic, almost mysterious way, which I find amusing considering her standard, every-girl name. She has long straight-as-paper black hair, large dark brown eyes, olive-colored skin, and she’s so incredibly tall, I get a crick in my neck if I stare up at her for too long.

She’s everything I’m not. We’re complete opposites in every way.

“Did Colin take you to get your hair done?” she asks as we set the tables for the evening. I’m doling out the silverware, she’s setting out the freshly polished glasses and I’m so startled by her question, I stand there with my mouth hanging open for a second. Long enough that she speaks again.

“It’s okay to admit it. He took me for a haircut and mini makeover when I first started.” She smiles, her cheeks tinged red. “Colin likes to take in strays and fix them up. Bring us to our full potential, is how he phrased it to me.”

Her words make me feel the tiniest bit less special, and I want to smack myself. “Don’t you think that’s sort of…”

“Weird?” she finishes for me with a rueful smile.

“Yeah.” I finish setting the silverware on the table and watch her as she carefully adjusts the last water glass, making it sit just so. The table linens are a perfect, creaseless white, with an equally perfect silver bowl sitting in the middle, full of freshly cut flowers the colors of spring. All vibrant pinks and lavenders and whites, they add a touch of sophisticated glamour to an otherwise plain palette.

The entire restaurant is like this. Sexy yet restrained elegance. No wonder all the beautiful people love to come here.

“Colin likes to think of himself as a knight in shining armor to all of us. Like he swooped in and rescued us from our horrible lives and gave us new ones,” Jennifer explains.

I frown. I don’t need someone in my life with a hero complex. With Drew, I’m the one with the hero complex and that got me absolutely nowhere.

And why the hell does everything still have to come back to him? I need to let him go, once and for all. “That’s ridiculous,” I say.

Jennifer shrugs. “It’s the truth, isn’t it? Where were you working before? I was at some crappy bar on the outskirts of town, where the customers couldn’t keep their hands off me. I hated it. Colin came in there one night over a month ago, all clean and golden and shiny. He practically begged me to come work for him but I didn’t trust him.” Her eyes darken even more, shading secrets from me, I’m sure. “It was just before Christmas, I was pretty much broke and alone. He took me in and I haven’t looked back since.”

“Took you in, what do you mean?”

“I’m staying at his house.” Her gaze skitters away from mine. “I’m not the first. I won’t be the last.”

Wow. He’s like the Pied Piper and we all follow after him like a bunch of hypnotized mice. I feel like a fool for thinking the attention he gave me was special. Unusual. I was just another long list of girls who work here he’s taken under his wing.

I’m such a skeptic I still can’t help but wonder if he has an ulterior motive.

“There’s a private party coming in at nine.” Tenerria walks into the dining area, her demeanor all business. She’s the shift manager, having worked with Colin at his previous restaurants. He brought her with him to help open The District and I’m not sure if she’s a permanent fixture or eventually moving on. I respect the hell out of T, what everyone calls her, but she also scares the crap out of me. “Fifteen confirmed college football players celebrating a twenty-first birthday so be prepared. That confirmed number will probably fly out the window.”

My heart drops to my toes. Football players. Could Drew be one of them coming tonight? He’s not one to be social and last I heard—because the rumor mill is rampant in this small town—Drew had left. Not that I ever pay too much attention to rumors. They’re usually all lies anyway.

“I’m throwing you to the wolves tonight, Fable,” T continues, a smile curling her bright red lips. We’re all wearing the new “uniform” Colin gave us earlier: black shorts, white lace tops with a black bra underneath. I added the black heels that I teeter precariously on. He even gave us the same lipstick, so that we’d all matc

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Dia adalah turun derajatnya. Hebat. Ayah harus mengasihi ini."Dan saya pikir dia muda," Dia melanjutkan. "Dia berpakaian seperti dia dua puluh dan mendengarkan musik yang hanya akan menarik bagi seorang gadis remaja yang konyol. Aku menangkap dia bekerja Justin Bieber t-shirt beberapa minggu lalu sambil mendengarkan beberapa boyband. Dia terlalu sialan tua untuk memakai semacam itu omong kosong. Apa wanita usianya tidak itu?"Aku ingin tertawa tapi aku tidak. Aku tidak tertawa pada ayah saya iritasi. Lebih seperti dia putus asa dan fakta bahwa ia tampak seperti mereka muda. Itu entah itu atau pergi ke marah lengkap. Dia menjijikkan. "Bagaimana Apakah Anda tahu dia berselingkuh?""Saya tidak yakin seratus persen, tapi aku menyewa detektif swasta. Ia adalah Tailings dia sekarang. Mencari tahu semua rahasia juicy nya. Jalang tidak berdiri kesempatan."Begitu juga saya jika dia tahu rahasia juicy saya berbagi dengannya. "Saya berharap itu tidak meledak di wajah Anda.""Bagaimana mungkin itu? Aku bukan salah satu yang telah melakukan salah di sini. Dia adalah. Aku sudah setia kepadanya pernikahan seluruh kami. "Teman baik saya bersalah nestles di dalam saya dan saya mendorong piring saya pergi. Ini adalah hal terakhir yang saya ingin mendengar. Saya hampir lebih suka jika ayah saya mengakui ia berbuat apa-apa kecuali cheat pada Adele. "Sungguh, ayah? Anda bisa jujur dengan saya, Anda tahu. Tidak seperti aku akan untuk memberitahu."“Really.” His expression is hard; his eyes, as blue as mine, are cold. “I loved her. Deep down inside, I still do. I have to wonder if she ever loved me. How long has she been unfaithful? Who else is involved? How deep do her lies go?” He shakes his head, his disgust clear. “She’s wronged me. Made a fool of me in front of our friends. For all I know she’s been flaunting this boy toy of hers while I’m out of town working. I don’t know.”“You talk like you want to get revenge on her.” I don’t know how to react. Don’t know what to say. His words…fill me with fear. He could push her to admit things I never want to her to confess. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen my dad like this.“Maybe I do.” He laughs but it’s an angry sound, as if torn from his throat. “Maybe I want to make her suffer. Make her look like a stupid slut. I gave her everything. When we first met, she was perfect. Beautiful, fun, thoughtful and amazing in bed.”I grimace. Last thing I want to hear. “Didn’t need to know that.”“Come on, Drew. You’re an adult. That sort of comment shouldn’t bother you.” He studies me. “Now that I think of it, you haven’t mentioned your little girlfriend. Are you two still together?”My entire body stiffens at the reminder of Fable. “We broke up.” Not really, but technically we were never together so what else can I say?“That’s a shame.” His words are completely insincere. “Not that I thought she was the sort of girl for you.”“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I growl, flexing my hands into fists.“You know exactly what I mean. She’s the sort of girl you screw on the side, not the one you keep forever.”I stand so fast I knock my chair into the person sitting behind me. My blood boiling, I glare at my father but all I can see is red. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Fable is one of the best people I’ve ever known. She’s loyal, kind, sweet…”Dad’s gaze meets mine, his eyes full of contempt. I’m making a scene and he doesn’t like it. I really couldn’t give a shit. “If she’s so great, why aren’t you with her?”The truth falls from my lips with ease. “Because I’m not good enough for her.”I leave the restaurant without another word.Fable“You look different.”I smooth my hand over my newly colored hair, my freshly painted nails catching my eye. They’re red, as bright as the color coating my lips, and I feel like a different person. But I want to show indifference. As if this sort of thing is common for me. That handsome men who just so happen to be my boss whisk me to a popular and expensive hair salon in the late afternoon without an appointment and pay for my complete makeover. All the while he’s standing by with a satisfied grin on his face, like he’s solely responsible for my transformation.Which he sort of is.I should be insulted. Colin taking me to the salon is basically saying I don’t look good enough to work for him. I need to change—at least physically.Tapi diam-diam, itu juga adalah menyanjung, perhatiannya. Tidak ada yang memperhatikan saya. Mereka semua hanya... mengandalkan saya untuk mendapatkan barang dilakukan. Ibuku, adikku, bos saya tua di La Salle-ya, aku memberikan pemberitahuan pagi ini, akhirnya. Drew perhatian untuk sementara waktu tetapi ia terlalu dibungkus dalam masalah untuk khawatir tentang saya.Aku rindu padanya. Aku benci bahwa aku kehilangan dia tetapi saya lakukan. Lucu bagaimana seseorang dapat datang ke dalam hidup Anda untuk waktu yang singkat tapi meninggalkan kesan abadi. Ia secara permanen tercetak dirinya pada hati saya, dan saya secara permanen dicantumkan nama-Nya pada kulit saya.Sangat konyol, kerinduan bagi seorang pria yang tidak lama untuk saya."Rambut Anda — pirang lebih gelap." Jennifer tersenyum padaku, mengangguk dengan persetujuan. "Saya menyukainya. Cocok untuk Anda lebih baik."Colin adalah bos besar tetapi ia mempekerjakan sekelompok pelacur di restoran miliknya. Dan aku mulai menyadari mengapa they're sangat bitchy-kita semua dalam kompetisi langsung dengan satu sama lain, tidak hanya untuk menjadi pelayan yang paling dicari di distrik, sehingga mendapatkan yang paling dalam uang tip pada akhir malam. Tapi kami juga ingin menjadi pelayan yang paling dicari di Colin's mata. Itulah segala macam f ** ked atas jika saya memikirkannya terlalu lama.Jadi aku membuang realisasi dari otak saya, seperti aku begitu baik.Jennifer so far has been the nicest to me, but she was the new girl on the block until I showed up so she’s probably thankful there’s a fresh target here for them to hate. She’s pretty in an exotic, almost mysterious way, which I find amusing considering her standard, every-girl name. She has long straight-as-paper black hair, large dark brown eyes, olive-colored skin, and she’s so incredibly tall, I get a crick in my neck if I stare up at her for too long.She’s everything I’m not. We’re complete opposites in every way.“Did Colin take you to get your hair done?” she asks as we set the tables for the evening. I’m doling out the silverware, she’s setting out the freshly polished glasses and I’m so startled by her question, I stand there with my mouth hanging open for a second. Long enough that she speaks again.“It’s okay to admit it. He took me for a haircut and mini makeover when I first started.” She smiles, her cheeks tinged red. “Colin likes to take in strays and fix them up. Bring us to our full potential, is how he phrased it to me.”Her words make me feel the tiniest bit less special, and I want to smack myself. “Don’t you think that’s sort of…”“Weird?” she finishes for me with a rueful smile.“Yeah.” I finish setting the silverware on the table and watch her as she carefully adjusts the last water glass, making it sit just so. The table linens are a perfect, creaseless white, with an equally perfect silver bowl sitting in the middle, full of freshly cut flowers the colors of spring. All vibrant pinks and lavenders and whites, they add a touch of sophisticated glamour to an otherwise plain palette.The entire restaurant is like this. Sexy yet restrained elegance. No wonder all the beautiful people love to come here.“Colin likes to think of himself as a knight in shining armor to all of us. Like he swooped in and rescued us from our horrible lives and gave us new ones,” Jennifer explains.I frown. I don’t need someone in my life with a hero complex. With Drew, I’m the one with the hero complex and that got me absolutely nowhere.And why the hell does everything still have to come back to him? I need to let him go, once and for all. “That’s ridiculous,” I say.Jennifer shrugs. “It’s the truth, isn’t it? Where were you working before? I was at some crappy bar on the outskirts of town, where the customers couldn’t keep their hands off me. I hated it. Colin came in there one night over a month ago, all clean and golden and shiny. He practically begged me to come work for him but I didn’t trust him.” Her eyes darken even more, shading secrets from me, I’m sure. “It was just before Christmas, I was pretty much broke and alone. He took me in and I haven’t looked back since.”
“Took you in, what do you mean?”

“I’m staying at his house.” Her gaze skitters away from mine. “I’m not the first. I won’t be the last.”

Wow. He’s like the Pied Piper and we all follow after him like a bunch of hypnotized mice. I feel like a fool for thinking the attention he gave me was special. Unusual. I was just another long list of girls who work here he’s taken under his wing.

I’m such a skeptic I still can’t help but wonder if he has an ulterior motive.

“There’s a private party coming in at nine.” Tenerria walks into the dining area, her demeanor all business. She’s the shift manager, having worked with Colin at his previous restaurants. He brought her with him to help open The District and I’m not sure if she’s a permanent fixture or eventually moving on. I respect the hell out of T, what everyone calls her, but she also scares the crap out of me. “Fifteen confirmed college football players celebrating a twenty-first birthday so be prepared. That confirmed number will probably fly out the window.”

My heart drops to my toes. Football players. Could Drew be one of them coming tonight? He’s not one to be social and last I heard—because the rumor mill is rampant in this small town—Drew had left. Not that I ever pay too much attention to rumors. They’re usually all lies anyway.

“I’m throwing you to the wolves tonight, Fable,” T continues, a smile curling her bright red lips. We’re all wearing the new “uniform” Colin gave us earlier: black shorts, white lace tops with a black bra underneath. I added the black heels that I teeter precariously on. He even gave us the same lipstick, so that we’d all matc