Purple Rain (The Rain Series Book 2) Read online

  Shawn did his best to calm everyone down, but the heat was on the rise and it didn’t look good. That guy needs to get a bigger set of balls if he’s going to be working underneath “The Big Bad Wolf” or he’s going to be crushed.

  How on earth was I going to get that managers job now? Without Red here who will I go to? I’m gonna have to suck it up and have a chat with the “happy go lucky” Quinn himself.

  Not once, during my entire shift, did I see Quinn come out of the office. He’s like a friggin’ hermit! Peta and I had our fair share of smirks and comments talking about what went on this morning - the energy in the restaurant was not a happy one. Most everyone was a bit freaked out over Quinn. Peta couldn’t’ get over the fact that I stood up to the guy - well, he didn’t scare me. I won’t let some big shot think he’s better than everyone and railroad us down. He can’t speak to me, or anyone else the way he did and get away with it. I know I couldn’t get fired because this whole mess was abuse and there are plenty of witnesses who could back me up on that.

  It was past two-thirty and I was beat. I couldn’t wait to get home and see my boy. Peta and I were leaving at the same time, but before we got the chance to actually leave Shawn told me ‘Wolf Man’ wanted to see me (Shawn didn’t actually use that term, but that’s what I hear in my head instead of Quinn or boss). Peta whispered, “Good Luck,” and I shrugged my shoulder and say, “Thanks. I’ll text later.” I called Vivian to let her know I was going to be late and to give my little man a kiss for me. She was so sweet and told me not to worry about it. I wasn’t worried, but I missed Joey and wanted to get home as soon as possible. I hope whatever Quinn had to say would be quick, because I had better things to do than have a cuss match with this guy.

  I knock on the office door - he grunts. Okay, I guess that meant I could enter. Such an ass.

  “Sit.” He orders me. I comply without giving him a snarky remark. Quinn leans back in his chair, and crosses his arms across his chest. He stares at me. Doesn’t say anything, but stares.

  “Uh, what? Why are you staring? You asked me - no I mean you ordered me to come in here and to sit. So here I am.” I fold my hands in my lap and stare back. What the hell is his problem?

  “Do you always talk to your bosses this way?”

  I could just laugh right now, but I just give him a little chuckle instead. “Huh, wow. Speak for yourself, Wolf.” Oh crap, did I just call him Wolf?

  He smirked at me. “Wolf?”

  I close my eyes, and shake my head. “Never mind that. What do you want because I have a little boy waiting for me at home and I don’t have time for this…….. “ I waved my hand as a gesture. “this, whatever this is, alright?”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Oh, now you’re interested in my name. Huh, okay, as you can see on my shirt, my name is Sandy.” I pointed to my name. Quinn gave a small gasp. I found that odd. He must be blind if he hadn’t seen my name in the first place; it’s embroidered on the top left corner of my shirt - not hard to miss.

  “What about your last name?”

  “My last name. Um, it’s Brooks.” This whole thing is awkward. He stares at me again; his black eyes are so intense that it feels like he’s undressing me with them. And for some strange reason I like his eyes doing that. Oh God what am I thinking? This stress is making me crazy!

  “You can go.” Quinn said.

  Okay, that was quick. “That’s it? You just wanted to know my name?”

  “I said you can go.” He said, again, quickly.

  I didn’t waste any more time. “Great. See ya.” And I gladly got the hell out.

  It felt so good to finally be home. Being in the presence of Quinn was so maddening that by the time I walked outside I thought I could punch someone. That man had no business being in charge. I wish I could have a word with Red, but I don’t want him worrying. I do need to see him though. I miss seeing his bubbly self. I’ll have to put a visit on my calendar for next week. In the mean time I’m gonna have to deal with his unbelievably complicated, bad mannered son.

  “He’s working on his math right now.” Vivian informed me as I was going inside her apartment. There he was, so focused on his homework.

  “Would you like something to eat or drink, my dear?” Vivian asked.

  “Thanks, Viv, but I think I just want to go upstairs and crash. It’s been a long day.” I go behind Joey and wrap my arms around his small upper frame and give him a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, little man, how’s math going?”

  “Good” Joey replied.

  “Good. How was school?”

  “It was really good!” He turns around and gives me the brightest smile. The smile that made my day turn around in a positive direction.

  “Joey, dear, lets gather your stuff so you can go home, okay?” Vivian said as she was picking up his backpack.

  After gathering all Joey’s stuff we give Vivian a hug and make it upstairs. We get settled inside, and discuss his favorite part of the day. He described the science experiment they did in class, and studied rocks through microscopes. Science is Joey’s favorite subject - he wants to be a scientist when he grows up. I smile when his face lights up, talking about his day. He gets so animated and excited that it’s hard not getting excited with him. I told him to finish up his math while I go take a shower.

  I needed that shower desperately. The hot steam melted off my grungy feeling. It was so relaxing that I kept my body in the stream of water longer than usual. All the useless stress that happened today was going down the drain, along with the water. I couldn’t let Quinn get to me. Tomorrow will be a new day and hopefully he will be less frustrating. It’s wishful thinking, I know, but what else could I do? Maybe he won’t even show up tomorrow? Or maybe by the time my shift starts he’ll already be gone? Why would he even be around at five anyways? Okay, enough thinking of that man. He’s done plenty of screwing up my day so I won’t let him screw up my night.

  It was a rough morning with Joey. He had a meltdown when it came to buttoning up his shirt. His fine motor skills were something that was still a challenge at the age of ten. He was frustrated with himself and wouldn’t let me help him. Sometimes I just wanted to crawl underneath my covers and never come out. Being a single mom was no easy job, but having a son with special needs, to go along with it, was very difficult. I’ve done all the research I could on Autism and how to deal with it, but every child is different and no one experiences the same thing. I love my son to pieces and would do anything for him, but all I wanted to do was cry and ask myself, “Why me?”

  After an hour of this meltdown I was able to get Joey to calm down and to be strong for him. I walked him to school. He gave me his big smile and big hug and made it inside his classroom. The tension I was feeling evaporated. I took a deep breath and walked back home. My shift started at five so that gave me a few hours to get some errands done.

  It was a Friday and that meant it was going to be a very busy evening. I hope to God Quinn doesn’t show his face when I arrive. His intense staring really got under my skin. I couldn’t understand it. I haven’t felt this uneasy around anyone - Ever. It was hard to believe he was Reds son. So dark. So angry. Why do I give him my energy thinking about him - it’s such a waste of my time!

  I just met the guy, maybe he was just having a bad day? Shaking my head, I chuckled and began my list of things that needed to be done.

  Chapter 4

  Quinn

  I drank myself into a stupor last night, after I left Reds. I didn’t want to do any drinking there so I went to a hole in the wall bar and got fucked up. Hooked up with some redhead chick, took a cab and fucked her senseless at some cheap ass motel - not a night I want to remember. Waking up to the bimbo made me want to vomit. I kicked her out the minute I realized what I had done. Thank fuck I found a condom wrapper on the floor - I couldn’t even remember if I had used one or not. Thinking about those big green eyes pissed me off. I had to get her off my mind so drinking, and fucking was wh
at felt right at the time.

  I went back to Pops house and took a long hot shower. I scrubbed as hard as I could to get the shitty motel smell off of me along with the redhead. After taking three ibuprofen I checked on Pop, who was still asleep, and crashed in the guest bedroom. I had to get back to Reds for the evening rush so a long day of sleeping was much needed.

  Fuck, I really hated my life.

  It was after five-thirty by the time I woke up. “Shit.” I muttered. I should have been at the restaurant two hours ago.

  Pop was on the couch, watching an old western movie, when I entered into the living room. He had a beer in hand and the tv remote in the other. I sat next to him, putting on my boots.

  “You should have been there by now.” Pop scolded me.

  I sighed, “Pop, the place has a manager. I assure you things won’t go to shit if I’m a little late. Give me a fuckin’ break.”

  “I’ve given you enough breaks, son.”

  “Pops, for fuck sake, not now alright? I gotta go.” I headed for the front door.

  “Did you meet Sandy?” He asked, still staring at the tv.

  I turned back around. “Yes, I did. Now are ya gonna let me go cuz I don’t wanna be even more late than I already am.”

  “You just be good to her.” He mumbled and gave me the eye.

  “Yeah, you’ve said that. Gotta go.” I walked out, got on my bike, and rode back to Reds.

  The place was packed. The staff was weaving in and out of each others way, getting their orders to their tables. Music was blaring from the outside patio. I saw Shawn, gave him a chin lift, and went to the office. I stared at the desk full of unopened mail, and a stack of files that I did not want to look at. I guess I was gonna be closed up in this little hell hole all night, so I ordered myself some dinner and took care of business.

  Two hours into working I came upon Sandy’s file. I didn’t want to open the damn thing. I didn’t want to know anything else about her, no matter what Pop told me. She shouldn’t be treated any different than any other chick around here. What made her so special from all the others that Pop hired? All because she had a son and was a single mom was no excuse to be put on a fuckin’ pedestal. But there was a reason why her file was on my desk. I opened it and found an application for a managers position. She’s been working here for seven years and now wanted to be more than a waitress. That made total sense, but I didn’t know this lady. I didn’t know how she worked or how she treated others except being a bitch. She had fire in her, that’s for sure, but that didn’t make her manager material - then again, what the fuck did I know about ‘Manager Material?’ I never had anyone working under me except under the bed sheets. Damn, I was gonna have to observe her; get a taste of how she handled customers and co-workers. I’m not sure how this was gonna work because she already drove me crazy with her smart mouth and green-eyed beauty.

  I saw that she was on the schedule for tonight so I straightened up the desk and made my way out to the dining room. I quickly scanned the room, but couldn’t find her around. I sat at the end of the bar counter holding my breath when I saw her short, curvy body enter from the patio, holding an empty tray. She immediately spotted me. Her then smiling eyes changed into a scowl that was meant for me. She completely ignored me when she approached the bar.

  “Table eight needs another pitcher of Sams.” She said to the bartender.

  “How many is that already?” The bartender asked.

  “Oh, like number three, I believe.” She chuckled.

  I liked her chuckle; I checked out her rounded ass in those tight jeans and imagined dirty thoughts with what I could do to her in my office. She noticed me from the corner of her eyes and asked with a dry undertone, “See something you like?” She didn’t smile, and hung on to her scowl.

  “Here ya go babe.” The bartender said to her as he placed the pitcher of beer on the counter. I really didn’t like that dick calling her babe. I could tell he wanted to fuck her - I’m sure all the men in the place wanted to. Every so often I saw another guy checking her out. I don’t know why that bothered me - it just fucking did.

  “Thanks, Jeff.” She gave him a smile, glanced in my direction and went back outside. That smile threw me off - fuckin’ beautiful. I then saw Jeff checking her out. I didn’t like that one bit.

  “Fuck.” I muttered under my breath. What the hell was wrong with me? I ordered a beer from Jeff and took it outside. I had to see this green-eyed beauty in action.

  I sat in a secluded corner near the back of the patio. The live music was entertaining and I actually enjoyed it. I stayed in my corner and watched Sandy make her rounds. She was at one table with three men and two blonde ladies. One of the guys had his arm around his lady’s shoulder while talking with Sandy. They all seemed to know her quite well. I watched her talk with hand gestures and then they laughed at something. I could hear her laugh - she had a great fucking laugh. Damn, I could watch her all night. She went from one table to the next making conversation or greeting the next set of customers. Everyone that she came in contact with seemed to love her. She was relaxed and showed an energy that I have never seen before.

  I watched her check each table to make sure they had everything. Once that was done she came into my direction. She stood by my chair and didn’t look at me. “Again, do you see something you like?”

  I took a swig of my beer and responded. “Just checkin’ out the entertainment.” I wasn’t sure if I had meant the band or her in general, but both were very enjoyable.

  We kept our eyes on the band. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but whatever it is, I don’t like it.” Sandy said.

  “Too bad, Shorty, cuz I ain’t movin’.” I heard her gasp. I wanted to laugh at her reaction, but I kept my cool.

  “You have some nerve!” Sandy exclaimed. “What? I tell it like it is, babe.” I smirked at her scowling face. “You’re the one who came over to me remember? Now, if you don’t mind I’d like go back to watchin’ the entertainment.”

  I heard her call me an asshole as she left the table. I never said I was a saint so asshole fit me perfectly.

  I stayed in my corner until ten. I watched Sandy say goodbye to all her customers, including the band. As the band started gathering up their equipment I noticed that one of the guys gave her a slip of paper. That only meant one thing and it pissed me off. I shouldn’t be affected by this, but I quickly got up, walked towards Sandy, and demanded, “My office. Now.” I heard her gasp, but didn’t care. I made my way to the office.

  I leaned my ass against the front of the desk, crossed my arms and waited. She stormed through my door and yelled, “What the hell is your problem!”

  I uncrossed my arms, shut the door, and lightly pushed her against it. “I have not a fuckin’ clue, Shorty.” Before she could react I slammed my lips onto hers. She made a moaning sound and tried pushing me away, but I wouldn’t have it. She quit resisting and wrapped her arms around my waist. I grabbed her curves, and brought her closer as our tongues played a sweet game. She tasted like mint - so fresh, so good. I could feel her biting my tongue, and slowly suckin’ on it. I wanted nothin’ but to strip her uniform off and fuck her on my desk, but this kiss was as far as it would go tonight. I pulled away from her, and we were both breathing heavily, glaring into each others eyes. Her luscious lips were swollen; so freshly sucked. Her big green eyes were wide and full of questions - questions I could not answer. Without saying a word she released herself from my hold and exited the office.

  What the fuck did I just do? The moment I laid eyes on Sandy I knew she was gonna mess with my head. Only speaking to her a few times was enough for me to want her. I was fucked.

  Chapter 5

  Sandy

  Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!!! What just happened? Oh my God! I was shaking to death and in complete shock. When I got in my car I immediately texted Peta.

  “we need to talk, pronto!”

  A minute later, which felt like an hour, Peta called me
. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know. I really don’t know!”

  “What happened? Is Joey okay?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, sorry, Joey is fine..It’s about Quinn. He uh, he kissed me.”

  Peta screamed so loud I had to take the phone away from my ear. “Shut up! Oh my fucking God, Sandy! Oh my God!”

  “Those were my exact words.”

  “How did this happen?”

  “I don’t know! One minute he was telling me to come to his office and then the next he had me against the door with his tongue in my mouth.”

  Peta laughed. “Hahaha, holy hell this is so awesome!”

  “What? No. No, Peta it’s not!” I yelled.

  “Oh please, Sandy, don’t tell me you haven’t fantasized about getting some with this guy. I mean come on, he’s so fucking hot!”

  “Maybe so, but he’s a complete asshole!”

  Peta laughed again, and I just rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “He may be an asshole, but girl, he could be your asshole.”

  “Ugh, you are not helping, Peta!”

  “Okay, okay, look just come to work on Monday, not expecting anything from him, and maybe have a talk with him. Tell him the whole thing wasn’t professional and that he can’t behave that way ever again, alright?”

  I exhaled “Yeah, okay, that might work. I just can’t believe this whole thing. I did not see this coming.”

  “Yeah right?” Peta said. “I mean he just showed up yesterday and saying what, two words to you? He’s definitely got something for ya, if he’s kissing you the next night. Hahahah, fucking wild!”

  “Again, not helping, Peta!”