The sunlight helps distract me from the burning embarrassment that I won't allow myself to feel, Jessica cackling next to me as we walk to work together.

"I can't believe he heard you! We were all the way across the diner, it's almost unbelievable." She snickers shoving me lightly when we cross the street into our main walkway.

"It was horrid! And he has the boldness to antagonize me about it. You know I can't back down from a challenge."

She shrugs her shoulders pulling out her key to the back door and we both shuffle into the dim back room, "Look, you already had plans to fuck him, might as well beef up and be the baddest bitch he's ever been with!"

"You encourage me to do dangerous things."

"Just remember to pull out."

I cough on my water bottle, her laughing just as Gus walks in to start his shift. He works open to close every day, doesn't have much outside the restaurant going for him, "Hewo ladies! How's ya's doing?"

Jessica smiles at him and gives a wave from the apron drawer, "Doing fine Gus, just talking about Vee's latest conquest."

"Conquest?" He gives me the side eye, I attempt to save myself.

"You, Jessica Flounder, can not be speaking like that in front of the man determined to marry me."

She visibly rolls her eyes, Gus blowing a raspberry before grabbing all the utensils he needs for the day. Jessica finishes her server set up and I start prepping the tables for the new customers. We both hum to the annoying music the owner bast through our speakers, neither needing constant talking during our shift.

As customers start to roll in, both her and I dash through the lunch rush. Apparently luck is on my side today, and people have deep pockets. Some people that we have never seen before, greek gods almost, come in with small groups, all men, and request me as their server.

I have never made as much money as I have today, and Jessica starts to get frustrated with me at her old ladies tips that barely cover a soda.

"What Facebook post did you share for this? Huh? Huh?"

"Look you can have the next table that comes in. It is a little unfair how many mouth drooling men have sat at my tables today." I mumble and toss some menus at her so she can grab the next trio of men that sit at one of my smaller round ones.

"Thank you." She almost floats across the room to the men, her eyes roaming over them. I watch the man lift his nose taking a deep breath, his eyes turning a bright gold from the deep brown. What in the-

Jessica doesn't notice, just rambling through her recommendations. I shift my hips through the chairs to get closer trying to figure this man out who visibly moves in his chair to get closer to her. I see Jessica lean down, her nice chest on display for the men. It's one of her favorite ways to make tips. Not that they get anything but a good idea. The man that I am watching raises the side of his lip, a rumble seeming to leave him.

Is he growling at her?

She leaves the table smiling ear to ear to grab me and drag me into the kitchen, "Did you see that man on the left? That was one of the most attractive men I have ever seen!"

I watch him through the window, a smirk coming over his face. He turns his ear to point it more towards us. His mouth moves talking to the other man, but I can't read his lips to get a read on what he is saying.

"Yeah, but he was also acting weird. Did you see him sniff you? And what was with the growl?"

"I don't know... I'm kinda into it."

"Jessica!" I laugh and she shrugs.

"There are worse red flags to have. And I smell like grease and sweat, nothing interesting. He was probably smelling the baby that just puked on his mother anyways."

The rest of the shift went on like that. The man that she was serving and thought was attractive ended up asking for her number, to which she happily gave it over. When the lunch rush finally ended, we sat around a round table finishing up our money and silverware while the two other idiots working tonight show up half an hour late.

"Excited for your date?"

"I would be if I didn't have an hour till he picked me up. I didn't expect it to be so busy today."

"Me either! It make's absolutely no sense. That guy? Yeah he tipped me five hundred dollars so I could buy a nice dress for our date. I tried to give it back, but he refused!"

My eyes roll into the back of my head, "What if he was just trying to show you how much money he has? Like a flex?"

"I don't mind. Twenty bucks is twenty bucks bitch."

"I respect your respect to selling yourself."

"I would do it. If I was broke enough, catch me outside doing what I have to do." She mumbles, "And serving is basically the same thing. People pay me to run my body ragged and then spit on me, just not in the good way."

"Your logic makes sense to me." I groan slamming my head on the table. I smell horrid after my busy shift, and I have no time to clean myself up. However, I am nervous to ask the hottie for an extension.

"Just do it."

"Huh?" I peak over the mound of silverware to see her smile, "Just do what?"

"Make the man wait. Text him what happened, and see if he is a decent enough person to wait for you. If not, then his loss."

"I love you, you know that?" I tug out my phone and set it between us to text Ares. I wish I could have done it sooner, but now is better than never.

Ares 5:05 p.m.:

Anything for you.

And please, send me your address.

I send it over with a newly restored smile coming over my face, "He said 'anything for you'!"

"I can read bitch! Oh em dick-sicles that is fantastic! Go. Leave now. I can finish your cleaning duties." She pulls my bucket of forks closer to her, and I try to snatch it back.

"What? No. I can't do that-"

"I'm not asking. You can pay me back with ice cream later 'kay? I need the deets."

With one last tug, she raises her brows and sends me off. I rush out of the restaurant towards my dingy apartment. The asbestos says hello while I rush into the shower scrubbing off a days work. My curses are loud when I barrel through the bathroom slipping on my own water to hit my ass on the ground.

"Good job you bugging idiot." I mutter to myself and stand up to go through the closet. Only one nice dress exists, and the last time I wore it was for a ball with James. But he isn't James, Vee.

"Damn it." Talking to myself helps me voice my thoughts, keeps my sanity casual when I run through the room and tug on the silver number. A 'v' front and low back, spaghetti straps to hold it up. It barely gets passed my bum, but sits nicely against my legs. I grab the matching heels rushing to the mirror to blow my hair out.

My dark hair drys easily, the brush helping it fall flat against my head. The one time it works with me. Thank you hair goddess.

I slip on the shoes and go without makeup, my face tired enough from the sweat that it wore all day. Keeping myself together, I recite compliments to myself in the mirror reminding me not to switch into legging and a hoodie.

"You have the fattest ass-" I grumble to myself, the knock of my front door making me snap my head away from my own reflection, "Oh shit."

One foot in front of the other, Veronica.

The front door comes into view, my heart racing inside my chest. My breaths are even when I wrap my hand around the knob yanking it open to Ares is an all black tuxedo. Oh thanks, I didn't want to breath anyways.

"Hello, beautiful. You look ravishing."

"And you look... dressed."