C1 Zoe Ortega

Zoe Ortega

I put out the open sign as soon as I was done cleaning the coffee shop. I hated this job, I hated the way those customers who couldn't keep it in their pants looked at me with devouring eyes, I hated the way they hit the other waitresses' butts, although they hadn't tried that on me because I always gave the mean look that clearly said I had no time for nonsense.

I graduated from college a year ago and this was the only decent job I could find. The rest were either I had no experience or was not qualified for the job or the employer was trying to sleep with me before they gave me the job. I wondered why the world was a messy place, I wondered why my life was a complete mess too.

I managed to finish college with the help of my aunty. My father was a soldier and he died when I was just ten years old, my mother…..well, she disappeared into thin air and we couldn't find her so we all just kinda figured out she was probably dead. Before that, a few years after my father died, she had married a complete monster who treated her like trash. I was convinced he was an ex-convict but Mum didn't say anything about it. When mum disappeared, we knew he had something to do with it but we had no evidence against him.

The other workers began to stroll in and they were all quite late. I wondered why I was the only one taking the job seriously even though I hated it. Some customers began to stroll in as well and I began taking their orders.

"Zoe, those men at table eight want you to take their orders," Dan informed me.

I looked over at them, and they were giving me a disgusting smile. I rolled my eyes and groaned.

"Remind me why I haven't quit this job."

Dan let out a small laugh before he went into the kitchen.

I took a notepad and a pen and walked over them. "Good morning, what can I get you?"

"You could be a little nicer," one of them said.

They reeked of alcohol and I wondered if they drank into the daylight. There was a bar nearby, they had to be coming from there.

I sighed, "what can I get you?"

"Ayyy, señorita, be a little nicer to your customers," one with a Spanish accent and a mustache said.

The only one who looked a little sober and sensible said, "a cup of macchiato for me. I dunno what these drunk guys want so just get them anything."

I took down the notes and was about to leave when one of them held my hand, pulling me towards him.

"Let me go!"

"Calm down, I just want your number," he put his hands on my waist and I almost lost it but I knew I would be reprimanded for hitting a customer. I tried to wriggle out of his grip but it was too tight.

"Get your hands off me, you bastard!" I was on the verge of hitting him when I felt a presence.

"Get your hands off her," somebody ordered. He sounded calm but there was so much authority in his tone like he was used to giving orders to people.

The most handsome man I had ever seen in my life was standing in front of us dressed in a black suit and a white shirt with a few buttons open and hands in his pocket. He had dark wavy hair and blue eyes that looked like the ocean. He seemed quite familiar but I just couldn't remember where I had seen his face before. He looked like he had been working all night and he was sexy as hell! Looking this good should be illegal! I felt my knees turn to jelly.

The drunk man let go of me, "who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Someone who's going to fix your face if you don't let go of that girl. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

A hefty man appeared behind the Adonis Greek god and it seemed like the drunk men got back to their senses. He glared at them before he and his bodyguard went to have a seat. He waved his hand signaling me to come over.

"Hello. What can I get you, sir?"

"Cappuccino with extra cream, please," He said without looking up from his phone.

"What about you, sir?" I asked the other man.

"I'm good, thank you."

I went over to the counter and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. What the hell just happened?

***********

Philip MacArthur

"Let's stop at a coffee shop, I need coffee. Somewhere quiet, please," I told my driver and bodyguard, Mark.

"Okay, sir."

I woke up feeling like hell, I didn't get enough sleep and it felt like my head was about to explode. I rushed out of the house and didn't get enough time to make a cup of coffee for myself and I badly needed it.

My father had recently handed the company over to me and had gone to retire with his mistress. Mum died a few years ago and it felt like a piece of me was buried with her, I still hadn't gotten over her death, it still left me traumatized. Mum's death had a great toll on Dad too but he kept acting like he was okay.

Running MacArthur Industries wasn't easy but I was determined to do better than my father did. My father had built a competing spirit in me and made me compete with him at everything since I was younger. At some point, it didn't feel healthy or right but I got used to it anyway.

We stopped at a coffee shop and walked in. The place wasn't filled with people, thank God! I wonder how Mark knew this place, well, he knew the city more than I did.

Some kind of commotion caught my eye, I took a seat and watched a waitress battle a group of drunk men. Isn't it too early to get drunk? I wondered.

Something was intriguing about the waitress. Seeing as she couldn't wriggle out of that man's grip, I stood up.

"Sir, don't get involved," Mark advised.

I ignored him and walked over to them. The way his hands were on her didn't sit right with me.

"Get your hands off me, you bastard!" She spat.

Feisty one, interesting.

Getting her out of their web was easy but I wondered why I got involved in the first place. On a normal day, I would stay out of this kind of drama but something felt different today. I blamed the lack of coffee, it had to be that.

The girl was back with my coffee and I got a good look at her. Tall, long legs, high cheekbones, skin like a baby's, long black hair, and the prettiest eyes. She looked like one of those Victoria's Secret models and I wondered why she was working in a coffee shop.

She placed the cup of coffee on the table with shaky hands and I noticed her manicures.

Again, something was intriguing about this girl.

"Thank you," I said.

She scurried away and I wanted to smile at how cute that was. Get a grip on yourself! I told myself.

I took a sip of the coffee and this had to be the best I had ever tasted. I looked for her at the counter when I was done with my coffee but she wasn't there.

I dropped some bills which included a huge tip for the girl on the table and walked out of the coffee shop.

I felt alive and my senses had come back to life. I made a mental note to go back there again, just for the coffee.

****************

Zoe

Days had passed and Mr. Blue Eyes hadn't come to get coffee again. He left a huge tip for me that day and I wanted him to keep coming, just for the tips though.

I finally accepted I wasn't going to see him again so I took him off my mind. I was still bent on getting a new job with better pay.

My best friend, Amy, had already gotten a decent job and I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Everything just had to be difficult for me.

I held my cheek in my hand and stared outside the coffee shop through the glass door. It was around nine o'clock in the morning and we had only one customer.

A black SUV pulled up beside the coffee shop and down came Mr. Blue Eyes and his bodyguard. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets and I almost fell off the chair.

Oh my God! I probably look like a mess right now! My hair is all over the place and my lips must be looking so chapped right now.

Again, he was dressed in a black suit, a white shirt, and a tie. This man was a snack!

"Is that Philip MacArthur?" Shirley asked behind me. "O….M...Freaking G!"

He's Philip MacArthur? I knew I had seen this face before!

He signaled for me to come over but Shirley moved in a flash before I could. There was nothing I could do so I just remained there. Shirley was back with a disappointed face and a pout.

"He asked for you, pretty face, go get him, girl!" She seemed more excited than I was.

I walked over to them trying to keep my gait steady and as graceful as I could. His eyes were boring into my soul, his gaze was so intense and I've never had anyone look at me like that.

I felt giddy under his gaze and my insides were melting and had probably turned to lava.

"Hello, what can I get you, sir?" I asked and I couldn't recognize my voice.

"Same old." He replied.

"What?"

He raised both brows, "cappuccino with extra cream? I've had my secretary come get that all the time, didn't she tell you?"

Oh, so that lady who always came to get two cups of cappuccino with extra cream every day was his secretary? Oh, wow, what a gorgeous secretary, way too gorgeous for a secretary. Even if she had told me, I didn't know his name at that time so I probably wouldn't have remembered.

"No, she didn't sir. I'll get your order right away. What about you, sir?" I turned to the bodyguard.

"I'm good, thank you."

"Get him the same thing too, he needs coffee way more than I do."

"Okay." I scurried away and I could feel his eyes boring into my back as I walked back to the counter.

Shirley was ogling at him with a dreamy smile. She sighed, "He looks way better in person. Those magazines and commercials do him no justice at all."

"Quite ogling at him Shirley, he might get you arrested for your creepiness." I turned the coffee maker on and set to work.

She turned away, "By the way, those men over there want you to get their order. Why does everyone keep requesting you today?" She shrugged, "Anyway, you're making work easier for me." She took out her phone and started taking pictures of Philip MacArthur.

"Don't get caught, that's probably illegal," I warned her before taking the cups of coffee over to them. I placed them on the table with shaky hands and got a glimpse of his phone. He was staring at a lady in red lingerie before he scrolled up. He looked up at me and caught my eyes, I looked away immediately and my cheeks probably turned all shades of pink.

"Thank you." The bodyguard said.

"You're welcome."

I went over to the other men that requested my attention. "Hello, what can I get you?"

"Just plain coffee and pancakes," one of them said.

I turned to the other, "what about you?"

"Macchiato and your number." He licked his lips and eyed me from head to toe.

"Sorry, I don't give my number to strangers."

"We could change that baby girl."

I glared at him and walked away. I prepared the coffee and took it to them. "Your pancakes will be ready in a few," I informed the other guy whose face was buried in his phone.

"What about your number?" He grinned.

"Ever thought of seeing a dentist?" I asked him and his friend snickered.

"You could be my dentist," his grin only got wider. I walked away before he could say anything else.

I looked at Mr. Blue Eyes's table but they weren't there anymore. When did they leave?

I went to the table to get the bills he dropped and he had again dropped a huge tip and his complimentary card. On a piece of paper, he wrote; Need a Secretary, call me if you're interested. Did he just offer me a job?