CHAPTER 7
Drake
I felt like a fucking creep, but I told myself I was just stopping by to let Sonnie look at the contract our lawyer had drawn up. I was just going to drop it off and tell her to have a lawyer look it over before leaving again. That had been the plan, anyway. Once I’d gotten to the bar, I’d settled at a table in a shadowed corner and sipped beer while watching her work until the beer was warm and the crowd around me had reached impressive levels of drunk.
She dealt with multiple drunk assholes, even using her legendary soda gun on one of them. She spun around like it was easy and made pouring drinks sexy as hell. Her coy smile never wavered as I watched her. Her pouty lips and large brown eyes all read: bedroom . She was a stunning woman. Her dark brown hair was up in a bun but there were small curls escaping all over her head. It looked as wild as she felt. Everything about her piqued my interest.
I noted the way her breasts swayed as she leaned forward to say something to a random guy at the bar and the way his eyes tried to see through her cleavage. Feeling pissed off about his ogling of her body, despite having just been doing it myself, I stood up and marched up to the bar, right next to the guy. I gave him a long look and he must’ve seen the challenge in my eyes because he just held up his hands and walked away.
“I was wondering when you were going to come out of the corner and grace me with your presence.” Sonnie spun back around to me and served me the beer the guy had abandoned. “You cost me his tip. It would’ve been a good one, too.”
I took a chug of the beer to give myself time to catch my breath. The sight of her up close was stunning. She was flushed from how hard she was working and there was a light sheen of sweat across her chest and shoulders. The tank top she wore clung to her body and I wanted to call the guy back over and apologize. A priest wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes off of Sonnie.
“Well?” She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to stare at me. “Are you doing the silent thing along with the creepy thing?”
I grunted. “I was waiting on you to get a break. I wasn’t being creepy.”
She leaned forward, farther than she had with any other man through the night, and pushed my hair off my forehead. “You’re a terrible liar, Drake.”
I caught her hand and held her in place. Stretched out like she was, it would’ve been too easy for me to reach over her and slap her ass. I wanted to know if it would bounce as much as I thought it would.
She laughed easily and freed herself. Back on her feet on her side of the bar, she wagged her finger at me. “I saw every dirty thing you just thought about. That doesn’t feel like fake dating.”
“Doesn’t have to be fake.” I told myself to rein it in, but it was hard when she looked damn near edible and I couldn’t remember why going after her wasn’t a great plan.
“Except for the fact I’m too busy to date and you said the same for yourself earlier today.” She ran her eyes over my chest and sighed. “And before you ask, I don’t just hook up.”
Somehow, it just made me like her even more. “Fine. I’ll take what I can get. I brought the contract. You’ll want to have a lawyer look it over before you sign it. It’s fair, I made sure of it, but still.”
Her face fell and she made herself busy wiping down the counter. “I don’t have a lawyer. I’ll read it myself.”
Mentally kicking myself, I left the contract in my pocket where it was folded in half. “I know a guy who loves contract law. I’ll send him your way tomorrow.”
She looked up at me with fire in her eyes. “I don’t have money to pay for a lawyer, Drake.”
I smiled back at her and shrugged. “Then it’s a good thing he won’t charge more than a smile and a couple of cupcakes when you’ve got them.”
“Why are you being so nice? You know the monetary cost of the class you’re offering me, but do you know how much people are willing to give up to take the class with you three? Me being your fake date hardly counts as payment.” She looked up and down the bar and sighed when she saw someone trying to get her attention. “Maybe we can talk tomorrow? I need to finish my shift and go home to bake. I was too overwhelmed earlier to bake the cakes so I’m behind.”
I nodded. “Go ahead. Do what you need to do.”
She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m just overwhelmed. I don’t really trust good things.”
I pulled out a few bills and passed them to her. “You were right. That guy would’ve left a massive tip.”
I slipped away from the bar before she could say anything else and I went outside. I had no plans on leaving, but I didn’t want her to feel more overwhelmed because I was there, watching her. I dropped the tailgate on my truck and sat there, watching the night sky. For someone who felt like he didn’t have time for dating, I had plenty of time to sit and think about Sonnie. I had to admit that maybe I just hadn’t been motivated to date before.
The parking lot emptied around me as the night dragged on. I was still there when there were just three cars at the very front of the lot, in the employee spots. When the door opened one last time and the neon sign shut off over the bar, I hopped off the tailgate and moved around so Sonnie would see it was me and not be freaked out.
“Oh, who’s that?” The woman next to Sonnie elbowed her and giggled. “Sonnie, you slut. He’s hot.”
Sonnie smacked the woman’s hand and stopped where she stood. “What are you doing still hanging around here, Drake?”
I grinned and shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked closer. “I heard you didn’t get to bake those cakes earlier and thought you might accept some help.”
Her hands fell to her sides. “You want to help me bake?”
I nodded. “I’d love to.”
The other bartender shoved Sonnie towards me. “Oh, my god, girl. Go to him. I’m wet and I don’t even care about sweets.”
Sonnie groaned. “Shut up, Kacey!”
I bit back a laugh. “Let me help. Two bakers are better than one.”
She snorted. “But a Trio takes the cake? You’re quoting your slogan at me?”
“That’s embarrassing. I wasn’t trying to. Scratch that from your memory.” I winced and shook my head at myself. “I’ll follow you. If you change your mind halfway home, you can just perform a series of quick turns to lose me. That sounds easy enough.”
Kacey perked up. “She got a ride into work today. Couldn’t afford gas for that piece of shit she drives. I was going to drop her off, but I’m suddenly too busy.”
Sonnie’s face darkened at the mention of her car but she didn’t say whatever she wanted to. I watched her swallow her response and take a deep breath before looking up at me and nodding. “Okay. Thank you. A ride would be nice if you’re offering.”
I took her hand in mine and pulled her away from the other woman before she slapped her. Once we were at my truck, I opened the door for her and grunted. “Well, she seems nice.”
Sonnie finally cracked a smile and then laughed. “Ugh. Just get me out of here. Please.”
I fully planned on it. She just had no idea.