Chapter 7 Juniper #2
I still turn into a puddle every time I look in Nick’s direction, and whenever I get a moment to actually go sit with him, I find myself blushing harder than I ever have.
We have a game going on. Every time I go to the table, we have to answer questions about one another. Basic, easy ones. Questions that take less than a minute to answer.
So far, I’ve learned he has a brother, his childhood imaginary friend was a fairy, that he would get on a boat during the zombie apocalypse and take his chances dying at sea or finding an abandoned island rather than having to constantly be on the move, and he once had a three-legged cat named Bingo.
“Isn’t Bingo usually a dog’s name?” I tease him.
“We’re going to discuss bad dog names now? Okay. Why did you name your dog Pack?” he asks.
I hold up my hand, second and third pressed to my thumb, pointer and pinky up. “Go Wolfpack,” I say about the mascot of the college I went to.
“That makes so much sense,” he laughs.
I back away from the table and head around the bar to grab drinks for the table that’s just waved me down for another round. I’m having fun. Actual fun, which is saying something because on a normal day, I usually feel empty.
I don’t like to put too much stock into new things, but something about this feels… different.
I hate it and love it all at once.
I’m trying not to doomsday it too hard, trying to keep the intrusive thoughts out of my head telling me that I’ll never see him again after tonight or that it’s going to end in disaster anyway, so what’s the point?
Except the only thing that doesn’t have a point is living too scared of experiencing anything.
So, I’m forcing myself to enjoy this without thinking about tomorrow or next week.
The later it gets, the more the regulars begin to thin.
We did have an incident outside when a couple of guys left.
It was weird. They came back inside saying they fell in the parking lot on a slab of ice, and that they needed to borrow something to get the ice off their cars so they could leave, but when Danielle went outside, there was nothing more than a layer of dew on their cars.
It isn’t even cold enough for ice anyway.
We called them a cab to get home instead.
Jasmine and Danielle tapped out around ten-thirty, with Jasmine reminding me that I’m opening tomorrow instead of closing. I sighed at the reminder. Close-opens are tiring, but I’m actually excited to be off early for once.
I can’t wait to put on a bunch of movies and lay on the couch in my underwear tomorrow.
Around eleven, Chester comes out of the kitchen as he always does and puts two to-go plates on the bar top.
“One meal for you, and one for Miss Pack over here,” he says, tossing the dog a piece of bacon.
“Thanks, Ches,” I say, putting them in a plastic bag.
Chester’s eyes glance toward Nick in the corner. “You okay? Need me to stay?”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t,” I tell him.
Chester grins. “Noted,” he says as he grabs his coat off the hook. “Just remember to turn the cameras back on when you’re done. You don’t want anything scandalous on video like Jasmine and Danielle.”
He has a point.
“What—No. I’m not going to… I would never… I have to get something out of the office,” I say, ducking into the back before he can give me a harder time.
“See you tomorrow, Juni,” Chester says loudly.
I come out of the back less than thirty seconds later, leaving me with two tables finishing up, and Nick, who’s already moved to the bar.
I smile at him before checking in on my remaining tables, letting them know it’s last call and I’ll be closing up soon.
They happily order one last round and let me know they’ll be out of my hair soon.
I know the group of friends. They come in once a week for Book Club, and they always leave fifteen minutes before closing.
After giving them their last round of drinks, I take out the cleaning spray and begin wiping things down, moving the napkin holders to behind the bar, and tossing any garnish that looks like trash.
“Do you need help?” Nick asks.
“I’m pretty quick at closing up when I want to be, actually.”
“And you want to be quick tonight?”
I nod, unable to stop the grin on my lips.
Nick laughs softly.
“Sorry, I am really embarrassing right now, and you only have yourself to blame,” I say.
“I think it’s fucking adorable,” he replies.
The heat hasn’t left my cheeks all night.
I’m able to get a lot of my closing duties done before the last table pays their tabs. Counting the till takes me five minutes, along with doing the nightly report, and while I’m doing that, Nick starts putting the chairs on the table for me.
“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him.
Nick comes around the edge of the bar, takes me by the waist, and brings my mouth to his. The kiss catches me off guard, but I lean into it as if I haven’t seen him in months.
“The quicker we close up, the quicker I get to have dessert,” he says once we’ve parted. “And I’m starving.”
My thighs tighten, pussy already whimpering as I recall his face between my legs earlier. That had been so fucking hot. I’m almost regretting making him stop, but knowing he’ll likely take his time once we’re alone helps me keep my shit together.
“Okay,” I manage.
I finish the report just in time to hear Nick ask where the broom and dustpan is. I’m honestly taken aback by the fact that he’s helping out. It’s a nice change, and unexpected one that really makes me even more excited for tonight.
Anyone else would sit there, watch me finish, and then talk about me satisfying them after.
Nick… All he’s talked about is him pleasuring me first.
The bar is on the lowest setting, I swear.
I show him where the broom is, and he steals another kiss when he takes it off the wall.
Every time his lips meet mine, it takes a few seconds for me to recover.
It’s like I can’t fully catch my breath, and I don’t know that I care to.
I’ll stay breathless if it means he continues making me feel this way.
There’s a lump in my throat the entire time I’m mopping the floor. I can feel his eyes on me, feel him already peeling my clothes off so he can have me the way he did in that bathroom.
“And… Finished,” I say once I’ve clocked out on the computer.
Nick leans over the bar, watching me close out the screen like it’s a countdown. I clear my throat, unsure of what to do with myself.
“Finally.” His gaze moves from my eyes to my lips. “Should I walk you home?”
“I thought you were starving,” I say.
“I heard Chester. Didn’t want to get you in trouble,” he says as he glances up at the camera above the bar.
“So… the bathroom is fair game but fucking in the open is against the rules,” I taunt.
His smile widens. “Do you want to be on camera?”
“I mean, maybe not this one,” I say with an upward nod. “Personal camera though…”
Nick leans over the bar and kisses me hard. “I can’t wait to get you across that table,” he whispers.
I’m flushed when we part. I try not to look like a giddy teenager when I grab my bag from under the counter, then meet him at the door to lock up. He takes my bag from my arm and pushes it up on his own without saying anymore than, “I got you,” and I playfully shake my head at him.
“You realize I’ve been on my own for practically my entire life, right? If this is chivalry—”
Nick frowns. “You think me holding your bag is chivalry?” He scoffs. “No good relationship begins with them making your life harder. Any partner should be an addition, not an imposition.”
I stare at him for a beat. “You are so getting a blowjob tonight.”
He brings me closer and kisses my temple. “Get the bar off the floor, angel. You deserve the Eiffel Tower.”