Chapter 23 - Charlie
Country Girl (Shake it for Me) - Luke Bryan ?
T his is it, the moment every little girl dreams of. Sliding into my cowboy boots I quickly make my way down from the apartment.
Dante and Ace leave tomorrow evening so I'm taking a last minute opportunity to help out at the bar ... only Porter just doesn't know it yet. Thank the gods for online shopping because there is no way I would have been able to pull this off without it.
Peeking out the staff only door, I can see him on the far side of the room talking to a man hidden by shadows while Mel is at the other end of the bar serving a patron.
Perfect.
Patiently, I wait for the current song playing to end, syncing my phone so there is only a small delay in the music starting. I'm careful not to seem too obvious but when the unmistakable guitar riff plays across the speaker, several women across the room clap and laugh. I can't help but giggle along with them because this secret moment is everything right now.
Mel casually walks back to me, the smile on her face undeniable.
“You know he's going to kill you for this. If I had a dollar for the amount of times I asked him to have a country night, I’d be a rich woman. Also, could you have at least told me about it because I would have dressed up as well.”
“He’ll be fine,” I say waving my hand in the air as we both turn to where Porter is standing looking at us, the deep frown on his face unmistakable. Returning to the shadow man, he briefly continues their conversation before shaking his hand and stalking toward us.
“You’re in trouble,” Mel says, the obvious laugh in her tone.
“I am not. It will be fine .”
Except I'm not quite sure if it will be as he winces slightly walking past a table of women singing along to the music.
“Charlie. Mel. What is this shit music playing at my bar,” he growls.
“Please, please, please let me keep it on. I just want to live Porter. I'm just a small town girl trying to make it big. It's just me and my guitar against the world.”
“Baby, what the fuck are you talking about? You don't own a guitar and aren't you from the city,” he says, folding his arms across his chest, confusion spread across his face.
“Just let her live her best Coyote Ugly life tonight Porter.”
Mel laughs, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. The two of us clearly against him now.
“What the fuck is a Coyote Ugly ? Is this weird girl shit? What's the right answer here?” he sighs, rubbing his hand across his face trying to hide a small grin.
Quickly pulling my phone from my pocket I search for the best film of all time, Coyote Ugly , and show him pictures of how they danced on the bar top and poured drinks without reason, all while singing and having the best time of their lives. I wasn't expecting to get this far with him so the non committal humph he gives me is better than nothing. Reaching up I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and say, “Thank you. I promise I'll behave.”
Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulls me into him and looks down.
“Stay behind the bar. Only cash payments, and no dancing up there where you could hurt yourself,” he says, nodding at the bar top.
I'll take what I can get at this point because I know he's only doing this for me. I might even be able to dance up on the bar after closing, give him a private show, smirking at the thought.
“Did you say goodbye to Dimi before he left this morning? He said he flew over specifically to see you because he's not sure when he can come back.”
After the drama of the weird bar fight between them the night before, I managed to fix Dimi’s nose and we all shared lunch before I left them to catch up on lost time.
Porter and Dimi are brothers, or should I say Pasha and Dimitriy are brothers. I guess it explains why he asked me to call him Pasha that night in the office. A little taste of his true self peeking through and now that I understand why he wanted me to call him another name, I wish he'd ask me to call him it more often. I don't think he realises how much I'm starting to love all of the different things that make him, him.
“Only he would fly a helicopter over the ridge this time of year. I still can't believe out of all the people in this world, you and my brother are friends. And don't think I’ve forgotten he asked you to marry him. I'll have my next welcome gift ready for when he next shows up.” He utters, his voice drifting off as he gently places a hand around my neck, squeezing his fingers ever so slightly.
“Hush, now. If you keep talking like that you won't get your surprise later.”
He raises an eyebrow at me, a look of intrigue over what surprise I could be talking about. If he doesn't figure it out at some point tonight, he will when we're home and I sit on the kitchen bench.
I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realises the lack of underwear I have on under my denim mini skirt. I can already see how grumpy he's going to get knowing I had nothing on all night.
Dipping his head he gives me a slow kiss, mumbling the reminder to only take cash and to stay behind the bar.
“I don't want to have to chop anyone's hand off for touching you.” He says it so sweetly, I almost miss it in the chaos surrounding us, like an intrusive thought that just slipped out. And I know I shouldn't like it but gods does it make me wet over how protective he is of me.
△△△
For three whole hours I have laughed, smiled and had one of the best nights out in a long time.
Porter has stayed on the other side of the room for most of the night, talking to the shadow man while Mel and I have had free run of the place. He only stepped in when a small table of visiting tourists started to get the wrong type of rowdy.
One of them grabbed Mel’s ass as she was serving their drinks and all hell broke loose. Porter gave him a quick lesson in the local constitution, picking him up literally by the scruff of his neck and threw him on the ground, yelling at him to get out and what would happen if he showed his face again.
The guy was so confident he had done nothing wrong, that Mel should be grateful he took an interest in her. He started barking about how he was going to sue the whole town if something wasn't done about the way Porter handled him.
The sheriff, who had been quietly sitting at the bar, finished his dinner, slowly wiped his mouth with a serviette and placed a handcuff on the man telling him he was under arrest for sexual assault. Giving Mel and Porter a nod as he left the bar dragging the guy behind him. For someone old enough to be my dad, Sheriff Miller is an unassuming tough guy. The whole thing was like watching a car crash unfold and I just couldn't look away.
The place has a great feel about it tonight and I'm a little sad I won't be able to do this for a few weeks.
I'm heading off tomorrow to start my staycation with Mila at the house. Porter agreed to stay there as well, seeing Nova can't make it anymore. So it will just be the three of us and Ragnar.
“You doing okay, baby? You've been working without a break for a while now,” Porter says, as he pulls my back to his front.
I can't help but think about all the changes that have happened between us these last few months, that we are even at this point.
I'm feeling really good about where we’re at in our relationship. I don't need labels or expectations. It's like he knows all I need for him to do is show up each day. To take a little bit more of the mental load on days I need so I can return the favour if he's had a hard day. In saying all that, it's not as if either of us are in incredibly stressful situations. But every now and then it's nice for someone to pick up the slack on days you can't.
“I’m goo—”
“Charlie!” Mel whisper shouts at me, leaning across the bar. “That couple over there, standing by the door. They wanted me to ask you. Okay, well they gave me twenty dollars to ask you if you wanted a threesome with them tonight. I told them you’re taken but then they offered me money and who am I to turn down a free buck.”
Looking toward the exit I can see an attractive couple staring at the three of us, as a low growl rumbles in my ear.
“No. Tell them no . She's my girlfriend and I don't share.” He replies to Mel but looks toward the door, shaking his head at them as he wraps his arms tighter around me.
Could this night get any better? Coyote Ugly theme night, a good old fashioned bar fight, and now this.
“You called me your girlfriend.” I giggle, the sound almost borderline hysterical but I'm not melting down from it. Usually, I get eww vibes as soon as someone mentions the word girlfriend . It immediately puts me off the person and things end fairly quickly after that. But when Porter says it … I think I like it.
Turning to face him, I wrap my arms around his waist and look up at his intense gaze. His eyes dart all over mine as if he's trying to get a read on me.
“Is that alright? We haven't talked about what we are or if we want to really be anything. I know I've said we’re together but I'd like for you to be my girlfriend ... only if you want to, that is?”
This is what it feels like when you play with a litter of puppies. This is pure joy and nothing can get in the way of this feeling right now.
He is so fucking adorable.
This big gruff alpha man who only an hour ago was in a bar fight is now fumbling over his words asking me to be his girlfriend.
“Yes, I would love to be your girlfriend,” I say, smiling up at him.
He looks like the happiest man on earth with the biggest smile on his face.
“If you guys are done being all cute and shit there's a line forming for drinks down there,” Mel says, sitting on a bar stool, casually eating from the bowl of nuts.
“Go on, we can talk later,” he whispers in my ear, patting my ass as I walk away.
“And don't eat those damn nuts. You know how many people don't wash their hands after taking a piss.”
I hear him say to Mel as I walk away, laughing at him when she rebuts with “It's good for my immunity.”