34 - Sophie
34
Sophie
It took every gram of willpower in my body not to lose my shit at him.
Eli whirled around to look at me in shock. But Johnny looked like he had figured it out a few seconds earlier.
“Not my ex,” I bit off. “You were a fling.”
Appleton’s laugh was every bit as fake as the rest of him. “Three dates and nine nights together is more than a fling, surely.”
His voice was like nails scraping on a chalkboard to me. A calculated amount of country twang to go with the rest of his false personality. It was like he was manufactured in a marketing department to be the perfect charming cowboy. And the worst part was that it worked on most people.
But not me. Not anymore.
“Fling might be too strong a word,” I said. “If I’m being totally honest, you were nothing more than a vibrator in cowboy boots to me.”
Eli barked a laugh. Appleton’s smile wavered for a second, but he recovered quickly.
“Not surprised to hear that from a woman working at a place like this,” Appleton said, eyes scanning down across my cleavage. “You always were a—”
Johnny was on his feet and in his face in the blink of an eye. “I’d caution you to think very hard about the word you’re about to call her.”
Eli was gripping his empty whiskey glass so hard his fingers were white, like he was ready to smash it against Appleton’s face.
“I was going to say, you always were a fiercely independent woman,” Appleton replied with a shit-eating grin. “I guess that answers whether John boy here is a friend, or an item.”
“Like I said: my love life isn’t any of your business. If you aren’t going to order a drink, you’re going to have to leave the bar.”
“I’m not buying a drink,” he replied, raising his voice. “I’m buying everyone in this bar a drink! Next round’s on me!”
Everyone in the room roared their approval, and crowded around Appleton to thank him. He held out his arms wide, like he was the savior of Billy Bob’s.
And he kept that stupid grin aimed at me the whole time.
Liz appeared by my side and helped me fill all the orders we now had to make. Appleton accepted a beer, then wandered out into the crowd of adoring fans, taking more selfies and signing autographs.
Johnny and Eli were trying not to stare at me while I worked, but I could sense their gazes every time I turned away.
“All right,” I said, stopping in front of them and crossing my arms. “Just say it.”
“Say what?” Johnny asked.
“Say that you’re surprised I slept with Chris Appleton. Tell me you’re disappointed. Just say something , because I can hear you thinking about it, and it’s driving me crazy.”
The two men, my two lovers, shared a look. Then Eli slid off the bar stool and slowly walked away. I stared at him in shock, and a sharp stabbing pain pierced my heart.
But he wasn’t leaving; he was walking to the end of the bar, where he spryly ducked under the railing separating customers from the work area. I stood frozen in place as he approached, smiled warmly, and folded his arms around me in a supportive hug.
“It’s all right,” he whispered, and I felt my throat tighten. “This doesn’t change anything.”
“I’ve slept with much worse,” Johnny announced from the bar.
“He has. I’ve seen it,” Eli said, still not letting go.
I clung to him tightly and felt all the anxiety melt away. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear that. How my fling with Appleton had been hanging over my head all this time, poisoning every other relationship I had, even more than the failure of my long-term relationship with Trent.
“We’re not disappointed.” Eli finally pulled away and wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb. “I can’t promise we won’t tease you about it, though. Just a little bit.”
I laughed through the tears in my eyes. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”
“Hey!” Liz snapped. “You’re not allowed behind the bar!”
Eli let go of me and held up his palms. “I’m going, I’m going.”
Liz shook her head as he left, but then gave me a smirk. “That was really freaking sweet.”
“It was.” I retrieved the bottle of Yamazaki and held it up to Johnny, and then to Eli, who was retaking his stool. “Appleton bought the entire bar another round. And he didn’t put any qualifications on price.”
“Normally, I’d never drink something that fuckhead bought.” Johnny’s lip curled in a smirk. “But I think I’ll make an exception for that fine whiskey.”
Eli picked up his glass and tapped it on the table. “Cheers to that.”
As I refilled their drinks with the expensive brown liquor, there was movement in the crowd as Appleton made his way back toward the bar. The room was packed now, likely because other customers had heard that the reigning rodeo champion was in here buying drinks.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought,” Appleton said when he reached the bar. “And I’m mighty offended you called our relationship a fling.”
“I got something that’ll help with that.” I grabbed a box of tissues from underneath the bar and slapped it down in front of him. “Take as many as you need. On the house.”
Appleton had an audience now, and a few people laughed. Eli was one of them laughing, but Johnny’s face had gone dark as he stared into his whiskey glass.
“I’ll say one thing,” Appleton announced loudly. “You were a good kisser. You know how to pucker those lips.” He pressed his own mouth tightly together. “I reckon that’s the only thing I miss.”
Dozens of eyes were watching me, waiting to see how I would react. But I was on my home turf, here at Billy Bob’s. I was in charge. I laughed deeply and loudly responded, “I’d rather lick the floor beneath your boots after dollar beer night. It’d probably be cleaner than your mouth, too.”
The crowd responded with jeers and laughs. Eli was looking at me with a new appreciation.
But Appleton’s smile turned cruel. “Aw, come on now. Just one kiss for old time’s sake.”
I looked out over the crowd of watching customers. “Did I not make myself clear? I’d rather French kiss a rattlesnake.”
Oos and aahs filled the room, louder than the music playing from the speakers.
Appleton turned around. For a brief, na?ve moment I thought he was leaving.
Then he told the room: “I’ll buy another round of drinks for everyone here.” He jabbed his finger toward me without looking. “But only if Sophie here gives me a kiss.”
Oh fuck.
Liz leaned toward me and whispered, “We need to stop this before it gets out of hand.”
“I know,” I whispered back, but the crowd was beginning to cheer and shout.
“Kiss him!” Appleton chanted, pumping a fist into the air. “Kiss him!”
All the customers around him took up the chant, growing louder with every second. “Kiss him! Kiss him! KISS HIM!”
Johnny and Eli were on their feet, glancing between me and Appleton. “Cut this shit out,” Johnny tried to say, but he was drowned out by the cheers.
The blood in my veins went cold as Appleton went around the side of the bar, ducked underneath the barrier, and approached me the way Eli had. Except it was the exact opposite of how Eli had drawn close, an invasion rather than a comfort.
“You can’t be back here!” Liz shouted.
“You let him do it,” Appleton replied, gesturing at Eli without taking his eyes off me. “Come on. One kiss. It’ll be quick.”
“Get the fuck away from her,” Johnny demanded. He was gripping his whiskey glass tightly, like he intended to use it as a weapon. But he was outnumbered by the mob of Appleton fans screaming for action, like Roman fans demanding blood in the Coliseum.
This was getting out of control.
Behind me, Liz was shouting into the bar phone. “Get the bouncers over here. Now .”
“ KISS HIM! KISS HIM! KISS HIM!”
Appleton stopped next to me, arms spread wide. “Come on. Bring it in for an old friend. Give the people what they want.”
“Lay one fucking hand on her…” Johnny warned.
In a flash of insight, I could see the trainwreck before it happened. Appleton would make a move on me. Johnny—and maybe Eli—would justifiably lose their shit. The bar would collapse into a massive brawl before the bouncers could arrive, and the two men I cared about would probably wind up on the losing end.
I could defuse the situation with one kiss. It would be worth the sacrifice, no matter how much it turned my stomach.
As if he could read my thoughts, Appleton’s smile turned even more cruel.
“What’s the matter?” he asked. “Don’t tell me you only fuck losers now.”
Johnny thrashed on the other side of the bar, held back—barely—by Eli, who looked like he wanted to throw hands too. “Don’t!” I shouted at them. “It’s not worth it!”
The crowd chanted louder: “ KISS HIM! KISS HIM! KISS HIM!” But there was motion by the door in the back. Two bouncers were making their way into the room. It was almost over.
I sneered back at Appleton. “I saw you crying to the judges in the arena tonight. Is that what you’re going to do if I don’t kiss you?”
“Listen here you cunt ,” he said, grabbing my arm.
Time seemed to slow down.
I widened my stance, preparing to knee him in the groin. Then Liz shouted behind me. A man appeared behind Appleton, but it wasn’t one of the bouncers. Sawyer’s cowboy hat was gone, and cold fury filled his chiseled face as he grabbed Appleton by the neck and shoved him up against the shelves of liquor bottles behind the bar.
“You can’t—” Appleton managed to get out.
Then Sawyer’s fist connected with his cheek.
“I can’t what?” Sawyer said in an emotionless voice as he kept a firm grip on Appleton’s neck with his left hand. “Damage all the plastic surgery in those cheeks?”
He pulled back his fist and struck him again.
“I can’t what?”
Another punch.
“Nothing to say?”
Knuckles cracked against flesh.
“Where’s your daddy?” Sawyer asked, eyes bloodshot with rage. “Not so tough without Salmon here to rig the fight, are ya?”
He leaned into the next punch, knocking Appleton to the ground. Sawyer stood over him like a boxer taunting an opponent, then he turned to me. His fist was covered in blood, and then he did something I’d never seen him do before.
He smiled.
“God, that felt good,” he told me. “You all right?”
Before I could answer, the bouncers descended on Sawyer. He didn’t fight back; he allowed them to manhandle him away from the bar.
“It wasn’t him!” Liz shouted, but they didn’t answer. “Wait!”
I stood frozen in place, too shocked to do or say anything.
Sawyer met my gaze from across the room as the crowd parted for the bouncers. He was still smiling.
And then he was gone.