Chapter 11
Daisy
The taxi she’d ordered for them was a tight squeeze.
The boys squished in the backseat, and Daisy claimed shotgun.
As soon as they got to the bar, at least one of them would throw a fit.
But if they thought they’d get away with doing food and video games twice in a row, they were wrong.
Her job was to ensure they bonded, and nothing brought people together quite like some good old-fashioned drunken debauchery. Especially young men in their prime.
She wouldn’t typically put a night out like this on the agenda for her clients.
But she’d double-checked the entry questionnaires to make sure they drank.
She didn’t want anyone to be uncomfortable.
Well, not too uncomfortable. This was about growth, after all.
She’d also ordered a cab, knowing them well enough already to know they’d demand she participate in whatever she asked them to do.
They were a real lead-by-example group. She liked that.
Most teams she worked with didn’t have that mindset.
Friday night and the bar neared capacity, as she’d expected. The crowd provided the vibe she needed. She’d reserved them a table and hoped the bar would honor it. Daisy led them into the bar and spotted an empty table right away.
They received a lot of stares as they picked their way through the crowd.
She imagined they were a bit of a spectacle.
She fit right in with her sundress and cowboy boots, but it had to look odd: her leading a group of men wearing clothing that cost as much as most of these people’s monthly salaries through the bar and sitting at a reserved table in a place notorious for not taking reservations.
They might have been able to blend in, but she’d forgotten to give them directions on how to dress.
Now they stuck out like a sore thumb despite her attempts to fix it.
She took a seat in the booth, and Connor slid in behind her, trapping her against the wall.
He kept a respectful distance between them, and she wished he wouldn’t.
She couldn’t be so forward again. If she dared to press her thigh into his, she’d lose all self-control.
Her desire for this man knew no bounds. That had been apparent for years.
Not that he knew that. When she ran her fingers through his hair earlier, he had no idea she was living a fantasy she’d envisioned in her head a thousand times.
And he smelled amazing, like oranges and salt.
It would’ve been too easy to lean a little further in and lick the pulse point at his neck. Ripping herself away nearly killed her.
She forced herself back to the present. Hazy and Lover sat across from them.
“We’re hanging out in a bar?” Hazy asked. “That’s the whole plan?”
“This is a fun bar,” Daisy said. “They have dancing. And karaoke, which is the real activity. But I’m not expecting you to do it sober.”
“Good,” Lover said. “There’s not a chance in hell you’ll get Beanie to sing.”
She raised an eyebrow at Connor, who reaffirmed the sentiment, nodding. “Absolutely not. Nobody wants to hear that.”
“I’m willing to bet on myself,” she replied. “I’ll get you all up there before the night’s over. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t start for another hour. We have time to pregame.”
A burly old man brought a tray of drinks to their table. Daisy had given the bartender a list of their favorite drinks earlier in the week and told them to keep them coming.
“Thanks, Teddy!” She shouted as he placed a cocktail in front of each of them.
Lover and Hazy were both drinking vodka sodas, Connor Old Fashioneds, and Daisy had the bar special, a blue concoction that contained as much sugar as alcohol and was topped with gummy worms. “Can you bring a round of shots as well, please?”
They clinked glasses as the bartender left and took big gulps. Hazy’s attention was on the dance floor, and he asked, “How do people learn how to dance like that? It looks dangerous.”
Daisy scoffed. “Dancing isn’t dangerous.”
“Those girls are in the air. They’re being flung all over the place. They must be trained for that.”
She shrugged. “Ehh, it’s not that hard.”
“You can do that?” Lover asked.
“Yep.”
Lover leaned in, a teasing challenge in his voice. “Prove it.”
Daisy tried to push Connor so he would let her out, but he wouldn’t budge. “Connor. Move.”
“I’m not going to let you out so you can go hurt yourself.”
She put a hand on his arm. “I’m not going to hurt myself.”
“Bullshit.” Hazy seemed to think she was bluffing.
“Wanna bet?”
“Bet on your dancing skills?” Lover asked.
“Yeah. I’ll bet you I can do every single move that girl does.” She pointed to a woman doing a cartwheel over her partner’s arm.
“You don’t have to bet on it. I believe you,” Connor chimed in.
Hazy’s head swiveled between them.
Lover said, “She bet on it. I’m in a betting mood. What are the terms?”
Daisy didn’t hesitate. “If I can do all those moves, you have to sing karaoke.”
“Pff. Easy. What if I win?”
“What do you want?”
Lover thought for a minute. When the answer came to him, he bounced his eyebrows suggestively, making her laugh. “If I win, I get to choose the next bonding activity.”
“If you have ideas, you can ask. I’m open to hearing them.”
“It’s a bet. You would say no to my choice.”
Daisy rolled her eyes but stuck out her hand for Valentine to shake. “Fine. Deal.” They shook hands, and Daisy attempted to make Connor move again. He still wouldn’t budge.
“You’re going now?” he asked. “Can’t it wait?”
“What? No, it can’t wait. I need to be sober. Otherwise, it will be dangerous.”
“You don’t have a partner.”
Daisy pressed on Connor’s shoulder again. “Look at me. I won’t have a hard time finding one.”
“Ooo! That’s my bet!” Hazy clapped and pointed at her.
Daisy briefly abandoned pushing Connor out of the way to talk to Hazy. “What’s your bet?”
Connor looked at Hazy with murder in his eyes. “Phone numbers. That’s my bet. I always win that one.”
Daisy rolled her eyes. He wouldn’t win this time.
When Daisy tried to get Connor to move and he yet again denied her, she took matters into her own hands. She shimmied closer to him in the booth, trying to push him off the edge. When that didn’t work, she stood in her seat and attempted to step over his lap.
In hindsight, she should have gone under the table.
Her brain didn’t work quite right with Connor so close.
She wobbled with one foot on either side of his lap.
He grabbed her hips to steady her as she put a hand on his shoulder to keep her balance.
They were touching in too many places. His hands squeezed her hips.
No easy way out of her position existed.
He looked up at her, his Adam’s Apple bobbing as he swallowed, and her knees felt weak.
She would fall if she tried to bring her second foot past him.
Daisy lowered herself onto Connor’s lap, one knee on either side of his thighs.
She’d imagined sitting in this position a million times.
Her imagination didn’t do it justice. His hands never left her hips, but they may as well have been roaming her bare skin.
He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip in a move she’d replayed on her TV a shameful number of times. God, she had to move before she did something she’d regret. Daisy climbed out of Connor’s lap.
Freed, she scanned the crowd, making note of her chances. There were several people she already knew. As she walked toward the dance floor, she spun and pointed at Hazy. “You’re on! Most phone numbers before karaoke starts wins!”