Chapter 3 #3
My first instinct is to march over there and tell them to fuck off and leave the women alone. It’s completely irrational, and I can’t leave the bar to do it, but my blood boils as I watch the scene play out in front of me.
“Blonde and brunette, table 13. They’re friends of mine, keep them safe. And get rid of the assholes bothering them,” I say into my security mic, and watch John moving his eyes to locate them, before he replies.
“On it, boss.” His voice is in my ear as he quickly moves toward them. Poppy doesn’t need to know it was me, and I don’t need to do something I’m going to regret later. Because even though she is stirring something inside of me, I can’t let it show.
Another hour passes, and as the bar eases up a bit, I take the opportunity to restock some of the bottles of spirits.
That’s when I hear her voice again, but this time she is right behind me.
It’s the loud friend again. I’m too fucking tired tonight to be dealing with this, but when I turn around, I see that Poppy is now seated at the bar.
She has that glow on her cheeks that some people get when they have been drinking.
“Hi, Landonnnn.” The loud friend drags out my name, the way drunk people do, and it always annoys the shit out of me. “I’m Autumn, Poppy’s best friend.” She sticks her hand out for me to shake.
“Nice to meet you.” I shake her hand, but my eyes are on Poppy, trying to gauge how drunk she is. “Are you enjoying your night at Lucinda’s?” I ask to make small talk, hoping that Poppy will reply so I can hear her speak.
“You have a beautiful bar, Landon,” Poppy says clearly with perfect speech, and it’s then that I realize I may have mistaken the alcohol glow with the blush of slight embarrassment.
“Thank you,” I reply.
“Yeah, you have the best cocktails, and it’s full of super-hot guys, right, Poppy?” Autumn nudges her while giggling, but Poppy looks like she wants to kill her.
“We aim to please,” I answer in my gruff voice. “Can I get you another drink?” I pick up my tablet to punch in their order.
“I think we have imposed enough on your generosity tonight,” Poppy declares, but Autumn is already talking over top of her.
“Yes, another round of margaritas.” She leans forward on the bar and tries to whisper to me. “And keep them coming. We need to get Poppy drunk so she can let loose. She’s too uptight, don’t you think? Nothing a good man can’t fix.”
“Okay, that’s enough from you.” Poppy grabs the back of Autumn’s shirt and pulls her back onto her stool.
“I think you have had enough for one night.” She looks back up at me as Autumn keeps mumbling to herself.
“For future reference, never offer Autumn free drinks, otherwise she will drink your bar dry and then you are left with this version of her that has no verbal filter.” She waves her hand in front of Autumn which brings out my first laugh I think I’ve had all night.
“And what about you, Poppy? Have you been enjoying my free drinks while perusing my bar full of ‘super-hot men’ to loosen you up?” I lean my forearms on the bar, and the rest of the room seems to disappear as I look into her eyes.
I watch her swallow and open her mouth, but no words come out. I might have been out of the flirting game for a while, but I’ve still got it, which is good to know.
“No! She has only had two drinks, and that’s just a waste of a night out when you are dressed up all sexy and out on the town. Don’t you think?” Autumn slaps me on the arm, but my intense focus has not moved from Poppy.
“Depends on what you are trying to gain from the night out.” And I can see a small shiver run through her body. “So where did you see this night going, Poppy?” My voice is getting deeper and huskier.
Pulling her shoulders back, she sits a little taller. “Just a bit of fun and nothing more,” she teases, licking her top lip. Is that what this little visit tonight is about? She thought I was an easy target for a holiday fuck. Well, she’s wrong, but let’s see how hard she’s prepared to work for it.
“I don’t believe that a woman like you doesn’t play games. You want more than fun, and that’s why you’re out prowling.” Leaning closer to her so we are mere inches apart, I whisper, “Isn’t that right, tiger.”
“No one here could handle what I have to offer, including you,” she hisses at me and starts to pull back straight away, but I clasp her jaw in my hand. Focusing hard, and even above the loud music, I can hear the rapid panting of her breath.
“Be careful what you wish for, tiger. I don’t play around, but if I decided I wanted you, I would destroy you. And it would be more than fun, it would be fucking mind-blowing.” I run my thumb across her lips as her breath hitches.
Releasing her and standing up straight, my body pulses as a burning electricity runs through my veins, and I clench my fists in anger at myself for stepping over a line I never thought I would cross again.
“Good night, ladies.” I march down the bar past Charlene whose eyes look like they are about to pop out her head.
“What the fuck was that?” she hisses at me as I pass her.
“I’ll be in my office, you’ve got the bar.
” I don’t reply to her words, but the same question is roaring in my head as I storm down the hallway, shoving my office door open so hard that it hits the wall and bounces back at me.
I grab hold of it and slam it closed harder than I should, but I can’t control the unknown emotion that is ravaging my body right now.
Slumping back against the door, I take a few deep breaths to calm down and then hear John’s voice through my earpiece.
“Everything okay?” I don’t want to talk to anyone, so I answer in one word.
“Yes.” Which is pure bullshit, and if he saw what I did, he would know that too.
Striding to my desk, I sag into my chair, pushing it away from the desk and dropping my head into my hands, with my elbows on my knees.
I try to focus back on my job. I’m not here to flirt with the customers, and I’m definitely not here to think about fucking one of the women in my bar tonight. And she’s not just any woman.
Poppy.
My neighbor’s daughter, for fuck’s sake, who I don’t even know is single, but what I do know is that she is not here for long. And that is enough for me to know she is off limits.
It doesn’t mean I don’t want to fuck her, right here on my desk, right now.
But for the first time in a long time, I’m yearning for someone to be in the moment with me.
When I’m not being a dad to two little ones who need me, a grieving widow who is desperately trying to keep his wife’s memory alive, or a boss and businessman creating an income for all the families that rely on me.
Instead, I just want one night where I don’t have to think about anything except myself.
A night to just be Landon.
Because I’m not sure I even know who he is anymore.