Chapter 3
It wasn’t the sun that woke me up. It wasn’t my body’s natural clock. It wasn’t some catastrophic event that required my immediate attention.
It was Connor’s mouth. More specifically, his tongue, dragging a warm path up my thigh, only stopping once he teased the skin near my hip. I moaned, arching toward that wet heat. My cock stirred, eager for the same attention my thigh was getting.
“Good morning,” he mumbled against my skin, inching closer to where I really wanted him to be—at a painstakingly slow pace.
I barely managed a “morning” back. My throat was dry, but giving Connor wordless praise took priority over speaking anyway.
He continued his path, finally taking a fistful of my erection and opening his pretty mouth. I watched in anticipation through half closed eyelids.
Then my phone rang.
“Don’t even think about stopping,” I groaned. With a hand in Connor’s mussed hair, I guided him to keep going. With the other, I fumbled for my phone to silence it, but I knocked it off the nightstand instead.
I didn’t care.
Connor’s mouth closed over my cock, sucking a slow path down my shaft before hollowing his cheeks out and repeating the process. I threw my head back onto the pillow…
And my phone rang again.
“Fuck,” I growled.
He pulled off me. “Do you need to get that?”
I reached down and grabbed my phone. Raleigh’s name flashed on the screen. It wasn’t abnormal for him to call me outside of work hours, so I silenced it again and laid it face-down on the nightstand before instructing Connor to get back to work.
It couldn’t have been more than thirty seconds before it happened again, and Connor rose onto his knees.
“I think it might be important,” he laughed, using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth.
“Fucking Christ himself better be at the bar.” I snatched my phone off the nightstand and swiped to answer the call. “What?”
“Whoa, someone’s grouchy this morning.”
“You would be too if I interrupted what you just did.”
“Interrupted?” I heard his deep chuckle. “Rookie move.”
I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a laugh. “What do you want, Raleigh?” I sat up, pulling the top sheet over my lap as Connor lifted off the bed, motioning toward—and then disappearing into—the bathroom.
“Can you come in early today?”
I stayed silent long enough for Raleigh to ask if I was still there. “I’m still here. Just wondering why that couldn’t have been a goddamned text message.”
Raleigh dropped his voice down. “Because Angel asked me to call you, and when he gives me those big blue eyes I can’t tell him no.”
“Raleigh, he doesn’t even have to look at you.”
“I know, I know, I’ve got it bad. Can you come in early or not?”
I sighed, brushing my hair away from my face. “How early?”
“Twelve?”
I pulled my phone away from my ear to glance at the time. It was 10:30. “Seriously? What’s so important that I need to be there three hours early on a Tuesday?”
“I’ll have Angel explain everything when you get here. Please?”
The bathroom door opened and Connor leaned against the doorframe. I shamelessly took in every inch of his bare skin. I could get a lot done in an hour.
“I’ll be there,” I finally said. “But tell that husband of yours he owes me.”
The line briefly went silent before Raleigh said, “He says fine but he has limits.”
“And while I’m dying to know what those limits are, I’ve got something more pressing to attend to.
” Itching to be off the phone and on top of Connor, I reached for his hand.
“He can buy me a drink later. See you soon,” I said into the receiver, then ended the call and threw my phone over my shoulder. I heard a thunk as it hit something.
“Do you have to go?” he asked. He climbed onto the bed again, yanking the sheet away and straddling my lap.
I snaked my hand around his neck and yanked, eliciting a yelp of surprise. “Not yet.”
“This better be good, Jenkins-squared!”
The couple turned their heads as I stepped into the main area of the bar.
I took in several oddities at once. All the lights were up, which only happened during inspection days.
Stranger still, Angel was behind the bar setting up ring lights while Raleigh mounted Angel’s phone on a tripod on the other side of the counter.
My steps slowed as I approached with narrowed eyes, taking in the shakers and liquor bottles displayed in front of Angel.
“What the hell are you two up to?”
“Angel fell down a rabbit hole,” Raleigh mumbled, ducking to avoid the cherry thrown in his direction.
Angel gestured in my direction but aimed his words at Raleigh. “I promise you—with Ryder in front of the camera, this will be incredible for business.”
“Me in front of the camera? What about your super scrumptious husband over there?”
Raleigh boasted a cheeky smile and puffed his chest out while Angel shot daggers in my direction. “People tend to keep scrolling when they see a wedding ring.”
I feigned offense, crossing my arms over my chest. “So you’re pimping me out?”
“Yes.”
I walked behind the bar, stepping into the camera’s view and squinting against the ring lights. “You still haven’t explained what it is we’re doing.”
I picked up the nearest shaker. Our usual ones were stainless steel—which got colder—but this was clear acrylic.
As I flipped it over and pressed on the bottom, it lit up a neon pink.
I turned it off again and set it down next to my container of red sugar and a pair of plastic fangs.
Three bottles sat on the counter: raspberry liqueur, Absolut, and a bottle of Asti.
“It’s a TikTok contest,” Angel finally said. He buzzed around me, repositioning the ring lights and dragging me around until I was in a position he deemed appropriate.
“What are you—” I spun around and grabbed him by the shoulders, making him look at me. Raleigh laughed behind us. “Did you seriously call me three times this morning and ask me to come in several hours early to film a video for TikTok?”
“No.” Angel’s eyes darted from me to his husband’s. “Raleigh did.”
“Fine.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “But stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off, and explain.”
Angel started to talk, but he ignored my instruction to stop running around. He went to the wall and dimmed the overhead lights, making sure all the neon signs splashed vibrant color across the bar floor.
He explained that there was a Halloween-themed contest going around on what he called “#bartendertok.” Whoever submitted the best video with the most creative drink won a twenty-four-hour feature on some account with millions of followers.
“And what do I win?” I asked. “You know, as the actual hashtag bartender.”
“Fame and fortune?” Angel offered.
“Well.” Raleigh grinned. “You get the fame, and we get the fortune.”
I looked back to Angel, who rolled his eyes but agreed. “What he said.”
“You do have more than one bartender, you know,” I groused, still bitter over being pulled away.
“You’re attractive and single,” Raleigh chimed in. He’d stopped fussing with the phone, and was resting his elbows on the bar.
“Plus,” Angel said, “you’re our best bartender and the Vampire’s Kiss is your drink. We wouldn’t feel right having anyone else make it.” He picked up the plastic shaker and held it out to me.
I accepted it, tossing it back and forth between my hands. It felt weird, lighter than what I was used to. I looked at the ingredients on the counter, the ring lights, and finally my reflection on the phone.
I never understood the hold social media had over people.
It worked for my bosses, but I never had any desire to be involved.
Sure, I was featured in the background of a few videos, but no more than that.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about an online presence.
Getting attention in person was one thing, online was another.
Especially if I was the reason we won this contest. My face being featured on an account with millions of followers… It would be good for the bar.
Raleigh’s voice pulled me out of my trance. “Ryder? You were our first choice, but I can call Jack if you don’t want to do it.”
“Jack?” I scoffed. “He’d drop every bottle.” I set the shaker down, pulling my work vest from my back pocket. “I’ll do it.”
“You will?” Angel’s eyes brightened—if that were even possible.
“One drink, one take,” I grumbled. “That’s it. And lose the lights, they won’t do anything but get in my way. Let the neons do the work.”
The guys rushed to unplug the lights and pull them out of the way while I mentally prepared. Raleigh—thankfully—took the phone off the tripod and opted to move around me while I worked as Angel stood back and watched.
I loved them both, truly, but I was closer to Raleigh, and Angel didn’t mind that.
For the first few years, Angel didn’t interact with much of anyone unless he had to.
Raleigh was the bigger personality between the two, and the closest thing to my match I’d ever met.
He would take every snarky thing I said and throw it right back at me.
I took stock of the things in front of me. After triple-checking everything was in its place—it was thoroughness, not nerves—I reached into the freezer and removed a chilled martini glass.
“Ready?” Raleigh asked.
“What do I do?”
“Just do what you always do, and be sure to put on a show for the camera when you take a drink at the end. Pretend I’m not even here.”
“Have you met you?”
“All right, pretend it’s Halloween night and we’re at capacity. You’ve been slinging these things all night. You don’t even have to think about it anymore.”
I took a deep, centering breath. When I picked up the shaker again, I heard the chime indicating he’d started recording, and I pretended I didn’t know the camera was there.
I measured out the raspberry liqueur and the vodka, then poured them in.
The shaker’s lid chipped when I used a little too much force to slam it shut, but it didn’t ruin the shot.
As I shook, the acrylic started to flash neon pink, purple, green, and blue.
With my free hand, I flipped the frosted glass upside down into the sugar water, then into the red sugar crystals as I’d done a million times before.
While I strained the cocktail with one hand, I agitated the mini bottle of Asti with the other, freeing the cork with a loud pop.
I topped off the glass, then rimmed the edge with fake blood and my signature pair of plastic fangs.
Before I second guessed it, I spun around and flashed a wink at the camera—then downed the entire thing in one go, licking the red syrup from my lips.
Raleigh ended the recording and turned to Angel, who held another phone. “Did you get what you needed?”
Angel nodded, nearly vibrating with excitement. “I think so.”
“I think that’s the best show I’ve ever seen you put on,” Raleigh said.
“He’s right,” Angel added. “I’m going upstairs to get this edited.” He rounded the bar and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you, Ryder.”
“I… you’re welcome?” Angel disappeared down the hall before another word could be said. I turned back to Raleigh. “I’ve never seen him like that.”
Raleigh rested against the bar with his arms over his chest. “He’s really getting into this social media thing—he’s good at it, and it makes him happy. Bonus points when he doesn’t have to be in front of the camera.”
“How many bonus points?” I asked dryly.
He snorted. “Not enough to cash in.” He took a deep breath, the air between us suddenly growing tense. “So, Connor?”
“Is likely getting dressed and leaving my apartment right about now.” My head was starting to swim from the drink.
“Not the one?’
I laughed. “It was a great night, but no.”
“You’re mad at me for this morning, aren’t you?”
“Oh, you bet your pretty little tattooed ass I’m mad at you for this morning,” I said through a yawn. It was way too early, and I was way too tired for his bullshit.
“You sure you wouldn’t prefer a coffee over that drink you asked for?”
“You could let me go home and take a nap instead of making me hang around to help clean up—I know that’s what you’re about to ask me to do.”
Raleigh pushed off the counter and stepped up to me, giving me that smirk that had a history of getting me into trouble.
“And I’m going to thank you with one of those frou-frou coffees from Starbucks you love so much.
” He grasped my face in his large hands and planted a kiss on my forehead.
“Don’t forget the acrylic dishes are handwash only! ”
He grabbed his keys and left me with my mouth hanging open in protest. I took the chipped cocktail shaker and threw it in the trash, still flashing.
I returned the bottles to their shelves, and the dishes to the kitchen.
My move with the Asti never failed to get a crowd excited, but it made a huge mess.
The entire bar was sticky with champagne—and so was my vest. I wiped up the surface and retrieved my spare outfit from the office, ducking into the bathroom to change.
As I made my way back to the lobby, I heard the front door open and close. “That better be the biggest coffee I’ve ever seen, Raleigh!” I called.
A partial wall covered the front door, so I didn’t see him right away. I rounded the bar, putting away the container of sugar and doing one last check for anything I might’ve missed.
“Excuse me?”
My head jerked up at the unfamiliar voice. A soft, high-pitched tone was not what I was expecting.
She was a kid.
Well, a teenager, but still too young to be in a bar. Raleigh must have left the door unlocked. The door opened behind her and he appeared around the wall, taking in the girl in front of me and the guy standing beside her.
“I’m sorry, we’re not open yet,” I said slowly. Why did she look so familiar? “And call me crazy, but I don’t think you’re old enough to be here.” Behind me, Angel appeared from the back, but refrained from grabbing his coffee when he caught sight of the strangers.
The girl laughed, another familiar warmth washing over me, but I couldn’t place her. “I know, I’m only seventeen, but I’m not here for a drink. I’m looking for Ryder.”
My mouth went dry and my hands grew clammy—almost as if my body was three steps ahead of my brain. “That’s me.”
“I’m… wow, this is harder than I thought it would be.” She paused, voice cracking. She looked to the young man next to her, who gave her a reassuring nod and nudged her forward. “M-my name’s Hannah. I’m p-pretty sure I’m your daughter.”