Chapter 4 #2
As one a.m. rolled around, Val rang the bell above the bar signaling last rounds. Slowly, the crowd thinned, and by one thirty, as she closed the door, a somewhat familiar frame stepped up to the entrance.
“Hey there.”
Val looked into the same dark chocolate colored eyes and smiled. “Hey, yourself.”
“You ready to let me try that amazing thing you had to show me?”
Val nodded and ushered Marek inside.
“Wow, it’s so different in here when it’s quiet,” he mused.
“Yeah. It’s a relief when I finally close the doors at night.” She locked the door and turned over the open sign.
“Do you not like working here?” Marek pulled out a stool.
“It’s a job.” She put away the last of the glasses and made sure everything had been put in its place before turning back to him.
“So, give me something amazing,” he said.
She smiled. That comment alone could go so many different directions. “Tell me your tastes. Do you want something spicy, sweet, mellow, smooth, or holy hel firewater?”
He grinned from ear to ear and pushed his hand through his wavy hair. “I don’t know if I’m ready for holy-hellfire-water. Why don’t we start out easy? Something smooth or mellow.”
“Okay.” Val reached for one of the bottles of Pappy Van Winkle Frigg kept under the counter for the high-spending customers. She placed two whiskey glasses on the bar and dropped in a ball of ice before pouring them both a drink.
Marek held his glass up to hers and clinked it before sipping. She waited, watching him. His eyes closed as he held the amber liquid in his mouth for a moment before swallowing.
Marek opened his eyes and nodded. “That’s nice.”
Val smiled and sipped her own glass.
“I can see why you don’t pull this out during the day for those rich college boys. They could afford it-”
“But they wouldn’t appreciate it,” she finished. “I was sure you would, though.”
“Is that the fifteen-year reserve, the twenty-year reserve, or the twenty-three-year reserve?” came a voice from the corner.
Val’s gut clenched. She swung her gaze over at the stairs leading down to the portal, where Loki leaned against the wall. His white shirt was open almost to his navel, and his blue suit coat was slung over his shoulder.
Why did he have to look so damn tempting while being utterly annoying?
Val capped the bottle and set it back under the bar.
“Not so fast.” Loki approached them, his dress shoes clicking on the hardwood floor. He pulled out the stool next to Marek and sat. “I’ll take one of those.”
“I’m pretty sure this was a private party, friend,” said Marek.
Loki flashed him a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “Private, meaning two? Or, does private mean the relatives of the bar owner are invited as well?”
Marek looked between Val and Loki and stood. “I’ll let you two work this out.” He gulped down the rest of his bourbon, slapped a large bill on the counter, and took a step away from the bar.
“Wait,” said Val. “That’s it? That’s all you wanted?”
Marek’s gaze went to Loki again and then back to her. “Nope. But it’s all good. I’m patient. I’ll see you again, Val, for Valkyrie.” With a small wave, Marek unlocked the front door and disappeared out into the night.
Val wanted to run after him, to tell him to come back and have another drink… but something stopped her.
“So, do I get a taste of bourbon, or is there something else you’d like me to taste?”
Val’s eyes slid back to Loki’s smug smile.
“I’d be happy to help your face taste the bar.” She threw him her best smile.
Loki clucked his tongue. “There you go again, irritating me.”
“I’m irritating you? You’re the one who came up here to irritate me. Is there something you wanted, or can I go to bed now?”
“I’m happy for you to go to bed,” said Loki. “Want me to join you?”
Val growled and tossed the glasses in the sink. “Is it your goal to drive me insane?”
Loki’s eyebrow arched. “I’ll drive you to any sensation you want, lovely.”
Val wrinkled her nose. “Do those lines work on women? How desperate are they?”
She stomped around the bar as far from Loki as possible and headed for the stairs. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? Her body rippled with tension at the knowledge she would not be getting any relief from Marek.
Loki appeared in front of her, and she pushed against his chest.
“I’m not in the mood for your bullshit.”
“Then what are you in the mood for?” His voice came out so serious it made Val look Loki in the eyes.
Was he genuinely wanting to know? There was no reason for him to distract her this time.
And he had no reason to be in the bar besides seeing her…
For a moment, she contemplated telling him.
Instead, she sighed and moved around him.
But before she got a step away, Loki grasped her wrist and spun her around.
He pinned her against the thick pillar in the middle of the barroom and pressed his body into hers.
“What are you doing?”
His face loomed closer to hers, his hair falling down over his shoulder and onto her breasts.
“What you wanted me to do.”
Loki’s taut body constrained her against the pillar, her shoulder blades digging into the corners and pinching her in uncomfortable places. She stared into his eyes, and they held something hungry and a bit scared.
Val’s body relaxed without warning, and her heart raced as Loki traced his fingers across her cheek and down her throat to the top of her breasts.
She choked back the moan. No. She would not give in to his seductions. She refused to be used the way others had.
Loki leaned in close to her ear and breathed on her neck, making her shiver.
No. Not him. Not Loki… but… someone. She needed someone.
“I’ll give you what you want,” he whispered. “No strings. Just me, giving you pleasure, and you receiving it.”
“And nothing for you in return,” she scoffed.
He nipped at her ear. “In return, I will get the honor of giving you pleasure.”
Val’s breath hitched. Her body hummed with desire. Damn, she wanted that. Wanted it so bad it made her ache.
No. Not that. Him. She wanted him to do that.
“So, no sex?” She pulled his hips into hers, pressing his prominent erection hard against her core.
Loki groaned and nipped her ear again. “Only if that’s how you want.”
She pushed him away. “It isn’t.”
Loki stared at her for a moment and then stepped up to her again, pressing his arousal against her. “Then I won’t give it to you. Not unless you ask me for it.”
Val fought the urge to kiss his soft-looking lips. To rip off his shirt and throw him on the floor and make him bring her the pleasure she craved.
“Let’s go,” was all she got out.
They took the stairs two at a time, and she practically sprinted to her door. He’d not even gotten the door closed before she’d kicked off her boots and unzipped her pants.
Loki rushed to her and stilled her hands. “Are you going to let me do anything? Or did you only want me to watch?”
Val stopped. “There are rules.”
“Rules?” Loki smiled. “I’ve never been one for rules.”
“You can live by my rules, or you can leave.”
Loki ground his teeth together. “Your wish is my command.”
Val grinned and pushed him by the shoulders, forcing him to his knees. “Yes. Yes, it is.”