Chapter Four
Asher wiped glasses, inspecting them against the light to make sure there weren’t any fingerprints or smudges.
Whenever someone tried to tell him no one cared about water spots, he instantly rebuked them.
He wasn’t just a bar owner. He was cultivating a place where there was something for all different types of people.
Human. Shifter. Young. Old. Male, female, and non-binary.
He wanted The Unicorn to be fancy enough to bring a date, yet casual enough for the roofing guys to get a drink after work.
His best friend, Corbin, walked in and gave a wave. Corbin was the town lawyer. They had been each other’s rock when the world felt too tough and broken.
“Did you just get back from Denver?”
Corbin nodded wearily. “I hate depositions. I’m glad I don’t do this that often. Give me a nice and boring will or land transfer any day.”
“You’re the only lawyer I know who hates being a lawyer.”
“There’s more of us then you realize.”
Asher grinned. “Wanna drink?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
He reached behind him and grabbed a glass and quickly made a vodka martini. Corbin threw him a grateful look and then proceeded to drink the whole thing down. Asher’s eyebrows shot up.
“Please tell me you’re walking.”
Corbin waved his answer that Asher interpreted as a yes.
“Another?”
“I want to say yes, but I do have some more work I need to complete. Another drink and I’ll be putting emojis in my citations.”
“That could actually make law a little fun.”
“Wanna shoot pool later?”
“Can’t,” Asher replied. He hesitated for only a moment. “I happen to have a date.”
Corbin blinked, then leaned forward. “You mean a fuck?”
“No, a date.”
“With, like, a person, or your hand?”
He flipped him off. “I don’t need to use my hand, thank you very much. Not since I was fifteen.”
Corbin chuckled. “I’ve never heard you say the word date, so that made me a little confused.”
“Well, it’s a date and then a fuck.”
“There it is.” He tilted his head. “This woman making you work for it?”
Asher shook his head. “It’s actually a favor to one of pack members.”
His brow furrowed. “A favor fuck? For whom?”
“Juniper Parsons.”
The confused look didn’t go away. “Who?”
“Surely you remember her father’s death being announced. Ezra Parsons?”
“Who?”
Asher rolled his eyes, not mentioning he hadn’t known himself until he asked one of his patrons. “Is that all you can say?”
“Sorry,” Corbin replied, shaking his head. “I’m gone one day and apparently hell froze over.”
“Would you actually leave if hell did freeze over?”
Corbin thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out if that ever happens. Now, back to Miss Juniper Parsons. Why are you dating her?”
“One date.” Asher held up his index finger. “One.”
“One date and one fuck?”
“She came in the other night wanting a drink because she’d never had one before.”
“Whoa. Is she legal?”
Asher gave him a withering look before glancing around to make sure no one could overhear them. “She’s in her early twenties and asked me to be her first.”
It took a moment for understanding to dawn. “Get the fuck out. There are virgins over the age of eighteen?”
“Apparently,” he replied.
“Is she pretty?”
Asher pictured her. “Oh, yeah. Beautiful. Long dark hair, blue eyes.”
“You lucky son-of-a-bitch. You get the girl and I get a deposition.”
“What can I say? Blonds have more fun.”
Corbin flipped him off.
****
Although the morning was busy, time felt like it crawled by. Juni kept glancing at the clock, and each time it seemed only a minute passed.
“Got a date tonight?”
Startled, Juni snapped her attention to Keegen, and a flush heated her body. “Um. Sorry.”
Keegan frowned. “I was kidding, but now I’m curious. Do you have a date?”
“Kind of.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m going out to dinner with someone. But this is a one-time thing.”
“I’m so confused.”
Juni debated what she should say. She’d never been a person who shared things. Then again, she never had a friend before.
“I’m going out with Asher Reidman tonight.”
Immediately, concern darkened Keegan’s face. “Juniper, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I want you to be careful. He’s not a long-term guy.”
“I don’t want long term.”
“He’s—”
“I know who he is.”
“Juniper.” There was a sigh in her tone, as if she was trying to talk some sense into her. “You’re a beautiful woman. You deserve someone who will respect you as a woman.”
How did she explain without explaining?
“My father was a harsh man. He forbade us doing anything, including all the milestones young people do. And those are the things I want to experience. I appreciate you looking out for me, Keegan, but I was the one who asked him. I know who he is. I know about his reputation. I don’t want to trade one cage for another. ”
Keegan studied her face and then nodded. “Okay. I can understand that. In that case, I hope you have a wonderful date. And if you need me, I’m always here.”
Juni knew she cared, and that made her grateful her boss was also her friend.