Chapter 2
Pierce
Once again, I subject myself to watching Wesley flirt with customers. I know his charming demeanor is part of what has people coming back, but that doesn’t mean I like it.
Whiskey. Dominance in bed. Bachelor-hood.
Those were all that I cared about… until him.
Until the one night I went to Mackenzie’s bar in New York and saw the most handsome man I’d ever seen. The dark curls covered part of his forehead, brown eyes, and lips.
Fuck me. I wanted him. And the second I was inside him, I didn’t want to leave. He matched my dominance with his submission perfectly. But it was just a one night thing, so I left, thinking it was the right thing to do. After all, I don’t do relationships, and I didn’t want to string him along.
Though, judging by the way that I don’t want anyone else touching Wesley, there’s a chance that I’m lying to myself.
I’m already lying to Wesley, so it’s not a big leap that I would be lying to him and myself.
I keep telling myself it’s for the best. I’m his boss now. How the fuck that happened? I’m not sure. I just got a call from Alex one night saying that he was going to retire and he needed a manager. We met each other in college and chatted sometimes. We’re not exactly friends, but he knew me well enough to give me this job.
Anyway, Wesley and I can’t be together. It’s against the rules, and it’s better if we ignore our history.
But the possessiveness I feel over him, one that I didn’t know I was capable of, keeps me from making the right decisions, like constantly having him in my office to tell him off for things that don’t matter. I figure if he hates me, that’ll help both of us.
He won’t think about having another chance with me, and I would have blown another chance with him.
Simple. Easy. Utterly stupid, I know.
I’ve never had the best experiences when it comes to relationships. It all started with divorced parents and then a college relationship that went horribly wrong.
My mom and dad both cheated on each other. They didn’t speak to each other for years—to the point where I figured they knew about each other’s infidelity. Everything was fine until it all came crashing down. My dad wanted to marry his mistress of seven years.
Epithets were yelled, and things were thrown. Despite the fact both of them were doing the same thing, there were hard feelings. Mom was upset because she didn’t want to be a divorcee. Dad was upset because Mom was upset.
Either way, it made relationships so tricky that I didn’t want to be a part of it. People like honesty, and I don’t want to explain how my past has given me issues. Like I don’t want to talk about my past, and I don’t want to be vulnerable. That just opens me up to getting hurt, and I don’t care for that.
That’s what happened with my relationship in college. It ended with a teary speech by my girlfriend about how we couldn’t be together. I’d rather she had just said we’re done instead of giving me a list of why we wouldn’t work out because that list was brutal.
“Doesn’t talk about his feelings.”
“Doesn’t talk about his family.”
“Doesn’t talk about his trust issues.”
After that, I was officially done. It would be only one-night stands for the rest of my life or until even those didn’t matter to me anymore. I just don’t see the benefit of being in a romantic relationship if I’m only going to be cheated on or criticized. Putting all my trust into someone and having it broken just doesn’t seem worth it.
What I didn’t see coming was Wesley and the fact that those one nights of passion became boring after him. No one made me buzz like he did. No one made me desperate or made me want them as much as he did. From the moment I met him, the pull came out of nowhere. I looked into his brown eyes, and it felt… familiar. As if we’d met before that night, but I would definitely remember him if we did. I suddenly wanted to know everything about him. I wanted to know his hopes and dreams, whether he was a cat or dog person, and what kind of toppings we wanted on his pizza. All of it. But then my past came back and surrounded me like a shield, protecting me. That’s why I didn’t take off my clothes when we had sex. Sex with my clothes off is too intimate, and we were there for only one night.
I push off the railing and head back into my office.
I shut myself in the darkened room. There’s minimal furniture, dark wood, and leather. I turn on the small light on my desk and then my computer.
Despite having a bunch of emails I need to send before the weekend, I instead find myself opening the security camera feed, looking at the one pointed towards the bar.
This is stupid, I think to myself.
I hate pining like this, but I can’t get him out of my mind. Every time I see him flash a smile or roll up his sleeves, I want to pin him against the wall, lick his neck, and run my hands over his chest.
Images of our night together flash before my eyes.
When we started, I had him standing up and facing away from me. I was too overwhelmed with all of it—the way he looked at me at the bar with such need and…trust. His trust in leading a stranger to his hotel room. I didn’t know what I’d do if he looked me in the eye. It wasn’t until the end of that first round that I turned him around and locked gazes with him as I stroked his cock until he came.
After that, we went to the bed, where I tied him up with my tie, still keeping my clothes on, and kissed him all over. I feel like I memorized every square inch of that man. When I close my eyes, I can remember the way he squirmed under my touch, the way he moaned, the way his skin tasted. I remember the rough way he gripped my hair as I sucked his cock. I lick my lips, recalling the way he tasted as he came down my throat.
He submitted to me despite not knowing each other, which was frightening. I’ve never connected with someone so quickly. Had them melt for me as easily as Wesley. We knew how to move with each other without talking.
It was… nice.
I shake my head and click the X on the screen, returning to my email.
He works for you. He works for you. He works for you. I chant in my head as I work.
I open one of the emails and it’s from Hawk Johnson, the owner of Carolina’s Bar and Grill in Vancouver. I already know what he wants before I open the email.
Hello Mr. Donnelley,
I hope you had a chance to look over the job offer of being the new manager of Carolina’s Bar And Grill. We can use a man like you. Let me know.
Thank you, Hawk Johnson.
I rub my temples as I look over the email. He’s a quick-to-the-point guy, so there’s nothing more than that. He offered me this job a few months ago. He emailed me and said that he thought I would be a great addition to his bar. He liked how I brought organization and efficiency to Sweet Cocktails in such a short time and wanted to steal me away. Although I just got this job, he figured he'd shoot his shot. The man has no fear of asking anyone anything. And ever since, I’ve been thinking about it.
I know that taking that job will solve one of my problems, but a part of me doesn’t want to eliminate this barrier between me and Wesley. Without this job I have no other excuse, nothing to hide behind. And I’m not ready to admit how deep my feelings go for that man, or maybe they don’t go deep at all, but the fact he gets to me in the slightest has me off my rocker.
Plus, Sweet Cocktails is my kind of place. High end, with bartenders in uniforms who make fancy drinks for people with a lot of money. Carolina’s Bar And Grill is more of a homey place where you can take your kids during the day. Two very different places but I do love a challenge.
Either way, I close the email and head home. No need, as he said, to make this decision now.
All I need right now is a cold shower, a glass of whiskey, and some sleep.