HIM.
"...and I told him I wanted nothing to do with him, but he grabbed me by my bra straps from behind and I just fell for it like an idiot," she scoffs, throwing back another shot, triggering my eyebrow to raise at her drunken state. She's coming up on her last drink of the night and an escort home if she asks for another mini glass of tequila. She slams the glass down on the counter and crosses her arms in front of her on the wooden surface before dropping her head on her arms. Her fire red highlights bounce from the movement and twinkle under the low lit bar lights.
Such a shame she can't resist her current fling, she's a looker. She groans, I'm not sure if it's from the negative side effects of alcohol kicking in, or because she's frustrated. Ryker pouts at the poor girl, though she's clueless of it since her face is buried within her arms. He then snorts and starts chuckling after fake pouting at her again.
"Could you stop?" I try not to grin at his antics.
He shrugs, leaning back on the counter. We both turn to stare at my current customer. "She's complaining about getting dick, can you blame me for teasing?"
She moves one of her arms from under her head and walks two fingers closer to Ryker's direction, never lifting her head up to see. She then flicks him her middle finger, allowing us a nice view of her long, red acrylic nail, sparkling with gold glitter. She then turns her head to look at me with one eye. Her makeup had smudged a bit in the corner of her eye. She was a mess. "Can I have another shot?"
"Honey," I lean closer to her, resting my hand on her free one on the table. She drops her other hand, halting her flicking off of Ryker. "The only shot you're getting is a shot of water. Look," I glance around the crowd, making accidental eye contact with a few people before bringing my gaze back to her. "I see about six different guys with their eyes on you. Go find one, give them your number. Come back to me, let's sober you up, and then we'll find you a ride home."
If I wasn't seeing things, I'd say her eyes watered. "Are you this sweet to everyone?" I remove my hand from hers, instead resting both of mine against the edge of the counter.
"Sometimes."
I pour her a small glass of water and push it in front of her. She quickly swallows it down and pushes her hair behind her ear before shaking her head quickly, I guess getting the drunk symptoms out. "Okay. Here I go."
She pushes away from the bar, hopping down from the chair and taking a few seconds to herself before walking away, on her journey to become a new woman. "I'm taking her home, aren't I?" Ryker asks me lowly.
"Yessir." I grin.
"So what's new?" He snatches an order from the dispenser, looking at the paper before getting to work. He grabs a shaker and a glass and saunters away, giving me some time to think as he picks up his liquors and stuff.
He comes back, with everything needed and starts mixing the drink. I give him a pointed look because the ice clanking the metal shaker was too loud for me to talk to him. He just shrugs and smiles. After putting the drink in it's proper, salt rimmed glass and placing a lime on the rim as well, he turns to me, and drops a cherry on top. "Go on."
"So we had sex..." I trail off, thinking back to Carter and I the other day in the dorm room. My stomach tingles with warmth. I close my eyes, not liking this feeling.
"Me and you?" He asks, his dumb ass pointing to himself with a stupid grin on his stupid face.
"No, fucker," I shake my head, letting out a fake frustrated breath. "We had sex but it was different." And it's scaring the crap out of me.
"Different how?" He pushes the drink forward when a waitress comes by, swiftly picking up the glass and sashaying away.
"She was looking like a sad puppy with the cutest but saddest pout on her lips, and I desperately wanted to make her worries go away, Ryk I-I just...everything in me changed for a second." Thinking about her frowning now puts a frown on my own face. Grumpily, I lean on the bar top.
"Changed?" He urges me to get into some details, so I try my best to fill him in without sounding like such a pansy. I don't recommend chasing after girls, they really know how to fuck with a man.
"I wanted to help her relax. I needed to help her, and the only way my mind wanted to was by diving in and God, did I dive," I rub my hand over my jaw, the memory of her soft thighs against my fingers and cheeks playing over and over in my head. I stare off into the scene of people dancing and drinking, having a good time. My eyes linger on a couple grinding and giggling in a corner off the far left. Another deep breath leaves me. "I ate her out like a man starved, and I didn't give a damn if I got off that night. I just wanted her to fall apart."
I drag my eyes away from them as they get sappy, the guy holding her tight and giving her soft kisses from behind. Gag me. I meet Ryker's surprised face. His eyebrows were higher than Sin used to be in class, and his cheeks were red. Not from embarrassment, but maybe just from shock. I think I broke my friend. "You did what now?"
"I gave her me. I felt like an idiot after."
Ryker shuffles closer, not wanting to give anyone around us too much more information about my quickly changing sex life. "But you never give in bed."
"I know."
"Do you regret it?" He whispers.
"Hell no," I scoff.
"Would you do it again?" He asks right after, almost cutting me off.
"In a heartbeat." I look him in the eye, dead serious. If Carter were to magically get my number and tell me to meet up with her and get her off right now I'd quit my job today.
"Did you like it?" He cheeses at me, snickering like a little girl whispering about her crush in first grade.
"Are your teeth fake?" I shoot back, mock snickering and entertaining him.
His smile drops, and his dark eyes flash at me in a warning manner. I put my hands up, shaking them and saying ooo. Giant teddy bears don't scare me. "No, but you must really think you're something," he deadpans. "I think you know what this is telling you."
I bite my lip, ignoring what my conscience is screaming at me. I'm trying to be in denial—it's not fair that I feel the way I do and she won't be returning it any time soon. I have to push all those gushy, sickening thoughts away from my heart. My eyes search the building for a distraction, anything to get her off of my mind.
Brunette, curly hair, straight hair, t-shirt, disaster...bingo. Red highlights was making her way back through the crowd, a pretty little smile on her face, her hand raised, the palm marked with black. Ryker spots her as well, a proud smugness to him. "Look at her. A new being." It's so easy to make friends at a bar, I swear I'm being thrust into the lives of everyone when I step into this place.
She nearly missed the seat when using a rail at the bottom of the stool, her foot slipping due to her miscalculation. "I got it!" She slurs, waving her hand at us before showing me properly, the seven digits written messily across her hand.
"Congratulations sweet pea," Ryker claps his hands to her, genuinely proud of the step into a new direction she just took. I just hope the guy has the same area code as the rest of us.
"He's taking you home," I jerk my head to the right, her slightly lazy eyes finding my friend. She shrugs her shoulders.
"Sounds great. You're the best, you two. Here." Her hand dives deep between her breasts, momentarily stunning Ryker and I. Was she about to flash us? It definitely wouldn't be the first time that's happened on shift. After a few seconds, I realized she was searching for something, rather than attempting to pull out her titties. She pulls out a wad of cash and splits it, not allowing us to see the amount just yet. Once she felt satisfied with how the folds looked, she extended her hands out to us. We pause. "Well," she temps, shaking the cash in front of us, "take it."
I reluctantly take the cash from her, not wanting to count anything until after my shift was over. I place it in the band of my underwear before taking her hand and pressing a small kiss on the inside of her wrist. "You're a dear."
"Baa," she giggles, making the wrong animal noise, but it's okay, I understand what she was trying to accomplish. "Okay big man," she turns to Ryker, who still hasn't taken the money. "I'll just stuff it somewhere safe and warm for you when you get me in your car." She winks at him.
"Sure," he rolls his eyes before backing up. "See you later, Storm," he slaps me on the back and walks through the little worker doors on the bottom. He scoops up our little red highlighted girl, and carries her out of the bar to safety. I scan the walkway for our boss, but he's nowhere to be found. Guess I'll just inform him later.
I get to work when the 10:00 rush comes in. Nothing but upperclassmen and gullible girls come on through at this time. These customers are the ones I hate the most because I'm either prying long, ratchet claws from around a girl's hair, escorting rowdy guys out, or cussing some kid that used a fake for entrance out because I see very clearly who's underage and who isn't. A little heads up for anyone sneaking in:
I'm not the cool guy.
I'll kick you out in the blink of an eye.
I was staring at some girl who was boring the hell out of me with her rich daddy issues before my savior arrived. She sat right next to the girl, stole my attention, placed a twenty on the table and told me to keep the change after I got her a beer. I push the twenty back, a cocky smirk on my face. "As if I need money from you, of all people."
She chuckles, making my smirk a bright smile. "Get me a drink please. I have a small celebrating on my to-do list."
"The occasion?" I ask, filling a gorgeous tulip glass with ale.
"Aced one of my tests," she flips her hair over her shoulder, the move stunning my senses momentarily. Fuck.
The girl that was boring me earlier clears her throat, breaking the free air between me and Carter, and dampening it all over again. We look her up and down simultaneously, my stare was out of agitation, while Carter's was of the same with...I glance back to her...mild jealousy. Interesting.
"You never made my drink," the girl purses her lips. It is when she said drink that I realized Carter's hair flip distracted me from the beer that's now spilling all over my hands from the tap.
"Shit," I curse, cursing more as I failed to lift the handle with slippery fingers. "I'm so sorry," I breathe nervously to both of them. I haven't spilled beer since I first started working here. I finally get it under control, and clean up Carter's glass with my apron before pushing it to her. I snatch a rag from a counter behind me, and clean my hands off. I look to the girl, "Sorry what drink?" I hadn't caught it earlier because I assumed she was still babbling about her father, not running an order to me.
"Cosmopolitan."
"Just how it is?" I ask her, and she nods her head, waiting patiently as I pour contents into a shaker. Liqueur, vodka, cranberry juice. I slice a lime in half and squeeze some of that in there as well before adding ice and shaking it all together with my right hand. With my left, I grab a cocktail glass and pour drink in it. I then slice another piece of the lime before placing it on the rim and pushing it to her.
She doesn't say anything, simply grabbing the alcohol and leaving to do whatever the hell she's doing next. Carter raises an eyebrow at me. "She's not even going to attempt to pay?"
I shrug my shoulders. "We're busy twenty-four seven. Her pocket change isn't hurting the club or me."
"You must make a lot, huh?" She takes a sip of her beer, the foam now gone so it doesn't coat her lips. She does, however, give a glorious sight of her tongue darting out to lick the excess off of her pretty top lip. I blink.
"Enough to make me content."
"How much do you make on average?" Her interest about my job shows clearly just as soon as a few order tickets come in. I start on the first one, another cosmo.
"What?" I challenge her, amused.
"How much do you make in a night?"
"I'm sorry," I pretend to falter, stopping to lean closer to her. "What kind of question was that?" There was a smile trying to breakout past my lips, but I wasn't allowing it just yet.
"Huh?"
"Sounds like an exclusivity question to me, Carter," I smack my teeth, acting as if I felt sorry for not being able to answer her question. She gives me a look. I cock my head, allowing myself to smile cheekily.
"You're not going to let me live it down, are you?"
"Nope."
She sighs before trying to explain again what I've heard already, "Carson—"
"I don't wanna hear it, seriously. No need to explain," I stop her with my hand, turning over the shaker.
"But—" I start shaking the contents within the shaker, the ice ramming against the metal was too loud for her to talk to me, and I knew she wasn't in the mood to yell.
I fully understand that she doesn't trust me enough to date me, and I'm fine with that. I'll wait for her if I have to, but I damn sure don't want to hear her tell me how much of a dick I've been and can be over and over again. The only thing it's going to do is piss me off, and that'll just send us stepping right on backwards...again.
Sometimes, she reminds me why I couldn't stand her in the first place. Right now, she's giving me more reasons to be a dick again. I really don't like anyone to nag me, let alone repeat themselves. I don't need an alarm clock. I have a conscience. I know the shit I've done. And...I told her when I started feeling this way that I needed time.
Some days, I tell her I want her because in that moment, she's exactly where I want to be.
Other days, I get scared. Today is one of those days. Last night scared the absolute shit out of me, and thinking of it again is giving me goosebumps. My hand lifts on its own agenda, reaching to soothe the back of my neck. I sigh, and direct my attention back to her, noticing now her outfit. Her usual. Casual, but risky clothes.
"No bra. Kill me," I mumble under my breath. She didn't acknowledge my words since they were too low for her to hear. She continues to sip her beer quietly, staring off as I admire her shamefully. Her t-shirt wasn't second skin to her body, but it was fitted enough to show the outline of her flesh and the pressure of her nipples poking at the fabric.
Fuck her.
"So what's new, how's your day been?" She snaps back to me, setting her beer down in front of her. Besides being bored out of my mind in morning lectures and getting yelled at by my dean, it was decent.
"Ni's case is seventy percent done." All thanks to you, I wanted to add, but it was definitely too much, and she didn't deserve any more compliments for the next week or so after yesterday.
"You looked through the envelope?" She perks up, more than ready to talk about the case of her dead ex-roomie. I narrow my eyes at her, wondering if Ni possibly being murdered was just her bad luck from rooming with Carter. I hope I'm not next.
"Yeah," I set the rest of the drinks I've mad onto a tray with each of the receipts underneath them. "Crazy shit."
"Like?" She coaxes.
"There were logs. Dates, times, locations, and dollar amounts. I think she was a supplier," I explain my thoughts. There were really big transactions that throughout the weeks she logged reduced to smaller ones. To me, it seemed like she'd buy a shipment, which would be the big transactions, and then break it off to others, giving her the smaller ones.
Of course this is just a theory until I can put all the puzzle pieces together. Maya is working to collect all the inner shit.
Carter ponders on this, her eyebrows drawing together and relaxing before tensing right back up as different thoughts crossed her mind. "Are you sure she was a supplier?"
"Not really," I chew on my inner lip, thinking about different possibilities. "Why?"
"I feel like maybe she was more of a dealer? I didn't look in the envelope, but I'm sure she couldn't have been supplying if she was in school majority of the time," she voices slowly, her words coming out as the thoughts are being processed.
"I didn't know there was a difference between supplier and dealer."
"Depends I guess," she gives me an 'I don't really know myself' kind of face. "Can I look over the logs with you later?"
"Hell yeah. I'd take some help from you." This makes her smile.
"You look pretty," she compliments me not so smoothly, her eyes lingering on my chest. "The pattern makes you look wider, scarier...sexier." Her confidence has tiptoed into our chat. I glance down at my plaid shirt. I felt that I looked the same.
"Thanks?"
She didn't verbalize it, but by the curve of her lips, she was telling me I was very welcome. "So you got an A on both tests?"
"Business," she corrects, deciding to take a long sip of her beer, already finished with most of the glass. "I haven't gotten my stats grade yet."
"Congrats," I applaud her, a genuine smile on my face. I bite my lip, leaning closer to her, my voice dropping a few decibles as more memories of last night flood my brain again. "Now where's my praise for tonguing that sweet pussy?"
She blushes immediately. My teeth sink deeper into my bottom lip as I try not to beam at her reaction. Her hazel eyes dart to each of my cheeks, seeing my dimples. "I hate you," she breathes.
"I'm waiting..." I tap my wrist as if I had a clock resting on it, clicking my tongue to push her to give me the thanking I craved. Don't get me wrong, I don't need praise for last night because having her thighs trapping me and her vagina clamping around my fingers and tongue was more than enough gratitude. It was just fun seeing her squirm as she's forced to relive what happened all over again. Her nipples press against her shirt more firmly.
I love turning her on.
"Thank you," she rushes out, her chest rising and falling beautifully as she breathes in more deeply.
"For?" I taunt her, receiving a dirty look soon after.
"For doing what you did last night."
"And remind me what I did, I seem to have forgotten, Honey," I push even more, wanting her to say the words like I had said them. I wanted to hear the filth from her very own lips.
"For eating me out," she spit out the words quickly, not wanting to linger on the topic. I roll my eyes.
"For dipping my tongue deep into your sweet ass pussy until you came all over me," I say bluntly. She chastises me, ducking down a bit to try and avoid any gazes of those ear hustling. No one was paying attention anyway. "We're working on your vulgarity."
"Do you have any tests coming up?" She looks up at me innocently, but I saw through it.
"Why? Want to return the favor?"
Before she could answer, Ryker joins back with us, his face flushed. Did something go wrong with red highlights? Carter and I share a look, but he never explains what happened. "The girl's fine. I'll tell you what's up later," he reassures me. "Hey Rainy."
She waves.
Ryker pulls out his phone and unlocks it before sliding it across the top to me. I look down at whatever is he wants to show me.
Ken: help me.
Ken: ...I need you
Ryker shrugs. "I'm leaving." With that, he grabs his phone, and disappears.
___