“I don’t think he is. He just doesn’t understand her.”
“You need to stay out of it. Tell Sara you’re there if she needs you and then avoid that Archer guy like the plague.” Cato takes his last sip of wine and pushes it to me for a refill.
“Maybe.” I can’t explain why I’m drawn to Archer. It’s not logical, but I know Cato’s right. I should butt out. Instead, I change the subject so I don’t have to think about it anymore. “What’s going on with you?”
“Brooks asked me to go by the fish market to bathe a box of flea infested kittens today.” He smiles softly. “It’s kind of cute how he takes in all these strays.”
“I think you have a little crush.” I joke.
“Whatever. He’s not gay. He’s divorced. With kids,” he emphasizes.
“You never know.”
“With Brooks, I know.” But he can’t hide the tiny little hearts in his eyes. My poor friend, chasing the unattainable.
“You want to come dancing tonight? I’m in the mood to forget about the stack of paperwork and shake my ass.” I turn around and bend over to do a little twerk.
“You know it. I’ll go home and change now. Be back around ten?”
“Perfect.” I spin, feeling a bit lighter now that I know a night of fun is ahead of me.
I work alone for the next few hours, well, not including Duke who’s in the back putting together the few food items we offer. It’s been a busy night and by the time Sara arrives for her shift, I’m glad to have a second set of hands for a while before things slow down and I can escape next door to hang out with Cato.
“Hey, honey. How are you?” I ask as I pass by to deliver a glass of wine to a table.
“Good,” she replies. That’s her go-to answer. Everything’s always good, even if I know it’s not.
I make it back to her side by the time she clocks in and ties her black apron around her waist.
“Sorry about today. I didn’t mean to butt in.”
“It’s okay. Really. I should’ve told him what happened. I just knew he’d be upset,” she says dejectedly. She looks out over the bar, assessing each patron, predicting what they might want next. It’s what makes her such a good employee. Always on top of my customer’s needs.
“It was your story to tell. Jax should’ve kept his mouth shut.” I grab a knife and a small cutting board so I can prepare enough garnishes for the rest of the night. “Were things okay after I left?”
“Yeah, fine.”
“He’s not going to hunt me down and kill me, right?” I joke.
“No. I know he puts up a big front, but he’s really a giant teddy bear.”
“I’ll take your word for it. Listen, I’m heading to the club now.” I scoop up a handful of candied lemons and put them in a container. “If you need me, text.”
“Yeah. Sure,” she says, but she’s chewing on the inside of her cheek.
I place a hand on her forearm. “Anything you need. Ever.”
“I know, Kian. Thank you.” She looks down uncomfortably.
I say goodbye to a couple regulars and walk next door. I enter through the back tonight, hiding from everyone until Cato arrives. Despite not wanting to delve into paperwork, I get lost in timecards until a knock sounds on my office door.
“I thought we were dancing?” Cato’s head pops in. He’s covered in body glitter and has on his signature ultra-glossy lips.
“We are. Just doing payroll. For some reason, they like being paid every two weeks.” I roll my eyes.
“Silly people. Let’s go!”
“I’ll change and meet you down there.” I motion to my casual attire.
“Okay. See you in a minute.”
I step into the adjoining bathroom and assess the outfits I always keep on hand for the nights I want to party and not work. I hold out a short-sleeved button-down that has a red and black rose pattern on half the shirt and solid black on the other. I pair it with perfectly tailored black slacks and black loafers. It’s darker than my usual outfits, but my mood matches, so I find my black eyeliner and smudge it into my lower lash line to fit with the theme. I lengthen my lashes with some mascara and apply a clear gloss to my lips.
Perfect.
I meet Cato downstairs where we order fruity shots and some specialty drink my bartender has come up with.
“Cheers, bitch.” Cato holds his shot glass up. “To us.”
“To us.” I clink his glass and shoot.
From here, things get fuzzy. We dance. A lot. Grinding on each other, on whoever steps up to us, and on the wall when the other has found someone else to dance with. There are more shots, more drinks, and an insane amount of debauchery. It’s a black-out kind of night and I don’t fight it.
By one in the morning, I’m seeing double and I know it’s time to go home. I dig through the crowd until I find Cato flirting with my bartender, Keith. I wonder if I should tell him not to waste his time. Keith is straight.
“I’m going to head out,” I slur.
Cato looks from me to Keith, wondering where his loyalty should lie right now. His dick or me. I don’t fill him in on the attractive bartender’s sexuality, so he doesn’t try and follow me home. I need to stumble my ass home and crash. I don’t need him to babysit.
“Stay. I’ll be fine.” I assure him.
“Really? I’m okay to leave if you want me to walk home with you.”
“No, it’s okay. Promise.”
Cato hugs me. “Call me tomorrow.”
“You know it.”
I push through the crowd until I’m outside. The air is chilly, but I’m hot and sweaty, so it feels amazing. I know, as a business owner, I should stay and help close up. But that’s what my managers are for. I never wanted to be married to my business, only have a friendship. I’ll be there every day for it, but I also need to have a life outside of the responsibilities.
I stumble my way home, my mind reverting to the grumpy man I spent my morning with. I can’t get him out. Not even top shelf liquor could erase how terribly things went. He wasn’t listening to me earlier. He dismissed my take on the situation simply because I haven’t been around Sara’s whole life like he has.
I have valid opinions, dammit. Everyone knows that about me. Maybe I need to tell him everyone in this town uses me as a sounding board and values my opinions. Surely, he’d feel differently about me.
Genius plan.
I pull my phone from my back pocket and find Archer’s contact info. In the process, I trip over a crack in the sidewalk. I stumble but regain my balance before I crash to the ground. This is too dangerous.
I find a curb and take a seat. Much safer. I click on his number and listen as the phone rings. He doesn’t pick up until the fifth ring, when I’m certain his voicemail is going to kick on.
“Hello.” His voice is gruff and sleepy… and sexy. Really sexy.
My dick grows painfully hard. How am I going to get this all out when he has a growly bedroom voice?
Abort mission. I hang up.
Archer
The call ends and I pull it away to see who it was. My eyes are blurry from sleep. I blink until my vision clears. Kian? Why is he calling me at one in the morning? My mind and body jolt awake. Sara. Something happened with Sara.