Tony slides over to me, but he is a little too close for comfort. Again, I catch Jake glaring at him. Tony notices this as well and bends down to whisper in my ear, “Your dad is being a real pain in the ass today.”
I cringe at his words. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. He’s just looking out for me. That’s all.”
At that point, Jessie decides to make her presence known. “So which of you handsome young gentleman is going to buy me a drink?”
I roll my eyes at her with a smirk. She’s always so forward.
Tony, anxious to get the mood up, is quick to make the offer. “I’ll get you one.” He looks down at my glass. “Do you want another?”
Glancing down, I realize that my drink is almost empty. When did that happen?
Jake looks down towards my glass, his eyes widening slightly. “You do have work tomorrow.”
I glance up at him and flutter my eyelashes. “Well, I wouldn’t want to upset the boss, now would I?”
He blushes at my comment, and I think I turn the same color after I realize it must have sounded like I was flirting with him.
“That’s exactly what we’re here for. This is the time to let your hair down before going back to the grind. I’ll get you another.”
I smile. “Thanks, Tony.”
The drinks and conversation are soon circulating, and by my fourth gin and tonic, the music seems to be getting louder. “Don’t You Worry Child” comes blaring through the speakers, and Jessie gives a little whoop. I laugh as she bounces over, tugging at my arm. “We’re going dancing, girl!”
I try to resist, but she’s exceptionally strong for such a small girl. Hell, I don’t really want to resist anyway. The drinks are flowing, making me brave. So, without another thought, I get up and start dancing. After a while, I can’t stop laughing.
Remembering where Jake is, I glance over and see all the men propped up at the bar, watching us. My eyes land on Jake’s intense stare straight away. It’s so hypnotic that I almost falter. Instead, I suck in another much-needed breath and give him a cheeky smile.
Boy, I am getting courageous! I have now flirted with him twice in one evening.
I carry on dancing without a care when Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” follows after.
As if in sync with each other, Jessie and I start swaying our hips to the beat. One of the guys from work, James, can’t seem to resist the fun and glides over, starting to gyrate behind Jessie. He’s another good-looking detective, who reminds me of a young Denzel Washington. I would never actually tell him that as he may start getting a big head. He may also think I’m coming on to him, and James doesn’t need any encouragement in that department.
Suddenly, two hands land on my hips, and I’m shocked by the unwelcome feeling of a crotch pushing into me from behind. I turn to face whoever it is. I expect to see Tony, so I’m shocked to discover that it’s a man I have never met before. The guy has spiky, dark blond hair and a silly drunken grin on his face. He finally takes his eyes off my body long enough to make eye contact. “Hey, sexy. Mind if I dance with you?”
My once happy, carefree mood suddenly vanishes. Who does he think he is? “Actually, I do mind. Would you please get your hands off me?”
He has the nerve to look angry with me, so I try pushing his hands away, but he just grips me harder. “Don’t try to fight me off, lady. You really think you can dance like that and expect no one to come and join you?”
I try to wriggle myself away from him when spiky blond guy is suddenly yanked off me by the scruff of his neck. In his place, I see Jake with Tony and a bunch of other guys from work surrounding him.
Tony is fuming. “You get your fucking hands off her, asshole!”
Spiky blond guy raises his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll go. I thought she was fair game after the way she was advertising that fine ass of hers.” He proceeds to give me an almost predatory leer which travels the length of my body from head to toe before daring to go back up again. For a cornered creep, he sure is being thorough! Seeing this, both Jake and Tony move to grab him when Sam’s voice is heard from across the room. “Hey, guys, wait a second! Please don’t do this in my bar. Take it outside if you need to. Just not in here, okay?”
I move my head over at Jessie, who is staring with her mouth wide open. I’m sure I must look just as shocked to her.
Shaking it off, I run over to Jake and Tony, placing a hand on each of their chests. The electrical jolt which passes through me when I make contact with Jake has me spellbound. I can’t help but stare into his eyes for a second. He stares back, making an ever-so-slight gasp as if he feels it too. I sense Tony’s gaze swinging from me to Jake and back again.
Remembering where I am, I snap myself out of it and finally find my words. “It may be best if we leave now. Don’t you think, Jake?”
He glares at spiky blond guy, who is finally retreating. Once he’s satisfied, he looks down at me with a nod.
I wave my hands around absentmindedly. “Okay, guys. Everything’s back to normal. Nothing to see here,” I state with a less than dignified slur, which naturally triggers laughter from strangers and coworkers alike.
Hmm, I do believe I’m rather drunk right now. With a shrug and a smile, I walk over to Jessie and give her a hug.
“Wow. That was intense! I thought they were all going to start pissing around you for a minute there.”
I smack her arm, giggling my ass off. “Jessie, that’s disgusting! I’m going home before I can cause any more trouble. How are you getting back? Do you have a ride?”
Jessie smiles back. “Yes, I have it covered. Michael promised me a ride home. He said he wasn’t drinking.”
I give her a kiss on the cheek and say my goodbyes. I hug Tony last and thank him. He holds onto me a little longer than is strictly necessary, so I have to pry him off me in the end.
“See you tomorrow, beautiful,” Tony says, winking at me and taking one last chance to touch me by patting my arm.
I turn and find Jake waiting for me by the door. “Okay. See you tomorrow!” I shout back.
We head on out, and before long, I’m greeted by a blast of fresh air. I wobble on my feet, stumbling a bit. Jake reaches down to steady me, and that surge of electricity begins to flow again—stronger than ever. I look into his eyes and am both surprised and disconcerted to see the uncomfortable frown he’s giving me..
I work to quickly pull myself together, since it seems obvious that he doesn’t want to touch me. “How are we getting home?”
He initially answers with a perplexed look on his face. “I only had the one beer. I can drive us.” I nod my head in acknowledgement. I hadn’t paid any attention to how much he had been drinking, since I had been quite busy dancing my ass off with Jessie.
Jake opens the door and makes sure I’m in before walking around to the driver’s side.
He starts the car, his eyes downcast for a minute. “Apparently, you needed protection tonight after all—just from a different source. You seem to have a bad habit of attracting trouble.”
Jake’s sudden and insensitive observation stuns me, causing pain to flare in my gut as I am unexpectedly forced to remember my stepfather.