I push off the wall and weave through the crowd. Before I make it to the bar, a hand wraps around my arm and stops me. I turn to see a slightly younger, pretty brunette. Her smile lifts some of my weighted thoughts.
“Want to dance?” she shouts as her other hand grabs the opposite arm.
The distraction she could provide has me agreeing without hesitation. Music swims around us as she swings her hips left and right. Ass pressed against my groin, hands over her head. I grab her hips and tug her impossibly closer. Close my eyes. Get lost in the rhythm, her body plastered to mine. Her head tips to the side and I press my lips to the spot beneath her ear.
Fingers comb through the back of my hair and fist the strands. With a slight shift, she lifts her lips to mine. My hands glide across her body, fingers splayed on her belly. A moan rumbles from her mouth and vibrates my chest.
In the middle of the dance floor, I mouth fuck this woman. Taste sweet strawberries on her tongue. Inhale the floral scent on her skin. Graze her heated skin as she spins to face me and I slide a hand up her back until I fist the hair at her nape.
I love and loathe everything about this woman.
No doubt, she is beautiful. I love her bravery and extroversion. How she takes what she wants and doesn’t shy away from it. How she owns who she is and flaunts her charm. Her boldness turns me on more than anything.
But… she isn’t my type.
It is no secret, I love blondes. Don’t get me wrong, there is room for every woman in my world. But the women I find most attractive all look the same. They all look like Peyton.
Fuck my life for realizing this while I kiss another woman.
I break the kiss and hate myself for my wayward thoughts. “I have to work.” She tilts her head with narrowed eyes. “Club manager.”
She pushes out her lower lip and makes weepy eyes. Damn, she is cute. I resist the urge to lean in and suck her lip.
“We were having so much fun,” she says.
Yes, we were. “And we can have more fun later, if you want. But it’ll have to wait until after close.”
Leaning in, she presses a chaste kiss to my lips. “I’m good with that.”
I take a step back and run my hands down her arms until I reach her hands. Another step back. “Catch me later. Either behind the bar or wandering the club.”
She winks and I walk off. The brunette may not be my first choice, but I will never turn down a beautiful woman who pursues me.
As I near the bar, I spot Peyton talking with the guy again. All smiles and laughter. It pisses me the hell off. Time to cut the rope. She may know him, but I don’t give a fuck.
When Peyton sees me, her spine stiffens and she steps away from the guy. Perfect.
I insert myself between the guy and the customer at the bar beside him. “Hey, man.” Slowly, he faces me. “You know Peyton?”
The smug bastard smirks. “Yeah, we go way back.” He doesn’t elaborate and I grind my molars.
“Great,” I mumble with a layer of cynicism. “Then I’m sure she’s told you how busy this place gets.” He cocks a brow, but doesn’t respond otherwise. “And that she needs to focus on paying customers.”
He lifts a tumbler of Jack to his lips and sips it. “Yep. Last I checked, I paid for this drink. So…”
Who the hell is this guy? My fingers curl into fists at my sides. In and out, I breathe deep and remind myself of where I am and the position I hold. The last thing I need is to lose my shit over a woman who mind-fucks me four days a week. The last thing I need is to lose my job over defending said woman who royally hates me.
“So… as one of the managers, I ask you to not hoard my staff when she has a job to do.”
He glances down the bar where Peyton pours and blends drinks faster than Adam and Kaylynn combined. “Seems like she has everything under control, boss man.” He sips his drink behind a smug grin.
Don’t know who this fucker is, but he grates my last nerve each time his lips part. “Yes, unless she’s over here talking with you. So, do me a favor, friend. Let her do what she’s getting paid to do. Her job.”
I push off the bar and turn to walk away. But his words stop me. “Oh, I’ll let her do her job. Now… and later tonight.” I grind my molars, but don’t face him. “Cheers, boss man.”
For the next hour, I occupy my mind with paperwork in the office. Yes, coming in here is a pussy move. But if I didn’t step away and calm down, things would get ugly. Real quick. If I dive headfirst into a different task, the distraction will help extinguish the fire in my blood.
Calm and collected, I head back out to the club. I make my rounds and settle in behind the bar between Adam and Kaylynn. One song blends into another and the drinks flow easily. Peyton and I keep our distance, but she never leaves my sight. Neither does her friend at the end of the bar.
As closing time nears, the crowd thins. The brunette from the dance floor sips a strawberry daiquiri twenty feet from the bar. Adam and Kaylynn start the bar closing cleanup while Peyton preps to leave. Friday and Saturday nights, the three of them rotate who stays past close. And tonight, Peyton leaves early.
Finished with her tasks, she lifts the bar flap and heads down the hall to get her things. Before I walk after her, she reappears and loops her arms with him. I stare after them as they head for the exit.
My eyes still on them, everything turns red when he peers over his shoulder, meets my gaze and winks with a smug smirk on his lips.
And then, they vanish. A chill blankets me as I question if Peyton actually does know him. Or did she just leave with a strange man? A man who seemed all too eager.
The protector in me wants to run outside and chase after them. To tell Peyton not to leave with some random guy who claims to know her. But I don’t. Can’t. Instead, I stay put and finish my routine tasks.
When I leave, it is with a brunette on my arm. A woman I don’t want to spend time with, but will, in order to distract myself from the woman I want but can’t have.