“You should say yes,” Tori whispers in my ear from behind, startling me.

My cheeks heat from being caught peeking at Kase. I shake my head, loading my tray with empty bottles and follow her behind the bar. He's not too heartbroken from me saying no. “I’m sure he’s moved on,” I say with snark in my voice. Her lips quirk up as she finds this whole thing entertaining. My mom once told me that men do things just to get a reaction from you. If you’re able to control your action, you’ll always win. But I’m having a hard time controlling anything when I’m around him.

“He’s doing it to make you jealous. Those girls” —she motions to the guys’ table where three girls surround them— “he’s talking to them, but he’s not touching them. And he’s sneaking glances as much as you are. You’re crazy to say no to that.”

If dreams are a predictor of reality, I am crazy. He’s crept into them every night for the past week, leaving me craving more when I'm awake. I’ve been late twice this week to school because if I close my eyes for a little longer, I’ll see him again. I’m tired, sexually frustrated, and irritated he has this much control over my body and I just met the man.

“You’re right.” She stops mid-pour, holding the vodka bottle up, waiting for me to continue. “I need to let loose. It’s just shy of a year since Steve. That has to be why I’m so flustered, right? I need sex.”

She snorts out a laugh. “Maybe you’re flustered because you like him. Although, who am I to say no to a one-night stand. Have you seen his hands? What those strong, thick fingers—” 

“Okay.” I hold up my palm for her to stop talking. “First, I don’t like him. I don’t even know him. Second…” I stare up at the ceiling, not sure if I want to touch the last part. “You have Mr. Silver, so stop gawking at other men and their fingers.” She shrugs at my laughter.

“I’m not dead,” she retorts. “And you can’t miss him. He’s the quiet giant and not like most guys who have that much muscle. Most won’t shut up about themselves or what workout they did that day.”

He is definitely different. I peek over at him. Our eyes catch and he winks, a cocky smile playing on his lips. Damn it! I smile, but quickly turn my body. Tori flashes a shit-eating grin. “Shut up,” I say, walking out from behind the bar again.

Even if I could follow through with a one-night stand, how would I even go about doing it? I’m not going to go up to him and slide into his lap, whispering “I want you” in his ear. I roll my eyes at the image. Who does that? Not this girl.

I pass Tori on the floor and she says, “You’re welcome.” Despite her happiness to help, I stare at her walking away with an exaggerated hip swing, scared at what she did. I hesitate to look, but I end up peeking over at Kase's table. Everything appears normal. Five guys that stand out in the crowd with girls eating up every word that comes out of their mouth.

“Hey Ell, can I get another,” Dale, a regular, holds up his empty glass.

“You got it.”

As I'm pouring his scotch, a new song comes on the jukebox. I clamp my lips together. She did not play this. I scan the room and when I find her, she wiggles her brows, a smug expression glowing. The song, “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” by Big and Rich fills the room and I question how long she took to find a fitting song. I glance at the forgotten scotch. Liquid hits the brim of the glass, Dale gets a two for one this time. I sense Kase’s eyes on me, wondering if I played this song. Do I take this orchestrated chance and run with it, or pretend it was a coincidence? Taking in a deep breath, I blow it out, lift my head, standing tall and confident, and meet his gaze. He looks at me with a bemused smile. Which, I return with a soft laugh and end our gaze with a bite of my lip. 

 The song continues to play for the next three minutes. Three minutes of every single nerve-ending in my body tingling with tiny electric shocks wondering if he’s imagining me riding him. Which makes simple jobs, namely walking with one drink in hand, difficult.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I say, toweling off the guy’s shirt. Tori better be enjoying the show because this is her fault. I’m beyond flustered, and this damn song won’t ever end. I glance up to the ceiling, does she freaking have it on repeat?

The over-stimulated air is choking me, and I've had all I can take. A drop of sweat trickles between my breasts as I walk out the back door. My body slumps against the dark grey brick building, and I take a few cleansing breaths. When the door swings open, I jump. A flurry of butterflies in the pit of my stomach erupt at the sight of Kase. My gaze sweeps up his muscular body as he saunters over.

“Tori told me you might be out here.”

“Of course she did,” I mutter.

His brow shoots up, and he points to the door. “I can go inside if you want me to.” Instead of waiting for me to answer, he takes two steps closer moving within inches of me. “But I’d rather stay,” he rasps. I can feel every line in the bricks against my back as my breathing speeds up. He leans over, the warmth of his breath tickles my ear. “Tell me you want me to stay.” His smell is so intoxicating, my mouth is suddenly parched.

“Stay,” I whisper.

His hands move to the brick wall on both sides of my head. “I like your song choice.” 

The idea of him taking me in the dark parking lot, fucking me like he did in my dreams, has heat tingling between my legs. I shift my weight from foot to foot, trying to put out that fire. This is not me. I don’t understand the intense visceral reaction I have to him.

The door opens again, Tori sticks her head out. “Oh. Sorry.” She winces as we both turn our heads her direction. “I was just checking on you. Carry on.” She smiles, slipping inside. I lean my head against the wall, closing my eyes for a second to calm my racing pulse. The interruption brings me back to reality.

“I… I should get back to work.” My words come out breathy and I bite my lip to stop myself from looking more desperate. And I thought the air inside was suffocating. He grins and does a slow nod, taking a step away from me. I want to reach for him and pull him back. “You should walk me home tonight,” I murmur.

So much for not looking desperate. 

His smile turns downward as his whole body stiffens. The abrupt change in his demeanor makes me stand taller. The desire in his eyes washes away, replaced with irritation. If I wasn’t against the wall, I’d retreat backward.

“So, you won’t go out with me, but you’ll fuck me?” he snaps. “How many other men are you screwing, Ellie?”

My mouth gapes open and I’m at a loss for words as warning bells go off. Snapping it shut, I cross my arms over my chest, noticing his eyes flick to my cleavage before returning. Oh, you want this, asshole? Well, it’s the closest you’ll get to seeing them because the last thing I need in my life right now is a jealous psycho.

I grumble. “You know…” I pause to find the right words, holding up my finger. Nope, there are no correct words. “Forget this ever happened.” I slide passed him and stride to the door, not looking back as it slams behind me. The nerve of him. What the hell was he offering coming on to me like that. Coffee? ‘I like your choice in song.’ Yeah, sounds like it.

I slam a shot glass on the bar and fill it with tequila, ignoring Tori’s quizzical expression. I wince once the hot liquid coats my throat. Most of the time, I'd have a chaser, but I welcome the burn, in the hope that it takes my mind off how much I looked like a fool.

“Um… I’m guessing there was no hot sex.”

I turn and glare at her, shooting darts with my eyes. “Oh, no,” I snicker. “There won’t be any hot sex. He should be happy he still has a dick to have sex. But it won’t be with me when he does.” I pour another drink and swallow it in one gulp. A drop of liquid runs down my chin and I wipe it with the back of my hand. “That guy doesn’t know what the hell he wants. He goes from hot in the pants to hot in the head in an instant.” I snap my fingers and then begin to pour another drink, but Tori grabs it out of my hand, shaking her head.

“Not a good idea, Ell.”

“You want to talk about ideas,” I say, sarcastically, the Tequila already giving me the desired effect. Numbness. “The one you had with that song, was perfect. Next time, make sure the guy is sane before you tell him I want to ride him.” My voice carries and a few guys at the bar listen. “Oh, good. I can ask you guys. If a girl, like me, suggested meeting after work, what would you say?” I throw my arms out.

They all mumble, “Hell yeahs.”

“It’s time for a break,” Tori says, wrapping her arm around my waist and pulling me to the office. She yells at one of the other bartenders we’ll be back. She pushes me into a chair. The adrenaline from the rejection fades, leaving me light-headed from the Tequila. I fall forward leaning on my knees, hiding my face. “What the hell happened, Ell? When I left you, you both seemed rather comfortable.”

I moan. “I’m a slut.” When Tori laughs out loud, I lift my head, giving her an icy glare.

“You are a far cry from a slut, sweet pea.”

“Well, Kase thinks so. I mean, I threw myself at him, so he’s not too far off.”

“He called you a slut?” she snaps.

I sit up and exhale. “Not in those exact words, but when a guy asks you how many other guys you’re screwing, it’s implied.”

Her eyes widen and she holds up a finger. “Be right back.”

I jump off the chair, grabbing her shirt before she can leave. “Noooo. Just let it be. Please?”

“Fine. But if I accidentally pour a drink in his lap, don’t be surprised.” I smile and nod, knowing how hard it’ll be for her to hold her tongue.

I hang out in the office for half an hour, snacking on peanuts, trying to get rid of the tipsy feeling. Tori reports that Kase never came back and the rest of Max’s guys left too. I’m at least thankful for that. It makes it easier to return to work without meeting his blue eyes all night, reminding me how humiliated I am. An hour before closing, only a few people are still here, so I tell Tori I’m taking off. The new guy is still here, so she doesn’t need me.

Stepping outside, I glance to the spot Kase and I were standing. I’ve replayed the scene in my head a hundred times tonight, wondering where it went wrong. His eyes were dark and needy, so I know he wanted me too. What changed? What did I say wrong?

Feet shuffling against the pavement and movement startle me. I scan the dark lot, chills creep up my spine. Someone jumps on me, knocking me to the ground. Hands wrap around my neck, my screams come out raspy instead of loud. I kick and hit any part of the man’s body I can connect with, but each second that passes, my body gets heavier from lack of air.

One second I’m fighting for my life, the next, the guy is being yanked off me and thrown against the wall. I hear his grunts and cries, but I’m too busy gasping for air to call for help. Whoever saved me is beating the shit out of the guy behind a car. When he stands, he glances my way, and I’m frozen in place by a pair of familiar blue eyes.

Kase.