Chapter Four
It had been a long day, longer than any Jennifer had ever known. In the course of one day, she’d been fired, dumped, and then hired. A flash of a searing hot kiss came to mind, but she quickly pushed the thought away.
“Is that everything?” Crystal said, and placed the last of the beer mugs into the sink.
The other woman had pushed Jennifer to the limit tonight, but it seemed less to do with being mean and more that they really did need help. Doing all the serving was just too much for one person. It wasn’t like they had major rushes, but they did get some people in.
Maybe Crystal was a tad bossy, but most of the time she seemed more like the boss than the two men who actually owned the place. It was clear she’d had more than her fill of the bar, and even more so the men.
Jennifer stared at her for a moment and then glanced to the table in the back. Eric sat with his face down, and it was obvious he was sleeping.
“Almost,” she said.
Crystal sighed loudly. “Look, I don’t have all night,” she said. “My ride comes in five minutes, and if I’m not ready, he’ll leave.”
“I’ll take you,” Patrick said.
He slid into the seat at the front of the bar nearest to them. His reddish hair and boyish smile made her heart melt a little.
Crystal frowned. “Oh, because that’s going to go over well,” she said. “You think Tommy is going to be fine with that?”
For the first time since she’d met him, his face clouded over, and his mouth formed a tight, thin line.
“I don’t give a shit what Tommy is fine with,” he said. His eyes were fixed firmly on Crystal, and the air sizzled with tension.
Crystal froze. She’d turned her back to him, but the lines of tension in her neck were clearly visible.
“Don’t,” she said quietly.
Jennifer stared between the two of them. It felt like she’d stepped into something much bigger than she could ever guess.
The roar of a motorcycle cut through the air. Crystal turned to the door, her face a strange mix of anxiety and longing.
“Shit,” she said, and quickly sprayed off the mugs.
“I can finish,” Jennifer said before she even knew what was coming out of her mouth.
The blonde woman turned to look at her with clear relief in her eyes. It made Jennifer worry. What kind of man could bring out that level of panic? She wanted to help, but was she really just letting the woman go to a man who might beat her or something? Surely, Patrick would step in if that were the case.
A harsh breeze swept through the room when the door opened. Jennifer felt her mouth drop open as the model waiter from earlier stepped in. Their eyes met from across the room, and she couldn’t help the smile that came.
“Tommy,” Crystal said.
Tommy strolled to the bar and took a seat next to Patrick, who clearly didn’t want his company. Without a word to anyone, Patrick sneered at the man and stood. He took one last hard look at Crystal before he stormed out of the bar.
“I see your sneak-out plan didn’t take you very far,” Tommy said, ignoring Patrick’s temper tantrum.
Jennifer’s heart fluttered a little. He was far more handsome than she’d remembered from earlier.
“I needed a drink,” she said with a smile. “Instead, I got a job.”
Tommy let out a bark of laughter. “Sounds like my life.”
She jumped at the sound of dishes being knocked around in the sink. When she turned, she was surprised to see Eric behind her.
“Crystal, you go ahead,” he said. His speech wasn’t as slurred as she would have expected after drinking as much as he had.
Tommy followed his movements. “You can’t keep doing this.”
Eric pinned him with a hard look. “You’re one to talk.”
The two men glared at each other before Crystal pushed past Eric.
“Let’s go,” she said with a bright smile so forced it seemed like it might crack at any moment.
Jennifer looked between the two men and Crystal. It was clear they all knew each other, but, for whatever reason, had bad blood.
Tommy broke the stare and shook his head. “Whatever, man,” he sighed. “Not my problem.”
Crystal winced and pulled at Tommy.
“Let’s go,” she said quietly.
Tommy stood firmly in place as Crystal tried to usher him to the door. He pulled out his wallet and flipped a card on the bar near her.
“Why don’t you come see me sometime?” He winked.
She could hear Eric breathing hard behind her but ignored the sound.
Jennifer frowned. “At the restaurant?”
Tommy snorted. “I was thinking my second job. Address is on the card,” he said, and leaned closer to her. Seduction oozed from every pore. “Phone number is on the back. My cell.”
She blushed and grabbed the card from the counter.
Lorenzo’s Ladies Club.
She nearly choked on the gasp that came out. When she looked up, Tommy and Crystal were at the door.
The door clacked shut behind them, and she felt her anxiety rise. She wasn’t afraid of Eric as much as she likely should be. She was more afraid of what might happen. He was a live wire, and with the way this day had been going, she didn’t know if she could handle him.
Jennifer turned to look at him. “He’s a stripper?”
Eric’s eyes were still trained on the door when he nodded.
“Don’t take him too seriously,” Eric said. His gaze moved back to her, and she felt a shiver creep in.
Jennifer blushed. She didn’t know if she could take herself seriously going to a place like that. Just the thought of her in a strip club didn’t really fit in her mind. Maybe her friend Candice but never her.
“Are you finished?” Eric rumbled. He was standing slightly too close to her, and his deep voice struck something in her.
Jennifer swallowed the lump that had formed and tried to find her voice.
“Hey, Jen,” he said, and nudged her. “You okay?”
She turned to look at him. No one called her Jen. All her life she’d been Jennifer. For some reason the silly nickname both irritated and made her heart skip a little. It was a strange mixture of emotions.
“I, um…” She swallowed again. This close she could see just how dark his eyes were. They were almost the same color as his pupils.
She nearly laughed, thinking that they had been kissing earlier, and yet only now was she seeing the color of his eyes.
They stared at each other for a moment. As much as she tried to avoid it, her gaze dropped to his mouth. It was hard not to think about how good he had been and what a bad idea it was for her to want to pick up where they left off.
“I could take you home,” he said. His voice was deeper than before and made her insides tingle with anticipation.
Her gaze flew back up to his eyes. Jennifer was sure he would take her home and likely anywhere else that she wanted to go, but that would be the end of it. It wasn’t like he was exactly the kind of guy she could bring to meet her parents or that he would even want to. She suspected that as soon as he was done with his latest conquest, he moved on to the next.
That was how men like him operated. Men who were used to getting any woman they wanted. Men who had women throwing themselves at them.
Well, that wasn’t her. Jennifer pushed back from the bar and stepped away. The first thing she needed was some distance.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said. Her voice was a little shakier than she would have liked, but there wasn’t much to help that.
Eric gave a lazy smile that spoke of nothing but confidence.
“Maybe it would be a great idea,” he said, and leaned forward.
His arrogance only pissed her off.
“Considering how many shots you’ve had, I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she said. Her words hit home, and she knew he felt the venom when his smile slipped.
Eric glanced away, and she wondered if he might just be ashamed of the drinking.
“Maybe it’s for the best,” he mumbled, and looked back to his corner. “I’m just going to take a little nap. Call a cab.” He shoved some money into her hand.
She tried to protest, but he stepped back quickly.
“Just do it,” he said, and stuffed his hands into his pockets, so she couldn’t hand it back. “It’s late, and you can’t walk home.”
Jennifer opened her mouth to tell him that she’d be just fine but stopped when he held up a hand.
“Just take the money,” he said, and sighed.
She closed her mouth and blinked a few times. It wasn’t like she hadn’t taken orders from just about everyone, but this didn’t feel that way. It was more a plea than anything.
She nodded and placed the money in her purse.
“I’ll just finish up what I’m doing,” she said, and looked up to emptiness.
Her gaze shot across the room to his retreating back. She watched as he flopped into a seat and laid his head down. Maybe he’d get some rest, and she wouldn’t have to worry about him driving home.
Jennifer turned back to the list of closing chores Crystal had made for her during the beginning of the night and gave a firm nod. Crystal said she’d be able to get them done in twenty minutes, so she was aiming for fifteen.
* * *
The hard barstool felt so good when Jennifer finally finished. What she thought would take fifteen minutes ended up taking nearly an hour, in part because she had no idea where anything went and also because she kept looking to the table in the back.
Eric was still for so long that she wondered if he’d died right there. When his thumb moved, she breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was to end the night with a death.
She turned in the stool and watched him from across the room. From this angle, she could easily see the rise and fall of his back. The steady breaths were a good sign that he was deep in sleep. He seemed like he needed it. It wasn’t often that she felt that way about others, but there was something about Eric. He just seemed so broken.
A snort slipped out after a moment, and Jennifer shook her head. He was so broken that he shoved his tongue in her mouth and insinuated that they should go to bed together. All after telling her that she wasn’t worth it. That wasn’t being broken. That was just plain crazy.
She pulled her phone out of her purse and ignored the text from Charles. She dialed the only cab number she knew thanks to the catchy jingle from a commercial. She smiled as she punched it in. There was just something so great about a marketing plan that worked.
The dispatcher spoke over the line, but she missed what was said when the front door chimed open. Her heart leapt in her throat. If someone came in to steal something, she wouldn’t be able to stop them, and there was no way Eric was in any position to help.
Red hair came into view, and she sighed.
“Sorry,” Jennifer said over the phone. “I’ll call back.”
Patrick smiled widely at her. “I knew I was right to come back.”
Relief flooded her.
“Wanna help me load him up before I take you home?” Patrick said, and nodded to Eric.
She turned to look at him for about the millionth time.
“He said he wanted to sleep it off.”
Patrick shrugged. “He always says that. Sleeping here isn’t good for him.”
She nodded. It wasn’t good for him but neither was all the drinking earlier. Jennifer bit her tongue. No reason to cause trouble.
She stood and walked to the table, Patrick close behind.
“Eric,” she said quietly when she was beside him.
His eyes opened and blinked at her a few times.
For a brief moment she saw some flash of guilt, but it was gone just as quickly.
Patrick stepped in front of her and pulled Eric to his feet. He swayed a little, and she wondered if he was this bad off how he ever hoped to take her home earlier. It seemed as if he couldn’t even walk on his own, let alone drive.
“Time to go home, buddy,” Patrick said.
Eric groaned, and she wondered if he could even make it to the car.
“Why don’t you support the other side?” Patrick said.
Jennifer swallowed hard and slipped under Eric’s massive arm. Thoughts of earlier drifted into her head, and she worked to shut them out.
Despite the number of drinks he had, Eric smelled more like sandalwood soap than alcohol. Jennifer breathed in deeply and sighed. There was something comforting in the smell.
Eric leaned heavily against her and turned his face to her.
“You are trouble,” he said quietly.
She fought the urge to laugh. Of the many things she had been called in her life, trouble wasn’t one. Naive and trusting were often said. Sometimes stubborn, but never trouble.
His dark eyes stared hard at her face and after a moment, she looked away. Dealing with him was so intense.
Jennifer kept her eyes forward and focused on the door. All she needed to do was get outside and put him in the car. Then she could distance herself from him.
They slowly moved his large body across the room. She could feel his hard muscles shift around her as they walked and tried not to focus on how powerful they seemed.
Charles wasn’t built like this. As a matter of fact, she’d never been around someone like Eric. His body seemed made for some sort of sport, and she wondered if he ever played.
They made their way up the stairs and out the door. She breathed in the crisp air and sighed. Not much longer.
Patrick stepped away, and she slumped under the full weight of Eric. He was trying to help, but there was only so much he could do.
“Sorry,” he murmured in her ear.
The hot breath sent a chill through her and made her nipples tighten in response. The feeling around him was so primal.
Patrick pulled out a key and shoved it into the lock. She was relieved when he turned around and maneuvered under the other half of the heavy man.
“’Kay, let’s get him in.”
Her stomach dropped as she surveyed the truck in front of her. Only a one-row cab. She should have guessed. Nothing else had gone her way today. Why would this be any different? She bit her tongue and made her way to the truck. A ride home was better than no ride.