My sister was the best. She showed her research to Logan and Marissa was no longer in the restaurant on a daily basis. Nobody had implied anything, but I’m sure Declan had a hand in this too. Yes, I called him Declan, not Dicklan. He may have been a jerk for leaving, but I did think he loved my sister. Emily might not have known where he was, but I had the feeling Eric and Logan were in contact with him. They should have told him to grow and pair and come home. For now, I believed he did me a favor, so I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. She wasn’t completely gone, but her role had undoubtedly changed. Marissa was officially now an employee of Snattered and consulted at Swayed twice a week. She came in before family meal and trained the staff on wine pairings, including me. Barf, I know, but at least I only had to deal with her twice a week. She also spent time in the kitchen working with Logan. I didn’t like it, but he was my boss, not my boyfriend. The worst part of her working for Snattered was she could date Logan without any repercussions. I, on the other hand, was left frustrated, wishing for something I couldn’t have. Something I had to continually remind myself I didn't even want.
“Oh my god, did you make this? It’s delicious.” Marissa was making a fool of herself in front of the entire staff. She didn’t need a chair. She was practically sitting on Logan’s lap. Gag me.
“I’ll be in the kitchen.” Mikey was Logan’s right-hand man, and he clearly wasn’t a fan of Marissa either. What I couldn’t understand was why Logan was letting her do it. I swear he couldn’t even look at me. Ever since the near-kiss in the refrigerator, he’d been keeping his distance. I kept reminding myself space was a good thing. Distance also makes the heart grow fonder Libby.
“Hey, Lucas.” Darcy offered with a nod of her head toward the handsome man who had just sauntered in. All the girls and even some of the guys blushed at the mere mention of his name. He was one of our liquor reps and looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine. Yes, I’d noticed. I was pregnant, not dead. Plus, my hormones were all out of whack and other than my vibrator and my own fingers; I hadn’t had sex in weeks. My vagina was the Mojave Desert.
“Hey.” While I know his greeting was meant for all of us, I couldn't help but notice his eyes were focused solely on me. Do I have food on my face? “Libby.”
“Dayum is it hot in here?” Darcy offered under her breath, but everyone at the table still caught it.
“Time to get to work people.” Logan rose from his seat so quickly Marissa almost landed on the floor. Served her right, she shouldn’t have been sitting so close. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought Logan gave Lucas a warning look before heading into the kitchen with Marissa hot on his tail. But Logan had made it clear nothing could or would happen between us, so why would it matter if Lucas was flirting with me. Hell, I was a bartender, and I flirted all the time. It’s called using your resources wisely. I didn’t believe for one second using my feminine charm was wrong or it said anything about me other than I was smart. This was how it worked. If a guy sat at my bar and asked for a shot of tequila, I had a choice. I could pour him a shot of Blanco in the single-digit price range. He’d enjoy it, and we’d make a few bucks, or I could use what my mama gave me, tell him he looked like a guy who knew his tequila and offer to pour him a shot of Suprema or Reserva. Would he be distracted by my smile or the swell of my breasts while I leaned forward on the bar while waiting for his answer? Maybe. Oh, who am I kidding? Probably. Especially now, I swear my tits were getting huge. And if he waivered? I’d ask him to wait for a second while I turned my focus (read that as tits) away from him to show him my other assets. See what I did there? Upon my return, I would ask with my brightest smile if he wanted the double-digit shot before diming said smile and adding in my most sultry voice “or the Blanco.” Now, don’t go all crazy on me. I did it with women too. It was like shoes or purses. Ladies know what I mean. Can you buy a cute purse at Target for fewer than forty bucks? Sure, but it’s not the same as the designer bag you need to practically take a loan out to own. Okay, that might be a stretch. Maybe you need to just eat Ramen for a few weeks, quit your coffee house latte habit, or sell your plasma. What was my point in all this?
Oh yeah, Lucas. He worked on commission; I was his customer. I was a woman, and he was fucking gorgeous. You call it flirting. I call it sales 101. Did we really need that extra case of Reserva? Yes, actually we did. Like I explained before, my girls were huge. I’d been selling a lot of it, and don’t even get me started on my tips.
“I’ve got some new vodka I want you to try.” Lucas was already pouring the sample. Typically this wouldn’t be a problem, but because of the inmate(aka baby) I was carrying, I couldn’t drink.
“I don’t drink.” Lucas must’ve thought I was joking because he was laughing like I’d just spouted out the funniest thing ever.
“You can’t be serious. Come on Libby. It’s just a sample. It won’t hurt anything.” Just my baby. It was a risk I wouldn’t take even if the reality was one sip probably wouldn't hurt anything. It wasn’t a risk worth taking. “You know you want to.” Lucas cocked his head to the side while pushing the shot glass in my direction. Damn, he was good. How could anyone refuse that look?
“She said no,” Logan growled while practically ripping Lucas off his stool in front of me. Holy shit! I knew it should have upset me. I could handle Lucas without Logan’s help. Instead, it tuned the Mojave that was my vagina into Niagara Falls.
“What the fuck Logan?” Luckily the restaurant was still closed because neither man was using his inside voice. The wait staff stood frozen as the two men glared at each other. I wondered the same thing Lucas had. What the actual fuck?
“She said no,” Logan stated again without backing down. The men matched each other in size, but that was where the similarities ended. Lucas had a smile that belonged in toothpaste commercials and the bluest eyes I had ever seen. His blond hair was styled to perfection, and you could tell by the way he filled out his shirt he worked out. Lucas’ supermodel good looks didn’t hold a candle next to Logan in my book. Maybe it was his dark hair and matching dark eyes. His skin was olive in tone, and I longed for the summer so I could see what a kiss of the sun would do to it. The ink that covered his arms stood out, especially the words “no regrets” that were scrolled intricately on his forearm. The same words were displayed on the wall in his office. Mikey had indicated one day when we were alone that they were the way Logan now lived his life. We were interrupted before I could ask what he meant by the word “now.” What did Logan regret? I knew a thing or two about that.
“It’s fine Logan.” Neither man seemed willing to back down. While I was all for using my womanly charm for a sale or a tip, I didn’t really need Logan, or any man for that matter, to defend me. Especially not from Lucas, I cleared my throat and tried again. Still, neither of them backed down, so I did the only thing I could think of, I lifted the soda gun and sprayed them both down with water.
A series of “what the hell’s” left both of their mouths but they were overpowered by the sound of Mikey’s hearty laugh. It filled the room.
“I’ll email you our order,” I instructed Lucas, leaving no room for apologies. Logan grumbled about going to his office to change into something dry once Lucas made his departure. I was hot, as in pissed the hell off. Who did Logan think he was? His office door was shut, but I didn’t give a shit. His shirt was off, and his hands were running through his damp hair. Oh fuck, he had more tattoos on his back and rib cage. Surprisingly, his upper chest was almost void of ink. Except for a lonely heart right over his own. Fuck, just the sight of him made the anger that was coursing through me dissipate, instantly it was replaced by sheer desire for this man who was making me crazy. Apparently, I wasn’t alone.
He came at me, in only his pants. He filled the small office, not just with his size but with his presence. I found myself backing up against the door as he came closer. The air between us had always been charged; the tension had been growing between us since the first day we met. I hit the closed office door the very same moment his lips crashed down on mine. That was the second all hell broke loose. You’ve heard about the perfect storm, that’s what this was. The magnitude in which he kissed me made me chill and burn at the same time. The force of the emotions that swirled around my head, my heart, and my body was both crazy and amazing. The charge between us was palpable. It was magic. It was madness. It was reckless and complicated. It would never be enough, but as soon as it was over, I knew it could never happen again.
“Are you sure about this man?” I told Sterling what I wanted, and he was still reluctant. He always thought I would just cover up the old work. That’s not what I had in mind. I wanted him to alter it. Give it wings. I got the broken heart over my heart a week after she died. I was only fourteen. It wasn’t even close to being legal. It was one of the many reasons it was so atrocious. Shit, I’m lucky getting it didn’t kill me too. Back then maybe I hoped it would. Living wasn’t high on my list of priorities.
“I’m sure.” Sterling didn’t say another word as he began to work. Some clients liked to distract themselves by chatting when he was working. Not me. I focused as the needle drug across my skin. Each jolt of pain served as a reminder of what I survived, of the place I would never return to. This tattoo would no longer represent the past that held me back. No, now it represented my future. My heart, no longer broken, would soar.