chapter 15
RILEY
“LOOK AT THAT SLAPPERASAURUS rex,” Callie growls, watching as the woman openly flirts with Hunter, batting her eyelashes and reaching out her bloodred nails to stroke his arm. It’s a busy Friday night, and Hunter and Yvonne have come out for a few after-work drinks. Still in his business attire, Hunter is getting all the women’s attention in his white shirt and black slacks. I haven’t seen him touching anyone, or anything like that, but he has been smiling and conversing with a few of them. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. He’s single after all, right? I mean, technically. Yes, he’s made his interest in me apparent, but we aren’t together, and that’s because of me. Then why the hell do I feel this stab of jealously every time one of them makes him laugh? What the hell are they saying that’s so damn funny?
When did all the female occupants of my pub become fucking comedians?
Should I hold an open mic night or something?
“It’s fine,” I tell Callie, forcing a smile. He’s not mine. “Can you clean a few of the tables for me, please? I’ll get everyone served.”
“Sure,” she replies, her eyes still on Hunter though. “You’re hotter than all of them anyway.”
I hide my grin at her petty, yet oddly satisfying comment and continue to attend to all the customers until there are none left standing at the bar.
“I think tonight is the busiest night we’ve had,” Preston says to me, shaking a cocktail mixer. “It has to be my one-of-a-kind drinks. The ‘mother puncher’ one I created has been a big hit tonight.”
“I’ve noticed,” I reply, giving credit when it’s due. “Good work, Preston. I knew there was a reason I hired you, and I’m only realizing what that reason is now. Almost worth all the other shit you put me through. Almost.”
He sticks his tongue out at me. “I’m the backbone of this place.”
I roll my eyes. “Why does everyone here keep saying that to me?”
“When I grow up, I want to be Hunter,” he murmurs, and I follow his gaze to where Hunter is talking to a beautiful blonde. “Chicks love him. Maybe I need to grow a beard.”
I’m about to reply but a few more customers arrive, wanting drinks and food. With the live music playing and people dancing, the place has just the atmosphere I wanted it to, and I can’t help taking a moment to enjoy watching my dream become a reality.
When Callie approaches me, I can tell something is wrong by the look on her face, her lips tight and her brow furrowed.
“What’s wrong?”
“That guy wants more alcohol but he’s pretty drunk. I think he drove here too,” she explains, nodding her head to a young gentleman stumbling on his feet.
“I’ll handle it,” I tell her, walking over to the gentleman. I notice he’s spilled alcohol all down his white T-shirt and onto his blue jeans. I speak to him for a few moments and realize he is indeed extremely inebriated, and he admits that he drove here. His dark eyes are all red and glassy, and he slurs his words a little. I never let people drink and drive. I’d never have that on my already heavy conscience. One mistake can ruin and impact the rest of your life, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. “I’m sorry, sir, but you need to have some water. We have a responsible service here, and I’m going to have to cut you off. Would you like me to call you a taxi so you can make it home safely?” I offer.
“I’m not even drunk,” he lies. “I’ve only had a few beers. This is fucked; you can’t cut me off.”
I gesture to the Breathalyzer I had installed near the entrance. “You can go and check for yourself. It will tell you all you need to know, just blow into it with one of the disposable plastic tubes.”
The Breathalyzer was my idea, and I think a good one. Instead of guessing whether someone has had too much, it gives us the proof.
The man starts to yell, and I notice Hunter coming over quickly, at the same time our bouncer/security guard does the same.
“Do we have a problem here?” Hunter asks the man in a calm manner. He gives me a once-over, as if making sure I’m okay.
“I want a fuckin’ drink,” the man says, eyes unfocused. “And she’s cutting me off.”
I slide a glass of water over the bar to him, but he slaps it off so it hits the floor.
“All right, that’s enough,” Hunter seethes, his teeth clenched. The air around him turns tense, dangerous. This is not the playful Hunter I’m used to. This is him on alert, almost like he’s gone into protection mode. Hunter is not a small man, he’s both tall and muscular, and I can imagine he can be quite the imposing figure if he wants to be.
“I don’t want fuckin’ water! Give me a drink, you stupid bitch!” the man sneers at me, taking me aback. Sure, we’ve had angry customers before—that happens when you’re serving alcohol—but nothing to this extent. A fight has never broken out at Riley’s before, but it looks like tonight might be the night for it. I’m glad Hunter is here.
He tries to calm the man down, but the man takes a swing at him. Luckily, Hunter is able to move out of the way before the man’s fist connects with his face. Bobby, our security, then grabs the man from behind and puts him in a headlock to subdue him. He and Hunter then escort him outside, all while he struggles and curses at them.
“Should I call the cops?” I ask Yvonne, who comes and sits in front of me.
“Yeah, probably a good idea, just in case,” she replies, looking concerned.
For Hunter?
Have the two of them ever been more than friends?
The thought has entered my mind more than once, but I’ve never said anything or asked anyone, for several reasons. One, I don’t think I want to know the answer; two, I really like Yvonne; and three, it’s none of my fucking business. Why does everything have to be so complicated?
“I’ll call them,” Preston says, grabbing the pub wireless phone and pressing buttons. I decide to head outside and see what’s happening, but when I open the door Hunter rushes toward me and tells me to stay inside.
“What’s going on?” I ask, as he closes the door with both of us inside.
“He’s just starting shit, being belligerent,” he explains, glancing back outside. “Not safe for you to be out there.”
“Preston called the cops.”
“Good,” he murmurs, hands on each of my shoulders. “Are you all right?”
I nod.
“I don’t like the idea of you having to deal with shit like this. Can’t you up your security on weekends?” he asks, scanning the crowd. “If a big fight broke out here, your one dude isn’t going to be able to do shit.”
“Yeah, I can do that,” I tell him. “Thank you for handling that, Hunter.”
“Wasn’t going to let him talk to you like that,” he whispers, then places a sweet kiss on my forehead. “Stay inside. I’ll wait outside until the cops come.”
“Okay,” I tell him, and watch as he disappears outside again. My forehead tingles where he kissed me. I return to behind the bar, put on a smile, and continue to serve everyone their drinks. Hunter’s right: I need more than one man here just in case something goes wrong. I make a mental note to contact the security company tomorrow. Riley’s is slowly expanding, and I need to keep up.
“How hot was Hunter just now?” Callie whispers to me. “Every woman in this place wants him, and you’re the only one he has eyes for. Don’t take that shit for granted.”
“I agree,” Yvonne says, sticking her head in. Fucking hell, I forgot she was sitting there. “Hunter turned down more women tonight than men hit on me.” She grins before adding, “And in case you didn’t know, that was a hell of a lot.”
“Shit, you weren’t meant to hear any of that,” Callie groans, cringing. She turns to me and mouths “Sorry” before beelining out of here.
I dare to look at Yvonne, who simply smirks at me. “I’m not going to say anything to him, don’t worry. I’m with Callie on this one. I don’t know what the hell the holdup is with you two.”
“I just got divorced.”
“Yes, but haven’t the two of you being pretending not to like each other for the last year?” she fires back, eyebrows raised. “He liked you. He thought you were married but still liked you. Don’t get me wrong, he’d never act on it, but that doesn’t change the facts. Meanwhile, you knew he liked you, you must have, and you pretended you were still happily married to buy yourself some time, and then he found out the truth, when he was Jeremy’s lawyer, which meant he had to wait some more. But now, all the drama is over.”
Well.
I don’t owe her any explanations, but she’s right. Still, what comes out of my mouth is, “Yes, all the drama is over, and in a perfect world, I’d be ready right away to start something with him. I don’t want to hurt him. But this is between me and him, Yvonne. I don’t want to rush into any kind of commitment.”
“Who says he does? Why are you thinking so hard into it?” she says. “Come on, Riley, give me the truth. What is the real reason you don’t want to give him a chance? Because if you truly don’t, maybe you should let him know that he doesn’t stand a chance so he can stop wasting his time, and then you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
And there it is. She’s fucking right, but it’s not her place to confront me. It’s none of her business.
I’m being called out on all my shit, by a woman who is closer to Hunter than she is to me, so she clearly doesn’t care too much about walking around the subject like everyone else around here.
“I’m fucking scared, okay?” I admit, and I don’t like how small my voice comes out. “Yes, I’m intrigued by him, but look at him, Yvonne. I hear you all talking about him. I see what he’s like with women. My life is in shambles, and I need to sort myself out, so excuse fucking me if I don’t know what I want right now. I just don’t want to make any more mistakes. And if he’s the right man for me, he will understand where I’m coming from.”
Hunter walks back in, and I stand up straight, squaring my shoulders. I don’t have anything else to say to Yvonne, although I’m not angry, I know she was just looking out for him. I get it; I do. No one wants anyone to get hurt here; however, staying away is the best thing for me to do to make sure that doesn’t happen. The thought of me letting him go though, or telling him to leave me alone and find someone else, really hit me, because I guess deep down inside I’m hoping that maybe at some point we would be together. I guess timing waits for no one though.
I run my hand down the back of my neck as Hunter stands in front of me, scanning my face. “He’s gone; the cops took him. Is everything okay?”
I force a smile. “Yeah, it is. Thanks, Hunter. You didn’t have to deal with all that, but thank you.”
He studies me for a second, then comes around the bar and gently takes my hand, leading me back to the staff room. He sits me down, and lowers himself in front of me, and gently brushes his thumb along my cheekbone.
My guard is down, and we shouldn’t be alone right now.
Especially when he’s looking at me like that.