Chapter 2
Zane
Every night I worked at the Purple Dragon, I picked a fantasy. I chose one woman who came in, one woman who would be mine. It wasn’t always the youngest woman, or the woman with the biggest breasts, or the prettiest one. It was the woman who first caught my interest. And in my head, we could be together, and happy.
Thursdays tended to be slow, but that’s how I liked it most of the time. After all, bartending gave me the chance to escape reality. It was a side job; I spent most of my time at the other gig, but here I liked the laid back atmosphere and casual conversation I could have with the clientele. It was almost completely the opposite of my full-time job.
I looked out at the mismatched tables to my right, where a couple dozen people lounged with their drinks, and to the pool tables at the back where a couple of lively games of eight ball were under way. The tables needed new felt, but they functioned all right, and the equipment was new. I absently wiped the bar with my rag as the song changed, the hard rock playing at a low level. No one here wanted to chill to the Top 40 mix.
It relaxed me, too, and I stepped toward Lynn, my regular admirer, who was bathed in one of the purple lights overhead. She was definitely a cougar past her prime, but she was pretty enough, and she tipped well. She was the sort of customer that made me happy to be here. I didn’t have to be anything special – just me. It was simple and, in a way I couldn’t explain, comforting.
“How you doing, Lynn? Are you good?” I motioned to her drink, a Bloody Mary, extra bloody.
“That depends. Do I get more attention from you if I order another drink? I feel like you’re distracted tonight, Alexander.” She stuck her bottom lip out in a melodramatic pout.
I couldn’t help but laugh, which felt good. I didn’t laugh often these days, and it reminded me that I knew how. “Sweetheart, I couldn’t ignore you if I tried.” Feeling like I hadn’t quite escaped reality tonight like I usually did, I leaned my elbows on the bar a couple feet from Lynn and asked her, “Why is it that you keep coming here? I mean, you’re obviously a high class lady. There has to be somewhere you fit in better. Look around. You’re surrounded by leather clad men and punk kids who aren’t quite ready to take the leap from the underbelly of society to the outskirts.”
She rolled her eyes and blushed. “Isn’t it obvious, Alex? You pour the best drinks in the city.” She winked at me, and I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously.
“You can’t be serious. Houston’s a big city. I’m sure I’m not the best bartender in the city. Besides, you never drink anything but Bloody Marys. Those are textbook drinks. It’s hard to pour a bad one.” I knew I was fishing, and so did she, but this was a common game Lynn and I played, and the rules were always the same.
Twirling her graying blond hair around her finger, she shrugged and gave me a demure look that took years off her face as it erased the lines of maturity. I could see, maybe for the first time, the gorgeous young woman she’d been twenty years earlier. “It could have something to do with a certain charismatic individual being at the bar, full of charm and easy on the eyes.” Suddenly, she sat up straight and gave me a harsh frown, smacking her palm on the bar. “Oh, get real, Alex. I’m almost fifty, and I’ve earned the right to come to a bar specifically to see a young man I happen to have a crush on.”
Now, I was the one blushing. I had my confidence, but it still hit me hard when someone was so honest about what they thought of me. I’d become background noise, ignored for so long, and I was always taken off guard when I got the sort of compliment that used to be commonplace years ago.
She’d changed the rules to our game. Clearing my throat, I stood and tugged on the cuffs of my long sleeved t-shirt, buying time to reset. I started to say something back – though I had no idea what it would be – but I was saved as I felt the breeze from the door opening. I looked up to see who had come in.
I froze. The couple was obviously not the usual crowd, and I wondered if they were lost. But as they came toward the bar and took a seat on a couple of stools at the far end, it became obvious they meant to be here.
The guy was average enough, maybe a little too normal, but he wasn’t my focus. I couldn’t take my eyes off the woman. She reminded me of a girl I dated in high school, Denise. But Denise had been a girl, a cheerleader. This was a woman, and she had me stunned into silence. The deep purple of her dress blended well with the lighting around my bar, and it set off her creamy complexion. Her hair was in a sleek, short bob, and it flattered her heart-shaped face.
It was when she turned to look at me that I felt the full effect of her beauty, her hazel eyes sharp and teasing, and as she gave a secretive smile, I noticed that their color changed from honey brown to a green-brown that reminded me of the sort of nature we didn’t have much of in the city. They were magical, and I felt short of breath as I slung my rag over my shoulder and strolled toward them.
Here it was. This woman was my thought for the evening.
I felt that easy relaxation I’d been searching for all night settle over me as I greeted them. “Hey, guys, welcome to the Purple Dragon. Can I get something going for you?”
The guy nodded to me, and I fought to look at him instead of her. “Hey, buddy, could I get a rum and Coke for myself and a cherry vodka sour for the lady?”
I forced a smile. His attempt at being friendly didn’t impress me, considering that this incredible woman had come in with him…and would leave with him, too. Jealousy reared up inside, and I tamped it down. I knew better than to even look her way with any sort of longing or consideration. I had to keep myself under control.
But I could carefully fantasize, couldn’t I?
“You got it.” I stepped away to fix the drinks, noting that the woman didn’t seem particularly thrilled with what he’d ordered for her. She had taste, I could tell, and she didn’t like the cookie cutter orders. I decided to throw in a twist of lime and a drop of cinnamon schnapps to see what she thought, and as I worked, I chatted them up a bit. “So, what brings you two in here tonight? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guy open his mouth, but she spoke quickly, cutting him off. That was intriguing.
“We were out to dinner and saw it across the street,” she said. Her voice was low and throaty, and it thrilled me. “I’ve seen it before, but I’ve never been in, so we thought we’d check it out.”
“I had to practically twist her arm to get her here,” the guy laughed, and I laughed with him, although I wondered why he wouldn’t cater to anything this woman wanted. They were dressed so nice I figured they had to be either on a first date – which didn’t fit their ease with each other – or celebrating something. I loved this bar, but it certainly wasn’t a place I’d bring a date on a special occasion.
If I dated.
“Well, like I said, welcome. We’re nothing special, but I have plenty of customers who’ll vouch for the casual environment and the excellent drinks. I’m glad you came in.” I placed the drinks in front of them, and the guy slipped me a twenty.
“Keep the change,” he said with a wink, and I acknowledged him with a nod. If he was going to showboat, I was going to reap the benefits. It was one of the perks of a job like this. All too often a jackass came in with the idea of impressing a date, and he handed over a huge tip on a single drink. Unfortunately, my drink was usually far more impressive, and the money spent went unnoticed.
“Oh, wow!” I heard her say as I moved down the bar to check on a couple other patrons. “Christian, you should try this. I’ve never had anything like it.”
I’d been right. She was definitely a woman of taste. “That’s all right, Kathryn, I’m good with this.”
Kathryn. Classic and beautiful. Still, I couldn’t understand what she saw in this guy. Just looking at him made me yawn. If she had been with me, I would have had her in bed, screaming my name by now. He couldn’t even try a drink she offered for him to taste. He added, “But I’m glad you like yours.”
So her name fit her, but Christian and his need to constantly make a show of his gentlemanly nature didn’t. He was dull. She would get tired of him in no time. In my fantasy world, they’d had maybe a few weeks together, and depending on how doting he was and how desperate she thought she was, she assumed they would have a few more. But it wouldn’t work out. She was too much for him, she had too much spunk. Even if she didn’t show it now, I could tell it was riding just beneath the surface.
In that other place I took myself when I bartended here and honed in on a woman, I looked at her and asked her why she was settling for a light beer when she could have a dark chocolate flavored wine or a spicy liqueur. She blushed, and this Christian argued indignantly with my overt approach. I pushed him aside, and she sent him packing so we could get down to business right there on the bar.
It was a satisfying image, but it was obviously impossible, so I shoved it aside. But I couldn’t ignore her presence.
Even down toward the other end of the bar, pouring beer on tap into pitchers for the pool players, Kathryn dominated the edge of my vision. She was mesmerizing, and I strained to listen, catching small snippets of conversation between her and her date.
“Have you ever thought about growing your hair out?” he asked her. Amateur, I wanted to tell him. You’re never supposed to tell a woman she needs to change her hair, and especially not grow it out. It made him sound misogynistic, and Kathryn was obviously not the type to bow down to an old-fashioned sort of guy. She wasn’t the fifties wife, homemaker type—no, I saw her in the sort of job where she supervised others. She had a quiet air of authority to her.
I caught her response. “Yeah, I had long hair as a kid. My daddy wouldn’t let me cut it. But in my line of work, it would just get in the way. I’d have it twisted up in a clip all the time. I like it this way. Don’t you like it?” She sounded hurt, and I had to ball my hands into fists to keep from getting too angry at this guy for making her second guess herself like that. I didn’t like any man who controlled a woman, and this particular situation truly offended me.
“Of course I do!” he backtracked. “I love everything about you, Kathryn. Never doubt that. I was just curious because as lovely as you are now, I can only imagine how entrancing you’d be with that hair falling over your shoulders.” I glanced over to see him stroke her shoulder and down her arm, and I wanted to gag. His motions were too obvious. Someone needed to teach him a thing or two.
I had been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt earlier. He seemed like a nice enough average guy, if a little too lucky in the dating department. Now, I hated him on principle. And I told myself it had nothing to do with how intrigued I was by Kathryn. I would have taken issue with him no matter what woman he was fussing over with enough flattery and sugar to choke a horse.
It just made it worse that someone who could do so much better was settling for this guy. I held my tongue and moved mugs from the dishwasher into the chiller, dipping them in cold water first, listening for how she would respond to that. “I’ll think about it. But I’m not one to just up and decide to change my look.” Good for her, I thought. She didn’t need to change anything, and she certainly didn’t need to do it to please a man.
Clearing my throat, I checked on Lynn. “Are you still good, baby?”
She stared at her drink, which was mostly melted ice with a little red coloring, and she sighed. “I shouldn’t have another, but what the hell? I get to look at you a little longer and dream of waking up to you in the morning.”
I shook my head. The woman was unbelievable, and I wished everyone was so bold and honest and unafraid to say whatever was on his or her mind. Mostly, I wished I could be so free. “Another one it is, sweetheart.” I fixed her up and handed it over, and as she pushed money at me, I pushed it back. “This one’s on the house,” I told her, and she preened as I winked at her.
I stepped away. When I turned back to see if Kathryn and her less than likeable date needed anything else, they were gone. I felt a sense of panic, which didn’t really make sense, and I craned my neck to search the bar. Had they gone to check out the pool tables or maybe taken an empty table? I didn’t see them anywhere in the open area, and I thought the idiot might have escorted her to the restrooms. I stared toward the far corner, behind the tables, waiting to see if they came out.
But they never emerged, and I had to accept the fact that they had left. It was definitely for the best. I wouldn’t see Kathryn again, and that would take away the temptation for trouble. I didn’t have the luxury to moon over someone or even lust over anyone, outside of my momentary fantasy each evening I worked this bar.
I spent the rest of the night trying not to think about her, trying not to see her, and I failed miserably. I flirted shamelessly with Lynn until she finally left, letting me call her a cab, and still I couldn’t get Kathryn’s image to disappear. It was burned into my mind, and so was the lilting, sultry tone of her voice. I just wanted to touch her and see if her skin felt as smooth as it looked. No, that wasn’t true. I wanted to undress her, taste her from head to toe, and fill her to the brim. Then, I wanted to hand her back to Christian and wish him luck pleasing her.
As the last stragglers left, I shut down the bar with a little bit of anger. Life was unfair, and I was bitter, jaded. I was a thirty-five-year-old man, and I couldn’t even make my own decisions.
I lingered longer than I probably should have, but I wasn’t ready to go home just yet. I kept this job to give me a little time to myself, some time to cool down in a place where no one had any expectations of Zane Bradley. Tonight, I’d failed to connect with my happiness as I usually did, and it had really dimmed the bright light that only glowed when I was here.
I finished cleaning the bar, putting all the bottles of liquor away, and filling the dishwasher to turn it on. I turned off all the overhead lights and left the neon beer lights still glowing. They would stay on until I flipped a switch by the door on my way out. I left the trash for Rudy. He’d be in early tomorrow, and I had no plans to do everything around here. That wasn’t how it worked, especially since I only worked Wednesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday. Rudy was full time, and he could deal with anything I didn’t.
Making one last sweep through the place, I grabbed my set of keys, set the alarm, flipped the switch to send the bar into blackness, and left, locking the three deadbolts behind me. It wasn’t that there was concern anyone would break in specifically to steal from the bar, but it was a bit of a dive, and the door was under an overhang that shielded it from the street, making it an easy target for a bunch of punks looking to be destructive.
Hands shoved in my pockets, I strolled slowly away, trying to think about Kathryn—the best fantasy to ever walk into the Purple Dragon. Thinking of her could help keep the demons at bay when I went home.