Valerie was at a loss for words. Not that it really mattered since Logan hadn’t stuck around to hear any of them anyway. The jerk.
She hadn’t predicted the sudden dismissal, nor had she expected him to storm off like he couldn’t bear to look at her for another second. Did he really loathe her that much? And if so, what the hell had she done to deserve it?
Letting out a frustrated breath, she sank onto her stool. For a moment, she could have sworn she’d seen interest blazing in those dark brown eyes of his. But it was like he’d flipped a switch and then hightailed it out of there without looking back even once. And he’d been angry, as if he resented Brett for leaving him behind to “babysit” her.
God, she hated when they called it that.
Unlike Max, Valerie didn’t need anyone to keep her out of trouble. Not Brett. And certainly not Logan. Besides, how could she get into any mischief when she only had eyes for one guy in the room and he wouldn’t give her the time of day?
Valerie didn’t get it. She was putting out plenty of sexually charged signals, but for some odd reason, Logan didn’t seem to be picking up on them. Almost as if she’d flown under his radar completely undetected. God, she must be losing her touch or something.
No. That couldn’t be it. She’d never before had a problem pinging other guys’…instruments. Maybe Logan just had a defective transmitter. But if that were true, what was with the heated look he’d given her? Had she misunderstood?
She didn’t think so, but Logan had always been impossible to figure out. It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d noticed an underlying male awareness to her sexuality while in his presence. Or was it possible that she had seen only what she’d wanted to see?
Valerie sighed.
Damn it. She’d worn this slinky dress for one reason: to knock his socks off…or his pants, whichever came first. Yet her plan to dangle herself in front of him, to prove once and for all that Logan Mathis wouldn’t be able to resist her, hadn’t worked at all. Not only had he resisted her, he’d flicked her aside like an unwelcomed ant at a picnic.
Was the man blind or what?
She thought she looked pretty damn good. No, actually she looked great. So what the hell was his problem? She knew damn well she’d caught his gaze sliding down the length of her dress more than once tonight. But for some reason, he’d seemed almost irritated that she had worn something so sexy and low-cut, as if—
Oh God!
It had been the same reaction her brother had had when he’d picked her up tonight and got a load of what she was wearing. Was that it? Was Logan thinking of her as some sort of adopted kid sister? Eww. Gross. Valerie couldn’t—and didn’t want to—look at Logan like a sibling. And she hoped like hell he wasn’t thinking of her in those terms either.
But it would explain why he continued to treat her like a child though. Older brothers were notorious for that. Oh yuck! Did I just refer to Logan as my brother? Kill me now.
Aggravation percolated inside her, but she straightened her shoulders and held her head high. Whatever. If Logan wasn’t interested in her, then there was nothing she could do about it. It was fine. Better than fine, actually. It was his loss. There were plenty of other men who were willing to date a fun, down-to-earth girl like her. She didn’t need a guy like Logan to boost her ego, thank you very much. Her ego didn’t have a damn thing wrong with it.
In fact, she wasn’t going to waste another minute of her time on a guy who patted her on the head and told her to run along and play like a good girl. If he was stupid enough to let her get away, then so be it. Good riddance.
Annoyed with the whole situation, Valerie rose and headed out to find her friends. She weaved through the packed room, squeezing through tight spaces and ducking under elbows, until she neared the main bar on the opposite side of the room where the wooden counter ran almost the length of the entire wall. The two bartenders were taking order after order and working fast to fill them.
She didn’t see her group of friends anywhere, but she spotted Logan and Brett parked at the end of the bar. Ah, hell no. The last thing she wanted was to chance another run-in with either of them so she veered a quick right and circled behind a wall of men who unknowingly blocked her from view.
When she came out on the other side of the entourage of men, she stood about ten seats away from her original position at the bar. Valerie glanced around. Where the hell were Leah, Sam, and Max? She’d only been looking for them for a few minutes, but she was already tired of searching in the cramped room. The bar was jam-packed, the music was too loud, and the more the patrons drank, the rowdier they seemed to get.
Maybe she should just ask Brett to take her home.
Of course, that would mean facing Logan again. Valerie’s gaze landed back on her brother, who was now sitting alone. Puzzled, she glanced around his vicinity until she found Logan behind the bar talking to a middle-aged bartender with a bald head, beady eyes, and tattooed sleeves.
She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it didn’t take long to figure out that Logan was talking to Paul, the head bartender. Especially after Logan gestured to the man’s black T-shirt with Bottoms Up’s logo emblazoned on the front, said something in his ear, and then pointed at Brett, who held up a twenty-dollar bill.
Paul nodded, picked up a set of keys off the back counter, and motioned for Brett to follow him through a set of swinging doors that read EMPLOYEES ONLY. Logan started to trail after them but ended up getting sidetracked by the other bartender—a scrawny, older gentleman wearing a black leather vest and sporting a goatee—who was beating the crap out of a blender that didn’t seem to be working properly.
Valerie gazed back at the swinging doors. With Logan temporarily detained, it was the perfect opportunity to ask her brother for a ride home without having to come face-to-face with Logan again. So she circled back around the large group of men blocking the path and picked her way through the crowded room until she made it to the swinging metal doors and pushed her way through.
The two men stood in front of a door halfway down the narrow hallway. As Paul unlocked the door, she overheard him telling her brother that the T-shirts were in a box on the back shelf and that he could grab one and change inside the storeroom. Brett handed the bartender the twenty-dollar bill and disappeared into the room.
As Paul closed the door behind Brett and turned to leave, Valerie began moving in his direction. But she’d barely taken two steps when Paul did something she hadn’t expected. He pulled a brown wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and slid the money inside with all the coolness of someone who’d done something like that many times before.
Valerie froze, unable to believe what she’d just witnessed.
She would’ve normally given him the benefit of the doubt, especially since Paul was a stranger to her and all, but the moment his gaze lifted and connected with hers, she knew her first inclination had been an accurate one.
Paul jerked to a stop, his whole body stiffening, as he stared at her with an oh fuck expression, apparently realizing he’d been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. A few seconds ticked by before he recovered and tried to conceal his obvious guilt with a broad smile. “I think you’re lost, honey. Employees only back here. The bathrooms are on the other side of the bar.”
Maybe he thought hinting that he worked there would throw her off, but she wasn’t about to let him get away with what he’d done. Not when he’d stolen money…and from Logan of all people. “I’m waiting for Brett.”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Never heard of him.”
She nodded to the door behind him. “He’s the guy in that room changing his shirt.”
The color washed out of Paul’s face, but he somehow managed to control the tempo of his voice. “I see. So you’re another one of Logan’s friends, huh?”
Um, not really. “Yes. So close we’re practically family.” Ugh. Damn it, Val. Stop it with the family shit!
“Good to know,” Paul said with a grin, moving closer and stretching out his hand. “Any friend of Logan’s is a friend of mine.”
She stared at his offered hand but didn’t accept it as her eyes lifted back to his. “I think I could do without a friend like you in my life.”
The bald-headed bartender eyed her warily. “Why’s that?”
She crossed her arms. “I saw what you did.”
“Yeah? And what was that exactly?”
“You put Brett’s money in your wallet.”
The muscles in Paul’s neck tensed, but he chuckled softly. “Oh, that? Well, I was just keeping it safe until I got back to the cash register. Didn’t want to drop it, ya know?”
Valerie rolled her eyes. “As sticky as your fingers seem to be, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have had that problem.”
“Just what the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Paul took another intimidating step toward her.
Uneasy, she glanced around. For a moment, she considered calling out for her brother, but she didn’t want to alarm him. Especially since Brett had a tendency to punch first and ask questions later. But seriously, what the hell was taking him so long?
Paul continued to stare at her with beady eyes. “You trying to accuse me of something?”
“I’m not trying. I am accusing you of something,” she said with a waning bravado. Come on, Brett. Hurry up.
The bartender advanced on her so Valerie stepped aside to let him pass. But he didn’t continue straight ahead like she thought he would. Instead, he followed her movements until he had effectively backed her against the wall. The second she realized what he was doing, she tried to maneuver around him, but he flung his arm up to block her motion.
She flinched so hard that her teeth chattered together, and she accidentally bit the inside of her cheek. Anxiety swam through her veins while fear took a record nosedive straight to her gut. If he was trying to scare her, he was doing a damn good job of it.
When Paul placed both of his palms against the wall on either side of her body and leaned in, she flattened herself against the hard surface at her back to get as far away from him as she could. Unfortunately, it wasn’t far enough. His hot, whiskey-fueled breath practically singed the split ends off her hair.
That’s just great. Not only was Paul a thief, but he was a drunk one at that. And she doubted Logan knew anything about it, since she’d already heard him tell Brett earlier that he didn’t drink on the job. It would only make sense that he wouldn’t want his employees to either. “I wonder what Logan will say when I tell him that I caught you stealing his money and that you’ve been drinking on the clock.”
Paul’s mouth went slack. Then he narrowed his eyes in warning. “Darlin’, you don’t want to go there with me. I can get real nasty if someone starts spreading lies about me. Real nasty,” he repeated, twirling a strand of her hair between his fingertips. “You remember that, honey, and we won’t have any problems.”
Although her stomach tightened and panic welled up inside her, she stood her ground. “Are you threatening me?”
He chuckled under his breath. “Now why would I do that to such a beautiful young woman?” His finger trailed leisurely across her collarbone.
She slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me, you jerk.”
“Why? Afraid your boyfriend will get mad?” he asked, gesturing back to the closed storeroom door.
“Brett isn’t my boyfriend.”
“Good to know,” Paul said, his gaze flickering with something sinister.
Valerie didn’t like what she saw in his eyes. She needed to get out of there. Now. But as she tried to leave once more, Paul wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her up against him and then pressed her into the wall to pin her in place.
She pushed her hand against his chest to keep him from leaning in to kiss her. “If you don’t let me go, I’m going to scream. Then Brett’s going to come out here and wipe the floor with your ass.”
He hesitated a moment, then his gaze fell to her cleavage before lifting back to her mouth. “So you’re a screamer, are you? Hmm, that could be fun.” Then his thumb grazed the length of her jaw.
She wasn’t sure what he was about to do, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to just stand there and let him do it. Without a second thought, she reached down with her right hand and grasped his balls in a viselike grip. “This is your last warning. Let. Go.” She squeezed harder just to show him she wasn’t playing around.
He winced, and his hold on her immediately loosened. “You’re going to pay for this, you bitch.”
Her heart beat faster as dread trickled down her spine. If he managed to get away from her before Brett showed up, she would be in deep shit. He was much bigger than her and a hell of a lot meaner. So she shifted her right leg between his and was prepared to lift it into his balls if that happened.
But then she heard a door swing open and a male growl filled the air. She nearly cried out in relief. Brett! Thank God. She released her hold on Paul immediately, happy to remove her hand from any part of this disgusting man’s anatomy.
The moment she freed him, Paul pushed away from her so fast and forcefully that she spun sideways with dizzying speed and had to grasp on to the wall to keep from sliding to the floor. But when she turned and opened her mouth to stop her brother from murdering the drunken bastard who’d been holding her captive in the hallway, she realized it wasn’t Brett who had come to her rescue after all.
* * *
Logan had never been so pissed in his life.
The moment he’d walked in on Paul and Valerie, a red haze had fogged his vision and molten lava had bubbled in his veins. Just seeing their bodies pressed so tightly together up against the wall with her hand down below had sent Logan into a blind fury.
Paul quickly moved away from Valerie, who let out a long, slow breath and braced her hand against the wall, as if to steady her weak knees. Christ.
He glared at Paul. “What the hell is going on in here?”
“Nothing,” the bartender answered gruffly.
Yeah, it looks like nothing all right. Asshole.
Logan threw his hands in the air. “Goddamn it. We’ve got a packed bar, and we’re already shorthanded as it is. We don’t have time for my head bartender to be…trying to score in the back room.”
“Trying to score?” Valerie repeated, surprise registering in her voice. “I would hardly call that—”
“Stay out of it,” Logan sneered, his lip curling in disgust. “I’ll deal with you in a minute.”
She blinked at him. “Deal with me?”
Good God. Is she deaf or something? Why the hell does she keep repeating everything I say? “Yeah, that’s right. You heard me the first time, princess.”
The pet name once again had her narrowing her eyes, but she shook her head. “Logan, I don’t think you understand—”
“Damn it, Valerie! I don’t need this crap right now. The POS system just went down, two kegs are empty, and one of the blenders isn’t working. So excuse me if I’m a little upset that my employee is hooking up with some random girl in the back room while he should be working.”
Her eyes widened. “Some random girl?”
Jesus. Not again. “Well, I’m assuming the two of you don’t know each other. Or maybe I’m wrong about that. Either way, I don’t really give two shits.”
She crossed her arms. “Yeah, that’s always been your problem.”
Logan wasn’t sure what the hell that meant, but he wasn’t going to worry about it right now. Valerie had always done what she could to gain his attention, and this time, he wasn’t falling into the trap. He turned his attention back to Paul. “I don’t pay you to fuck around with women on the clock, nor do I appreciate you doing so in my bar. Do that shit on your own time and at your own place, or you’ll be looking for a new goddamn job.”
“I don’t have to put up with this,” Paul spat out. “This job isn’t fucking worth it. And neither is she,” he said with a smirk, tossing Valerie a look.
Anger exploded through Logan, and he clenched his fists at his sides. “Say what you want about the job, but you watch how you’re talking about her.”
“Fuck both of you,” Paul said, throwing the storeroom keys on the floor. “I quit.” Then he stormed out, banging the swinging door against the wall as he left.
Logan ran his hands through his hair. “Well, great. That’s just fucking great.”
“What’s great?” The deep voice echoed down the hallway.
Logan snapped his head up to see Brett exiting the storeroom. He was wearing a new bar T-shirt and had his soiled one draped over his right shoulder. “My head bartender just quit on me.”
“Why?”
“Good question.” Logan glared at Valerie before looking back at his buddy and sighing heavily. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Do you know anything about bartending?”
Brett shook his head. “I can make a beer, but that’s about it.”
“The fact that you referred to it as ‘making a beer’ just told me all I need to know about your bartending abilities. Shit. Okay, do you think you could cover the floor for me while I jump behind the bar and pitch in?”
His buddy shrugged. “Yeah, sure. What do I need to do?”
“Just walk around the room and keep an eye on things. Check the bathrooms to make sure no one’s in there vomiting, having sex, or trashing the place. Look around on the tables and floors for spills or broken glass, and then let the waitresses know if you spot any. And if you see anyone getting too rowdy, show them the door. Got it?”
“No problem. Anything for you, man.” Brett squeezed Logan’s shoulder then headed out the door, letting it swing back and forth on its hinges behind him.
Valerie stood there with a strange, unreadable expression on her face. It was as if she was contemplating something heavy, but then she finally said, “I can help too.”
“I don’t want or need your kind of help,” Logan said, bending to swipe the storeroom keys from the floor and dangling them from his fingertips in front of her face. “I believe you’ve done enough already.”
His harsh words made her visibly wince, and his stomach twisted in response. Damn it. He shouldn’t feel guilty for snapping at her like that. Not when she deserved it.
Back in the day, Valerie had pulled all kinds of crazy stunts to draw attention to herself, and she’d always gotten away with it. It was about damn time someone finally taught her a lesson. So Logan did the only thing he could think of. He moved in the direction of the door to get the hell out of there before he did something idiotic…like apologize to her.
“Logan?” she whispered.
God. He didn’t want to stop walking, but he couldn’t help himself. It was as if the hallway were a black hole and Valerie was the gravitational pull inside it that held him firmly in place.
Fine. He just wouldn’t look at her then. “What?” he muttered, not bothering to turn around.
“W-we need to talk about what just happened with Paul.”
That comment not only had him glancing at her over his shoulder but shooting her a dirty look for even suggesting something so ludicrous. “Why? Like I need to hear all the sordid details?” He shook his head. “No, thanks. You keep ’em.”
“God, you’re such a stubborn asshole.” She shook her head with disgust. “It wasn’t what it looked like. I wasn’t—”
“I don’t care.”
She scowled. “Yes, you’ve made that perfectly clear.”
“What do you want from me, Valerie? I already told you I don’t have time for this,” he said, gritting his teeth. “If you want to play games, do it elsewhere. I’ve got a bar to run.”
“Games?”
Jesus. There she goes repeating what I say again. Like she’s clueless to what I’m talking about. This time, Logan turned to face her with his whole body. If she wanted him to spell it out for her, then so be it. “Yeah, games. Like the one you play where you throw yourself into a guy’s path and see how long he can hold out. You’ve been doing that shit for years. When the hell are you going to grow up?”
Not saying a word, Valerie stood there blinking at him while wearing the strangest expression on her reddening face. He’d never seen her get embarrassed by much so he didn’t think that was it. Was she pissed? And if so, what the hell did she have to be pissed about? If it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have just lost his best bartender on the one night he needed him the most.
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t all her fault. Logan had overreacted after finding the two of them together. But damn it, seeing someone else touch something of his had blown a fuse in his brain and…Wait. His? What the fuck? Since when had Valerie ever been his? It wasn’t like he had dibs on her or something. Christ.
As a young teenage girl, Valerie had always short-circuited his system, but the curvy blond goddess standing in front of him was apparently warping his feeble, testosterone-charged mind. It was as if she made him want to claim her luscious body and brand his name all over her every time he got near her. Something he needed to rectify immediately. In fact, starting right now.
Logan didn’t wait to see if she would respond. Instead, he threw open the door and marched toward the main bar to give James a hand behind the bar. Lord knows he would need it with this unruly crowd, which was only growing louder and more demanding by the second.
Unfortunately, Logan had known from the beginning that opening Bottoms Up early was a bad idea, but it wasn’t like he’d had much of a choice. If his mother would’ve told him about the foreclosure notice on her home before he’d signed all of the papers on the bar, he wouldn’t have used all of his savings to buy the damn place to begin with. But since he had, his only way to help her now was to make Bottoms Up as profitable as he could, as fast as he could.
Or sit back and watch his mother lose everything.