"I take it they won't be too thrilled," Beau said.
"Some of them have been coming here since opening day," Johnny said. "No, they won't like it."
"That's a shame." Beau picked up his drink. "I should get back to work. If you'll excuse me."
He left Johnny and Lola to get a table with the other two men.
"What're you thinking?" Johnny asked, nudging Lola's shin with his shoe.
She looked from Beau's table back to Johnny. "Just that it's been a while since I heard you talk about music like that. When's the last time you and I went to a real concert?"
Johnny closed one eye as he thought. "Years. Concerts usually happen at night. We don't get a lot of nights off together."
"We should ask Mitch for one soon. They can survive one night without either of us."
Johnny kissed Lola on the forehead. "I would, but he's got a lot on his plate right now. Let's see how things work out these next few weeks."
"Oh, I remember the last time we went to a show that wasn't here," Lola said. "Beastie Boys, Hollywood Bowl." She smiled as the memory played out on Johnny's face. "And then … "
"That's right." He paused. "The night we had that huge argument."
Lola nodded and leaned toward him. "Which then became the night of the drunken angry sex." Her heart kicked up a notch. "What would you say to an encore? A bottle of tequila, a show and you getting lucky?"
"An encore? We must not be thinking of the same night," Johnny said. "We both drank way too much. I don't even remember what we fought about, just that a table lamp paid the price."
"Me neither, but I do remember one of the best orgasms I've ever had," Lola said. Her ass throbbed. It wasn't the only time Johnny had spanked her, but it was the first and last time he'd done it like he'd meant it. It'd been like sleeping with a stranger after having the same partner for years.
Johnny shook his head. "I don't understand. You want us to have another blowout fight?"
She shrugged one shoulder. "Not fight. I just think a night out could be good for us."
"That's not something I want to recreate," he said, turning away. "But I promise, once things get sorted here, we'll do something for ourselves."
Lola frowned. That night had always stuck with her in a deranged, inexplicable way. There'd been something crackling in the air. She'd assumed the same was true for Johnny, but apparently he'd experienced something else-something entirely different.
Beau was heading back toward the bar, a slight swagger in his step. He didn't look as though he'd hesitate a moment before delivering a hard slap on her rear end. Lola's breath caught.
"We'll take another round," he said, leaning his elbows on the bar. "Might as well keep them coming."
Lola grabbed a glass before Johnny could, eager for the distraction.
"You guys play?" Beau asked. He gestured to a cup of darts against the back wall.
"Yep," Johnny said. "My girl's queen of the bull's eye."
"Is she?" Beau grinned. "Up for a game, Lola?"
"Why don't you play with one of your friends?" she asked. She handed Beau his drink and pointed at the end of the bar. "Or the locals will take anyone on. When they're drunk enough, you can clean them out."
Beau lifted his glass to his mouth, shaking his head. "No challenge in that. I only go up against those who play to win."
Johnny wiped his hands on a rag and nodded over at Lola. "Then you want this one. Got a bit of a competitive streak."
Lola was wary about spending too much time around Beau. They were already hedging on dangerous territory. "Sorry, but I've got customers."
"It's all right, go ahead," Johnny said, taking the drink in Lola's hand. "I'll get these to the table."
She hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"Why not? Go. Have fun."
She shrugged. "Okay. If the boss says so."
"If you think I believe I'm really your boss, you're fooling yourself," he joked. "We both know it's just a title."
She laughed but stopped abruptly at the way Beau stared at her-as though he'd forgotten Johnny was even there.
"What should we play for?" she asked. She stuck a hand in her apron, pulled out a few dollars she'd made in tips and showed them to him. "It's all I've got on me."
"I'm thinking slightly more than that," he said.
"Like what?" she asked.
"How about a hundred bucks?"
"That's a little steep. I'm confident, but I'm not stupid."