Bad Boys of Romance(23)

The next few days were back to our normal routine which consisted mainly of schoolwork and only two text messages from Chris, the ex-boyfriend. I didn't reply to either. Hannah and I had the exact same school schedule and were in our final semester of our senior year. We both had internships with local advertising agencies and hoped they would bring us on as actual employees once we had our degrees.

“I got my first actual assignment at work,” I said as I threw my backpack on the couch.

“Oh yeah.” Hannah barely moved from her spot on the black, overstuffed recliner.

“Yeah,” I went on. “I have to get five local businesses to sign up for our quarterly mailer. They don't have to provide a coupon or anything. Just their logo and business information.”

“Have you gone anywhere yet?” she asked, finally turning her attention to me.

“I was about to,” I replied. “Want to go with me?”

“Sure,” she answered and turned off the TV. “It'll be good experience for both of us.”

We drove down to College Street in Hannah's red Camaro. During the daytime, this street was known for its restaurants and shops so it would be a good place to start. Since it was still early, the bar scene was almost nonexistent. After talking to about fifteen store owners, we got four to sign up. One agreed to a ten percent off coupon, but the others just liked the advertising option.

“Let's get a drink,” she said as we looked down the street to see what stores we hadn't solicited yet. “Trey sent me a text message. He and some friends are at that bar we met at on Saturday.”

“Okay, fine,” I replied. “We actually got a lot more done than I thought we would.”

“You could ask the bar and see what they say.”

“Or I could just drink.” I laughed. “Trey, huh? You like him?”

“I don't know.” Her cheeks turned bright pink. “I don't really do the whole 'like' thing.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I nudged her as we walked into the bar.

I noticed the sign above the door this time that read The Green Room. The place was nearly empty since it was three o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon, and we found Trey and the few guys he was with easily. Hannah began shaking hands, and I slipped away up to the bar so I could talk to the owner about the ad before I had a drink.

Looking around in the daylight hours, I could see the dark walls were lined with black leather booths, and tables were placed all around the room. University of Texas memorabilia cluttered the walls, and signed dollar bills hung from the ceiling. The dance floor area seemed much smaller than it had the other night. I was sitting at the main bar in the center of the room, but there was a smaller bar closer to the entrance that I hadn't noticed the other night.

I opened my folder on the bar when a deep voice caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up.

“Can I get you something?” I looked up to see Luke standing behind the bar.

“Oh, um… I.” Of course I would forget how to talk when I saw him.

“Oh yeah?” He smiled.

I shook my head and gathered my thoughts. “Sorry, I was hoping to talk to the owner of this bar. Do you know if they are around?”

“Yeah, they're around.” He took two steps and stood in front of me on the other side of the bar. “I own this bar.”

“You what?” I couldn't hide the surprise in my voice if I was paid to. “You own The Green Room?”

“Surprised?”

“Well...” I might as well be honest. “Yeah, a little.”

When he stared at me, I found it hard to breathe. His arms flexed underneath his white t-shirt, and my eyes immediately went to the ink that snaked across his skin. I knew my face was redder than the sweater I was wearing, and I desperately wanted to start fanning myself with the papers spread out before me. He pulled my attention back in by tapping his finger on the bar.

“Okay, sorry.” I shook my head, and he let out a quiet chuckle. “I work for Linx Advertising, and we are asking local companies if they would like a spot in our quarterly mailer. It can be a coupon or just your business information. There are several options to choose from.”

I handed him the paper that listed the prices and watched as he slowly took it in his hand. He rubbed the thin paper between his fingers.

“Just so I understand.” He looked up and the same venom was back in his glare. “You walk into my bar, barge into a private conversation that I was having with an employee, and now you come back asking for money.”

Once the shock filtered through my system, anger set in. “Fine, be a dick. Whatever. There are plenty of businesses that will benefit from this. And you should learn to respect your sister. No one deserves to get yelled at like that.”