Dances with Monsters(25)

"Well," she said, her hands settling on her hips. "I did promise a round of free drinks. What'll you have?"

"You got Tank 7?" Rex asked.

"I do. I'll have the waitress bring out a round for you." She glanced around, her gaze settling on Heath, and smiled before she walked off. As she did, he realized what it was about her that had been different. She was wearing black studded boots with a tall spiky heel, the tops of which reached to just under her calf. He was used to her being so much shorter than him, but tonight, she'd almost been eye level.

"Good job," he heard Connor say, and turned just as his older brother's hand clapped down on his shoulder. Heath looked at him, frowning in confusion.

"Good job on what?" he asked.

Connor cocked his head curiously. He nodded in the general direction Drew had gone off in. "Isn't that you?" he replied.

"No," Heath said, averting his eyes. "I hardly know her. We're not really even friends. She just comes to the gym."

"Yeah, he doesn't spend hours a week talking to her or anything," Rex said loudly, making Connor chuckle and Heath glare at him murderously. "He doesn't spend the rest of the time talking about her either."

"Shut the fuck up," Heath said sharply. "He's being stupid," he added to Connor. "It ain't even like that."

"Why not?" Connor asked, genuinely confused. "She's a beautiful girl. What's the problem?"

"Nothing," Heath replied testily. "Who said I had a problem?"

"Oh, Jesus," Jameson said, swiping a hand down his face. "Here we go."

"Dude, you don't have a problem," Rex said reassuringly, patting the air. "You're just a huge fucking pussy. That's all."

"Fuck you," Heath shot back, rising from the stool he had just sat down on. At that minute, Drew returned to the table, carrying a tray with four pint glasses filled with beer.

"Hey, you're our own personal waitress too?" Rex asked with a grin. "And here I thought you were just the barkeep."

Drew shot him a look, but smiled. "The frat boys in the corner are being really demanding and obnoxious, so I guess you guys are stuck with me for a while. Just don't have me walking around all over the place. These shoes hurt my feet."

She placed their glasses in front of them and Heath shifted uncomfortably as she placed his down. She didn't miss the look on his face and furrowed her brow.

"What is it?" she asked. "Would you like something else? It's no problem. Do you like liquor instead?"

He leaned in so he wouldn't have to shout over the music, close enough to smell her perfume and noted the light smattering of freckles across her nose in the dim lighting. "Actually, can I just have a club soda with lime?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Of course. Sorry, I didn't realize…" Her hand hovered next to the glass.

"Hey, hey, hey," Rex said, reaching out to stop her. "You leave that. He's training, he doesn't get to drink."

"Oh," Drew said, her face visibly relaxing, and for a moment, Heath wondered if she thought he was an alcoholic or something. She smiled, pushing his glass to the middle of the table. "I'll let you three fight it out. Club soda with lime coming right up."

Heath nodded his thanks and watched his brother and his friends take down the swill with lust. He knew that Tank 7 was an extremely tasty, potent beer and in fact he enjoyed it. He would have loved to down his pint, but he was extremely dedicated to succeeding at Smackdown, so he pushed the craving aside. Drew brought him his club soda and lime in record time, and returned to the bar after placing down a bowl of snacks and making sure they were set. As the four of them engaged in random conversations, trading MMA war stories, making comments about the waitresses, and life in general, Heath's eyes kept straying to Drew. She seemed perfectly comfortable behind the bar, expertly mixing drinks, pouring beers, garnishing cocktails. She danced idly to whatever song was playing as she worked, and handled the drunken guys across the lounge with grace and ease as they stumbled to the bar, buying shots for themselves and imploring her to take one with them. He saw her comply only twice; the rest of the invitations she either refused or passed off the shots to others.

Eventually, Jameson and Rex decided to call it a night. They both had to be at the gym fairly early the next morning for opening. Heath glanced at his watch and noted that it was about time for the lounge to close. He moved toward the bar when he noticed that Drew seemed relatively free and was wiping down the counter.

"Hey," he said, leaning on the bar.

She glanced up at him and shoved a lock of hair behind her ear. "Hey," she returned. She nodded at their empty table. "Your two friends couldn't keep up?"