Half an hour and two drinks later, he watched Cassey walk down the stairs. Tonight she wore a silver skirt that hugged her in all the right places. Tall black boots went all the way up to her thighs, and she wore a long net shirt over a silver tank top that flowed just past her belly. She wore silver earrings and jewelry that sparkled in the light. Her long hair flowed down her back in tight curls that looked soft enough to bury his face in.
She walked up to him, and he felt like his tongue had grown three sizes.
“Evening.” She smiled and nodded to Wendy, who quickly produced a can of Coke. Cassey leaned on the bar next to him and took a sip.
“You look…amazing,” he finally said. Then he pulled her closer and she heard him sniff her neck and hair, no doubt smelling her rich perfume she enjoyed to indulge in. She tensed for a split second, and then relaxed into the embrace.
When she pulled back, she heard Wendy sigh. “You’ll excuse me; I have to make my rounds. Wendy…” She waited until her friend walked over. “Get Mr. Callaway anything he wants.” She turned and started her nightly ritual. It was still early and the band had yet to show up. She knew it would be an hour before the hectic scurry started. The large back doors opened to the alleyway so that equipment coming and going didn’t disturb the diners.
As she walked around the tables, she noticed that there were regular customers scattered around the room. That always made her happy, but new customers were the key to her business. Tourists made up at least seventy percent of the revenue. And in the last few months, she was seeing those numbers dwindle.
By the time she had made it around the room, her feet hurt from her new three-inch high-heeled boots. Oh, they were totally worth the slight pain, but she had to admit she couldn’t wait to slide them off and sink down into a nice hot bath.
Late nights had been part of her life since opening the place, and her body was used to the hours. She had more energy than most people did between the hours of seven and one. But it still took a full can of Coke to keep her going; her long-time addiction to the drink helped her mentally get through the later hours.
But tonight she had the extra weight of wondering what would happen after she locked those doors. Looking across the room, she saw Luke leaning against the bar, watching her. The heat that had come from his eyes earlier had seared her. She couldn’t remember ever having been looked at like that before. There had been no doubt what he wanted when he saw her walk across the room towards him. She thought that if he could have, he would have marched her up those stairs and back into her apartment. Images of him touching her, what he’d do to her, had flashed into her head ever since they had made their arrangement.
She’d had several relationships in the past, and most had ended amicably. The longest had been Bill, lasting all of five weeks. She knew she had commitment issues. Hell, who wouldn’t after living through the horror of her early childhood? She always pulled away before getting too close. She supposed it was because she didn’t trust herself to be…well…herself around men.
During any relationship, she would see subtle changes in herself and immediately call it off. They had never been major changes, just little things like using his type of toothpaste instead of hers. Most people would simply overlook things like this, but she couldn’t.
She watched Luke turn around and start talking to Wendy. She knew Wendy had gotten her hint about keeping her hands off. They’d been friends ever since she’d hired her that first week. Wendy was one of the only women outside of her family she actually trusted. When she’d heard that Wendy had a similar story to her own, the bond had grown fast and strong.
Luke laughed at something Wendy said, and the sound reverberated through the room. His rich voice was easy to pinpoint in the crowd.
Just then, she received a text saying the band was in the alley, waiting for her to let them in. Walking over to the back doors, she opened them and saw Mike. Mike was the epitome of 80s throwback. She was sure that there had been a time when he had been in many young girls’ dreams, but the years hadn’t been kind to his hairline or his waistline. But he was a legend for his voice along the whole coastline, and his band played all the right songs and knew how to pack in a crowd.
“How’s it going tonight, Cass?” He shifted the large speaker he was holding to hug her.
“Great. We’re all ready for you. Tyrone even tells me there’s a line growing outside.” She propped open the doors to let the rest of the band and all their equipment in.
Less than an hour later, the music started pumping and the crowd was packed in tight. Cassey leaned back against the bar and smiled over at Luke.