Protect & Serve(119)

Bria settled into a stool at the end of the bar. I took the seat next to her. The place wasn’t half bad, actually. There looked to be a good selection of craft beers on tap and the top shelf stuff was front and center.

The bartender was a man in his late fifties with a tightly quaffed salt and peppered beard. He looked like the kind who might be mixing drinks for the city elites. It was not often you got an old guy for a bartender, and it made me believe he knew his stuff. Most places went with a girl with huge tits whether she could mix a drink or not.

“Good evening, folks,” he said. “What will you both be having?”

It seemed like he didn’t recognize me and I think I sensed a bit of relief from Bria.

“She’ll have a vodka martini,” I said. “And I’ll go with an old fashioned.”

“Excellent choice. We do a very good blackberry martini; would you like to try?”

Bria looked at me and I raised my eyebrows.

“That’ll be great,” she said.

The bartender hurried away to make our drinks.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to think. Isn’t it weird when people you’ve never met before know your name?”

“At first it was, but like anything else you get used to it. Sometimes I wish people would mind their own business. I’m not gonna lie to you, most of the time I love it.”

She cracked a smile and I knew I had her.

Our drinks came shortly after. We fell into an easy conversation.

Bria wrapped a strand of her pretty brown hair around two fingers. The way she twirled it made me dig my fingertips into the top of the bar. She was such a sexy little thing and she had no idea.

Her martini was empty in the blink of an eye. The bartender was all over it like a good soldier, swooping in with a fresh glass.

Somewhere into that second drink, I noticed the Maître D’ hanging around the far end of the bar. After we made eye contact, he hurried over.

“Your table is ready. I’m sorry it took so long but we wanted for you to have the perfect location.”

I sighed, annoyed for no other reason than we would have to put the flirting on hold to go to the table.

“You know what…” Bria piped up from behind me. “We’ve decided to drink our dinner tonight. We won’t be needing that table after all.”

I was more than surprised at her assertiveness. “Really?” I asked. “What about my steak?”

“I don’t think you’ll be missing it. No need to worry.” She hid her smile behind the back of her hand.

The Maître D’ looked mildly disappointed. “Well, maybe next time,” he said as he shuffled away.

For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t sure what to say. Bria took another long, slow drink from her glass. She wiggled her butt back and forth on the seat and puckered her mouth when the alcohol stung her taste buds.

“Ready to go?” she asked.





12





Bria





I don’t think Luke even considered the speed limit as we drove back to his place. The car shifted gears beautifully and he looked like he was made to drive it.

We made our way up a long winding road that I had never had reason to travel myself. It was the road out of Atlas that led to the upper scale neighborhood where the elite lived. It was full of surgeons and architects, and, apparently, one world-class MMA fighter. I think my boss’s house was even up here somewhere.

We passed million-dollar home after million-dollar home, each more extravagant than the last. Finally, we reached the apex, where Luke turned off and started up his driveway. I swear the back wheels of his car broke traction with the pavement when he turned.

“This is it,” he said proudly. “It’s my baby.”

The house was beautiful. It sat tall atop the hill and backed up to miles of wilderness. The pool wrapped around the side. It had an amazing rock waterfall like I’d never seen before.

“It’s awesome,” I said. I couldn’t find the right word but that one fit the best.

“Let me show you,” he said, speeding around the circular driveway, stopping right in front.

He jumped out of the car excitedly. I followed suit.

We held hands, stopping to admire it.

“Show me the bedroom first,” I demanded. Normally, I wasn’t so forward but he brought it out of me.

“No problem,” he said, scooping me into his strong arms and bounding up the stairs two at a time. He shoved the front door open, barely slowing long enough to disarm his alarm system.

I felt like a mouse. He was so big and strong. I shifted my weight so that I was hanging over his shoulder. I watched the expanse of his house fade behind me as he hurried to the room.