by Logan Chance
As soon as they left a quiet calm settled over the kitchen. It should have put me at ease but having her body so near made it awkward and weird The back of my neck prickled from the tension surrounding us, and I didn’t like it.
Really,What do I say to the woman I just asked to dinner mere hours before? So I guess you weren't lying about having a boyfriend. Right that would totally work.
“I’m happy to be working for you,” Penelope said and I could hear the formality in her tone, giving me a clue that I wasn't the only one feeling out of my comfort zone. I would have rather went another round with an angry husband then to be subjected to what was happening in my kitchen.
“Yeah, it will be fun.” Shit we sounded like two aliens trying to have a normal human conversation but failing miserably.
“Fuck,” she whispered and my body sparked with excitement momentarily. The low, throaty timbre of her voice echoed through the room. Get it together Theo, I thought tucking my hands in my pockets to make sure little Theo didn't make his presence known.
She slapped her hand over her mouth and her eyes showcased her shock.
“Did you just say fuck?” I teased.
Her hand fell away from her mouth in one slow movement as my eyes followed. “I’m sorry. This is just so uncomfortable.”
I leaned in, pressing my hand against the counter she leaned on. She was close. Too close and I needed to back away. It seemed both Theo's weren't taking orders. “Do I make you feel uncomfortable?” I asked, entirely too close to her ear.
It almost sounded like she stopped breathing and I knew I was affecting her in some way. This should stop. My daughter, and my brother her boyfriend were only a couple of yards away. I couldn’t help myself, she stirred something in me and I needed more. From the moment the word ‘fuck’ fell from her perfect, plump lips I was aroused.
My heart thumped as I waited for her reply. A reply I shouldn’t be searching for. What would she say?
“No, you don’t make me feel uncomfortable. Could you please back up? I’m dating your brother, and if we're to work with each other than you can never stand this close to me anymore. Is that understood?” She pushed off the counter and stumbled a few steps back, her cheeks flushed and her perky breasts bobbed with every sharp inhale.
You can see why these scenes were deleted. The story started getting away from me, with Penny cheating and running into babysitting issues.
I ended up scraping it all and starting over. I tend to do that a lot. Should I keep going?
OK, Here’s the rest…..AGAIN, NOT EDITED and I’m not even sure if the story makes any sense.
Obviously, the whole story was scratched and I started over, so this is just nonsense….and for enjoyment ONLY
Chapter Five
PENNY
Uncomfortable was not the word I would use for the way Theo made me feel. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what my body’s reaction to him was, but I knew I needed to tamp things down before they spiraled out of control. I was his brother's girlfriend for god sake.
The way he stared at me with one cocked eyebrow and a sexy smirk plastered against the black and blue of his face, made me flushed with anger. Yeah, I'm going with anger. I would not allow any other emotion to come forward.
He was my new boss, my boyfriend’s brother and completely off-limits. Yet, I was having a major reaction to him which I needed to assess in the privacy of my own home. I needed to come up with a plan. The job he offered me was my saving grace, and I refused to let my hormones cheat me out of rent money. As soon as I get home I'm opening a bottle of wine and drinking until my resolve is good and strong.
With determination on my face, I asked him about the job I would be performing for him at his bar. Wanting him to realize I would make a valuable asset and also get the conversation back to neutral ground.
“About the job, when would you like me to start?”
He eyed me cautiously as I twirled a lose tendril of brown hair in between my fingers. He wasn’t answering as he stood there, the wicked grin still on his face. “Well? Are you going to answer me?” I asked. My frustration grew as his eyes continued to hold mine longer than necessary.
Out of nowhere, he laughed. It was a deep laugh which almost sounded foreign even to him.
Annoyed, I shot him my best evil glare as I tried to reason with myself over my unwarranted hostility toward him. This was the same man who had helped me this afternoon with my car. The same man who listened to cheesy kid songs, and yet here he was being wildly inappropriate to his future employee. Any other thoughts about what I could also be were bottled up. I didn’t know how to handle any of this making my annoyance grow.
“What’s so funny?” I huffed.
His laughter subsided briefly as he tried to regain control long enough to speak. “Oh God, you are.”
“Am not.” My retort unleashed more laughter from him as he held his hand up signaling me to hold on while he finished laughing, at me. My cheeks blazed hot, and there was a fury growing inside my chest.
“Are too,” he said with tears from laughing so hard in his eyes.
I blew out an angry breath and took two steps to walk away before he grabbed me by the arm and spun me around, pressing me firmly against his rock, solid chest. I should not be thinking of his chest. Damn why did it have to be so hard?
The laughter was gone, the air thickened with an unknown electrical charge and the tiny hairs at the base of my neck stood on ends.
His eyes were intense with an expression I’d never seen on any man before. “Let’s get one thing straight, Penelope.”
The way he breathed my name made my insides ignite with a foreign sensation which traveled through my system.
My words betrayed me as I answered him with a single, breathy, “yes.”
“As for how close I can stand to you, well, I’ll stand wherever the fuck I want. We will be working side by side behind a tight, small bar. So, if being this close to me bothers you maybe you should find another job.” His words pierced straight through me and I trembled slightly.
He let go of me in a flash and my knees almost buckled. What the hell?
“Now as for when you can start, will you be able to start the day after tomorrow?” he asked this time he had the hint of annoyance in his voice.
I stood there completely stunned as I tried to remember my words. “Yes.” Was all I could come up with.
“Good.” The word snapped out of his mouth making me glance away.
The goosebumps all over my body receded as I rubbed my hands up and down my arms.
“Alright,” I said.
Still entranced by the moment of being pressed so closely against his body, I clocked his movements as he ran a hand down his beard.
“See something you like?” he asked.
“You wish.” I turned on my heel and left him standing in the kitchen as I searched out Dex.
***
After we left Theo’s house, Dex drove me home and boy was I happy to be there. I kissed him goodbye as I slid from his car.
When I entered my sanctuary, I sought out Jasmine. She lounged on the couch with her one foot resting off the side, swinging to the beat of the loud music ringing through the room.
Lana Del Rey relaxed me with her words as Jasmine took no notice to my presence.
When she finally saw me, she bolted upright. “Hey. You look a little worse for wear. Are you alright?” Jasmine had an innate ability to read my moods and always knew just what to say.
“You could say I had a rough day.” I sat beside her on the tan-leather sofa as she moved over a tad.
“Tell me. Let me make it all better.” Jasmine’s bright blue eyes shined as her soft golden curls fell, framing her face.
I told her everything. First, how I’d been laid off in the morning, and ending with Theo and the way he held me in the kitchen.
“Wow, I’m speechless,” she said.
Great. The one person who always knew what to say had been ren
dered speechless. She wasn’t the only one.
“Well, what should I do?” I asked.
“It’s obvious this Theo's just trying to get a rise out of you. You said yourself Dex doesn't think he is capable of being a responsible adult. You can’t let him see that he affects you in any way. Be as neutral as Switzerland. Just do your job and get out. Did you tell Dex?”
“How could I? I don’t know how he would take it. I mean, nothing bad actually happened it isn’t like he kissed me or anything,” I mentioned and closed my eyes a moment too long while I pictured Theo’s strong lips pressed against mine.
“Penny!” Jasmine slapped my arm, bringing my attention back to hers. “You’re thinking about kissing him aren’t you?”
“Oh God no.” I lied, a flat out lie. What was wrong with me?
“Mm-hmm,” she hummed.
“No, I wasn’t.” I shook my head begging her to believe me. She didn’t. She knew. We all knew. Even people in other countries probably knew.
“Penny, you need to reign in whatever's going on in that head of yours and focus.”
“Focus on what exactly?” I asked not knowing where she was headed with her crazy train of thought.
“Focus on Dex, he’s a good man. You deserve it. You deserve to be happy. He won't leave you high and dry when you are in trouble. You need someone responsible.”
I eyed Jasmine for a split second until she finally threw both hands up. “You know what I mean.”
“What makes you think I’m unhappy? Or that I need someone.” I asked.
“That isn’t what I meant and you know it. You know I want what is best for you and Dex is it. Also, didn’t I ask you when you first met him if he had a brother? You going to set me up or what?”
I scrunched my nose at her, annoyed at her questioning. I didn’t like the idea of setting her up with Theo. My body tensed when I thought of the two of them together. Which was ludicrous.
“Sure, maybe I will,” I said pretending to be excited at the prospect. Although I was anything but.
We watched TV for a while as neither of us mentioned my day or Theo again. Yet, when I climbed into the cotton fabric of my sheets and felt the fan blow the wisps of hair framing my forehead, I couldn’t get Theo and his delicious smile out of my mind. I tossed and turned scolding myself every time Theo popped in my head. I even tried to think of Dex anytime Theo crossed my mind. It turned into some macabre form of count the sheep but instead of livestock I was picturing brothers. When the morning arrived for me to start my first day at Sullivan’s I was actually feeling a small pattering of nerves deep within my belly. Theo wanted me to report there around five in the afternoon so he could show me the ropes. My own personal hell seemed to be coming true. Yet, I still ended up taking my time and doing my hair and make up to perfection. I wanted to impress the customers, and not some brooding asshole that had been keeping me up at night. Or at least that was what I was going with.
In black jeans and a black t-shirt, knowing full well he would give me a Sullivan’s shirt when I arrived, I headed to my car.
The whole drive downtown I wondered how I’d be able to stand so close to Theo without having him stir something inside me. In the kitchen at his house, when he pulled me against his body, I felt something. Something I shouldn’t. Dex should be the one on my mind. Good, dependable, Dex that would never try to seduce his brother's girlfriend. The man who wanted all the things I wanted. Or at least I should want. Every woman dreams of a man who wants a stable marriage and kids.
What the fuck was wrong with me. I needed to put all desirous thoughts of Theo out of my head Urging my traitorous body to calm down, and keep a level head I turned the car at the light into Sullivan’s parking lot. Reminding myself that Theo was my boss and nothing else. Well, except for being my boyfriends brother.
After smoothing my hands along my jeans, I put one foot in front of the other toward the front door.
Sullivan’s was open during the day, but didn’t have much business. The majority of its allure was the late night crowd. The tourist and locals would visit the Irish pub and drink their Guinness and Jameson while taking in the Florida sun. It was situated not too far from South Beach’s prime real estate and was within walking distance to the beach.
As I exhaled a deep breath of salty sea air, I plastered a smile on my face and opened the green wooden door.
Walking in I was hit with the smells of beer and surprisingly bratwurst. The place was dark, with the green curtains blocking out the outside light, a nice Irish charm held the place together. A few beer steins hung from the ceilings as I glanced around taking it all in. The battered wood floor seemed to have lost its shine from over the years, as it held up the scattered tables and wooden chairs.
I spotted Theo, behind the thick oak bar wiping the counter down with an old bar towel. An older gentleman had his attention as he talked, completely comfortable with who he was it seemed.
The moment our eyes met he dropped the towel and lifted his hand slightly. With a deep breath, I joined him, standing next to the elderly patron as he sipped his amber-colored beer.
“Penelope, this is Mick. He’s a regular here. You’ll get to know him soon enough. Let’s get you started.”
“Nice to meet you, Mick. Thanks.”
Theo nodded his head, asking me to follow him to the back of the pub. He lead me down a darkened hallway which held a hint of beer, came to a halt in front of a wooded door.
“In here, let’s get you a shirt,” he said as he opened the door.
The office was compact in size and we both had to stand very close to one another in order to fit in the tiny space.
Theo rummaged through a box and pulled out a yellow t-shirt with the word ‘STAFF’ written in bold black letters across the back.
“Really? Yellow?”
“What you don’t like yellow? Everyone likes yellow it’s friendly,” he said as he handed me the shirt.
“I thought I’d be able to wear my own clothes as bar manager.”
“We’ll work to that.”
“But, your shirt is black. I have to work up to that as well?”
His smile reached his deep, dark eyes as he rubbed his beard. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Kind of reminds me of karate. Alright, sensei, teach me,” I whispered as we stood practically on top of each other in the small space.
Chapter Six
THEO
Hearing Penelope ask me to teach her brought all kinds of dirty images to play out in my mind.
Her body was close and I wanted to reach out and touch her lips. To take my thumb to spread her lipstick across her face. My need for her heightened as I tried to back away. This was wrong on so many levels, she’s my brother’s girl.
I handed her the shirt as she gazed up to me.
“Go ahead and put it on,” I said, crossing my arms across my chest to watch the show. I was joking of course, but wanted to see her reaction.
She glanced around for a moment before she smiled, wide. “Are you going to watch?”
“Oh, most definitely.”
“I don’t think so,” she said, laughing as she pushed me out of the office.
“I’m kidding. Get changed and meet me behind the bar.”
I’d only had time to stay for another hour to get her settled in before I needed to pick up Lucy from Sandy’s.
When I saw Richie pouring a beer for a customer I came up beside him. “Hey man, in a minute you’ll meet Penelope. I need you to show her the ropes tonight.”
Richie’s ran a hand through his long, thick blond hair. A true surfer and lover of the sea, he’d been working for me for a few years. Every year he would take off to surf the North Shore, but always came back for the season. Knowing he’d be leaving soon was one of the main reasons I hired Penelope.
As I watched her head out of the hallway and into the bar area, my eyes were transfixed on her. Her long tousled hair swept across her shoulders as she smiled over to Richie and I.
After the introductions were settled, and Penelope begged to be called Penny, I got to work showing her where all the liquors were kept. We went over the computer system, and after a while it was time for me to leave to pick up Lucy. With every ounce of my being my body begged me to stay.. I wanted to surround myself with everything Penelope. She was bad news. I needed to focus on my daughter and my business and not my brother's girl.
I watched as her and Richie joked together while I counted the last of the inventory. Penelope seemed to fit in perfectly, and the customers were already starting to take notice of how well she acclimated.
I needed to get out of here and quick.
After saying my goodbyes to everyone, including Penelope I stepped off the curb and headed to my car.
With a sharp inhale of the salted air, I shook my head. How did Dex meet her first? I lifted my head up to the sky trying to get my bearings.
The first stars where beginning to make their appearance in the night sky over the ocean. People scattered the streets as they took in the start of the nightlife South Beach had to offer.
I bumped into an older couple as I walked lazily to my car. The fresh air and thoughts of Penelope were hitting my system hard. Pushing away thoughts of her, I stuck my key into the lock of my truck.
On my way to Sandy’s I decided to call Dex and fish for some sort of evidence to solidify their relationship and stop my heart from beating out of my chest whenever she was near.
“Hey man, how are you?”
He answered the phone out of breath and for a moment I wondered if he was working out. Dex rarely visited the gym, but I decided not to press the issue.
“Hey, Theo. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to call and say how well Penelope is doing.”
“Penelope? Oh Penny, right. That’s great man. Listen can I call you back later?” Dex asked, rushing me off the phone.
“Sure, speak soon.” I hung up and glared at my phone. What the fuck?