by Lisa N. Paul
Max tried to block those first couple of years from his memory, but he couldn’t forget how he’d been carried out of The Gage Garage when a car nearly fell on him due to his negligence when jacking it up.
“Yeah, Danny, I remember,” Max said.
Danny’s eyes, full of compassion, stayed trained on Max. “You have made it clear to yourself and to all of us that you don’t want a relationship—”
Max interrupted, his tone defensive. “I can’t have a relationship, Danny. It’s not about want! I cannot do it…” Max’s voice trailed off as he finished his thought. “I just don’t have anything left to give.”
Danny slowly shook his head. “Whatever you say, Max. But here’s the deal…our Janie”—Max’s eyes widened at the term of endearment—“Yes, Max, our Janie is a good…no, a great person. She has dealt with too many selfish assholes to count. Don’t think I can’t see the way she looks at you, and frankly it insults my intelligence that you don’t think I can see how you feel about her.” Max inhaled. “Don’t even think about interrupting me, boy,” Danny growled. “Talk to her. Tell her about your past. Tell her about Chloe. For Christ’s sake, she doesn’t even know that you were married. Pretending that part of your life never happened doesn’t mean it didn’t. But if you want to continue to live your life with your head buried in the sand…well, while it pains me to watch, I can’t stop you from doing it. But don’t take her down with you. She doesn’t deserve that. She deserves a man who will love her entirely. A man who will put her needs first. Someone that will wake up each morning knowing he is one lucky bastard because she is tucked in at his side and that same someone will show her how important she is to him each night as he lies down next to her in bed. Every hour in between waking up and going to sleep she should know that she is loved. There should never ever be a question or doubt in her mind that she is worth loving. You, Max, of all people should know how important that is.”
Max sat quietly reflecting on his mentor’s words.
“I know, as much as you refuse to see it, that you love her. You hurt her, and you want to apologize, and you should. But if you are going to make it clear that you guys are just friends, then be her friend and only her friend. She will move on, and you can go back to…whatever it is that you’re doing.”
Max nodded gravely as Danny stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and walked out of the office.
“Okay, okay, you got me here…kicking and screaming and against my better creative judgment, I might add, but I did leave during the High Holy Days...so this better be good.” Lyla winked and smiled.
Janie was relieved that she was able to convince Lyla to leave the hotel room. After being holed up in the small space for five days she was beginning to look peaked.
“And after the stunt you pulled on me the other night with Ryan? I should be pissed! He has me washing his laundry all week. What do I look like? His fucking girlfriend?” Ashley huffed.
Simultaneously, Lyla and Janie shouted, “Yes!”
With an exasperated sigh and a roll of her eyes, Ashley flashed them both the finger.
It was Thursday night. A week had past since Max had whispered, “sex with friends” in Janie’s ear. A shiver ran through her body as she tried to push the memory out of her mind. God, had it only been a week?
Looking over at the bar Max and Kyle were pouring drinks, popping bottle tops, and entertaining the customers. Their smiles were warm, and their laughter was contagious. She hadn’t wanted to come to the bar tonight, but Danny made had it clear to both her and Lyla that he would take it personally if they didn’t show up for their Thursday night routine.
“I refuse to let those dipshits ruin a good thing,” Danny said with authority. “You come here, and I’ll make sure that neither of you need to go to the bar to get your drinks. Deal?”
Reluctantly, the girls agreed.
So, there they sat, Janie and Lyla with their cocktails, and Ashley with her bourbon on the rocks on her night off.
Danny’s was packed with its usual crowd of patrons, ranging from business to biker and everyone in between. It was standing-room-only at the mahogany bar where the bar bunnies licked their lips, fluffed their hair, and lifted their tits just to get the attention of the “Sextenders” of the night, Max and Kyle.
“So, spill,” Lyla said.
“Geez, Ly, you’re giving us a complex. Is it that awful to be around us?” Janie was only partially joking as she waiting for Lyla’s answer.
Taking Janie’s hand in hers, she looked from Janie to Ashley. “I’m sorry, girls, it’s just…I still wanna punch Kyle in the face. I’m moving in two days, and I haven’t finished my…uh…column.”
Janie stilled, catching Lyla’s almost slip. If Ashley caught onto it she let it go without question, latching onto the other new bit of information Lyla shared.
“Lyla! What do you mean you’re moving in two days? I love your home! Why are you moving? And, oh my God, why haven’t you told anyone? Janie…what the hell is wrong with you?”
Feeling the subtle squeeze Lyla gave her hand, Janie knew Lyla would handle all questions related to this topic.
“First of all, Ash, don’t get all pissy with Janie. My moving is my business. You should be happy to know that our girl here is a vault—the things you share with her go nowhere else. Next, I’m moving because my house”—Lyla emphasized the word house and not home—“stopped working for me recently. So I decided it was time to move on.” Raising her glass, she added, “I am moving a block closer to here, not farther…so cheers.” The women clinked their glasses and took a uniform sip. “And finally, do you really need to ask why I haven’t shared this information? Honestly, Ash, have you just met me?”
The three girls laughed out loud, and Ashley waived her arm, signaling to the new waitress to bring them another round.
“So, who’s the new chickie?” Janie nodded her head in the direction of the waitress.
Ashley smiled wickedly. “That’s Britney. Poor girl started working the day shift last week. I think her only reason for being here is to look at Kyle.”
Lyla rolled her eyes, “I can’t say I blame her, but does she have any idea what she’s getting into?”
Ashley giggled. “I tried to warn her but…” Ashley paused, and in a fake, high-pitched nasally voice said, “I know what I’m doing. He really is misunderstood. He just needs a nice girl to turn him around.”
They all burst out laughing, a couple of snorts escaping. Pulling on serious faces as Britney came over with their drinks, the girls sat quietly, holding their breath. But as soon as the waitress turned her back to the table, all three found themselves hysterical once again.
“What are you three up to?” Julie asked in her practiced motherly tone.
“You know, that voice doesn’t sound scary when you’re smiling,” Lyla said innocently.
Once filled in on the cause of the laughter, Julie tried to scold their behavior but only ended up laughing as well. Ashley took Julie’s distraction as an opportunity to disappear for a moment, but her whereabouts were quickly uncovered when she came back to the table with a round of shots for the four ladies.
“To stoopid girls!” Ashley raised her glass.
“To stoopid girls,” they all repeated before they knocked back their shots.
“I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t catch that.” Max tried to listen to the overeager woman sitting with her breasts on display at the bar. The woman leaned over the counter, creating a deeper valley in which to catch a roving eye.
“I said, I’d like a Sex on the Beach,” the woman purred.
That’s what he thought she said, but he had to make sure. Why he was still surprised when women acted this way, he didn’t understand. He had been working at Danny’s for about ten years and very little had changed in the way of women, truth be told. They wanted what they wanted, and they weren’t afraid to ask for it. If he were being honest, that had always worked out great for him. Sex without strings helped h
im lead the uncomplicated life he was determined to live. Until a certain aqua-eyed brunette walked into his bar and fucked up his quest for solitude.
“You got it, sugar,” Max said with a smooth smile and a wink sure to get him a tip—and probably an unsolicited phone number. The former was great; the latter would end up in the trash.
Shaking the cocktail, he looked to Janie’s table again. He couldn’t believe she actually showed up after what he said...after what he did. The need to make things right between them consumed his thoughts. He had picked up the phone to call her several times over the past few days, but he knew she would either hang up on him or just not answer. He needed to get her face-to-face.
So, for the past two hours, he watched Janie. His eyes followed her fingers as she wiped away the condensation that dripped down the side of her glass. His chest tightened when he saw her smile and laugh with Lyla, Julie, and Ashley. He glared when men would approach their table and start up conversation. So when Ms. “Sex on the Beach” leaned her huge breasts back over the bar and whispered what she would like to do to Max on a beach, he gave her a wolfish grin and nodded his head. Could she help him forget about Janie for a little while?
“Oh my God!” Janie had been watching Max play his games for months - she knew what that grin and nod meant. Feelings of hurt, anger, and most of all, jealousy whipped around in her body like gale-force winds during a hurricane.
“What’s the matter Jane?” Lyla asked with concern.
“Max just used his patented ‘grin and nod’ with the red-headed booby girl at the bar!” Janie’s voice was tight, and Lyla knew that tears were imminent. She quickly shot a glance to Ashley, happy to see that Ashley was clued into Janie’s emotional state as well.
“That fucker.” Ashley nudged the drink in Janie’s direction.
“Jane, you never told us what was so important that you made me come out tonight.” Lyla feigned irritation, trying to take Janie’s mind off Max and his walking, talking life preserver.
“Oh, yeah.” Her eyes still on Max, Janie gulped her drink and then turned her attention to her friends. She could feel a smile slowly spreading over her face.
“Really?!” Lyla exclaimed.
Ashley looked at first surprised and then annoyed. “Okay, girls, I realize you’ve known each other forever, but this Spidey sense you two share, while fascinating, is completely frustrating when you are on the outside.”
“Oh, honey, you are not on the outside. As far as I’m concerned, you have stepped in and been a great friend to Janie when I haven’t been able to be there. You are absolutely one of us.”
Janie could see the emotion play out in Ashley’s face. Acceptance was a beautiful thing. “Then share the juicy news, Jane!”
“So, there is this new algebra teacher at school. He is handsome and smart.” Janie inhaled, her smile growing as she described Owen Michaels. “His eyes are like melted chocolate Kisses and his hair is in caramel ringlets, but short and cropped.”
“Christ, Janie, you make him sound like a sundae,” Lyla laughed.
“Like I said, he’s new to the school this year, and all of the girls are falling over themselves to get his attention. The sweet thing is their attention seems to unnerve him. We had lunch together, and we laughed, and then he asked me out, and I said no.”
Lyla and Ashley were leaning into the table, totally entranced in every word Janie was saying until she spoke the word no.
“What? Why?” they both asked in unison, slapping their hands on the table.
Janie giggled. “Because it’s Thursday night. On Thursday nights, Lyla and I come here. No dates on Thursday nights.”
Ashley raised her arm to get Brittney’s attention, and more shots were delivered within minutes.
“To Thursday nights!”
“So, when are you going out with the teacher?” Lyla questioned.
“Saturday night,” Janie replied. “It’s a little surprising—I’m really excited to go out with him. I mean, he really is gorgeous, but—” Her eyes drifted to Max, who was serving his customers and having his ego stroked by Big Red.
“I’m sure that’s not the only thing she’ll be stroking by the end of the night,” Janie mumbled.
“Janie?” Ashley said with a raised brow.
“Oh, did I say that out loud?”
“You’re beginning to catch that from me, huh?” Lyla joked. “Look, Jane, I know you’ve had a thing for Max for months. To be honest, I was kind of hoping it would happen for you, but it didn’t. This new guy…Owen, right? He sounds cute, he makes you smile and your eyes sparkle. Why don’t we focus on him for a little while?”
“You know what? You’re right. I’m gonna go out with him on Saturday night and see where it goes,” Janie said decidedly.
Ashley lifted her glass. “To Saturday night.”
“To Saturday night!”
“Hey, man. What happened with you and Kyle tonight? He looked like he was ready to shit himself when he came in to start his shift. And when I asked him if he was okay his only answer was, ‘Just a thing with Gage,’” Max said in his best Kyle impression.
Max watched as Gage swirled his scotch. Hmm, the conversation must have been pretty intense for him to be drinking scotch instead of beer on a Thursday.
“Let’s just say I delivered a message to your boy. As you can see by the lack of broken bones, I delivered it nicely because I care about you and your loyalties, blah, blah, blah. But that was his one and only fuck-up, Max. And that is what I told him. I explained”—at the word explained, Gage’s eyes sparkled, clueing Max into the fact that explained was probably more like threatened—“that if he ever caused her pain again…I think my exact line was ‘I will show you a hurt that you have only seen in movies.’”
It was hard not to smile at the very large, very dimpled grin that was spreading across Gage’s face. “Nice, Sebastian. You sound like a fucking mobster.”
With all of the laughter gone and replaced with seriousness, Gage looked at Max. “I’m not kidding, man. I can’t have her yet, but she already owns me. I’m not gonna let some careless, junkie asshole hurt her.”
Max nodded and topped off the now empty glass of scotch before moving on to his next customer.
Lyla’s skin tingled. Her eyes had yet to see him, but her body could feel his presence. He was watching her, and that thought sent warmth through her body, straight down to her core.
“What’s the matter, Ly? You just shivered. Are you cold?” Lyla picked up on the hint of sarcasm in Ashley’s question. There was no way her friend could interpret the heated reaction she had just had for one of chill.
“I’m fine.” Lyla casually turned her head to search the bar for the sexy, whisky-voiced man who managed to turn her on, drive her mad, and disappear all in the matter of minutes last week. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since last Thursday night, not that she had expected to, but there was a part of her that felt…something. She just didn’t have the word to describe it.
She hadn’t allowed herself to look in that direction all evening for two reasons—the first being Kyle, and the second, Max. But now, as if a magnetic charge was pulling her eyes in that direction, she knew exactly who she would find.
“Gage,” Lyla whispered. The rest of the bar fell away as Lyla’s vision tunneled on him. She stared at the tall, painfully beautiful, and sinfully sexy man standing in the corner by the bar. His sapphire eyes burned through her skin, and he lifted his drink, arched his eyebrow, and gave her a dimpled half-grin.
Lyla could hear her heart beating and her blood flowing but couldn’t hear Ashley speaking directly to her.
“Um, Ly?” Ashley tapped her on the shoulder.
Lyla instantly pulled out of her trance and looked at Ashley. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
Ashley and Janie broke into laughter. “Yeah, we said a bunch of things. So I guess you’ve formally met Sebastian?” Ashley asked.
“Sebastian?” Lyla’s brow
s furrowed with confusion.
Ashley looked just as perplexed, and then she understanding swept in. “Uh…Gage. His name is Sebastian Gage.”
“Huh,” Lyla said. A hot, sexy name for a hot, sexy man.
“Ly, you know you said that out loud, right?” Janie giggled.
“Fuck…” Lyla took another sip of her drink.
“That was the guy who was at Chopper’s with Max the night I overheard them talking about me. It’s funny, even though I was pissed off with Max, I couldn’t help but notice…he’s hot, Ly.”
Ashley joined in. “He’s hot, wild, and protective, but I have never seen him with a girlfriend. I’ve never actually asked, but being a bartender is like being a therapist,” she snickered. “I’ve heard he doesn’t do commitment. He tells the women he dates straight from the start so there are never mixed messages.”
“What is with those two?” Janie blurted out. “Jesus, so they’re just about quick and easy…pun intended. Never more?”
Ashley shook her head. “Sorry, honey. They call it ‘Fuck and Release.’”
Lyla made sure her mouth was closed as she let her memory wonder. F and R…that’s what he was talking about. Huh… Well, that she would have given him! But he seemed like he was interested in far more than a quick fuck.
You deserve a man who is going to worship your body but also your heart and I am going to be that man.
There she couldn’t—she wouldn’t—go. But it doesn’t hurt to look. When she turned around to find the object of her lust, he was gone. Shit, thought Lyla.
“I called cabs for you lovely ladies,” Julie informed Janie, Lyla, and Ashley.