by Marie Harte
“You’d think I’d have better karma.” Rena sighed. “You should have seen my clients today.”
“Tell me about it.”
So Rena did. “…and then Cara walked in, talking about your favorite mechanic. Now, if I’d had Johnny in my chair, my day would have been awesome. He might have motor oil under his fingernails, but he’s a good tipper. Plus, I just like to look at him.”
Lara sipped a little more from her wineglass and did her best to appear as if she couldn’t care less about one of Rena’s clients talking about Johnny. “He is pretty,” she said, and left it at that. After a moment of silence, Lara glanced into Rena’s laughing eyes. “What?”
“You’re dying to know exactly what Cara said. Admit it.”
“I don’t even know who Cara is.”
“Sure you do. I call her Man-eater. She of the large breasts and loose thighs. Shee-oot, girl. I am all for a woman getting her happy on, but Cara lays more than the guys at the brickyard. I mean, come on. Johnny can do so much better than that.”
It felt as if a brick had settled over her heart. Lara remembered hearing all about Man-eater’s naughty adventures. The woman liked to share when getting her hair and nails done. And she loved Rena—who lived vicariously through her. “So Cara did Johnny? Big deal. They’re both consenting adults. Who cares if they hook up?”
The thought of Man-eater getting a piece of Johnny hurt. Dumb, but she felt it all the same. She could still see him in her mind’s eye, wet and seriously ripped in his running gear. That shirt had molded to him like loving hands. The rain had run down his face and body like she wanted to rain over him with hungry fingers and lips.
“No, see, that’s where it gets interesting.” Rena shifted on the couch to fully face Lara. She crossed her legs and leaned closer, meaning the gossip was getting good. “Cara saw Johnny at SuperFoods on Saturday night.”
“So?”
“So Johnny ‘I’m So Hot I Burn Myself’ Devlin is grocery shopping on a Saturday night instead of going out with a woman? What is that about?”
“But Cara—”
“Threw herself at him—my words, not hers. According to her, she only hinted at going out, but I know her, and she’s as obvious as they come. She no doubt propositioned him, and he gave her some BS excuse about helping the guys out with their cars.” Rena huffed. “Please. I know for a fact J.T. was hanging with Lou last night.”
“So maybe Johnny was helping Foley and Sam.” Lara knew the guys were tight. In some ways she envied them their friendships. “Or he meant some other guys he’s friends with.”
“One, he was not helping Foley and Sam. Those two never work on the weekends. Lazy as they are fine. Yeah. And two, he has no other friends. Webster’s is his everything. He’s an amazing mechanic with no life. You two really are a lot alike.”
“Thanks,” Lara grumbled, trying to feel bad about being likened to Johnny Devlin. Except she loved the thought of having something in common with him. “So Cara didn’t get a piece of Johnny Saturday night. This is front-page news because…?”
Rena smacked her in the head.
“Ow.”
“Because when a man says no to a night with Cara, he’s either in a committed relationship or thinking about getting into one. Now’s your chance.”
Lara drew a blank. “To what?”
“To grab on to him. We both know you want to.”
“So maybe I do.” Lara shrugged. No secret that she had a crush. “I also want to eat a dozen donuts every day. You’ll notice I don’t do that. Why? Because it’s bad for me—and I’d get huge.” Hell. Lara only had to look at a donut to gain five pounds and a cavity.
“While I grant you Johnny might not have a great track record with women”—Rena continued over Lara’s snort—“he’s a pretty thoughtful guy. He’s great with Colin and respects women. You know Uncle Liam wouldn’t have hired him if he didn’t.”
“I thought his dad owned a strip club.”
“Jack does. Johnny doesn’t. Oh, and he’s always been nice to me. There’s another plus in his column.”
“Everyone’s nice to you,” Lara said, exasperated. “You are not the litmus test for nice. Now the fact he’s been working for Del for seven years and hasn’t murdered her yet, that speaks for his levels of tolerance and patience. But he could be a complete dick in private.”
She loved Del Webster, but the woman could be a huge pain. Lara had overheard J.T. and the guys’ occasional complaints over many a beer at Ray’s.
“Uh-huh. So tell me again who fixed your car earlier this morning? You know, when you two were in private, not around the rest of us?”
She flushed. “I knew I should have kept that to myself.”
“You really should have. Because every time you talk about the guy, it’s like you’re trying harder and harder to tell yourself not to give him a shot. I say go for it.”
Lara frowned. “I’m trying to focus on school.”
“Take a break.”
“You take a break.”
“If I was as interested in Johnny as you are, I would have tried him on for size years ago. But I haven’t found a man more exciting than my future salon yet. When I do, I’ll go for it.”
“Says the woman who’s never met Mr. Really, Really Wrong.” Lara chuckled and drank the rest of her wine. “Maybe you should come to my next lunch with the family. Talk to Kristin a little. I know! You can hang out with Ron and see what you’re missing.”
“Thanks, but no. And I’ve already had my ‘milk bath’ for the month.” Rena frowned. “For the record, make sure Amelia knows I did not get any lighter.” She held up her arm. “I’m always going to be café au lait. Not malted milk.”
Lara laughed. “Too bad. Malted milk is Amelia’s favorite flavor.”
Rena rolled her eyes.
“But I still say men are nothing but trouble. My sister has been through the ringer. Donna and Josie are going through some stuff at work, and let’s not even talk about Sue’s mess with Foley.”
“Done and dumped, huh?” Rena shook her head. “I told that girl not to do more than fool with him. Sure, sex him up. He’s gotta be good in the sack. But much as I love Foley, he’s not about settling down. And that’s all Sue talks about lately. Girl is baby crazy.”
“I know, right?” Lara munched on some cheese and crackers. “You know, these aren’t that bad. But you could maybe have some nachos or chips on the side, so you don’t look like the major suck-up we know you are.”
Rena gave her the finger, which made Lara laugh, because Rena looked so cute while trying to appear tough.
“What about you?” Rena asked. “Feeling the need to have kids yet?”
“Nope. I’m only twenty-seven. Maybe having nieces I can see every day has taken away the need. That or I’m just too tired trying to take care of myself, let alone tiny mouths to feed.”
“I hear you.”
Lara felt guilty, knowing how hard Rena worked, yet she’d given Lara a free cut. “I can pay you for the haircut, you know.”
“Shut up.” Rena scowled. “I’m just saying I know when money’s tight. I’m doing okay now. In fact, if I wasn’t saving every penny for my salon, I’d be flush.” Rena’s eyes lit with excitement. “I’m so close. I figure a little more to go in the bank, so I have money in case of an emergency. I’ll nab a few more clients, and then I might finally be ready to break out.”
“Here’s to your big plans.” Lara clinked her empty wineglass against Rena’s. “I’ve been telling my classmates about you.”
“I know. Michelle came to see me a few days ago. Your word-of-mouth is helping, girlfriend. So no paying for the haircut. We’re even.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.” They ate in silence for a moment, only the munching of crackers to be heard before Rena said, “So about coming to book club—”
“No.” Lara had heard from Del that one had to be firm with the bookaholic staring at her with those puppy do
g eyes. “I don’t have time to read more than anatomy books. And I’m not a fan of romance.”
“That’s just sad.”
“Oh, can it. The next time you see a happily ever after work out where the name McCauley isn’t attached, let me know.” She snorted. “That family is sappy, sweet, and unreal.”
“Jealous much?”
“Are you kidding? Of course I am.” Lara laughed with Rena, but at the mention of romance, her thoughts strayed to Johnny again.
He’d said no to Cara. She wondered if he’d been seeing some other woman instead. Perhaps he’d made up a story for Cara to spare her feelings. Lara could see Johnny doing that. He might get around when it came to the dating scene, but he’d never been anything but circumspect about his lady friends—or so rumor had it.
Then again, if she were to believe Rena, Johnny might be angling for a real relationship. Something more involved than just sex.
And I’m reaching here, I know it. She held out her glass for more wine, coming to like the tart drink, and decided to keep her eyes and ears open about Johnny. It couldn’t hurt to do a bit of reconnaissance on the man, especially if she was possibly thinking about maybe considering a future in which she dated him.
Dating didn’t mean she had to sleep with him. But all that might be moot. After having asked her and been rejected so many times, he might not ask her out again.
Didn’t mean she couldn’t ask him, though.
“Why are you so quiet, I wonder?” Rena asked with a smug grin. “Thinking about a certain someone with the last name of Devlin?”
Lara frowned. “If I am, it’s your fault. Now quit talking him up, and let’s discuss what’s really on my mind lately.”
“What?”
“Ron Howell and Kristin’s plea that I handle him, since she dumped her lawyer—or Slick Dick dumped her. Either way, she and my parents want me to deal with him.”
Rena stared, wide-eyed. “Are you going to?”
“What choice do I have?”
“Well, make sure you do it in public.” Rena gave her a devilish grin. “And I know just the place.”
Chapter 4
Tuesday night, with his old man back in town, Johnny suddenly had plans for the following weekend. So much for another break from the grind. Admittedly he’d been spoiled by a few days with nothing to do but fantasize about Lara. Talk about some fevered dreams.
“So, who is she?” Jack Devlin asked.
“Who?”
“The woman who put that look on your face.” Jack chuckled. “Got your dick twisted in a knot, eh?”
“Whatever.” Johnny hoped he didn’t look as pathetic as he felt and refused to outwardly look in Lara’s direction. He’d come to Ray’s tonight specifically to watch her, and what kind of loser hung around a bar just hoping to see someone who’d rejected him twelve times? Not a Devlin, that’s for sure.
His father had been bagging women since he’d turned fourteen, to hear him tell it. Johnny knew his dad meant well, but the old man didn’t understand women as well as he thought he did.
Fucking them and loving them had never gone hand in hand for Jack Devlin. Not since his wife had died. But Johnny had to wonder if his parents would have stayed together if his mom had lived.
So sad to be so jaded, but he’d understood the truth about his dad at a young age. Pretty women came and went out of Jack Devlin’s life, and out of Johnny’s. One had even lasted half a year before she’d split. His dad didn’t normally do more than a few months at most, fidelity not in his makeup.
Despite his father’s philandering, Jack Devlin was a genuinely good guy. Hell on relationships, yet a stand-up friend and father in many other ways.
“You see, boy, women are like flowers.”
Johnny groaned. “Please. Not the flowers speech.”
“Some are colorful, some are full, straight, or curvy. Others are fragrant or thorny. But they’re all pretty in their own way.”
“Please, Dad. Not now.”
Lara nodded at some dickhead down at the bar, and the jerkoff smiled at her. What made it worse was that the guy didn’t seem to be a regular, because he had on clothes that looked clean and pressed. A pricey watch too, unless it was a fake, but it seemed to match the designer jeans and expensive button-down. He couldn’t be more than a few years older than Lara and didn’t seem to be that bad looking either. Not good.
“Sometimes you have to take your time holding that flower, not too tight or too loose. Too tight and you’ll get pricked. Too loose and she’ll slip through your fingers. But when you get a good sniff of—”
“I’ll get us more beers.”
His father chuckled as he darted away. Before he could approach Lara, she stepped into the back, and Rena took her place.
When Rena saw him, she gave him a wide smile. “Hey there, sweetcheeks. What’ll you have?”
He loved Del’s cousin. She was always a bright spot with a ready smile, dimples, and a gorgeous face and body to match. If she wasn’t related to Del, he might have taken a turn with her. But he knew better than to screw with the boss’s family. Literally or otherwise.
He grinned at her. “Aren’t you too pretty for words?”
“I am. I really am.” Rena preened. “Need a refill?” She glanced at his empty bottle.
He nodded. “Two.”
She grabbed them and angled her head in the direction of the preppy jerk who’d been smiling at Lara. “See that guy?”
“What guy?”
She frowned and turned directly to look for the loser. “He was just there.”
“I saw him earlier.”
She turned back to him, her smile one he could only describe as smug. “I’ll bet you did.”
“So the guy…?”
“Lara’s almost ex-brother-in-law. A cheating, sniveling, rich worm who won’t give her sister a dime unless Lara deals with him. The scum sucker has had the hots for Lara for years.”
“Is that right?”
“Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep an eye on him, just in case he tries to give her a hard time.” Rena leaned closer over the counter. “You could even mess him up a little. Just for fun. He’s clearly out of his element in this place.”
“But I’m not?”
She laughed. “Johnny, you live and breathe trouble. You’re practically a Ray’s staple.”
“That’s so sweet.” He winked at her. “No wonder I like you best.”
“Yeah, that’s what they all say.”
“But it’s true.” Well, pretty much. Most of the guys around the place had a real hard-on for Rena, but for Lara too, especially because it was well known she didn’t date at all. A good thing, in his opinion. The woman could do so much better than the idiots around Ray’s. Except for him, of course. “So, Rena, if I handle your boy, will this be considered a favor for her or you?”
“For me. You know Lara. She shies clear of the pretty ones.” Rena gave him a pointed once-over.
“Fine. For you then. But you owe me.”
“Okay. But only because it’s you.”
He chucked her chin, and she flirted with him some more. He paid for the beer, slipped her a generous tip, then returned to his dad.
“Now that is one good-looking girl. Think she’d like to dance for me?”
“No. Just no. Rena’s a sweetheart. So hands off.”
“Fine.” His father raised his hands in surrender before chugging down his beer. “So you’re good to help out this weekend? Bobby’s off, and I need someone to fill in. And if you could rearrange some of the schedules for me, that’d be great too.”
“I thought you wanted help behind the bar.” Bobby was a bouncer at his dad’s club.
“I do, but I need security more. You’re good with your fists, even if you do try to talk everyone to death first.”
Johnny sighed. “You really need to replace your general manager, Dad, because I can’t keep popping in to help you when you’re down a man. Get someone to replace Ge
orge already. And trying to charm my way out of trouble has kept my record clean for years. I’d think you’d be happy about that.”
“True enough.” Jack shrugged. “Look, if you’d rather bartend, can you nab me some security help? What about your friends from work?”
Knowing Foley and Sam, Johnny had no problem pledging their services. The guys treated the dancers well and would easily walk away if told no.
Johnny half-listened to the club gossip, a rampant epidemic his father spread like the plague. He couldn’t help noticing that the guy at the bar hadn’t yet returned. And neither had Lara.
“Be right back. Gotta hit the bathroom.”
“I’ll be here.” His dad ordered a plate of fries from a passing waitress.
Johnny casually strolled past the guy’s still-empty seat at the bar and moved down the long stretch of hallway toward the restrooms. Not seeing Lara near, he darted into a side door marked “Employees Only.” Inside, he nodded at two of the cooks and Sue.
“Seen Lara?” he asked.
Sue nodded. “Went outside for a break a few minutes ago. Not in the back, but the side lot. It’s quieter there.” She frowned. “Tell her she’s due back inside. I need to make a phone call.”
“Sure.” He didn’t like that she’d been away from her job so long. Lara took her work seriously. She was a heck of a waitress, and had a genuine smile for the customers. She also didn’t take anyone’s shit—a fact that had nearly gotten her in trouble more than once. With Big J still doing his bouncer duties by the front, Lara had no protection from any assholes wanting to bother her outside.
Johnny hurried his step and exited the side door, only to see Lara in the grip of the preppy jerk.
Anger clouded his vision, and he headed right for an altercation that was sure to end with one guy in a bloody heap—and Johnny had no intention of being that guy.
* * *
“I said take your hands off me.” Lara’s words dripped with icy reserve, but they finally broke through to Ron.