Fool For You

by Megan Noelle

  With a slight shake of his head he responded, “That’d be a shame.”

  “All work and no play,” I quoted the famous saying.

  “That’d be a tragedy,” He responded, his eyes locked on mine. Before I could reply Sanders showed up opposite us behind the bar. Corey transitioned into bar owner as he held out his hand to make the introductions.

  “Sanders this is Danielle Hamilton the new owner of the Inn; Dani this is Sanders.” Sanders extended his hand out to me and I shook it with a smile. His eyes held mine as he gave a firm shake—good start so far. If a man had a weak handshake I knew right away to steer clear.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said politely.

  “You too.”

  Sanders was a little shorter than Corey’s 6 ‘3 and much lankier. Where Corey was toned and hard, Sanders was close to skin and bones. The top of his head was also covered with a white blonde mop of hair fringing across his soft green eyes. Sanders had the potential to look like a surfer dude if he spent some time in the sun and hit the gym every so often. Now though, he much more resembled a computer nerd than a surfer. There was a boyish charm to his face and with the right attitude and knowledge of drinks he would do just fine at weddings.

  “Well, you have the floor Dani,” Corey said, crossing his arms over his chest. The flirtatious guy that was there just a minute ago was nowhere to be found. This was boss man, ready to pounce if he felt I was disrespecting his employees in any way. Of course the fierce blue eyes fixated on me made his demand way too hot for my own good. Lord—I had a serious problem.

  “Okay well Corey told me you’ve done a few weddings before at the Inn.” I paused for confirmation and once he nodded I continued. “Since I’m taking over I just want to be sure all of my employees do things in a way I feel is beneficial for customer service and to bring in more clientele. While you are not directly my employee you’ll be working weddings and receiving a paycheck from us. And don’t worry—my staff is undergoing the same type of scrutiny as you are.”

  I shot Corey a look so he wouldn’t continue thinking I was personally attacking his employees. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk.

  “Makes sense, so what are you looking for first of all?” Sanders said, bringing me back to the task at hand. “I composed a list of some of the most popular drinks people ask for, I’m just going to assume you know enough about beer as it is. I’ll order the drink and you treat me like a customer. Just do exactly what you would if Corey wasn’t here and I wasn’t testing you.”

  Sanders nodded his head. “Got it.”

  “I’d like one Long Island, please.”

  “Coming right up,” Sanders said with a smile. “How has your day been today?”

  “Oh, not too bad, long of course.”

  “Well that’s what this here drink is for. Make your day go a little smoother.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s exactly right.” My eyes followed him as he moved with precision to create the drink. Sanders made sweeping motions every time he added a new liquor to the shaker, the same kind you see all bartenders do in movies. When he wasn’t concentrating on what he was doing his eyes were fixated on me as he asked a little more about what it was like working at the Inn.

  “It’s a change of pace but I’m not too worried—I like a good challenge.”

  “I’ll bet you’re going to do a phenomenal job.” Sanders poured the drink into a chilled tall glass and added a pink umbrella before placing it in front of me.

  Now I have had my fair share of alcoholic beverages. Whether it was simply from going to bars with friends or out to client dinners where they’d insisted I try something new. Whatever the case, I knew what a good drink was— and this was definitely one of the better ones I’ve had.

  “This is delicious.” Sanders flashed a grin.

  “Thank you—what else can I get you?” The question was asked with a smile and for a moment I almost forgot I was in the middle of testing him.

  “I’d like a tequila sunrise, please.”

  “One of my personal favorites.” I took another sip of my Long Island but before I could set it down Corey grabbed it and took a drink. My eyes locked onto his Adam’s apple as he swallowed down the beverage, subconsciously my tongue flicked out to lick my bottom lip. Yummy.

  “Man do I hate chick drinks,” he said returning the glass in front of me, bringing me back from my erotic thoughts. “Well I didn’t make it for you, now did I?” Sanders asked with a mock attitude making me laugh. Corey fixed Sanders with a glare that couldn’t be mistaken. He wasn’t bothered by Sander’s comment; but he sure wasn’t a fan of the flirtatious look Sanders was eyeing me with.

  “Just make the lady her drink.” The sharp sting of his tone made me smile.

  “Excuse me, ma’am, is this guy bothering you?” Sanders asked leaning in towards me. Corey playfully rolled his eyes and smacked the back of his head. I could see now why Corey had become overly defensive when I asked about Sanders’ skills; the two of them truly did act like brothers and it was entertaining as hell.

  Sanders completed the cocktail, popped a cherry up into the air and caught it in the drink directly in front of me. I couldn’t resist clapping my hands for him while Corey let out a snicker. This was better than the last one I tried. After downing a couple gulps with the straw, Corey grabbed it to sample too.

  “This is fantastic.” Sanders bowed his head a little at my praise making his boyish charm shine through.

  “Might I suggest the next drink?” He asked, leaning in so it felt as if we were sharing a secret for only us to know.

  “I think I’m okay with that.” The flirty whisper came out the way it naturally did when I was enjoying myself.

  Corey’s arm draped along the back of my chair and he cleared his throat to break up our ‘moment.’ Sanders didn’t move from his position nor did he drop our eye contact. “Frozen mango margarita?” My head nodded furiously; anything with tequila in it instantly became one of my favorite things.

  “That sounds fantastic.” Corey shook his head at Sanders while he took another drink from the long island.

  “I do have to say Danielle—that shirt looks great on you,” Sanders complimented, as he continued mixing up my margarita.

  “Thanks, it’s nothing special though, just something from the back of my closet.” Which of course was a lie. I didn’t own anything that I would simply put in the back of the closet. Either way the compliment made me smile.

  “Now I’m sure that isn’t true. I’d be willing to bet everything you own looks amazing on you.” Sanders set my margarita down in front of me with a wink as he leaned into me again. “Women like you are always special.” I could feel my cheeks redden as I smiled. Corey reached out and smacked Sanders on the arm, bringing me out of the moment.

  “Sanders is pretty good with putting the charm on when it means getting a higher tip.” Corey warned me while giving the eye to Sanders.

  I felt stupid but impressed—this kid knew what he was doing. “Well you definitely have that part down,” I said with a laugh.

  “Just because I can give a compliment and mean it doesn’t mean I’m solely thinking about tips the way you do, Corey.”

  The boys continued their playful bickering and I found myself lost in the dynamic between them. There was no doubt that these two would do fantastic for any events—the guests would really get a kick out of them. During my thoughts I noticed my margarita looking lonely sitting by itself so while the two continued on like high school girls I took a big drink. Oh yes—this boy knew how to make a margarita.

  “Well Sanders, you are without a doubt hired to work weddings at my Inn.”

  “Sweet.” He said with a smile. Corey took the margarita from my hands to give it a try.

  “See, didn’t I tell you my employees know what they’re doing?”

  “You did,” I agreed with Corey before turning my attention back to Sanders. “Where did you learn how to toss those
bottles around like that without dropping anything?” He cocked an eyebrow as his eyes darted between me to Corey.

  “C-man didn’t tell ya?”

  I looked over at Corey and shook my head. Whatever C-man might have done, I wasn’t informed.

  “He taught me.”

  My mouth dropped open as I turned my attention to him. “You know how to do that stuff?” Corey shrugged, taking another drink of the margarita. “Well why haven’t you shown me!”

  “The one time you were at the bar I didn’t need to pull out all the stops to impress you. My charm did that well enough on its own,” He grinned with a wink as I reached over and smacked his arm.

  “Well, moving on! I’d like whoever is bartending the wedding that night to follow a dress code. I know before my grandmother let you guys wear what you’d like, but I want the guests to be able to go to you and know you are there to assist them. So on the bottom; nice black pants and on top you’ll wear a red button up dress shirt— tucked in.”

  Corey held up both hands to stop me. “You didn’t tell me any of this.” He said, clearly appalled at the idea.

  “Well that’s because I decided this just yesterday.” “No way.”

  “And why not?” I challenged.

  “Because I don’t make my employees wear uniforms here; they aren’t wearing them there.”

  I studied Corey’s face. A very stern, I’m-putting-my-foot-down look, was staring back at me. As determined as he looked, I was not going to change my mind.

  “Well then I suppose this business relationship isn’t going to work out after all. So thank you so much for today,” I said to Sanders with a smile. Turning to Corey, I stood and held my hand out for him to shake. “Sorry we couldn’t work something out and good luck with your future business endeavors.” Corey grabbed my hand to keep me from leaving.

  “You’re bluffing, Dani.” His voice was matter-of-fact but I could see behind his eyes he was worried I wasn’t.

  I leaned in very close so he could smell the perfume I sprayed on my neck before coming. “Try me.” I whispered. When Corey didn’t immediately change his mind I backed up, stepping around him to be on my merry way. That was when he stopped me. His hand pressed into the middle of my stomach.

  “Don’t think you are going to threaten me and get your way every time, Danielle.” My expression remain unchanged.

  “Fine, we’ll wear uniforms,” He conceded.

  A smile slowly spread across my face as I turned my eyes to his.

  “Thank you.” Moving in close to him again I whispered, “You won’t regret it.” Placing a kiss on his cheek I resumed my spot on the bar stool again.

  Corey mumbled, “I seriously doubt that,” before following me. I let out a laugh as he shook his head, wondering how once again I’d managed to change his mind. It was Sanders that spoke up first.

  “Trust me man, if my girl looked like her I’d go to work in a clown suit if she asked.” We laughed and took another drink of the few beverages Sanders had previously made.

  “Why don’t you grab us a couple menus so we can eat something to hopefully soak up some of this goddamn tequila.”

  “On it, boss.” Once Sanders was out of ear shot Corey leaned in to me, this time it was me who froze up. “I’m going to hold you to that promise.” When he backed away we were both smiling. That was one promise I had every intention of keeping.

  As the night wore on we ate some amazing burgers and continued ordering more drinks. There were even a few shots thrown into the mix and tons of water at Corey’s request. By 9pm we were both feeling the liquor and even though we were in the middle of his bar that didn’t stop either of us from touching one another at every opportunity. A few instances when the beefcake bartender would bring me a drink and turn on the charm I couldn’t help but notice Corey’s change in mood. Every time he would either subtly place his hand on my thigh, around my waist or flat out tell him to go help someone else.

  I should have been mad.

  We weren’t together and I hated feeling like someone’s property as so many of my exes had made me feel. But, with Corey I found that I didn’t mind. Maybe it was the gallons of tequila now hanging out in my body. For whatever the reason, I found that not only did his gestures not bother me, they turned me on. One of the rare moments we were left completely alone he stood between my legs, pressing his body flush against mine as he spoke into my ear, sending shivers to my core.

  “Please tell me you’re not too busy to hang out with me tonight.” I leaned my body back to look up into his face.

  “I took the night off to get everything straightened away with the bar service.”

  “Well can you officially say we are done with that bit of buisness?”

  “I can. The last thing we need to do is the ordering but I’ll fill out that paperwork and let you see it before I send it in.”

  “Deal.” Corey took me by surprise as he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. It took less than a second for my lips to respond and even less time than that for my body to want more. My hands laced together behind his neck as I held him to me. His hands locked behind my back bringing me to my feet, pressing our bodies even closer together. His need for me set everything south of my waist on fire making me long for him to take me right here.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” he said against my lips. “I need for you to make me not regret agreeing to wear those damn red shirts.” I smiled against his lips and nodded. Which wasn’t the easiest since our faces were still attached at the mouth, but he managed to get the message. We parted and he waved to Sanders to let him know we were leaving as he pulled me from the bar. The whole way up his steps we paused to let our lips work magic up and down the length of each other’s necks.

  Once the apartment door was shut behind us, we ripped the clothes from our bodies. Letting fingers and tongues trail across the bare flash. Corey dropped to his knees as his hands roamed over my sides. His tongue teased and tortured me until I was almost to my climax. My body was panting with need while my fingers locked into his hair, pulling him closer. Moments before I was about to fly over the top he stopped the stroking. A whine of protest forced itself through my panting lips. His hooded eyes traveled the length of my body and met mine with a smirk. He knew what he was doing to me and what he was keeping me from. Talk about sexual frustration.

  “Please.” I begged.

  “Oh baby, you didn’t think I was going to give you want you wanted quite so easily, did you?” Damn—it was going to suck if he continued teasing me that way.

  “Corey please, I’m so close.”

  “I know you are, Sweets.” His hot breath blew against my swollen lips; my eyes rolled back into my head. I cried out when his tongue and fingers dove back into bringing me to the edge. All it was going to take was one more flick of his tongue and I knew I was going to experience something so incredible I feared I’d pass out. Once again, Corey stopped and left me groaning in need.

  “Damn it!” I shrieked. Corey chuckled into my stomach as he pressed kisses up my body. Slowly he stood cupping my face in his hands and let his lips move with mine. It wasn’t the commanding kiss I expected; it was soft and sensual taking my riled up body to a level I didn’t think was possible. His hand left my cheek and trailed down between my legs once more stroking the demanding need I had for him.

  “I can’t take that again,” I whimpered against his lips. My eyes had closed at his touch but when I opened them again he was staring down at me and I knew he couldn’t wait either.

  “I’m done teasing you, baby, I need to be inside of you.” Corey walked us to the closest piece of furniture in the room—the couch. He spun me around and with his hand between my shoulder blades, bent me over. My body was crying for him and when he drove himself deep inside, I screamed out. A low guttural growl rang from him before he began pumping in and out with such force, I wondered how we weren’t breaking the couch.

  My orgasm ripped through me right away and before
I could come down from the euphoric feelings coursing through my veins I felt another building. By the second, Corey was falling over the edge with me his fingers digging into my hips. He wound an arm around my waist and pulled me up against his chest. I leaned back into his hard chest for support as my body was spent. Never before has a man brought me so close to the edge before stopping and going again. It was torture in the moment but the release made me see stars and took me out of this world. Mind-blowing. That was the only word that came close to accurately describing what I had just experienced. Never before had a man cared so much about driving me to the brink of satisfaction; they had always been too interested in their own release.

  Corey’s arms scooped up my limp body and started walking towards his bedroom. “Come on Sweets, let’s go lay you down.”

  “You’re putting me to sleep?” A wicked-sexy grin lit up his face as he shook his head.

  “Baby, we’re nowhere near done yet.” My stomach muscles contracted and I wondered how in the world I could possibly be ready to go again. But as he laid me down I caught a glimpse of that sexy as sin body, and the heartmelting smile that went along with it. That’s when I had my answer. Corey was the total package and while this might only last for a little while before I went back home, I knew I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

  A Complete Mess

  “I’m beginning to trip over all the glass slippers you’re leaving behind, Cinderella.” Corey said as he watched me slide my jeans over my hips into place.

  “What?” I asked through a smile. “Are you telling me I need to clean up after myself?” I pulled my black tank top over my bra and tugged it into the right places. He laughed and hoisted himself off his bed and pulled on a pair of black sweatpants. It didn’t escape my attention that he was commando under those. I had half a mind to rip them off and start again—if I thought my body could possibly handle another round.