The new waitresses had experience and quickly learned the lay of the land. Now he just had to hope that Moira’s big mouth worked. She had an extensive network both professionally and socially that he hoped to use to his advantage.
As he stood in the quiet front room, peace settled over him. He turned in a circle and liked what he saw. This was his place. He’d done it. Now he just needed to make it a success. He ticked off the last few items in his head and realized that he hadn’t talked to Elizabeth about the basement. He strode to her office and swung the door open without knocking.
Air whooshed from his lungs as her bare back faced him. Only the black strap of her bra interrupted the smooth skin. She slid the bar T-shirt over her head and tugged it down. She hadn’t noticed his presence, so he cleared his throat and tried to avert his gaze. Sort of.
She flinched. “You didn’t knock.”
He ignored her reprimand and thoughts of her bare skin and said, “What do you think of the shirt?”
“Hell, no.”
When she turned, he couldn’t believe his eyes. She was beyond sexy in the scoop-neck shirt that dipped low, showing just enough cleavage to make his mouth water. The shirt hugged every feminine curve.
“Hey, eyes up here.” Her hands rose above her chest to her face.
His gaze wandered up, drinking in every inch of her. “What?”
“Give me a shirt like yours. I’m not wearing this in public.”
“How about in private?” He smiled at her, but she didn’t budge. “It looks good. And it’ll help sell beer.”
“I repeat, I am not wearing this. I get that you don’t want me in my business suit, but this is unacceptable.” She shifted from foot to foot and her hands fisted.
She was uncomfortable. Nervous? The thought niggled in the back of his head. Why would she be nervous? “What’s wrong with it?”
“I don’t see you baring your chest for all to see.” She crossed her arms, which only distracted him further because it pushed her breasts higher, like an invitation.
“Would it make you feel better if I did?” He tugged at the hem of his own shirt.
Quickly uncrossing her arms, she pointed at him. “That’s not what I mean. I am a businesswoman, the owner of this bar. Not a sexual object to be ogled.”
She was right and he knew it, but he couldn’t help but ogle her. She was hot, standing there angry and flushed. Pink crept across the expanse of skin exposed above the black neckline of the shirt. He wondered if the same blush would streak her skin after an orgasm.
He cleared his throat. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll get you a different shirt. I actually came in here because we need to talk about the basement.”
“Now? We open in less than an hour.”
“Yeah, but there’s something not right about the basement. It’s too big.” He shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out and stroking her skin.
“The size of the basement is irrelevant. As long as there are no more dead critters down there, I don’t care. Now get me a shirt. I can’t go out to the front looking like this.”
He smiled again. “Sure you can. The other girls are wearing the same thing.” Not that they could hold a candle to her.
“That’s your first problem. I’m not one of the girls. I’m a woman.”
Oh, yes, she was. He turned and left to get her the shirt. Seeing her stiff and irritated should’ve helped ease the lust, but it didn’t. Memories of the other night flooded back and he was feeling like a horny teenager again. Elizabeth was not the first sexy woman he’d kissed. She didn’t even like him, but the chemistry they shared wasn’t something they could deny.
He tossed a shirt through her open office door without so much as a glance. He needed to keep his head in the game. Marissa and Erin, the new waitresses, were chatting at the bar. He glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes until open. What harm could it do to unlock the doors now?
His fingers itched to flip the lock, but what if no one showed? It was a Monday night, after all. What if, after all this work, only the bikers showed?
His heart beat faster at the thought. No, they’d come too far. He’d given Moira the go-ahead to tell everyone. The girl liked to gossip like nobody’s business. People would probably show just to see what the fuss was about. Luckily, both the Sox and Cubs had night games, so they could utilize the TVs.
As he moved across the floor, he felt like he slid in slow motion. This was ridiculous. He reached out, unlocked the door, and swung it open. A cool breeze swept in, but no customers followed. Part of him imagined a line running down the block.
The same part of him that clashed with Ryan on a regular basis.
This was one dream that he was going to make work. He grabbed a remote and turned on the radio. Music was a sure sign of a good time.
Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long. As he stood at his post behind the bar, customers began trickling in, couples and small groups, and not a biker among them.
Tables filled and the waitresses served. When he pulled the first beer from the new tap, he slid it in front of the customer and said, “Enjoy it on the house. The first beer poured.”
Elizabeth would be pissed if she knew, but it felt right. Giving away that one beer allowed his first customer to share in some of his happiness.
Success felt good.
CHAPTER 7
They were a success. Elizabeth couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d waited in her office for more than an hour after opening, afraid of being disappointed. When noise crept past her door, she needed to investigate.
She walked toward the front of the bar and stared at a crowd. Not a few people standing around, but an actual crowd. Tables and stools were filled. Waitresses delivered trays full of drinks.
She couldn’t believe it. It was only their first night.
Making her way to the bar, she scanned the area, wondering if Keith had come in yet. A loud laugh caught her attention and she turned. There was Colin, pouring a beer and laughing so hard she couldn’t understand how he didn’t spill.
“You’re making that up,” he said as he slid the beer in front of a patron.
“No, really. She couldn’t help herself,” the man responded.
Elizabeth moved closer, drawn in by Colin’s easy smile. He leaned on the edge of the bar.
“Tell me your secret,” he said.
The man drank from his beer, giving Elizabeth her opening. “Hey, how’s it going?”
Colin straightened and his already-too-big smile broadened. “Do you need to ask? We’re a hit.”
His smile was contagious, and she tried to rein hers in, but couldn’t. She shouldn’t think that an hour of being busy made them a success, but it at least set the tone, right? She could enjoy this.
“How?” she asked.
“I told you, when you have a big family, use them. Moira loves to talk. She’s a gossip queen. I set her loose on social networks and this is the result.” He swept his long arm out toward the room.
“I hope she knows how much you owe her.”
He swung and smacked a towel against Elizabeth’s leg. “I owe her nothing. She did it because she loves me.”
“Hey, Colin,” a coy voice sang across the bar.
Elizabeth turned in time to see a woman and her friend both wagging fingers at him. “Looks like everybody loves you.”
“What can I say?” He walked away to continue pouring drinks.
She’d known Colin was a huge flirt. It shouldn’t surprise her that he had a following. Elizabeth watched everyone come and go and realized that she didn’t have a purpose. She didn’t know how to mix drinks. She could probably take some orders and deliver them, but she’d never been a waitress.
Her relative uselessness took the wind out of her sails. She should be used to it by now. It was the same with every business. She didn’t know why she thought this one would be different. Just because she dressed differently didn’t change the outcome.
&nbs
p; She was still the boss. She was just doing it in jeans and a T-shirt. At least in her suit, she knew how to behave. It was the equivalent of a uniform, like armor. People viewed her as the boss. Dressed like this, she wasn’t sure what people saw or expected. She wasn’t sure herself.
She quietly walked back to her office. This was where she belonged, but she itched to be out front.
It was an odd feeling; she normally didn’t enjoy the interactions that came with running a business. She messed with papers on her desk and paced in the small area, looking for a reason to go back to the customers.
Alternating between pacing and wandering, Elizabeth wasted time. She greeted customers as they took their seats and introduced herself. She worked the room. It wasn’t the kind of social interaction she enjoyed, but at least she felt like she was part of something. As the hours passed, both her feet and her cheeks began to ache, but she pushed through.
Colin moved ceaselessly. She didn’t think he took a break all night, but he seemed to be having the time of his life. He was definitely in his element.
After ten o’clock, the crowd began to thin, and the pace slowed. Colin had said he wouldn’t need the waitresses to stay past eleven, and it looked like he knew what he was talking about. The girls counted their tips and checked to see what else needed to be done before heading out.
Irritation pricked at her because they should’ve checked with her, not Colin. She was the boss. It was the one thing she did well. She tamped the feeling down, knowing Colin wasn’t trying to take control. He’d hired them, so it was natural that they would report to him. She even forced a smile as they made their way to the door.
Colin poured another round for a couple of guys sitting at the bar and then his gaze found her.
“You can go home. I can close up.”
“No. I should be here.”
“You look beat.”
She straightened her back. They’d been there the same number of hours. Was he implying she couldn’t hack it? “I’m fine.”
In truth, she wasn’t fine. Her feet throbbed and her stomach burned. She’d avoided coffee all night to save her stomach, but it cost her wakefulness. The small sandwich she ate hours earlier had helped momentarily, but her stomach wouldn’t settle for any length of time. She knew she’d need to go to the doctor again.
On her way to the back to grab a rag for wiping down tables, she stopped in her office for some antacids. She chomped on the chalky tablets as she ran hot water over the rag and then went to clean.
Most of the tables were in good shape. The waitresses had stayed on top of that as the night wore on. The quiet conversation between Colin and the customers centered on sports, but she wasn’t sure which sport they were talking about. She half listened as she straightened chairs. She was disappointed Keith had missed their opening. The turnout would’ve impressed him.
She didn’t know why it should matter. Impressing Keith wouldn’t change how their father viewed things. She needed to amaze her dad. Doubt crept into her. Would turning a profit in this rinky-dink bar be enough? She’d already created million-dollar businesses for him, and he obviously didn’t care about this place.
A hand landed on her shoulder. She twitched and turned to find Colin looming beside her.
“Are you okay?”
She blinked rapidly. How long had she been standing in the same spot? “I’m fine. Just thinking. And you’re right, I am tired.”
“You can go. I’ll handle this.”
The temptation tugged at her, but she didn’t respond.
“You’ve put in a shitload of hours over the past couple of weeks. Give yourself a break and get a good night’s sleep.” He stroked the back of his hand over her cheek.
The gentle gesture took her by surprise. His strong, capable hands drew her attention. A surge of desire to have those hands roam her body zinged her. “I’ll be fine,” she croaked out.
“At least take a break. Have a seat at the bar and talk to us.” He tilted his head toward the bar and grabbed her hand.
The warmth and strength of his grasp blurred her focus. Damn, she must be really tired if holding hands turned her on. She stumbled and hoped he didn’t notice. Unfortunately, he did. He tightened his grip and waited until her butt was planted on a bar stool before he let go.
The bar was immaculate. She didn’t know how he managed to keep it clean and organized while serving all of the customers. She wished she could’ve done more to help.
The idea struck like a flash. He could teach her.
Colin moved to the other side of the bar carrying a stool for himself. He eased onto it and a look of relief crossed his face. He must’ve been every bit as exhausted as she was; he was just better at hiding it.
“You have a strange smile on your face.”
She felt her sore cheeks widen. “Teach me to bartend.”
“What?”
“I was pretty useless tonight. I want to take a more active role here.”
His laugh rang out, drawing attention from the men at the other end of the bar.
Her smile disappeared as the tension in her jaw returned. “You don’t think I can handle it?”
“I’m sure you can handle whatever comes your way.”
His gaze darkened for a flicker, and the heat pooling in her stomach had nothing to do with acid. She wasn’t so sure she could handle Colin if he came her way.
“Then what’s so funny?”
“That you think you need a more active role. You’ve been busting your ass getting everything in line. You handle the paperwork and organization and bills. Why the hell would you want to bartend too?”
She shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea.” She began to question her sanity. Maybe the exhaustion was affecting her thought process. Bartending wasn’t a skill she’d need as CEO.
He leaned forward on the bar, like she’d seen him do multiple times throughout the evening. “Maybe you’re onto something.”
The two remaining customers pushed off their stools.
Colin rose. “Have a good one, guys. Thanks for coming in.”
They waved him off and headed out the door. He took their empty glasses and put them in the sink. He swiped the dollar bills they’d left and tucked them into an overflowing glass beside the register. She’d thought the waitresses made out in tips, but it looked like they had nothing on Colin.
When he returned to the stool across from her, she said, “You were saying?”
“We make a pretty good team.”
Her cheeks warmed as she nodded.
“But we’re divided in our jobs. I have mine and you have yours. I think it would be smart for us to have some experience doing the other’s jobs.”
She narrowed her eyes. What was he getting at?
“I’ll teach you the basics of bartending and you teach me the basics of office crap.”
The smile returned to her face. One thing she liked about Colin was that he didn’t hide how he felt. “Office crap? Is that how you view my job?”
“Kind of, yeah.”
“Then why would you want to learn it?”
“I plan to have my own bar someday, and I’ll have to handle the office as well as the bartending to succeed.”
“Didn’t you learn it working with your brother?”
A flash of something crossed his face. He masked it quickly, but it was unpleasant.
“Ryan likes to keep me in the front. I’m a better draw for the ladies than he is, especially now that he’s married.” He gave her the best flirty smile in his arsenal. When did she become adept at distinguishing his smiles?
“You should know by now that your seductive smiles don’t work on me.” Her voice was steady, and she hoped she sounded convincing. He’d never leave her alone if he knew the truth.
“I beg to differ. I haven’t been using my full charm on you. No female can resist.”
Her pulse spiked. If this wasn’t already his full charm, she was in trouble.
He tilted h
is head, examining her. He pushed back from the bar. “Let’s get started.”
Colin slid off the stool, hoping to conceal his hard-on.
“Wh-what?”
Her stammer caught him off guard. Elizabeth never stuttered. “Come over to this side and I’ll give you your first lesson.”
The prettiest shade of pink swept across her cheeks. Her wide-eyed gaze slammed into him. His throat worked, swallowing nothing as he tried to find his voice. This was a mistake. “What do you want to learn first?”
Her chest lowered as she expelled a breath. “Oh. Now?”
“Why not? We’re open for another hour, unless you want to close early?”
“No, but shouldn’t we have customers if I’m going to pour drinks?”
“It’ll be fine. Come on. We’ll start with beer.” He followed her trek around the bar. Her movements were hesitant. Seeing Elizabeth unsure of something tilted the room. She never lacked confidence. He softened his smile. “No worries. It’s just beer.”
She returned a smile as she joined him. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Nerves fluttered in his stomach. He knew his job, but he’d never had to teach it to anyone. He strode to the taps. “On the left, we have imports, on the right, domestic.”
Her eyebrow shot up. “I know how to read.”
“I’m giving you the tour so you know where to find everything. I’ve set it up the way I like it.”
She swung her arm out for him to continue. As he pointed out which glasses were used for which kind of drink and explained the organization of the liquor, his stomach eased. She listened intently, and he imagined that she really wanted to take notes.
He stood to the side of the tap. “Grab a glass.”
She pulled one from the green rubber mat where it had been drying and turned it right side up.
“Pull the handle, on. Flip it up, off.”
The pink returned to her flesh, and once again he found himself wanting to stroke it to see if it was as warm as it looked. She cleared her throat and yanked the tap.
“Whoa.” He grabbed the handle and thrust it back in place. Obviously, she’d never even watched someone pull a beer.
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