Sandra ordered the fish tacos. I went for the bacon mushroom burger with fries.
Sandra continued talking.
“Even my parents grew up here. I’m a true beach bum. It’s in my blood. I know there’s a whole world out there, but I like it here. I’m really close with my family and a lot of the friends I grew up with are still here. Speaking of which, there’s Kane and Paul.”
She got excited and waved her hand to get their attention. I froze, instantly feeling a rush of blood as my whole face went red.
“I know you and Kane haven’t quite hit it off yet,” she said, putting her hand on my leg, “but I feel like you guys have just gotten off on the wrong foot. I swear, he’s a good guy.”
“Maybe hanging out in a group will eliminate some of the tension,” I said nervously.
“Plus, you have to meet Paul. He’s the very best. You might recognize him, he was bartending last night. He’s so sweet and so hot. Obviously Kane is attractive too, but he’s a lost cause. I bet you’ll really like Paul.”
She got up and waved at them.
“Hey guys! Come join us!”
I didn’t dare look up. I couldn’t. All I could do was take deep breaths and try not to lose my shit.
CHAPTER 24
SANDRA
The boys accepted my invitation to join me and Meadow. As they made their way over, I looked around for a table we could move to. It would make talking easier, rather than being lined along the bar.
“Oh, there’s a table. Let’s move there. Grab our drinks,” I said to Meadow as I grabbed both of our purses.
I made sure to catch the waitress's eye so she knew we were moving.
“Did you guys just get here?” I asked Kane and Paul as I gave them each a hug.
“No,” Paul said. “We’ve been in the back talking beer with Jason.”
“Paul, I’m not sure you’ve properly met Meadow yet. This is Meadow. Meadow, this is Paul,” I said, smiling as they shook hands.
“For sure, how’s it going, Meadow? It’s too bad your first time at the brewery turned out to be such a disaster.”
We all looked at Kane. It was a tense moment and I felt I had to say something to diffuse the situation.
“Look,” I said to Kane and Meadow. “I know you two have had a few misunderstandings.”
I paused for a second so I could judge their response. They seemed calm.
“But you’re both good people and I know you’d get along. Think you can forget everything that’s happened and just be friends?” I said, looking back and forth at each of them.
“Sure,” Kane said as he took a sip of his beer.
“Yup,” Meadow said, running her fingers along the bottom of her wine glass and pointedly avoiding eye contact with Kane.
“Great. So we can move on and change the subject.”
They both nodded and I got the distinct impression there was more going on than I was aware of. I guessed it would take some time for them to warm up to each other and I tried to think of something we could talk about.
“So, we finally hired a new waitress at the café today,” I said.
Both the guys knew how stressed I’d been about being short staffed.
“Finally. You must be relieved. Who is it? Do we know her?” Paul asked.
“You’re looking at her,” I said, gesturing to Meadow.
Meadow averted her eyes and took a sip of her wine.
“Oh cool,” Paul said. “Congratulations. When do you start?”
“She already started today.”
“No kidding!”
“The second she walked into the café and asked about the Help Wanted sign, I tossed her an apron and she got to work. Her timing was perfect. I was up to my eyeballs in messy tables, customers waiting to pay, new customers waiting to be seated. She literally saved the day.”
“You’re working here now?” Kane asked Meadow.
“She sure is. She’s got zero waitressing experience though. She’s actually never worked a day in her life. I was so desperate I didn’t care. Plus, I could tell she’s a good girl, so I took a chance on her.”
I rubbed Meadow’s shoulder affectionately as I spoke.
“She killed it. She’s a natural. We make an awesome team, right Meadow?”
“Yup,” Meadow said shyly.
“We worked our butts off and as soon as we were finished, we came here. What about you two?”
“Yeah, we had a really productive day. Kane and I make a pretty awesome team too,” Paul said, hitting Kane’s shoulder playfully.
Kane looked at Paul’s hand on his shoulder and Paul quickly removed it. We all laughed. Kane had never been the overly affectionate type, and Paul knew it.
“How was your first day on the job, Meadow?” Paul said.
“I was pretty nervous at first, but Sandra is a great teacher. I’m excited for my second shift tomorrow. I know I’ll get the hang of it soon,” Meadow said.
Before she could say more, the waitress came by with our food. She put my fish tacos in front of me and the Guinness stew in front of Paul.
“And two bacon mushroom burgers with fries,” she said as she placed them down in front of Kane and Meadow. They looked up at each other.
“See. I knew you two would have things in common,” I said with a smirk as I picked up a taco.
Meadow looked down at her burger but I caught her stealing a glance at Kane. There was definitely something going on between them, something more than the fighting they’d seemed to be doing since laying eyes on each other.
“Oh so get this,” I said. “Meadow only started today, but already she experienced grumpy old man Mathers.”
“Oh snap, that’s quite the initiation. Did he take it easy on you?” Paul said.
“I’m guessing that’s the guy who wouldn’t look at me while I served him?” Meadow said.
“Yup. I didn’t notice him come in, otherwise I wouldn’t have let you go over. That man is peculiar to say the least. He’s a regular. Orders the exact same thing every day.”
“One poached egg, two pieces of brown toast, no butter, home fries with extra fried onions and a package of strawberry jam,” Paul said.
We laughed.
“Before he got the job at the brewery, Paul had your job,” I said to Meadow.
“Is that so?” she said, turning to Paul.
“Anyway,” I continued. “Mr. Mathers expects that the moment he walks through the door, the kitchen starts his order, and the server meets him at his spot with a coffee, water and a copy of the daily paper.”
Meadow laughed. “That explains a lot. I literally stood there and asked him three times if he’d like coffee. He wouldn’t move his arms off the table for me to put a menu in front of him. I thought he was deaf.”
“Oh man, you poor girl,” Paul said as he wrapped his arm around Meadow’s shoulder.
Paul’s an inveterate flirt. He can’t see a pretty girl without putting a hand on her.
“He can be such a stubborn jerk if he doesn’t know you,” he continued, leaning closer to Meadow. “Once he realizes you’re there to stay, and you get his order right every single time, he’ll warm up.”
Kane cleared his throat. He’d been his usual quiet self until then. “So, you’re here to stay?”
Meadow looked up at him and I could tell she was blushing. “Well, I guess so. I mean, I don’t have a place yet, I’m just staying at a motel.”
“Oh my God,” I said. “I can’t believe I didn’t ask about that. I mean, I knew you were new in town, but I just assumed you had a place. So you’re on the hunt for an apartment? I can help you look. I love apartment hunting.”
Paul leaned in on her again, this time letting his hand slide slightly further down her arm from her shoulder.
“A buddy of mine has a rental unit on the top floor of his place. It’s got a beautiful view. I’m pretty sure he said it’s empty. I’ll give him a call tomorrow. Give me your number and I’ll let you know what h
e says.”
Paul handed Meadow his phone for her to put in her info. I looked at Kane and rolled my eyes.
Kane didn’t look back at me. He got up from the table a little hurriedly and went to the bar.
I watched as Meadow gave her contact info to Paul. I knew the moment I saw her that Paul would be all over her.
CHAPTER 25
MEADOW
I pretended I didn’t notice Kane leaving the table as I finished typing my number into Paul’s phone. I hit save and handed it back to him.
“That’s really nice of you, Paul,” I said with a smile and a gentle hand on his arm.
“No problem. This town is so small that places don’t even get advertised. Usually people just find them through word of mouth, so it’s good to have an in.”
I casually looked over my shoulder as Sandra and Paul got to talking about the guy who owned the apartment. I scanned the bar, trying to find Kane. I couldn’t be obvious. The last thing I wanted was for Paul and Sandra to pick up on anything.
I spotted him leaning against the bar, talking to the hot female waitress. A flash of jealousy flowed through me. I quickly turned back to the table, took the last sip from my wine, and put the empty glass down.
“I don’t know about you two, but I’m about ready for another round,” I said with a forced smile.
“Great idea,” Sandra said.
“Yeah, I’m ready too. I don’t mean to judge, but I can’t believe you two are in the best local brewery in California, and you’re drinking wine,” Paul said.
“I know, I know,” Sandra started. “I love beer too. But today’s a breakthrough day for Meadow and wine, so I had to join her in celebrating.”
Paul turned to me curiously.
“A breakthrough day with wine? What does that mean?”
I felt embarrassed that Sandra had brought up that information. She hadn’t meant to overshare, but the whole thing was pretty personal and I wasn’t about to get into my husband’s affair with Paul. I acted fast to come up with another story.
“Oh, you know how it goes. One night of overdoing it and it’s hard to even look at the stuff again,” I said, laughing like I was embarrassed about it.
“Oh, don’t I know it. I still have to pass when the guys have whisky on poker night,” Paul said.
Sandra and I made eye contact and she gave me a friendly wink. I could tell my secret was safe with her.
I really felt lucky I’d run into her so quickly after arriving in town. Since the moment I met her, she’d been friendly and welcoming. She was doing an amazing job at making me feel included. If it wasn’t for her, I might not even be staying.
“All that being said, you do have a point,” Sandra said to Paul. “Did I hear there are some new beers on tap? Maybe I’ll do a flight.”
Paul jumped on the opportunity. He started listing off the options to Sandra. I was going to stick with wine, so I casually tuned them out. I started to wonder why Kane wasn’t back with us yet. I tried hard to keep myself from looking back at the bar to see if he was still standing there with the sexy waitress.
Why had he just gotten up and left the table like that?
Was it because I said I was staying in Pismo Beach?
Did my staying really make him that upset?
I started to suspect his type really was out of town women. He was probably mad to find out I wasn’t leaving. I guessed he really meant what he said that morning when he told me I should just go back to where I came from. I was mortified that I just let him fuck me in the bathroom like that.
Had I just become another notch on the back of the bathroom door for him?
As my mind raced, I watched Sandra and Paul talking and laughing with each other. It reminded me that there was so much more to Pismo Beach than Kane. In that moment, I decided not to let Kane bully me out of town.
I was going to focus on the positives.
I’d made new friends, gotten a new job, and already had a potential apartment lined up. I wasn’t going to fight with Kane anymore. Surely the town was big enough for the both of us.
Suddenly, I was snapped out of my thoughts by Sandra roaring with laughter.
“Wait, what are you guys talking about? What did I just miss?”
“You didn’t hear the joke? Tell it again, Paul,” Sandra said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“A bear walks into a bar.”
“Oh no,” I said.
“Wait, it’s funny,” Sandra assured me.
“The bartender asks what he wants?” Paul continued. “The bear says, I’ll have a gin … and tonic.”
I looked at Sandra as I listened.
“The bartender says, sure, but I have to ask, what’s with the large pause?”
Paul started laughing as he got ready for the punchline.
“The bear holds up his paws and says, Oh, I was born with these.”
I burst out laughing. It was so stupid, but it was cute. Just my type of joke. The voice Paul made and the way he waved his hands around made it even funnier.
Paul wasn’t just funny, he was adorable too.
“Oh, Paul, you’re too much,” I said, laughing and grabbing his hands to pull them back down.
CHAPTER 26
KANE
The waitress, Lianna, put our conversation on hold so she could take someone’s order. I turned around just in time to catch Meadow reaching for Paul’s hands. I watched as they laughed and she tried to pull his hands down. He struggled to get away and put them back in the air. They were having a lot of fun without me.
I wondered why he was flailing his hands like an idiot, then Meadow’s eyes caught mine. I quickly turned back around. I’d seen enough.
They seemed to be hitting it off, which was fine by me. It was probably for the best. Paul could have her. Actually, I hoped he’d take her. He was charming and she looked like she was into it.
If they kept getting along, it would take her attention off me.
I was still coming to terms with the fact she was moving to town permanently. The last thing I needed was a clingy girl hanging around my neck. I was frustrated with myself. On the same day I finally freed myself of female drama, I just had to go and fuck the first piece of ass that caught my eye.
I didn’t know what I was thinking, taking her in the bathroom like that. It was like my most primal instincts took over. There was a chemical reaction the moment she ran into me. I needed to have her right there and then. There was no stopping myself.
As much as I regretted getting messed up with another woman, I couldn’t ignore that the sex was amazing. It was like my body knew it before my mind did. It had been years since I felt that sort of sexual chemistry. The pleasure of Meadow’s body was intoxicating.
She and I struggled to get along, sparks flew every time we were within striking distance of each other, but there was no denying the physical attraction.
I made a promise to myself not to let it happen again. It was a one time thing, nothing more.
Taking her in the bathroom, devouring her, cumming inside her, it was something I couldn’t resist. I needed to get it out of my system. But now I could move on.
I wondered if I was worried about nothing. Maybe she wasn’t the regular clingy type of girl. She hardly said a word to me, let alone even looked at me, during dinner. Paul was getting way more attention from her. I could still hear her and Paul laughing behind me. Maybe when we both told Sandra that we’d forget about the last twenty-four hours, we both really meant it.
Could it really be so simple?
Could I really get off so easily?
Get off so easily!
I really did get off easily with Meadow. I had to fight like hell not to cum too soon. The moment I slid my dick into her soaking wet pussy, I could feel the sensation throughout my entire body. I never wanted to stop fucking her.
Forgetting it and moving on was going to be harder for me than I anticipated.
Plus, I was frustrated that someone tried to
get into the bathroom before we were finished. I hadn’t wanted to rush. If I could have made that little rendezvous last forever, I would have. What frustrated me most was that I didn’t get the chance to make sure Meadow got off too.
That thought haunted me. How could I let things stand like that?
The laughter from the table grew louder. I looked over my shoulder to see what was going on. All three of them were laughing hysterically, and this time it was Meadow’s smile that caught my eye. It was bright and beautiful. So bright and beautiful it was becoming contagious.
I felt a half smile creep onto the left side of my face as I watched her play with her hair. I wanted my hands on her hair again. Then I watched as Paul casually reached up and moved her hair off her shoulder.
And that’s when a sharp anger flowed through me. I was jealous.
Me? Jealous? I thought I’d never feel that emotion again.
Fuck no.
He couldn’t have her.
I wasn’t done with her yet.
Hell, I was just getting warmed up.
“Hey Lianna, could I get four shots of Tequila?”
CHAPTER 27
MEADOW
“Oh man, here we go,” Sandra said as Kane approached with four shots of tequila.
“We need salt,” Paul said, reaching over to the table next to us.
“And limes,” Sandra said, getting up to run over to the bar.
Kane made his way around the table, setting the shots down for each of us. He saved mine for last. He stood behind me and I watched from the corner of my eye as his hand reached out and set the tequila in front of me. Suddenly I felt his breath very close to the side of my face.
“We’re getting out of here,” he whispered in my ear.
He had my attention.
“I’m going to leave and five minutes later, you’re leaving too. We’re going to finish what we started.”
His words caused goosebumps to form all over my body.
He moved away just as Sandra came barreling back with the limes. I looked at him as he took his seat. He gave me a subtle nod. I nodded back. I knew at that moment I was about to experience the longest five minutes of my life.
“Great idea with the shots,” Paul said.
Kane said nothing back.
I looked at the shot in front of me. Truth be told, I’d never done a shot of Tequila in my life. Shots of any type of alcohol weren’t a thing that the women in my world did. I couldn’t let them find out though. I was sure if I did, they’d have me trying every shot in the bar. I did not want to be the center of attention.
Fire & Ice: A Ménage Fantasy Page 33