by Rye Hart
“You’ve got a lot on your plate. I’ll help out all I can.” I wasn’t sure what I was saying or doing, she held me captivated, her sweet mouth making me stumble through thoughts. And before I knew it I reached out and brushed a stray strand behind her ear and then dropped my hand to her shoulder. She froze, and her lower jaw fell as she opened her mouth like she had something to say about it.
“Thanks.” She glanced down between us, and I noticed I’d closed her in and she was making every effort, while being polite, to get around me.
I stood a minute longer, our bodies close and our eyes locked in on each other’s.
I broke the silence as she leaned in. “We better get back out there.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.” She smiled as if she was having as hard a time as me. As she went back out to the floor, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder.
I checked the time on my phone and thought about Livvy; she’d be sound asleep by now, with her little hands drawn up to her face balled into tight little fists. She’d slept that way since she was born. She’d grown up so fast already, and I worried how fast the rest of her childhood would fly by, and it only reminded me of what my purpose was.
I needed to focus. I had a job to do and being distracted by Starla wasn’t a good idea, no matter how insanely attractive she was. It didn’t make being with her right. I was undercover, which meant I couldn’t even tell her who I really was. That didn’t seem fair. Of course I wasn’t exactly the biggest gentleman when it came to relationships, but this situation was at a whole new level. I was on an assignment that could likely lead me to busting Starla’s brother – and my whole identity to her and Lu was a lie.
“Are you coming?” I looked up to see her waiting at the door. I’d thought for sure she’d gone back out to the bar. “You seem a little down yourself.”
“Oh, yeah.”
I had a story in place and now was the time to use it. “I’m just thinking about my daughter. I don’t get to see her much anymore. Not since my ex took her halfway across the country.”
“You have a daughter? That’s amazing. How old is she?” She crossed the room and motioned to my phone. “Do you have any pictures?”
“I do.” I browsed through the pictures of my baby girl I’d uploaded to the phone for just this reason. I’d made sure no evidence of who I really was, like pictures of me in uniform, were included. “Here she is, her name is Olivia, Livvy for short.
“She’s adorable. She’s got your smile.” She flipped through the other pictures, swiping her finger across the small screen. “I hadn’t pegged you for the daddy type, but now that I know, I can totally see it.” Her gaze slid down my chest and back to meet my eyes. My pulse raced as she passed me the phone, letting her cool fingers brush against my hand.
“Yeah, she’s changed me for the better. I guess I should get back to work; it’s almost time for last call.” I tucked my phone in my pocket, and she followed me out.
She made the announcement for last call, and I braced myself for the influx, and an hour later she walked me through the nightly closing chores.
I noticed she was watching me even closer and thought surely it didn’t have to do with me being a father. I wondered what her story was. Did she have a rough breakup or two that made her want to be so independent? Did she have daddy issues? It wasn’t like I could ask. I hoped that during my stay I could learn more.
I waited until she was ready to leave and walked her out in case there was anyone lurking around.
“You did a great job today.”
I stopped by my truck; it was the one the department got for me to use. Nothing special but looked right for my part. “Thanks. I’d almost forgotten what hard work it was.”
“You’re a natural. I watched you in there tonight; you really know people.”
I didn’t know what to say. She let out a soft giggle, the sound making me rethink my decision not to pursue her. Then she made a move toward her house, slowly stepping away like she had something else to say.
“Anyway, I was impressed.”
My chest swelled with pride as my cock swelled with want. I liked the idea of making an impression on her.
CHAPTER FIVE - STARLA
I had been proud of Lu for not turning up at the bar the night before, but then I learned she’d fallen asleep early, so it wasn’t like she could help behaving. Had she been awake, she would have made the attempt. As I cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast, she sat in her recliner with her feet kicked back asking how the night went.
“It went good, and Cash was amazing. Did you know he has a little girl?” I still couldn’t get over it, and it also made me wonder what happened with the child’s mother.
“Oh? I wasn’t aware. Maybe that’s why he needed the job so badly. I bet he’s paying child support.” She put down the footrest and scooted to the edge of her seat.
I shut off the water and dried my hands. “Maybe, but he did say the ex-girlfriend doesn’t let him see her. I think that’s sad. I don’t understand why people can’t get along for the sake of their children.” I’d never understood why my mother hadn’t wanted my father around either.
Lu understood what a touchy subject it was for me that I’d never had my father around growing up, and we’d always had different opinions about it.
“Sometimes a kid is better off without knowing. You know, your father wasn’t around for a reason. He wasn’t a good man, and he didn’t know how to be a father. Cash seems like a good man, but we only know one side of that story.”
I only knew one side of my father’s story as well, but I didn’t want to argue. I knew he’d done some bad things, but that didn’t make him all bad. I thought about Scott. Was I supposed to up and disown him now that he’d gotten himself into a bit of trouble? Lu wouldn’t disown Scott, but my dad was a different story. She’d only told me the bad and how he was mixed up in drugs and how badly he’d treated my mother, but there had to be a part of him before all that, some good and decent part my mother fell in love with. The few things I remembered about him, like his amazing smile; the kind that lit up a whole room and looked so much like Scott’s - that was something good. He’d been good to me.
“What are you doing?” Lu was on her way to the door. “You know you should rest.” The doctor told her to take it easy for the next few days. Not only was she experiencing issues with her blood sugar, she also became overheated earlier in the day.
“I want to go over and see my bar. Is that such a crime?” She pushed the screen door open and carefully stepped out onto the porch. I slipped my shoes on and headed over with her. There wasn’t any use arguing with her. She was feeling better, and so she was back in charge.
“Did you hear anything from your brother?” she asked as we walked across the yard.
“There was a message on my phone. He sent a picture of himself living it up in the city. I told him I was going to wring his neck and that he needed to get his butt back home.” The message had come after I’d gotten home, and I knew its sole purpose was to let me know that he was still alive.
There wasn’t any doubt the people he was involved with were dangerous and so he had to know I was worried about him. He’d told me months ago that he was in over his head with a gambling debt but that he was taking care of it on his own. I had a feeling whoever he owed was threatening him and using him to do their dirty work. It was the only explanation I could figure, even though I’d been in denial. My brother didn’t have any money, so it wasn’t like he’d paid the debt off.
“So how was the new guy?” She stopped and picked up an empty bottle that someone had tossed into the yard.
“He was perfect. I think we’re good with him. He even broke up a couple of fights, which is more than I could ever say for Otis. And I think he’s a bit faster on his feet too.”
Lu let out a cackle. “I’m faster on my feet than Otis. I’m still wondering what happened with that one, to be so invested in a job for so many years and the
n just walk away. I can’t help but wonder if there was more to it.” Lu had always thought there was more to everything, and her life’s motto was never to believe anything you hear and only half of what you see, but in the case of Otis, I think she was dead on.
“Although, it can’t hurt that Cash is so handsome.” She tacked that part on under her breath.
“There you go again. He’s more than a pretty face. He’s a nice guy too. He even swept the floor. You know how much everyone hates that job and he did it without so much as a sigh. Tell me the last person who did that.” But it wasn’t just that, he’d even waited around for me after the rest of the staff had left. No one had ever bothered since I lived right next door with Lu, but it was a nice gesture just the same, especially since Lu or Scott wasn’t there to walk me home.
He’d even found a stray dollar while sweeping and walked over to tuck it into my apron at the end of the night. The gesture was made intimate by his closeness. I could feel his warm breath on my shoulder, and it had sent a tingle straight through to my core.
No one had made me feel that way in a long time. I’d only ever had one real relationship in my life with any substance, but even then my ex couldn’t understand my need to take care of my family. He’d felt like I was never going to have anything away from them and he didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, getting nowhere even if he were with me. In the end, I hadn’t been enough and part of me was always worried that I wouldn’t be enough for anyone.
Family was everything to me. I owed my life to Lu. When my mother died, she had taken my brother and me in, no questions asked. But then again, we were the only family she had left too.
Even my mother had enough pride to name me after the bar. She told me that her mother, Luna, was her moon and that Scott and I were her stars. Family meant everything to me, so I needed a man in my life that would understand.
Cash seemed different enough on the surface from what I could see, and though I was having a hard time trusting anyone when it came to my heart, I couldn’t expect everyone would think the same about family as my ex had. Maybe that was why I liked the idea of Cash being a father so much. He had to understand a need to look after family and that those things were important in making us who we are. But as much as I’d like to think that could work in his favor, I was still hesitant to expect anything.
Was Cash the type of man that could understand and respect my decisions? I didn’t know if I could take a chance to find out. He was the type I could fall fast and hard for and the type that I usually gave in to only to be disappointed in the end. Something about Cash seemed too good to be true though.
No matter what happened, I had to protect my heart. I couldn’t let myself get hurt like last before. Rick had ruined me. He’d not only made things hard here at the bar, even long after he was gone from my life, but I’d gone to an unhealthy place. I had totally blamed myself, hated myself and even resented my family. I hated who I became at the dark time in my life and I worked myself out of it slowly. Though, still to this day, those wounds were fresh as well as the guilt that engulfed me.
Cash was a breath of fresh air. The flirting we’d done so far was fun, but it didn’t mean anything.
I hurried ahead to unlock the door while Lu tossed the bottle into the outdoor trash. She stepped into the bar and cheered as the cold air hit her, and then she went into the office and sat behind her desk where she decided to go over the books from the night before. I had tallied up and like always she wanted to double-check and do some orders for the next week. I made busy in the other room brushing the felt on the pool tables
I tried to distract myself with work, but I couldn’t get Cash out of my mind.
CHAPTER SIX - CASH
It hadn’t taken me long to learn more about the people at the bar, but so far my main suspect hadn’t shown. Penny, who had the biggest hair I’d seen since my childhood, was the most helpful, and Tammy wasn’t as dependable. I worried she could be dealing with domestic issues at home, but other than that, neither one seemed to know anything about their missing manager.
Once I got things caught up, I ducked into the storeroom behind the bar to call Livvy before the big rush hit. And I was almost finished with my call when I was busted.
“Daddy loves you too, baby girl. Give me some mooches.” Livvy was busy making kissing noises into the phone and giggling when I looked up and saw Starla standing closer than expected with her arms crossed and a big grin on her face. “I better go now, Livvy. Get to bed and Daddy will see you real soon.” I killed the phone and put it in my back pocket.
“Mooches?” Starla stepped closer giving me a sidelong glance.
“It’s our word for smooches, you know, kisses.” Surely she knew what a smooch was. I glanced to her full lips and wondered what it would be like to taste them.
She stepped closer. “I know what you mean. So you’re going to see her soon, that’s awesome. You seem really good with her.”
“Do I?” I wondered if she was going to tell me that I needed to stay off my phone, but she seemed more impressed that I’d called my daughter.
“Yeah, I like that. It’s attractive.” She lifted a shoulder like she wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
“Oh, yeah? Why are women so turned on by that?” It always seemed to be the case.
“Turned on? I never said it turned me on.” Her cheeks reddened, and she gave me a nudge.
“It does though, doesn’t it?” I gave her a challenging look, and she shook her head so I thought she might deny it.
“Maybe a little, but I never knew my dad, so I think it’s sweet, especially that you have your own little language between you.”
“We can invent our own language if you like?” I lifted a brow and bit my bottom lip as my eyes drank her in from head to toe.
That brought a laugh bubbling from her throat. “Leave it to a bartender to pour it on thick.” I couldn’t help but think how I had something thick I’d like to pour on her, but then she crossed her arms and lifted her chin with a smirk.
“Get back to work.”
“Yes Ma’am.” I walked back out to the bar, and she followed, and as I caught up on the orders, she went to the opposite end of the bar and helped Penny clean up a spill.
I liked this job more than the bartending gig I’d had in college, and I was starting to think, with Starla as my boss, I could do this job full-time. It was wishful thinking on my part.
And that’s when Scott Jones walked through the door reminding me of my mission.
I recognized him right away because he so closely resembled his sister, though his eyes were not as icy blue as hers. His hair was a little longer, and he had a five o’clock shadow that could have been a few days old, but it certainly was him. He was dressed in slacks and a shirt and tie, though I had a feeling that wasn’t his normal attire, not living around here. It was much like the two thugs he had with him, both wearing something similar, though it actually made sense on them. They were greased up and had on enough gold that they could pull it off, but Scott, he was just playing a part, probably to save his life.
He seemed like a twitchy little fuck, and I could see the desperation in his eyes underlying a stiff jaw which was set as if he were sitting on a powder keg and waiting for it to explode.
Starla ran out to see him, and after giving him a hug, she pushed him and let him have it. Across the crowd and music, I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from his friends and into the storeroom.
I waited a moment, not liking the way he’d grabbed her, but I had to remember they were brother and sister and had probably been that way their whole lives. It wasn’t anything too rough, but enough that I was going to keep my eye on it. I walked thru the door on the other end of the store room where most of the bar supplies were kept, and there were big coolers and shelves blocking the view and working as a makeshift room divider. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, so I tiptoed around and crouched down
behind a large box within earshot.
Starla’s voice was growing louder. “I don’t care about any of that. I thought you were dead. You can’t go that long again not being in touch and in case you haven’t noticed, Lu and I get worried sick and there’s still a bar to run.”
“You’re doing just fine without me.”
“That’s bullshit! You have no idea how much these assholes try to get away with when you’re not around. We’ve had three fights this week alone, and if it weren’t for the new bartender, there’s no telling what would have happened. I even got pushed the other day, Scotty.”
“Who fucking pushed you?” Her brother’s tone had gone dark; at least he had a protective nature about him.
“Just some asshole, I’m not giving you names, you’re in enough trouble as it is.”
“You stay out of it, Star. Promise me you’ll butt out. It’s for your own good. I’m in deep, and these fuckers are playing hardball. You or Lu could end up hurt if you go nosing around so the less you know, the better.”
Shit. They were being threatened. That’s why he was cooperating. Starla didn’t understand how these things worked. She was just concerned for her brother who is in way over his head already, maybe too deep to save him.
“Take care of yourself, Scott. And whatever you got going on with these assholes, keep it after hours. No matter what happens, keep yourself safe.”
“I’m trying. Just lay off my ass okay?” There was a pause, and I decided I better go back to the front. I slipped out, making sure not to knock anything over, and then after I was there a moment, Scott walked out, and his two friends went to the office closing the door behind them. I went around the bar to the other side where Scott had been and found Starla still there, sitting on a crate and wiping her eyes.
I walked over and stood before her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. She wiped her tear-soaked eyes and looked away.