by Casey Peeler
As the customers slowly dwindle out, it’s time for things to shut down. She turns to me, “You know I said that you started tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah,” I say as I finish my beer and walk to the hallway full of beer I delivered yesterday. Taking two boxes in my arms, I walk toward the back of the bar to help her stock. Walking back behind the bar, I see her out wiping down tables, and she glances over her shoulder.
“You don’t have to do that, I’ll get them later.”
Completely ignoring her, I open them and begin to stock the cooler. As I finish with one box, I glance her direction, and my eyes linger on Stella. When she looks back toward me, I quickly go back to work, but when she walks toward me with a smile, I try my best to keep my emotions in check. There is something about this woman that has me wanting to go Tarzan on anyone that comes her direction. The way her dark hair is messy and pulled up in some funny knot, the way her legs peek out of those cutoffs and the way she can take a plain Barger’s t-shirt and make it hot as fuck with a gazillion little bow looking things on the sides.
“Drake, get that look off your face,” she says as she comes around the bar.
“Stella, for starters, don’t call me Drake. I hate that shit. The name’s Everett,” I say as I go back to finish filling the cooler with the other box.
She walks beside me and starts to help. “I’m sorry. I’ve heard everyone call y’all that since I’ve gotten back. I just assumed, but you know what does.”
“Yeah, makes you an ass,” I say without looking her direction and continue to stock because if I look at her, I’m going to make an ass out of myself.
“Hey,” she says, placing her hand on my forearm, and when she does it sizzles something deep in my soul. If I thought I had a need to protect her earlier, the need to make her mine overtakes it.
Removing her arm from mine, she doesn’t move but instead continues to be in my space, and this can end one of two ways. Playing a war with my mind and body, I take a step toward her, lift her chin to mine, and as her eyes smolder, my lips capture hers. She doesn’t react, but the moment my hand guides underneath that shirt and slides across her perfect hips, she sighs and those perfectly plump lips kiss me back. As her hands move to my chest, I take a step back and open my mouth, saying words that have never left my lips, ever.
“Have dinner with me.”
Her eyes find mine as her breath slows. “Not on your life, Everett,” she says as she slides down from the beer cooler.
Holding her gaze, my body overtakes my mind. “Fine, then let’s scratch whatever itch we both have and get it out of the way.”
“I don’t know what itch your talkin’ ‘bout, but that can’t happen. Regardless, it sure as hell isn’t going to be you.”
Without another thought, I place my arms on both sides of the cooler and when she knows there’s no escaping, she looks me in the eyes. As she starts to move closer to me, wanting more, I move until my I can feel her breath on my lips. “Let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be by tomorrow for your delivery.” Dropping my arms, I leave her space and turn to walk toward the front door.
Stella
What the heck just happened? Standing there in the middle of my bar, I watch Everett walk toward the door. Everything in my mind is saying no, but my body is saying hell yes.
“Everett,” escapes my lips as he pauses and turns around and I walk toward him as he watches. Stopping in his space, I look up into those eyes, kissing him with one gentle kiss. “See you tomorrow.” As the words leave my lips, I turn to walk back toward the bar with a smile. I’ll be the one to have the final word.
When the front door shuts, I count to thirty then turn to lock the front door, switch the neon sign to off, and smile walking back to the bar. Looking around, everything is fine until tomorrow, I grab my purse, look at the clock and realize there’s only one thing that will help me sort this mess out. I call Dixie. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to move here, start fresh, and build my business. I am not going to fall for any man, no matter how extremely hot he is and how his lips feel on mine.
“Hey girl, what’s going on?” she says.
“Um, I need your advice.”
“Oh shit. Who is he?”
“Everett Drake. Girl, he had the nerve to ask me if I wanted dinner or to scratch an itch.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“I wish.”
“Well, girl, I hate to say this, but go scratch that itch. What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Pausing, I think about what she’s saying. What harm would it actually do? It’s just sex and nothing more. I can do no strings and I’m sure that’s the only game Everett Drake plays. “Ohmygosh! You’re actually thinking about it, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“Don’t maybe me. For once, Stella, don’t think, just go for it. Now tell me a little more about this guy that’s got you throwing all your morals out the window.”
Laughing, I explain, “He’s a Drake and that’s the number one reason why I shouldn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Papa James told me to stay away from them. They’ve always been trouble, but I’m thinking they look like lions but roar like a house cat.”
“No you just didn’t.”
“Oh I did. These are the kinds of guys that like a good bar fight, but now have respectable jobs. Papa said whatever happens to stay away from them, but this one...I can’t, Dixie. There’s something about him. It’s almost as if the more I try to resist him, the more I can’t. I’ve only been here a couple of days. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Maybe for once, quit worrying about what everyone thinks and live your life. You’ve always done everything your parents asked, then that asshat you almost married. You moved to Ridge to live your life and maybe Everett is the first step in moving forward.”
“Maybe. So, when you coming to visit?”
“By the end of the month, I promise. Now, get home, relax, and tomorrow, live your life.”
Hanging up with Dixie, I realize how much I miss her being by my side. Pulling into my house, I walk inside, toss the keys on the counter, and decide it’s time to start living.
Chapter 7
Everett
Arriving at Barger’s the next day for delivery, I take a deep breath before I load my hand trucks full of beer and walk toward the screen door. Giving it a light knock, I open it and walk down the hallway to begin unloading the boxes. Without her in sight, I unload and walk toward the truck to grab the final load, then I see her out the corner of my eye working on some type of paperwork. Without distracting her, I finish unloading then grab my clipboard for her to sign.
Still lost in thought, I do my best not to startle her. “Stella, I’ve got you ready to go.” She jumps and turns around and I smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya.”
“It’s all right, just having to work through Papa James’s bookkeeping skills. I can’t wait to get all of this on a computer. It will make life so much easier.”
“If you say so,” glancing at the time, I know it’s almost quitting time.
Taking the clipboard, she signs it and hands it back slowly. “See you after while.”
“Any particular time you need me back?”
“What time did you get here last night?” she questions, knowing damn well what time I walked in.
“Eight.”
“Around then,” she says and goes back to work.
“See you then,” I nod and walk out the door.
Climbing into the truck, I pause for a moment. Damn, I was sure she was going to take me up on one of my offers. Cranking the truck, I head to Bell Distribution and then home to help finish up around the farm.
As Beckett and I finish feeding and watering the horses, he asks, “What’s your deal?”
“I’m good.”
“Bullshit. Is it the military shit?” he questions.
“Nah, that’s all good, but you’ll never g
uess who offered me a job.”
He pauses and looks at me, “Surely not.”
“Oh, but she did. I’m heading to Barger’s after while. Y’all coming in?”
“There ain’t no way we’re missing this. Does James know?”
“I doubt it. He’d have fit.”
“Well, we did raise a lot of hell in there.”
“Dude, she kicked us out and hired you?” I hear over my shoulder. I turn to see Jeremiah.
“Yes, fucker, she did.”
“Oh, we’re all going to see this tonight,” he says to Beckett.
Ignoring them, I finish my job and walk toward the house to shower and get ready to go. Grabbing a quick bite to eat, I pull on my ball cap, grab my keys and drive my old Ford to Barger’s.
Stella
The moment I hear the back door open, I know it’s Everett. He walks in and I can’t breathe as he walks toward me. His jeans hug his legs perfectly, but that same t-shirt is painted on. Blinking, I push him out of my mind and turn to fill an order as he takes a seat at the end barstool.
“Can I get a cold one?” he says, forcing me to look his direction. The way he smirks and that ball cap riding low over his eyes has me wanting to put up the closed sign and take him up on his offer.
“Here you go,” sliding it to him, I quickly go back to work because the more I can avoid him, the better off my girlie bits will be.
Within the hour, it’s packed as I knew it would be, including the other Drake brothers. As they walk toward the bar, they all slap him on the shoulder and are giving him all kinds of hell.
Taking a step toward them, I ask, “What can I get y’all tonight?”
“PBRs all night long, Stella,” Colby chimes in.
Grabbing three, I pop the cans quickly then pass them to him as I hear them giving him all kinds of shit.
“Y’all leave my employee alone,” Everett’s eyes dart to mine and are full of warning.
“Employee? That sounds official,” Jeremiah begins to laugh.
“Shut the fuck up and go drink your beer.”
“Damn, who pissed in your beer?” Colby smarts off.
“You. Now fuck off,” he says and it has me putting on the brakes for anything that I thought might occur between us. When they go to play pool, I walk toward him.
“You can go over there with them if you want. You don’t have to sit here all night.”
His eyes find mine, “I know, and excuse their sorry asses earlier.”
“No worries there. Being in a bar, I know all kind of shit is going to be talked, but are y’all always like that toward each other?”
“Pretty much.”
Without another word, I grab the wet rag and wipe down the bar after throwing away a few empty bottles. Everett stands and begins to clear off a few booths that are now empty. Walking around the bar, I wipe them off as he finishes then he goes to take a seat on the stool once again.
After another hour, his brothers wave and head out and the other patrons do as well. Looking at the clock, it’s almost two, and I’m exhausted as the final customer walks out the door. Everett walks to the front door, locks it and turns off the neon light before walking toward the hallway as I begin to clear the remaining tables then wipe them down.
Chapter 8
Everett
Holy shit is all I can say as I watch that perfect ass bend over those tables. As the bottom of her ass cheek peaks out, I’m going to lose my shit. Continuing to stock the cooler, I catch myself working less and staring more.
Grabbing the beer, I stock and stare, and when she turns around I’m so busted. Quickly, I empty the box into the cooler and walk to grab another when she rounds the corner of the bar, tossing the rag on the counter.
“So I was thinking,” she says as her eyes meet mine and she bites the corner of her lip. She doesn’t have to finish her sentence because I know exactly what she’s thinking. Dropping the cardboard box on the ground, I invade her space. My hand goes behind her neck, bringing those perfect lips to mine and as she nips my lower lip, a growl escapes. Taking my other arm, I pull her into me as her hands begin to roam my chest, but as they find my belt, I pause and look at her because she doesn’t look like the casual sex kind of girl. This is her one shot to stop what’s about to happen.
“No rules, no attachment, just two grown people scratching that itch,” she says and I don’t ask any more questions as her hands unfasten my belt and my hands find the bottom of the cutoffs and slide up to cup her ass. Sliding her panties to the side, my hands find her slick folds and she’s dripping wet. “Quit teasing me,” she says as my finger enters her and as I move faster, so does her breathing. Knowing she’s close to release, I continue to give her what she likes. “I need you, Everett,” she says as her eyes find mine, and I’m happy to oblige. Removing my fingers from her wet pussy, I unbutton those cutoffs in one swift motion and remove them and her panties while her hands pull my dick free. Grabbing a condom from my wallet, I wrap up and meet her entrance and as I slide into her wet pussy, the most beautiful moan escapes her mouth.
“Fuck,” she whispers as I move in and out of her and as her nails scrape my back, I know I can’t hold out much longer. As her body begins to shake below me, I look her in the eyes and release with her.
As we come down from our high, I slowly pull out and watch for her direction. Her eyes find mine, “Can we do that again tomorrow?”
Smiling, I bend to meet her lips and kiss them, “Absolutely.”
Stella
When his lips leave my body, I know that there’s no way I can keep this casual. There’s something about this man and the way his body owned mine. I’ve had sex in the past, but nothing like this. Everett Drake knows how to worship a woman’s body and can take her to places she didn’t know existed.
Sliding on my shorts, I do my best not to stare at him as he does the same. There is so much more to this man than what he’s letting on. Pausing, he places his hand on the counter as if something is wrong.
“You okay?” I question.
“Yeah, you got anything to eat around here?” Walking to the back, I grab my stash of food and Sundrop.
“Here ya go. I can make you a sandwich or something if you’d rather have it.”
“Nah, this will be fine.”
Taking the drink and pack of chips, he props himself against the cooler, opens the single serving chip bag, puts it to those perfect lips and pours them inside in one swift motion.
“Hungry?” I laugh.
“Yeah, guess we worked up an appetite,” he smiles then takes a long drink of the yellow soft drink. When he finishes, he tosses it in the trash. “Anything else you need me to do?”
“I think we’re good.” Cutting off the lights, we walk outside and he watches me get inside my truck and put it in reverse before he does the same, and in that moment, I know that this casual sex thing is a very bad idea.
*****
For the next few weeks, Everett and I have a nice little routine, work and have sex. Lots of it. It’s working fine, but each and every time he does something more than sex, like opening a door for me, bringing us supper, arriving earlier than he should or staying on weeknights. I’m having a hard time separating what this is.
“You okay?” I question.
“Yeah, I’m good. You?” he asks.
“I’m better than good,” I say as I take a step toward him in the back room and pushing aside what my heart is telling me, I let our bodies continue to talk. I’m so fucked—literally.
Chapter 9
Everett
I’ve tried to keep things at a distance with Stella over the past week but it’s like each time I try to distance myself, she pulls me in closer. Pulling in to make my first delivery of the week, I notice that she’s inside as usual.
Loading up, I walk in and line the hallway and go to finish the job when she rounds the corner, bumping into me. Letting go of the hand trucks, I catch her from falling and when her eyes meet mine, I
read what they are saying and something in my heart lets me know that I’ve got to let her go.
As she stands, she tries to proposition me like she usually does, but I shake her off as her hands wrap around my waist.
Looking down to her, I admit, “I can’t, Stella. I’ve got to get back and clock out today.” Hurt flashes across her face as she releases me and takes a step back. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening,” I say as I walk toward the back door without looking back.
Walking out of Barger’s from my delivery, I climb into my beer truck and cuss myself for being an ass, but it’s better for her this way. Driving down the two-lane road, my mind wanders to Stella and how I can’t seem to shake this itch with her. She consumes my mind all the time and today I hurt her, which I swore to my mama I’d never do to a girl. She’s putting up a good front, but I can see that this path is going to lead to nothing but problems. Tomorrow, I’m going to tell her it has to stop.
As I hit the speed limit, I turn up the radio and am almost side-swiped by a car full of idiots. Anger flares and I want to turn this truck around and chase their asses, but realizing I’m not on my time, I let it go.
Stella
Standing there, I can’t believe what has happened. He turned me down. This is changing. He doesn’t feel what I do, or maybe he does. I’ve got to stop this before my heart breaks any more. Walking back into the bar, I hear the screen door open and my heart soars knowing it’s him changing his mind.
“Ever…” I start to say but come face to face with four men. The four men that entered my bar my first night with Seth. Each with a gun pointed straight toward me.
“Man, you are one dumb bitch.” Tossing a pillow case toward me, one demands I empty the register in it. “Now, where’s your safe?”
“What are you talking about? There’s no safe here.”
“Like hell there’s not. Old man had one, we know for a fact.” Walking toward me, the tallest one grabs me by my hair and pulls me toward the back. Tears want to pour but I refuse to show them any weakness.
“I got rid of it and put it all in the bank, you dumb asses,” I say as he pulls me into his chest and puts the gun to my temple. “Look all you want but I’ve got nothing.”