by Lisa N. Paul
Danny grunted in disgust. “Yeah, family. Sure. Can you please tell Julie I came by? And give her this.” He scribbled his phone number on a cocktail napkin, folded it in half, and reluctantly gave it to Bunny.
“Sure, Sergeant. You can count on me.” Bunny smiled before pushing through the door to the kitchen.
“She treats the customers like family too.” The older gentleman snorted before sipping his beer. “If you know what I mean.”
Danny chuckled as he left the bar. Yeah, he understood the guy loud and clear.
***
THE BAR WAS packed with wall-to-wall people, as seemed to be the norm for Saturday nights at Chester’s. From July through August, Saturday nights were “all staff mandatory.” Even the cool air blasting from the air conditioner did nothing to cut the stifling humidity of the mid-July heat. With the tables and chairs on the outside deck filled with thirsty customers, the four bartenders took turns providing waitress service to the deck patrons in order to keep the foot traffic from overrunning the bar. Even Chester hung around on Saturday nights in case drunken tempers led to drunken conflicts. The whole scene would have been chaos had it not been run so incredibly smoothly.
Julie needed the loud music, the demanding people, and flirty men in order to keep her mind off of the fact that a certain Sergeant Marcus had never bothered to contact her after their one interlude five nights before. Sure, she’d slipped out before the sun came up, but awkward morning-after conversations weren’t something she’d had practice in, and starting them with a man who could easily shred her confidence wasn’t something she’d been looking to do. Christ, the things he’d done to her body… just thinking about them made her panties wet, which quickly led to frustration over the fact that he’d so easily moved on, giving her not even a second thought.
Could’ve been worse, she repeated to herself as she poured another round of tequila shots for the enlisted men who were looking not only to blow off steam but find ladies who were as enthusiastic about the prospect of blowing as well.
“Hey, pretty lady, how ‘bout you pour one of those for yourself?”
Stopping mid-pour, Julie looked at the private first class and offered her sweetest smile. “Aww, aren’t you sweet. I appreciate the offer, but I don’t drink while I’m working.” The guy’s disbelieving look made her continue explaining. “Can’t serve all of you men quickly enough if I’m tipsy, can I?” She punctuated her statement with a flirty wink, rung up the round, and placed his generous tip in the bucket behind the bar.
She’d learned while bartending back in high school that a small amount of sugar always brought in the highest tips, but too much sweetness brought the largest amount of trouble. As if proving her point, Bunny leaned over the bar, breasts smashed against the sticky wood, so a man could lick salt from her neck and reach into her cavernous cleavage for a tiny slice of lemon. Her hyena-like giggles drew attention from both drunken men and irritated women. All of that for what? The clink of fifty cents that the pock-marked, yellowed-skinned ancient man dropped on the bar before strolling out the door into the thick night air. Yeah, Bunny’s sugar was more like fly paper. Ick.
“Sugar, can we get two pitchers of beer and four wine coolers? Any flavor will do.” The deep, melodic voice didn’t quite match the average height, medium-build man who stood before her. His sandy-blond hair was pulled away from his face and tied into a low ponytail, and his eyes, the most intriguing shade of turquoise, held promises of laughter with a hint of something darker deep inside. While his handsome face promised light, his attire was various shades of black, from his Metallica T-shirt to his faded, ripped black jeans. “Do I have something funky between my teeth?”
Julie flushed. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. Your voice… well, your eyes…shit. I’m sorry, I must sound like a freak.”
“No, you’re not the first person to react that way.” The man seemed almost embarrassed by the attention he received. “I’m Alex Lawson, the lead singer for Lawson Road. My band and I are just here for some quiet drinks on the down low. Think we can do that?”
Lawson Road. Holy shit. She loved them. No wonder his voice sounded so familiar. They were just starting out, not quite huge but no longer small, and she was serving them drinks at Chester’s. Then his words settled in, and she understood that he was asking her not to blow their cover.
“Alex, your secret is safe with me. But here’s a bit of advice.”
The attractive man leaned across the bar, nearly within touching distance. His scent infiltrated her nose, his turquoise eyes penetrating…
“Your advice?” he prompted.
“Right, my advice—you may want to keep yourself, your band mates, and your girlfriend away from the older redhead over there. She’s like a shark, that one. If she smells blood in the water, she’ll attack, and you all are like the damn Red Cross blood bank. She’ll alert the media, try to seduce you, and cry when you run screaming, all within ten minutes.”
“We’ll keep a tab open and only order from you tonight.” Alex chuckled, grabbing the tray of drinks she’d prepared while they spoke. “Thanks for the heads-up, sweet thing. I speak for all of us when I say we do appreciate it.”
An hour later, Julie had just finished her deck shift and was grateful to be inside Chester’s once again. She hadn’t thought anything could be more revolting than Bunny behind the bar until she’d spent an hour with Bunny on the deck. For Christ’s sake, between the way that woman gyrated on men’s laps and the amount of fingers that traveled up the inner thighs of her Daisy Dukes, if they were better friends, Julie would have gifted her a can of Lysol disinfectant spray and a tube of Vagisil at the end of their shift. STDs were created in the panties of Bertha “Bunny” Tryshon.
The worst part about Bunny’s actions was men assumed Julie had the same loose…morals. That was often when Chester’s presence was appreciated. While Julie wasn’t certain that Chester didn’t partake in Bunny’s well, she could tell that he respected Julie’s desire not to make herself part of the menu. In fact, he almost threw up invisible walls around Julie. As soon as he saw any sort of questionable behavior toward Julie or any of the other bartenders, he “handled” the situation outside of the bar quickly and, most of the time, quietly.
Julie stopped at Alex Lawson’s table on her way inside. “Hey, guys, I’m just about to head back behind the bar, but since the crowd seems to have thinned out a bit, I figured I stop by and ask if you wanted me to get another couple of pitchers and wine coolers ready for you?”
“Perfect timing, sugar.” The provocative tone of Alex’s voice coupled with his flirtatious ocean eyes made it painfully clear how the man was gaining legions of fans all over the country.
While Julie could appreciate his beauty, her gaze darted to the attractive woman sitting to his left. She was the band’s bass guitarist and, rumor had it, Alex’s long-time girlfriend. Julie was not nor would she ever be a man poacher, but it was clear that the bassist didn’t know that. So when her palm not-so-subtly moved up Alex’s thigh and pressed against his groin at the same time she whispered something in his ear, punctuating it with what appeared to be quite a nibble, Julie felt her neck flush crimson.
“Umm, okay, I’ll just go and fill your order.” Unable to rip her eyes from the seduction transpiring at the table, Julie backed away in an attempt to leave before creating an even bigger scene.
Alex snickered, his hand covering his girlfriend’s and moving it in a suggestive motion. “Ethan, you mind following Julie to the bar and grabbing our drinks? Jerry and Vicky are gonna save our seats while I take Tara outside for a couple a minutes.”
Ethan smirked. “Just make sure to wipe the backseat down when you’re finished.” Ethan pressed his hand on the small of Julie’s back. “Come on, let’s go get those drinks. A and T will be thirsty as hell when they come back.”
Julie lifted the hinged wooden arm at the side of the bar and slid behind it, keeping it lifted for the other bartender
leaving for the deck. “Same as before, right?” Julie smiled sheepishly, trying to get the beguiling image of Alex and Tara out of her head.
“They’re quite the pair, aren’t they?”
“Oh my God.” Giggles pealed from her throat. “So it wasn’t just me? They were… that was…” Julie fumbled for words as she filled the pitchers. She wasn’t a prude—clearly she had no problems with flirting or, hell, with going home with a random man—but Alex and Tara were so public with their affections, so illicit with their behavior. While Julie felt embarrassed by some of the actions, some of it turned her on.
“Trust me,” Ethan said, leaning over the counter and bringing his body within inches of hers, “it isn’t just you. If you think that’s hot, you should see them argue.” He fanned himself. “It’d singe your eyebrows off.”
The belly laugh that left her lips startled even Julie, but not as much as the voice that came from her right.
“Ahh, now I understand. Looks like I’m not the only jumper between the two of us, huh?” Danny stood at attention, but gone were the uniform and blank stare. In their stead was a spectacularly gorgeous man in a brown T-shirt and jeans, sporting the look of a jilted lover—flared nostrils, pinched brows, a curled upper lip, and all.
“Danny?” Her heart leaped at his presence before her breath hitched at his response. Was he insulting her? The one-night thing worked both ways.
“Clearly you don’t waste any time between beds, now do you?”
Had his words not come from what seemed like a place of hurt and had Julie not been at her place of employment, her response would have been far less quiet and far less civil.
“Here’s your drink order, Ethan.” She knew her forced smile wouldn’t fool a blind man, let alone the nice guy who seemed extremely interested in stepping in to protect her in that moment, but she pasted it on to save them the discomfort and embarrassment. “I’m just going to deal with Sergeant Marcus here.”
“Do you need my help?” Ethan asked.
When fire grew in Danny’s hazel eyes, Julie knew that he may be angry, but there was no way in hell she needed protection from the man. “No, I’m perfectly fine.”
Ethan nodded and walked back to his table.
“What in the hell, Danny? You don’t get to come in here after nearly a week of silence and—”
“A week of silence, my ass. I came here the very next fucking day. Woke up with a pounding head, an empty apartment, and no memory of how the night had ended.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to see you, damn it. Ask you what the fuck happened between us.” His head snapped to the far right side of the bar, and he snarled, “I left my goddamn number with that worn-out redhead before I left.”
“You came here… to find me?”
His hazel eyes blazed so hot they singed her skin. “Uh, yeah. But clearly you’ve moved on. So…forget it.” His broad shoulders were tight, his face stony as he turned to leave, and Julie knew she’d never see him again.
In a voice loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough not to cause a scene, Julie called, “Danny, I’m serving drinks, that is all you saw. As for you stopping by this week, no one told me. I didn’t know.”
Julie’s mind was spinning. He had come. He’d tried to contact her and left a way for her to reach him. She was going to kill Bunny—unless he got there first.
“You.” Danny’s growl carried over the voices as he made his way toward Bunny.
Julie watched, entertained as Bunny’s eyes went from soft and flirty with the thought that a male was looking for her, to round with awareness when she realized just who it was and what she’d done.
As the place quieted, Chester made his way in from the deck. His eyes landed on Julie. “Things okay?”
“Yep.” Julie grinned. “Nothing Bunny can’t handle, sir.”
Chester flicked his gaze over to an angry but reined in Danny and a typically drama-filled Bunny before turning his back. “Yell if you need me,” he called over his shoulder.
“Sergeant Marcus, what a pleasure—”
“Do not pull that syrupy shit with me.” Danny’s chest expanded and depressed, his demeanor every bit that of a well-trained leader. “Did I or did I not come in here five days ago looking for Julie Bell?”
Bunny tucked a stiff chunk of hair behind her ear. “Well, hmm, I can’t exactly remember what day it was that your fine ass graced my eyes.” She bit her lip and looked at Julie before looking back at Danny. Oh yeah, guilt covered her face as clearly as the mascara on her lashes.
The muscles in Danny’s jaw clenched, leaving Julie to wonder just how much pressure it could take before the bones shattered. “Okay, ma’am, do you remember when I handed you my phone number and asked that you to give it to Julie?”
“Hmm.” Bunny tapped her bright pink fingernail on her matching pink lip.
Unfortunately for her, Earl came out from the kitchen with cases of beer and grinned when he saw Danny. “Hey, man, good to see you again.”
As if she could physically see the tension leaving Danny’s body, Julie exhaled the breath that had been held prisoner in her chest.
“It’s Earl, right?” Danny asked the bar back. When the guy nodded, Danny’s brow lifted. “You remember seeing me earlier this week?”
“Uhh, is this some sort of a test? Yeah, dude, I remember seeing you. I just said hi, didn’t I?”
And there went Danny’s jaw, tight as a spring. “Yes, Earl, you did, thank you. Do you remember why I came by?”
“He can’t answer your questions, Sergeant,” Bunny interjected. “Look at him, poor boy obviously doesn’t know anything, and we are clearly busy here.”
“He was here looking for Julie,” Earl grunted over Bunny’s shrill voice. “And you didn’t seem to think I was such a lil’ boy when you were on your knees, purring like a cat, with my dick down your throat.” He clenched his fists tightly, then released one to wave his hand in the air. “You didn’t seem so convinced I was useless when you were begging to have it shoved up your ass. I was pretty fuckin’ great then, wasn’t I?” Earl’s chest heaved as he looked around the silent bar, then from Danny to Julie. He scuffed the toe of his boot on the floor before speaking softly. “I’m sorry. I should have told her you came callin’. Obviously I’m not as smart as I thought.” He threw an aggravated look in Bunny’s direction before he slid out from behind the bar and headed to the deck.
The room remained quiet as stares darted from Bunny to Julie and back. If not for Bon Jovi’s apropos “You Give Love a Bad Name” blaring from the juke box, Julie might have exploded into flames of embarrassment. Leave it to JBJ to save the night.
“Next round is on the house,” Chester boomed, coming from who knew where to join the women behind the bar.
The crowd erupted in appreciative delight.
Had Julie not been standing as close to him as she was, she wouldn’t have heard him grumble, “Two choices, Bertha: finish the shift and get paid for the night, or walk now and don’t. Either way, your time here is over.”
“What?” Bunny’s eyes grew wide as her jaw fell open. Hmm, no wonder the men appreciated her. “Screw you, Chester!”
“Been there, darlin’, and it ain’t worth losing customers. Previous offer’s officially off the table. You needed to make a scene, I can make one too. Leave my bar now.”
“Well, I don’t need this shithole place,” she huffed, attempting to fluff her Aqua Net-hardened hair while shimmying past the bartenders frantically filling orders.
Something in Julie snapped. After everything she’d lost, everything she’d survived, she had finally found some semblance of happiness at Chester’s Bar. And while she had no clue as to what would happen between her and Danny, she couldn’t just let that woman get away with what she’d said…with what she’d done.
“Hey, Bunny,” Julie called, stopping the irate woman in her tracks.
“What the hell do you want, you little bitch?”
Julie reached i
nto the bucket behind the counter and pulled out two quarters. Summoning her sweetest smile, she dropped the coins into Bunny’s hand. “I figured you’d want these, you know, since you worked so hard for them. There’re a bit…sticky, but they’re all yours.” With her parting shot, Julie turned her attention back to the customers, doing her best to ignore the applause her action received.
***
ROOTED TO THE ground, Danny watched Julie work, her movements just as fluid as the drinks she poured. When his buddies had suggested they go out for beer after a long day of softball between 1st and 2nd platoons, followed by them helping him unpack his shit and settle into his new living quarters, he could hardly refuse. When they decided on Chester’s Bar, he could have come up with at least three different options, but his suggestions would have led to questions, and the questions would have led to razzing, which was the last thing he felt like dealing with. However, he wanted to avoid seeing Julie after she’d so blatantly blown him off, so he’d suggested they sit on the deck and his friends agreed.
Each time a server had approached them, Danny found himself caught between wanting to see the shiny strawberry hair and wanting to purposely ignore her. Finally, he inquired about Julie’s whereabouts. His every instinct screamed for him to find her, confront her, then walk away as easily as she had. What he hadn’t planned on was how her smile made his pulse race or the way her tank top showed just the perfect hint of cleavage to make his cock twitch in his jeans. What he never would have guessed was how the pale pink hue of her cheeks aimed at another man would release a possessive feeling that he’d never felt before. Mine.
Logic told him she was no more his than he was hers, but logic wasn’t making his feet move toward her. Logic wasn’t propelling air through his lungs. Logic had no place in his mind when he’d nearly ruined everything with speculation and accusation. Thank fuck the woman understood Caveman, because clearly logic had left the building. It took every ounce of military training and composure Danny had not to throttle the smaller man receiving Julie’s delight, but Danny knew she saw past his thin mask of civility. She saw what must have looked like confusion or, embarrassingly enough, desperation, and she nicely dismissed the other dude, who made her smile before a bigger scene was made.