by Jax Hart
It’s not their right.
It’s mine.
My hands ball into fists. It’s taking all my willpower not to beat the shit out of them; throw my jacket over Shanna’s sweet ass curves and haul her over my shoulder outta here and straight to the biggest bed I can find.
Fuck.
But I’d scare her off for good if I start using fists instead of words. I just wish I knew what words to say to a girl that has me by the balls and completely tongue-tied.
“CUT THEM OFF.”
“Excuse me?
“You heard me. CUT THEM OFF.”
I stare back at him for a few beats astonished. This man has the nerve to sit at my bar, and eye-fuck me for two weeks without uttering a single word, and now he’s speaking to me for the first time just to tell me what to do—in my own goddamn bar?
I don’t think so.
Ignoring him, I turn my back, intentionally pouring more shots for the rowdy group. The amount they put on their tab so far is enough to put me well into the black this month and then some.
They are annoying, but harmless.
I’ll let them get liquored up and make sure they all get into the hired car waiting at the curb.
I’ve been doing this long enough to know how to handle myself—and my bar.
“Shanna.”
My name falls from his lips like a curse or prayer; maybe a combination of both.
Raising one eyebrow, I turn to look at him over my shoulder, daring him—challenging him to say anything else.
“What? Do you need another shot?” I smile sweetly.
He crooks a finger at me, signaling me to come closer.
But I’m not stupid.
I’m not getting within two feet of him.
It’s not until Meat signals, that I feel like I have no choice.
Meat is loyal and has been nothing but good to me. I can’t snub him just because Duke’s sitting next to him. I slowly walk over and intentionally lean my elbows on the bar, so my shirt dips good and low, planting my cleavage right in front of Duke’s face.
The lacy edges of my bra greet him, and I can’t help but notice how his hungry eyes devour every inch of my exposed flesh.
He has me before I can even blink. He moves so fast for a man of his size that I’m caught off guard. I would never survive in a bar like this—in a life like this if I had slow reflexes and bad instincts, but I never saw this move coming.
He has me.
With one hand, he traps both of mine flat on the bar and leans in. His face brushes mine as he whispers, “I told you to cut them off. You’re a bad girl, Shanna and you will pay for this... ”
He’s still a breath away from when his gaze lowers to my breasts.
Holy Hell.
It takes everything in me to pretend this isn’t affecting me; that he’s not affecting me, as he moves his head and I feel his breath on my skin.
He kisses my collarbone. I feel the tip of his tongue lick the hollow between my breasts; then he blows where he touched me causing goosebumps to break out.
“I’m going to suck these sweet tits someday soon Shanna. Don’t test me.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that. You and every other man in here can think about my sweet tits all night. You can look, but you can’t touch Masters. I’m my own woman. No one tells me what to do in my own goddamn bar. Now get your meaty hands off me before I have Federico haul your ass out.”
He laughs low in his throat while one thumb massages the soft skin under my wrist. As he rubs back and forth, I just know it’s the same stroke he uses when rubbing his woman’s clit.
My lips fall open.
I feel myself weakening.
The tingle grows between my thighs at the thought of this beast of a man touching me; nuzzling my breasts and reaching through my folds to find me wet and begging for him.
“Masters, huh? Know this Shanna—I will be your master. I’m going to tell you to drop to your knees and take me into your mouth—and you’re going do it. You’ve taken this too far; dressing like this, putting your ripe body on display. You’ve waved the flag in front of the wrong bull, sweetheart. I’m seeing red and your sweet naked body under mine—as I drive into you again and again...”
I jerk back, but he holds me fast. If any other man said this to me, I’d slap the shit out of them. But he’s different—larger than life and more of a man than all the men in here combined.
My heart’s pounding as the images of him doing all this fills my head. I rub my legs together feeling the stickiness between. Gasping, I throw my head back as he pours his shot of Bourbon down my neck drinking it off my body. A small puddle pools, hitting my bra and I moan when his long tongue swirls down to lap and lick every last drop from my skin. My bra’s soaked, my nipples pucker, showing through. His face is buried in my chest sucking my skin like a vampire in a teen show.
I try to process all I’m feeling but he has me hypnotized by his touch. I’m immobile, vaguely hearing the cat-calls behind me when I feel his mouth brush against a nipple through the fabric a second before teeth scrape against it. But then the sensation is gone, and I wonder if it actually even happened.
Could he be that bold? Or am I just high from the joint dangling from Meat’s lip.
Finally coming out of my stupor, I jerk back against his hold, but he chuckles low in his throat not letting go. Instead, he uses his other hand to bring me closer.
He lifts his head. Our eyes are closer than a heartbeat. He’s looking at me like I’m his property. Before I can tell him he’s wrong, he dips his head back to my chest.
Some people pretend not to look; the regulars have seen worse than this over the years and don’t care. But I’m uncomfortable; mortified even, but the sweet ache between my thighs is a traitor wanting more.
I've lost the battle, but now—I need to win the war.
I’ve never lost control or shown any outward sign of weakness, but Duke Masters has just destroyed in two minutes what it took me two years to build.
Now every man will think it is okay to step over the line from looking to touching—I’m going to have to be a bitch now to regain control. My tips are going to take a hit.
The rough pad of his tongue swirls up from the dip in my cleavage to my neck. He lifts his head, chuckling against my pouty lips expecting a kiss.
“Dick,” I whisper.
“Yes, I plan on filling you with my dick baby, and you know what? You are going to fucking love every inch of it.”
He finally pulls back, releasing my hands and leans back in his seat.
“Get the fuck out of my bar,” I hiss.
“Not a chance sweetheart. I have a legal document in the back pocket of my jeans that says half this place is mine. I’m not going anywhere sugar.”
My head snaps back as if he physically slapped me.
No way.
There’s no way this could be true, but the pit in my stomach stays for the rest of the night. He’s so self-assured, and I get the impression he is not a man that bullshits anybody.
I’m fuming. My hands toss an empty so hard into the bin, I hear the glass break. My hands sling drinks so fast across the bar, people have to catch them before the glasses slide right off.
Who in the hell does he think he is?
Right now, two things are clear: He’s my enemy but my traitorous body burns for him anyway.
I want him buried deep inside while I come all around him.
I want to feel his rough tongue on my tits, sucking and pulling them into his mouth while he plays with my clit. And then I want to smack him across the face and say “thanks for the fuck” and watch the smirk fall from his lips when he realizes I used him.
“What’s so funny?”
“Huh?”
“Come on, Shanna. I’ve been working here for three years. I saw what he did to you,” Tina nods over to Duke. “I was waiting for you to bash a bottle of beer over his head, but then again, I see how you look at him too.”
“Uh-huh. Let me give you a piece of advice. The last time a man like him looked at me, I ended up pregnant within a week. You better run girl, ‘cause that man has you in his sights.”
“Whatever, Tina. He’s just a customer.”
She pats my arm as I place mixed drinks on her tray, “Run girl or don’t and have some fun. God knows you deserve it. But just be careful, I’ve heard about him.”
“Heard what?” I ask but she’s already taken her tray to deliver the drinks.
I turn my head meeting Duke’s gaze. His eyebrow raises at me as he tips his beer back and takes a pull. I have a bad feeling if I lose my virginity to a man like Duke the sex would be so good—I’d never recover. Letting a man like him be my first, would probably ruin any sex I’d have after for the rest of my life.
I need to stay away from him. Maybe he’s just being aggressive because of my clothes? But I dress the way I do for a reason, it makes me feel sexy and pays the bills. I’m not a cheap whore spreading her legs for any man throwing me a twenty. By the way Duke just spoke to me; I believe he thinks I might.
But I’m not offended because it turned me the fuck on. He didn’t hide his intentions behind fancy dinners and roses at the door. Duke Masters is a man that knows what he wants and takes it.
Without apology.
But he just became the devil, and I need a battle plan because now—we are at full-out war.
Ignoring him, I up my game. Applying a fresh coat of lip gloss, I roll the bottom of my tank up exposing my midriff and saunter right over to the bachelors.
Seeing red, I don’t think past my need to make him burn.
The way he makes me burn.
Grabbing a bottle of tequila, salt and a few limes, I walk over to the bachelor party. “Body shots! On me! Where’s my groom at?” Crooking a finger at the poor man who might get knocked out by Duke any second, I hop up in front of him with every intention of giving him the taste of skin Duke thinks is his.
Lying flat on my back, I tip the bottle letting it pour.
The men go wild. Three of them shove at one another trying to get their tongues on me. Turning my head towards Duke, I gasp in shock.
His seat’s empty. Meat sits shaking his head, takes a hit, mouthing, “bold move.”
Shit. What have I done?
Duke’s low growl sends shivers down my spine, but he doesn’t stop it.
His feet are spread wide by the door, biceps curled as if holding weights. He leaves without a word, letting the slam of the door behind him do the talking for him. Everyone looks up, startled because he slammed it so hard the rusted hinges came off.
“Three weeks?”
“What?”
“I just made a bet with Big Jim that you’ll be pregnant within three weeks.” Tina answers with a wink.
Big Jim and the other regulars I was serving laugh their asses off.
“Whatever,” I mutter using the distraction to escape to the ladies room. My hand angrily pulls the lever of the towel dispenser so hard it spits out a yard of brown paper.
“Making big tips tonight huh?”
A brunette curvier than me makes her way out of the stall to the sink next to mine. Ignoring her primping I wet the towels with cold water and soap, attempting to wash the saliva off that those drunk fucks left on me.
“He’s got the biggest dick I’ve ever seen. I remember riding it like it was yesterday—not twenty years ago.”
My eyes snap to hers in the mirror. She grins, knowing I know exactly who she’s talking about.
“I heard he was back in town and seen in here just about every night. I couldn’t miss my chance for another ride.”
“Well, good luck with that, he just left,” I mutter shoving the towels in the trash and leaving.
The crowd thinned out. Walking past the window on my way back to the bar, I shake my head almost feeling bad for Federico. I probably should have cut off the bachelor party instead of serving them more. They are falling all over the goddamn place and a few are pissing right by the road as Federico tries to escort them into the hired van.
Ducking under the bar, I get to work clearing empty bottles and washing sticky shot glasses, only stopping when Meat signals me over.
“Go easy on the boy, Shanna. His old man just died. He came back here to bury him.”
“Oh god,” my hand splays over my heart, “I had no idea.”
“Why would you. You’re not blind or stupid though. He has the burning hots for ya’. Not that I can blame the bastard. Tread easy girl. A man like that you can only push so far. You don’t have experience in things like this.”
“How could I?” I seethe, “When you and Pops made damn sure every man within fifty miles never looked at me?”
“It was for your own good.”
“Whatever. If you’re so worried I’m naïve—why don’t you keep Duke away too?”
He looks me dead in the face with somber eyes, “Because even a dumb fuck like me—knows not to buck fate.”
Speechless, I grab his empty bottle tossing it in the recycling bin. “It’s closing time. Get lost.”
We both know this is a complete joke since he’s always the last one out the door, most of the time even locking up behind me. He guards me like a lost princess. It’s been that way since I was born. He was Pops’ Sergeant in Arms; the bad man from your nightmare, killing men and drinking blood from skulls. But I was never afraid of him.
As a child, it was cool always having the attention of twenty different men as large as the giants in your storybook bounce you on their knee. But as the years went on—it stopped being fun. They weren’t playmates. They became bodyguards and I was their prisoner.
Things have eased up since I graduated high school. But old habits die hard. I know the only way I’ll ever break free, is by packing up all my shit and hitting the gas pedal until I see the city limit sign behind me in the rearview.
“THAT WAS REAL FUCKING SMOOTH,” Meat says finding me over in the shadows across the road. I rode around in the dark for a while cooling off, but found myself riding back here.
“It was either that or break those pricks necks that drank shots off her body.”
He shrugs lighting up a Marlboro and offering me one. I take it, inhaling deep and blowing out the smoke like a dragon. “I was about to do it too, until you held me back, reminding me I wouldn’t be able to reach her from prison.”
“Still, you need to calm the fuck down. She’s like a daughter to me. You hurt her. She won’t cry about it, at least, not in front of us. But what you said? Dropping a bomb like that? It wasn’t the time or place.”
“You’re right and I feel like shit. I didn’t want to break the news to her like that, but she has me so damn keyed up. I want her so damn much. I can’t stand how she struts around the bar flouncing her body and flirting all over the damn place. It pisses me the hell off. Jesus, I probably ruined any chance I have of dipping into her anytime soon.”
“You got that right. Shanna’s not a girl who takes any shit. She’s got her mama’s looks but her old man’s stubbornness. You better find someone else to take the edge off.”
I think back to that trashy slut who tailed me all night, offering me a blowjob in the back room. No fuckin’ thank you.
Fuck.
My balls are drawn up tight and swollen with my seed that wants to shoot off inside her—and only her. No other woman will do. I need to find a way to make this fucking happen before my balls get any bluer.
Giving Meat a fist bump, I grab my helmet and climb on my dad’s old Harley. I push off, parking behind the bar, hiding in the shadow of an old oak tree. Ever since the first night, I saw her—I wait, every night for her to close the bar down and walk out, never leaving until she safely drives away.
She's the air in my lungs—the color in my world.
But I'm no prince.
>
I'm the monster lurking in the shadows… waiting, biding my time to make her mine.
The tip of my boot kicks the door open, “Fucking idiot,” I mutter throwing the keys on the cheap table. I’m almost done sorting and packing through my old man’s things. But the legal documents I found in his office were a kick to my gut.
I had no clue he helped bail out the Flynn’s when money was tight and the bank was about to take the bar. He paid off the loan when Shanna’s old man gave him half ownership.
I don’t give a damn about the place. I don’t need a dime.
But it means something to her.
I also found out that my old man had money—a shit-ton. He stashed everything from the illegal shit he did when he was part of the MC—mostly drug running from Mexico up the coast. It was part of what we fought about when I was young and wanted to go a different way. I did, but I ended up in a different nightmare—the hell of war. And now I just fucked up my chances of having the sweetest thing I’ve seen in years: Shanna.
I lay my head in my hands in despair, trying to figure out how in the hell I’m going to fix the shit-storm I started.
The sweetness of her body still lingers on my tongue. I was ready to fuck her right there on the bar. I was so close to ripping the rest of her flimsy shirt off, so I could tongue every inch of her skin.
Damn, my cock is pissed off and my balls are so full they ache. Ever since I first saw her, they’ve become two sperm making demons.
I’m so fucked.
I want her.
She hates me.
My dick’s so hard—it’s going to snap if I don’t find relief soon.
Opening the fridge, I take out a beer, popping the top; kick my boots off and cross the room. Picking up the remote, I turn on the TV, tuning in to the porn that’s on this time of night.
My eyes focus on the two voluptuous women taking turns bobbing their heads up and down on the man.
My hands unzip my pants letting my huge cock spring out from its cage.
“Christ.” The cold air feels good.
I watch the women lick each other’s tits while they give the guy a hand job. But my hand isn’t doing the job tonight.