Hannah’s jaw slackened, and my cheeks reddened more deeply. Apparently Logan hadn’t been checking me out while I was reading- he had been marking off things we were slacking on while behind the bar. Oh my god. My flirting attempts were ten times more mortifying in light of this development. I hoped I could eventually erase the memory of practically throwing myself at our new boss.
All in all, these changes didn’t sound that bad- just a little stricter than we were used to. It was going to be interesting to watch this new regime play out, though. Both Hannah and I had been present for Joe’s “improvement phases,” in which he’d implement some rule meant to increase productivity or to make the bar seem more upscale than what it really was-a dive bar in a tourist town. All three phases had lasted about a week or so before they were pushed to the wayside and forgotten. I doubted this particular hard-ass would be as lenient and forgetful as Joe, though.
“It has been great to meet you ladies. I will see you Monday night at ten. We’ll close the bar early and have a mandatory meeting for all employees, after which we’ll do a deep bar clean.” Logan nodded curtly, and turned to leave.
“Uh,” Hannah said. “That’s not going to work for me. I’m a middle school teacher. I can’t be here overnight on a Monday.”
“Figure it out,” Logan said, turning back. “Oh. I almost forgot. This is for my drinks.” He pulled out a money clip and peeled some bills out. “You won’t be giving away free drinks anymore either. I see that, and it’s immediate termination.” With a pointed look at me, he left.
Joe, Hannah, and I all looked at each other in silence. Joe looked slightly guilty.
“Gee, thanks, Joe,” Hannah said drily. “I was just thinking the other day that we should get an authoritarian regime in here. We have way too much fun at work and that has got to stop.”
Joe sighed tensely, the guilty look disappearing from his face, and said, “Honestly, Hannah, you’re just gonna have to deal with it. Everything Mr. Mays said makes sense from a business perspective. You guys have just been spoiled. I’ve been far too lenient with my employees, and not every business owner is like that. Now I’m gonna walk away and spend the rest of my days drinking hurricanes on a beach and going to Jimmy Buffett concerts, or whatever it is that Floridian retirees do.”
Hannah started to say something, perhaps to protest, but Joe held up a hand to stop her from speaking. “No ifs, ands, or buts about this. It’s happening, so you may as well get used to it. Now I’m going to go finish end of month inventory, which hopefully will be the last I'll ever see of that godforsaken clipboard. I suggest you ladies close it down, leave your drawer in the office, and head home. Goodnight.”
Hannah looked back over at me after Joe walked to the back room. Moments later, Margaritaville could be heard playing faintly. We exchanged raised eyebrows and I said, “Shot time?”
“Shot time,” Hannah agreed. I poured us both a shot of whiskey, which we downed, and then we started to clean the bar. It was one of our Friday night rituals- shot of whiskey (Joe allowed us one shift drink per night), and then a swift clean and close. We had gotten pretty efficient at the shot and clean by now. Somehow I doubted this ritual would survive new ownership- especially considering Logan’s attitude towards giving a beer away on the house. We counted down the drawer, put up all the bar stools, swept the floor, and headed out the front door.
“Hey, do you want a ride home?” Hannah asked. I shook my head. I lived two blocks away from Bender’s, and always rode my bike the half mile to and from work. “I’ll be fine,” I replied. “It’s a gorgeous night anyway.” She nodded, got into her car, and drove away as I started pedaling. It truly was a gorgeous night, and it was a pleasant bike ride.
Later that night, I laid in bed, mulling over what had happened earlier. My attraction to Logan Mays was going to be distracting if we were going to be working as closely with him as I thought we would be. I pushed aside the mortification that slowly crept in as I remembered my clumsy come-on. If nothing else, the hot-faced shame every time I saw him would kill my attraction. I’d probably be able to tamp down my attraction to him in a week or so. Yes, I’ll give it a week. I just have to ignore Logan Mays’ gorgeous blue eyes, and the way his arms were corded with muscles. I think I saw the hint of a tattoo right above his rolled-up sleeve.
I wanted to see what that tattoo tasted like, all salt and sweat as he worked above me, thrusting deeply- NO. Wait. Stop. Bad girl. Must tamp down attraction. I had just the thing to get rid of this bone-deep ache I was feeling. I fumbled through my bedside drawer in the dark, my hot cheeks burning and my body aching, and found what I was looking for- my trusty battery-operated best friend. I turned on my vibrator and came in a minute and a half. I was still all worked up, though. Oof. This attraction might need to be worked out more than once.
I drifted off to sleep after satisfying myself again, all blissed out. I dreamed feverish dreams of blue eyes and black hair, thick forearms, and a mildly condescending frown.
******
I woke up the next morning to the sun streaming in through the open windows and a wet nose sniffing my ear affectionately. I turned to give Luke a kiss and rolled over with a smile. It was Saturday, and I had the day off. I threw the covers off, stretched, and hopped out of bed. What to do on a sunny, blue-sky Saturday? I could always spend all day in bed vegging out and binge-watching a new television show- always a good time in my book. No, I should be productive today, I thought, shoving alluring thoughts of lazy days aside.
I went through several bad ideas in my head, when it struck me- it was a great day to go to the beach and get some writing done. I always say that I’m going to get started on my novel, but life always gets in the way. There’s work, there’s my dog Luke- the cutest damn mutt on the planet- there’s family gatherings, sometimes there’s a new season of a TV show that begs to be binged, sometimes I just want to eat tacos. Okay, I have a bit of a procrastination problem- so sue me.
But today, I was determined. This was the day I was going to get it started. I was confident that once I forced myself to start writing, it would flow from me like a leaky faucet. Or something more graceful and eloquent than a leaky faucet. I don’t know, I haven’t had coffee yet- talk to me after caffeine.
I padded down the hallway while Luke trotted next to me, and started my pot of coffee. He whined and softly batted my leg with his paw. “You wanna go out?” He did a happy circle and excitedly bounced toward the back door. I grabbed a mug and poured my coffee, then let Luke out the back door into my tiny backyard. The sun was shining, and it was already quite warm out, despite being only eight in the morning. I sipped my coffee, excited to take my laptop and Luke to the beach for the day. It was always so tranquil on the beach, and the waves gently crashing at the shore were sure to make great background noise for writing today.
After Luke was done doing his business, I threw on a red bikini, jean shorts, and a tank top. I packed my computer bag, beach chair, and water bottles for us. I loaded up my bike basket, clipped Luke’s leash to the bike and we were off. We lived on 29th street, and the beach there tended to be a little too crowded for my taste, so I biked slowly up Pacific Avenue. With Luke jogging along next to me with his tongue dangling from the side of his mouth, we reached 64th street about twenty minutes later. There wasn’t anybody else in sight. Perfect.
I set up for the day, facing the water and the sun, and opened my laptop, waiting for inspiration to strike me. Waiting, waiting, waiting- ooh, maybe I should check Facebook and see if there’s anything going on tonight. Hm. Ugh, Jake is getting another promotion? I really need to do something with my career. Facebook is boring today. Facebook is always boring. Why do I keep torturing myself with the success of my high school classmates? Okay, Facebook is closed now. I wonder if there’s anything good on Reddit today.
An hour had passed and all I had managed to accomplish was reading an interesting article about a town that keeps electing a dog as the mayor. I shut my laptop
guiltily, giving up. It was a nice day to take a dip in the ocean with Luke, who loved to swim, and a nice swim could be just what I needed to invigorate my mind as well as my body. I stretched my arms out, yawning, and glanced up and down the beach.
To my left, there was a family setting up their umbrellas and beach towels. A woman was applying sunscreen to her toddler while an older child stuck his finger in his nose and waved it in the air. Ah, the joys of parenthood. I smirked and turned to the right.
The right was a lot more interesting than the left. In the distance, I could make out a silhouette of a very fit man running my way with a dog the size of a small horse. Definitely more interesting than little kid boogers. I watched this silhouette with interest, keeping a firm grip on Luke’s collar. Luke was an overly friendly dog who tried to be best friends with every dog he saw. He tended to run after them frantically, even if his advances weren’t particularly welcome- which they often weren’t.
I watched the runner more closely as he and his dog came into view, and some very delicious details about him came into focus. The runner was tall and muscular- but not so muscular so as to be intimidating. He had a half-sleeve tattoo covering his left shoulder which extended to his elbow, and he was sporting some seriously ripped abs. His shorts were short enough that I could see his killer quads. This guy really is the full package, I thought, checking him out from toe to head.
My eyes made their way up to his face, and I stilled. With a shock of recognition, I saw the moment that Logan Mays caught me ogling him. He smirked, one eyebrow arched. Feeling the color drain from my face, I dropped Luke’s leash to slap my forehead in mortification. Luke darted towards the panting Great Dane with a wagging tail and several excited barks.
I yelped and ran after Luke, but he was a little ball of energy and could outrun me even on my best day. He made it to Logan and his dog in five seconds flat. “He’s friendly, I swear!” I cried out as I approached Logan and his dog, who was currently sniffing Luke with great interest. Both tails were wagging at breakneck speed.
Logan was bent down petting Luke when I finally got to them. Slightly out of breath, I panted, “Hey! What’s up?” Logan looked up and nodded in greeting.
I grabbed Luke by the collar and reattached his leash to his Martingale collar, which I bought to avoid situations where Luke would run off as soon as he saw another dog. I guess I needed to actually have the leash attached to the collar for it to be 100% effective. As soon as I had the leash in hand, I held out my hand. Logan took it, shaking it firmly and letting it drop. “Nice to meet you.”
“Uh. We met yesterday,” I said, feeling a tinge of hurt. This guy had played a serious starring role in my fantasy last night and he didn’t even remember meeting me? Ouch. “Remember? You just bought Bender’s? I flirted terribly inappropriately and not very skillfully with you?” I came hard last night at the thought of you touching me, tasting me with that tongue, plunging your fingers into my wet-
“Of course I remember. How could I forget? Jenny, right? The one who likes to read instead of tend bar?” Logan drawled, a slight smirk tugging at the side of his mouth. Okay. I definitely did not make as big of an impact on this guy as he did on me.
“Oh, actually, it’s Jamie.” I fidgeted uncomfortably. “Jamie Jensen.”
“Well, Jamie Jensen, it’s been nice to see you again. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get on with this run. Training for a marathon, and stopping for too long throws off my pace.” He nodded tersely and turned away, trying to start running again, but his Great Dane wasn’t having any of it.
“Come on, Rocket, let’s go.” He pulled, but Rocket wouldn’t budge. Rocket continued to happily sniff Luke.
Logan let out a long sigh and relented. “Okay, we can stay and sniff each other’s butts for two more minutes.” He gave me a sideways glance and smiled. He had a nice smile- I much preferred it to the permafrown.
I giggled at the thought of getting on my knees and sniffing Logan’s backside, and he grinned widely at my giggle. I only giggled harder as he grinned, and I started laughing so hard that I snorted, which made him laugh out loud. Luke looked up at us with a goofy smile, licked my hands, and went back to playing with Rocket.
“Well, it looks like Rocket will not start running again until he’s had his fill of your dog. What’s the little guy’s name?” Logan asked.
“Luke,” I replied.
“Luke. That’s an interesting name for a dog.”
“Luke, as in Skywalker.”
Logan rolled his eyes and smiled at me. “Ah, so I see we have a nerd on our staff. Good to know. You take a computer with you to the beach, you read books at work, you watch Star Wars- what other things do you do that fit the nerd stereotype?”
I wrinkled my nose at this. “Not one of those things are nerdy! Maybe back in the eighties or something, but definitely not anymore. What kind of rock did you crawl out from?”
“You like Star Wars enough to name a living creature after one of the main characters. Come on, you have to admit that’s pretty nerdy.”
“Noooo, nerdy would be naming a living creature after one of the minor characters that aren’t as well-known. Honestly, naming my dog Luke just makes me basic.” I stuck my tongue out teasingly. He laughed softly and stared into my face, taking in my features. I felt the exact moment we both realized we were flirting. I leaned over to touch his arm, his jaw tightened, and he pulled back.
“Well, Miss Jensen, it’s been very nice to see you again.” He gave me a small, tight smile and a slight nod of his head. I missed the laughter from a moment ago. “Will I see you Monday night, Miss Jensen?”
I would LOVE to see you Monday night. No clothes, couple of beers, my place-
“Miss Jensen?” He asked again, looking slightly concerned at my zone-out. “Can I count on you to be at the bar clean I’ve scheduled for Monday night?”
Oh. The bar clean. At Bender’s. The only logical reason this virtual stranger who happens to be my boss would be asking if he’ll see me on Monday night. Right. I nodded and hoped my eyes weren’t still glazed over from the fantasy that had been dashed by the reminder of a tedious bar clean.
“Yes, of course. But I really don’t think Hannah will be able to make it. She’s a schoolteacher and can’t really do late nights other than Friday and Saturday.”
He nodded, thinking it over. “Well, we’ll have to figure something else out for her then. Maybe leave some tasks for her to complete when she comes in for her next shift.” I raised my eyebrows, and he continued. “I can be reasonable as well as stern. I’m confident that you and the other employees will come to appreciate and understand all the new rules and standards I’ll expect you to adhere to.” Yeah, sure, totally gonna happen.
I nodded and smiled as Logan held his hand back out to me. I grasped it firmly and pumped it twice. “Have a good Saturday.”
“You too! See you Monday night for our super anticipated and appreciated bar clean.” I smiled widely enough that he wouldn’t catch my sarcasm, and he smirked knowingly. I resisted the urge to salute him like a drill sergeant.
Grabbing Rocket’s leash, he turned and began running down the beach again, extending his hand over his shoulder to wave goodbye at me. His wide muscular shoulders were highlighted by that wave.
Luke barked after them, wagging his tail and whining. “I know, buddy. I feel the same way,” I sighed, staring after Logan and Rocket until they became specks in the distance.
I wasn’t in the mood to write anymore, and what would probably be the most exciting thing at the beach had already happened. I figured I’d just lie out and get a little sun, then go home after another twenty minutes. I walked back over to my beach chair and confirmed that all my stuff was still there. Nothing ever got stolen this far down the beach, but still, it doesn’t hurt to make sure.
I checked my phone, and saw two missed calls from Hannah. I reclined in my beach chair and dialed Hannah’s number. She answered on the second ring.
&n
bsp; “Heyyyyyy girl hey, whatcha doing?” she asked in a singsong voice.
“Oh, you know, hanging on the beach, catching some rays, ogling our new boss’ naked torso, that kind of thing. Boring really,” I said with a mock yawn.
“Huh?” Hannah asked stupidly.
“Well I just ran into Mr. Logan Mays at the beach, running shirtless, and he has an ADORABLE dog. And tattoos. And a ridiculous body,” I gushed. I shivered slightly, remembering the little beads of sweat that had slicked down his chest and perfectly flat stomach as he breathed.
“Oh my god, tell me everything! Wait, don’t tell me anything! Let’s go to brunch and then you can tell me everything over Bloody Marys and greyhounds.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ew dude. Nobody likes greyhounds. I’m up for French toast and Bloody Marys though.”
Hannah let out a bark of laughter. “Okay, meet me in a half hour at Zag’s.”
“K,” I said, and hung up. I looked down at Luke, who was now snoozing happily on his towel. “Time to go home, buddy.” He raised his head and barked in agreement, and we headed back home to get ready.
****
Thirty minutes later, I was sitting at the bar at Zag’s, Hannah’s and my favorite breakfast spot. Zag’s was this super cute restaurant that was really a renovated old beach house. It had its own unique charm. There was a bit of a wait for a table, but Hannah still hadn’t arrived. One of my biggest pet peeves was tardiness. This also happened to be one of Hannah’s biggest traits. I whiled away my time with a spicy Bloody Mary and played on my phone until our table was ready.
Summer Bender Page 2