Summer Bender

by Jennifer Lucia

  I turned my face to his. I looked into his eyes through my eyelashes. He looked back down at me warily. Emotions were warring in his crystal blue eyes as he leaned forward. My heart caught in my throat as he whispered, “This is a bad idea.”

  “Yeah, I know, but for the life of me, I can’t think of any reasons why,” I said, my lips parting slightly. He leaned all the way in and kissed me softly, gently brushing his lips against mine before pulling back. I moved into him, pulling him back harder, more forcefully, and he captured my mouth with his own. His tongue begged invitation to my slightly closed lips, and I opened them wider, granting it entry. My hand moved upwards, curling in the hair at the nape of his neck.

  A frisbee whizzed past us, breaking the moment. Logan pulled back, then hopped up to grab the frisbee and throw it back to the owners. He sat back down next to me with a sigh.

  “Logan,” I started, placing my hand on his arm.

  “Let’s just sit here, Jamie, and enjoy the evening,” he said, looking quickly at me and then back at the water. I nodded and stared at my feet. He leaned back on the beach blanket, looking up at the sky lit up deep yellow and pink from the sunset. He grabbed my hand and tugged me down, tucking me into the crook of his arm.

  We laid there on the sand, looking at the stars coming out in the night sky until a chilly nighttime breeze rolled over us. I started shivering in my flimsy sundress, and Logan looked over at me. “Time to get home, I think.” I nodded.

  Logan drove me home in silence, and stayed in the car instead of walking me to the front door. I shut the car door softly and waved goodbye at Logan. With a cursory wave back, he drove off and left me alone with my thoughts.

  I moped, but then I got annoyed at myself for moping. I didn’t understand why Logan was hanging on to this no-fraternization rule so hard. He was the owner of the bar, and therefore literally the boss. He made the rules. There was no ethics board, no CEOS, no HR, no corporate managers to bitch him out. There was only Logan- Logan and his self-imposed rules, rules he honestly wasn’t being that great about following. I wished he would just give in wholly instead of halfway if he was going to flirt anyway, and touch me, and kiss me, and drive me crazy.

  I decided it was time to give him a taste of his own medicine. I would act totally professional from now on, starting the next day at work. I’d act like we hadn’t dry humped in the Atlantic Ocean, then spent a day drinking together, culminating in one of the best kisses of my life. He would find out exactly what he was missing. I showered and hopped into bed, formulating my plan.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Logan sent me a text Sunday morning asking me if I would mind coming in a little early that day. He needed help picking out some good candidates from the stack of applications we’d gotten for the bartending jobs. I texted back that I could come in two hours early, and send Hannah a text asking her to come with me. Hannah agreed to come in from two to four with me, but had to leave afterward to grade some finals. Hannah picked me up, and we grabbed some coffees on our way in.

  When we got to Bender’s, Logan was sitting at a high-top table with a stack of applications scattered across the surface. We sat down and started looking through applications with him. We worked through the stack in silence, only speaking to point out potential candidates.

  “Wow, this girl has been a bartender for fifteen years. What does she want to work here for?” Hannah asked. Logan scowled at her and she snapped her mouth shut.

  “What?” she asked quietly. “I’m just saying.” She checked her watch. “Oh, crap, it’s 3:45. I have a bunch of papers to get done tonight. I need to submit grades by tomorrow. I’ll see you guys Tuesday night.”

  She got up, kissed me on the cheek, and left. Logan and I sat together, separating the applications into piles of yes, no, or maybe.

  “So what do you think?” Logan asked. “I really like this guy Jacob and this girl Dayna. Jacob seemed really into bartending and has been doing this for five years. Dayna is pretty cute and says she has a bunch of regulars who will follow her to this bar, which we desperately need right now.”

  “Oh, she’s cute, is she?” I asked.

  “I mean, objectively, yes, but I didn’t mean that she was more attractive than you,” Logan frowned.

  I raised my eyebrows but said nothing. Professionalism, for the win. He furrowed his eyebrows and went back to shuffling through applications. “You know what, let’s deal with this more tomorrow. I need to look at this with fresh, objective eyes and not wonder which of these hires will make you want to stab me,” he joked.

  “Logan, you do not need to take my feelings into consideration for any of these hires,” I said curtly, flipping my folder shut and getting up. “I need to get the bar set up for my shift tonight. I’ll help you look stuff over tomorrow if you’d like, though.”

  Logan stood too. “I’ll help you set up.”

  I shook my head. “No, that’s not necessary. You go do managerial stuff and I’ll go do bartender stuff.” I smiled encouragingly to soften the rebuke. “Really, I can refill ice bins and cut fruit on my own.” Logan nodded, narrowing his eyes at me and rubbing the back of his neck unsurely. I ignored the way his bicep bulged when he rubbed his neck and I walked to the giant ice bin and began filling ice buckets. I threw a couple down my shirt to cool me down.

  Logan stared after me for a long moment, then walked to the office and sat down behind the desk to work on his ever-growing pile of paperwork. I set the bar up quickly, then propped myself up on the cooler, waiting for our first customer. I looked up at the sound of the door bell chiming, but it was only Bear, who apologized for running late.

  We had a steady trickle of customers come in after the first hour, and it got a lot busier than expected. Sunday nights tend to be dead- so any time that I have more than three people at the bar, I’m happy. Fred, our regular, came in just to check up on me.

  “Jamie, how ya doing?” Fred said, leaning forward and smacking his hands on the bar.

  I smiled. “Fred, I’m doing great. How about you?”

  “I’m hanging in there, Jamie, hanging in there. How about a beer and a shot tonight?”

  I pretended to consider. “I don’t know, Fred, the last time I gave you a beer and a shot, you tried to kiss me. How do I know you’ll resist this time?”

  Fred sighed, looking heavenwards. “Jamie, an old drunk fool can dream. But I tell you what, I have a nephew who would be perfect for you. He’s handsome, he’s rich, he’s your age, what’s not to like?”

  I screwed up my face in distaste. “Fred, I don’t need to get set up. Don’t bother with that. I’ll find a guy on my own time.”

  “Don’t need to get set up? Back in my day, we didn’t have the Facebook or the Grindr or the Flinder to meet dates, we got set up. Hang on, I’m calling Joey.”

  I looked up in alarm from the beer I was pouring. “Joey?” I asked. “Who is Joey?”

  Fred held up one finger to hush me. “Hey, Joey, it’s uncle Freddie. Listen, what are you doing tonight?” He listened for a second, then said. “Okay, I’m having a few beers at Bender’s, why don’t you come on down and let your uncle Freddie buy you a beer?” Another pause. “Okay, Joey, see you in a half an hour.” He put down his cell phone and grinned at me.

  “Fred, you’re driving me insane,” I said, grimacing. I didn’t want to meet this Joey. Also, Fred hadn’t mentioned me or the fact that he was setting me up, so Joey was walking into an ambush. What if he were angry? Even worse, what if Joey walked in and liked what he saw? What if I did? Even if I weren’t super into my boss, I really didn’t want to date anyone related to Fred.

  I left Fred to go take care of some other customers who’d just sat down and got caught up in conversation with them. They left to go catch a movie, and I stayed at the other end of the bar, reading. Fred called me over to him and I looked up from my book. He nodded his head towards the tall, good-looking guy sitting next to him. This was Fred’s nephew Joey? I was pleasantly surprise
d by how normal Joey looked.

  Joey was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and big hands. He had an olive complexion and dark brown eyes. His brown hair was side-swept over his forehead in one of those undercut haircuts that are so popular right now. He wore a dark blue polo with sunglasses tucked into the front of the shirt where it buttoned up. Fred hadn’t been lying about how handsome his nephew is.

  “Jamie, this is my nephew Joey. Joey, this is my favorite bartender Jamie.” I held out my hand for a handshake. He smiled widely, obviously liking what he saw. I smiled back, gripping his hand. His large hands dwarfed mine and they were smooth, unlike Logan’s calloused hands. I cringed internally at the comparison. Forget about Logan, nimrod. Here’s an available hot guy who’s interested in you.

  “Uncle Freddie, you weren’t lying. She is knockout gorgeous,” Joey said, still holding my hand. I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t control the blush creeping up my neck. I retracted my hand and rubbed it on my apron.

  “So, Joey, can I get you something to drink?” I asked, glancing up briefly at the security camera pointed at the bar. Half of me hoped Logan wasn’t watching, but the naughty half of me hoped he was getting an eyeful.

  “Sure, a whiskey and ginger, please. And a water,” Joey said, not taking his eyes off my face. “So, Jamie, how long have you been working here?”

  “Too long,” I replied, placing his drink in front of him. He laughed.

  “Fair enough,” he said, eyes crinkling at the corners.

  “I’m going to go outside for a smoke,” Fred declared pointedly. “I’ll leave you two kids alone.” I rolled my eyes again, embarrassed. I walked over to a large group of guys watching a wrestling match and asked if they needed anything. They declined, so I had nothing else to do but go and talk to Joey.

  Joey was watching me while I walked back over to him. He was obviously interested and I have to admit- I got a thrill from the way his eyes drank me in.

  “So don’t take this the wrong way,” Joey said, leaning in. “But I only came here to humor my uncle. He’s my favorite uncle and he means well, but he tries to set me up with every single woman he meets.”

  “Oh,” I said, surprising myself when I felt a twinge of disappointment. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, no, no,” Joey said quickly. “I meant to say that you’re a pleasant surprise. I am so glad that I came up tonight.” I smiled and tilted my head while he looked into my eyes earnestly. “I swear.”

  He grabbed ahold of my hand again and quickly caressed the top of it. “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, looking around. “Will you get in trouble?”

  I thought about it. I probably would get in trouble for having a drink while working, even if it weren’t a ridiculously hot guy buying me the drink. The fact that it was this person that was buying me the drink would probably tip Logan over into punishment territory though. That’s if he were even watching the security cameras, though.

  “I can’t really drink right now,” I said. Joey’s face fell. I leaned over the bar, propping my chin in my hands. “But I can grab one after work.” His face lit back up.

  “It’s a date,” he said, smiling widely. I smiled back.

  “Jamie, can I see you?” I jumped at Logan’s voice coming from the doorway. I hopped down from the bar and walked over to him.

  “Yeah, what’s up, boss?” I asked casually, leaning my hip into the bar.

  Logan’s mouth was set in a firm line. I’d never seen him frown quite so hard before. It was fascinating to see just how thin and white-lipped his downturned mouth could get. He cleared his throat, forcing my gaze back up to his eyes.

  “I need you to focus on some bar cleaning projects tonight,” Logan said, handing me a spray bottle and a rag.

  “I have bar guests right now that require attention. I can do this later if you’d like,” I offered.

  “Yeah, I can see you’re paying extra special attention to your customers,” he drawled. I stared at him blankly.

  “Was there something that you want to say, Logan?” I asked, pushing the spray bottle back into his hands, challenging him to say the words. Just say it. You’re jealous because you were spying on me while I flirted with someone at the bar. I felt slightly guilty about flirting with Joey, then reveling in Logan’s jealousy, but it wasn’t like I was going to marry the guy.

  “Yes, there is something I want to say. Maybe if you spent a little more time cleaning and a little less time flirting all over the bar, this place wouldn’t be so grimy,” Logan snapped.

  “I don’t understand your issue with me flirting. Isn’t that one of the main tenets of bartending- flirt hard, get tips?” I said. “Unless you have some other reason for not wanting me to flirt? One unrelated to work?”

  “Go clean the coolers, Jamie,” Logan said, turning away and leaving the spray bottle and towel on the bar. He nodded at them pointedly, then went back into the office.

  Well, there’s no reason I can’t flirt and clean at the same time. I grabbed the cleaning supplies and started scrubbing the cooler in front of Joey.

  “Everything okay with your boss? He seems kind of wound tight,” Joey said, finishing his drink.

  I laughed mirthlessly. “You have no idea.” I held up my spray bottle and mockingly said, “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean.” I was called over by the group of wrestling guys, who wanted their check. I cashed them out and they left, leaving Joey and me alone in the bar.

  “How many cigarettes is- Fred smoking out there?” I asked Joey.

  He winced. “He sent me a text five minutes ago, asking me to take care of his tab. He went home. He wanted to give us a chance to get to know each other.”

  “Oh did he?” I asked. “What a wonderful wing-man he is,” I teased.

  Joey looked me straight in the eye, and said, “He hit a home run this time.”

  I blushed fiercely and went back to scrubbing the cooler until it was gleaming. I switched to wiping down the counter, but Joey caught my hand and held it in his own.

  “Nobody’s around anymore. Maybe we could have that drink now,” he suggested, leaning forward and giving me smoldering eyes, which I have to admit, were working a little. I leaned into him slightly, about to answer his proposition.

  “Okay, buddy, you need to go. Now.” Logan said imperiously, surprising both me and Joey.

  “Huh?” Joey said in bemusement.

  Logan moved closer to him, arms crossed against his chest. “Hands off my bartenders. That’s a posted rule. You broke it, now you gotta go. Leave.” He looked pointedly at the door.

  Joey slowly slid off the bar stool and slapped some cash down on the bar in front of where I was standing in shock. “Okay, man, I didn’t realize.” He looked at me and shook his head. “Maybe I’ll catch you somewhere around, Jamie.”

  I nodded, crossing my own arms. Joey practically fled from the bar, much to Bear’s amusement, who had watched that interaction silently.

  “And what were you doing while someone was pawing at our bar staff?” Logan barked at Bear.

  “Not being a psycho,” Bear said. “I’m going to step outside for a smoke.”

  I stared at Logan, seething. “What the hell was that?”

  Logan looked back at me with no remorse. “Like I said, we have a strict policy against customers pawing at the bartenders, and that guy was all over you.”

  “You’re being an ass,” I told him. “You can’t have it both ways. You’re not allowed to dictate who I can and cannot flirt with if you’re not actually interested in me.”

  “That’s not what this is,” Logan said. “I’m simply protecting my employee.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, sure.” I turned my back to him. “I’m gonna finish up my cleaning stuff, then close up shop. It’s almost time to leave anyway.”

  Logan nodded, then stomped away grumpily. If he wanted to be in denial about being jealous, then so be it. I’d just let him stew in it for a while. I grabbed a mop and swiftly cl
eaned the floor, I polished glasses, then counted my drawer. I grabbed my till, walked to the back office, and knocked.

  “Come in,” Logan grunted. I walked in and held up my drawer. He nodded towards the edge of the desk and I put the drawer down, turning to leave. “Jamie,” Logan said, and I stilled, turning back to face him. I crossed my arms and stood silently.

  Logan stood up and walked around the desk, stopping in front of me. He leaned in towards me and I stepped back, not wanting him to let him intimidate me with sheer size. He stepped forward when I stepped back, however, and we continued like that until he had me pressed up against the office door.

  I leaned my head back with my chin held firmly high and stared into his blue eyes. Logan was looking intensely into my face today, scrutinizing every detail, and as always, warring within himself. He gripped my upper arms, slowly starting to rub up and down, stroking in slow circles. He dropped his forehead to the crook of my neck and stilled, breathing into the curve of my collarbone. I tilted my neck to give him better access, encouraging him. He dropped a light kiss on my collarbone, then another, then another, leaving a trail of scorching heat where the ghosts of his kisses remained. I shivered, and he pulled me further into him, moving his hands down my arms and grasping my sides. I could feel him hardening as I pushed my hips into his. Logan nuzzled my neck and murmured, “Yes.”

  I pulled my head back and looked into his eyes hazily. “Yes what?” I asked, bemused.

  “Yes, I was jealous,” he said, kissing my neck again and gripping my hips. I pulled away and gently extricated his hands from my body, grinning triumphantly.

  “Told you so,” I said, turning the door handle. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Logan Mays.” He looked at me, bewildered, and threw his hands up as I waved coyly. I walked home with a giant grin on my face and a spring in my step.

  Score one for professionalism.