“Idiots. They’re going to have such a hangover tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?”
“Church.”
I frown. Tomorrow’s not Sunday.
He goes on, “So, Olivia, do you live around here?”
Bash has a dimple in his right cheek that shows when he smiles and it’s adorable.
“I live on campus. Well, for one more week.”
“A college girl. That’s super hot.”
I laugh. “It’s mostly boring, believe me.”
“What are you going to school for?”
“My degree is in math. I’m going to be an accountant when I’m finished.”
He shakes his head, snorting.
“What?”
“You might be the hottest accountant I’ve ever seen.”
That makes me smile. “Thanks.”
“Why accounting?”
“Numbers are safe. They make sense.”
“Well, kudos to you, because they confuse the hell out of me.”
Someone else comes up to the counter, so I take their order. A lot of the guys have left, so it’s not as loud in here. Or scary, if I’m being honest.
Another man comes up to the bar and gets my attention.
“I’m sorry if I scared you earlier, ma’am.”
I blink, trying to place his face. And then I realize it’s the man I was talking to right before my panic attack.
“No need to apologize. I just got overwhelmed.”
“I get that, and we can be a bunch of jackasses. Again, I’m sorry.”
He gives me a smile before stumbling away. I turn, finding Bash watching.
“What?”
“I’m glad he apologized.”
I reply, “He really didn’t need to. It was me. I just get… antsy when there’s a lot of people around.”
“Trust me – he needed to apologize. Saint would make sure it happened one way or another.” He winks. “Besides, Big E shouldn’t be a dick to such a pretty girl.”
“You’re going to give me a complex if you keep giving me compliments.”
He shrugs. “You ought to hear at least ten a day, in my humble opinion.”
My cheeks feel heated and all I can do is smile like a fool.
Over the next few hours the room thins out until there’s only a few guys here and there. Bash stays at the bar, talking and joking with me. Even Jas speaks to me in a complete sentence and she’s not rude.
Around five in the morning, she sighs, tossing her apron on the counter. “I’m calling it a night. Are you sticking around or heading out?” Before I can respond, she goes on, “Just make sure the old timers have a few beers and you’ll be good to go.”
She goes in the same direction a lot of the men went.
I ask Bash, “What’s down there?”
“That’s where the rooms are. Some of the members live here and then there’s one large bunk room for out-of-towners.”
“Does Jas live here?”
“Yeah. Most of the girls who work here do.” He gives me a look. “Just remember that having a room here comes with certain obligations.”
Well, that sounds ominous. And intriguing.
He stands, stretching. “Fuck, I’m beat. I’m going to call it a night, too. You about to head out?”
“Uh, yeah, I think so.”
“Okay. See you around, Olivia.”
He leaves and I look around the room. I’ve done a good job keeping the tables clean and it looks better than when I got here. One of the guy waves me over by holding up an empty bottle. I grab another and take it to him. He’s older and looks like he’s lived a hard life. Plus, it’s hard to ignore the tattoo of a spider than spans one side of his face.
“Thanks, honey.” He says, slipping me a folded bill. “Sure nice having something pretty to look at while I’m drinking.”
“And that’s all you’re doing, right, Psy?”
I jump and find Saint standing there, arms crossed.
The man sits straighter. “Course, Saint.”
Saint motions for me to follow him back to the bar.
“Did I do something wrong?”
He glances over my shoulder and says, “Psycho has a past. I try not to let the girls hang around him.”
“Oh.” I pause. “Well, thank you.”
“You about done here for the night?”
“I wasn’t sure how long I should stay, since there are still people in here.”
“If you wait for the guys to clear out, you’ll never leave.” He calls out, “Okay, you fuckers. It’s time to get the fuck out of here.”
There are rumbles and obscene responses from the guys, but, one by one, they leave.
I let out a small laugh. “I’ll have to remember that trick.”
He gives me a smile that makes me a little weak in the knees.
“I, uh, should wipe the tables before I go.”
Anything to get away from him and how he makes me feel. I grab the rag from the counter and go around the room, pushing in chairs and giving the tabletops one last clean. I try not to notice him leaning against the bar, watching me, but it’s really hard not to. Saint is the kind of man that demands attention with his very presence and I can feel his eyes on me as I work.
With a sigh, I go back to the bar. I’ve dragged this out for as long as I could. He watches me approach, a small smile on his lips.
“You can go home now, Olivia.”
I moisten my lips. “I, uh, don’t have a car. I’ll have to call an Uber.”
His eyebrow lifts. “How did you get here?”
“Razor brought me.”
“Come on. I’ll give you a ride back to your place.”
Why am I suddenly so nervous?
I follow him outside, where the sky is dark, but showing hints of dawn.
“Jeez. I didn’t realize it was so early.”
Saint laughs. “Early. Late. All depends on how you look at it.”
I grin back. “Early for me. I’m only up this time of day when I have class.”
“Fuck. How old are you?”
“Just turned twenty-two.”
He lets out a groan, but I know he’s joking. Or, I hope he is.
“Shit, you’re a baby.”
I glance at him. “How old are you?”
“Old enough.” But he’s smiling.
We reach a bike that’s massive, just like Saint. He grabs a helmet and hands it to me. When he sees the hesitation on my face, he takes it, putting it on my head and making sure the straps are secure.
“I’m guessing Razor didn’t put a helmet on you when he picked you up tonight?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“He’s going to crack that pretty skull of his open one of these days and then he’ll learn the hard way.” He climbs on the bike, his massive thighs looking even bigger. “Come on, darlin’.”
I pause and then blurt out, “The last time I don’t think I did it right. Some of the guys with Razor laughed at me.”
“I promise I won’t laugh.”
I climb on behind Saint, doing much better than I did the first time. His bike is different. The seat I’m on is more comfortable, but my legs are spread wide, making me all but straddle Saint’s backside.