When we sat down at the counter, I tried to swallow my feelings of insecurity, but I knew I’d failed miserably when Rafe leaned over to me and asked, “Not what you were expecting?”
“Yes and no.” It was hard to put into words what I was thinking, so I just shrugged. “It’s nothing like Crockett’s.”
“It’s more like it than you might think.”
“How so?”
“Just like over there, people come here for a good time. They have a couple of drinks, enjoy the company of a few friends, and”—a sexy smirk crossed his face as he motioned his hand behind us—“we serve the same booze.”
“Well, Crockett’s doesn’t have a DJ.” I pointed above my head. “It doesn’t have all these bright, flashing lights, and in case you didn’t notice, it doesn’t have all the sexy strippers. It just has me.”
Rafe’s eyes grew intense, and his voice low and gruff as he replied, “If you ask me, you’re sexier than any woman in this place.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m not kidding, Marlowe.”
“Sorry, but I find that a little hard to believe.” I glanced over at the stage, noting the dancer’s perfect figure and hair, and the sudden rush of insecurities made it difficult for me not to think of Kate. She, too, had a way of making me feel inadequate in so many ways. I hated it then, and I hated it now. Trying my best to shake the feeling, I feigned a playful smile and motioned my hand over at the dancer. “I mean, look at her. She’s absolutely gorgeous. Every guy in here is fawning all over her.”
“Yeah, she’s beautiful, but there’s no comparison between you and her. Hell, there’s no comparison between you and any of the women here.” He leaned in close enough for the warmth of his breath to caress my neck, then whispered, “If you could see what I see, then you’d know just how fucking tempting you really are.”
The raspy tone in his voice was enough to send a chill down my spine, but it was the way he looked at me that had my entire body humming with need. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was the most desirable woman in the room, and I liked it. I liked it a lot. I could feel a blush creep across my cheeks as I smiled and said, “Thank you. You’re very sweet.”
“Nothing sweet about me, baby. I can assure you of that.” He gave me a wink, then motioned over to the bartender and said, “Just telling you like it is.”
I didn’t argue. Instead, I remained silent as the bartender came over to take our order. Like all the women there, she was attractive with long blonde hair and a killer figure, but she was older than most of the waitresses and dancers. I felt a tiny twinge of jealousy when she leaned in towards Rafe and purred. “Hey there, handsome. I thought you’d already gone for the night.”
“I just went to get a friend of mine.” He slipped his arm behind me as he inched me closer and said, “I’d like you to meet Marlowe.”
“Hi, Marlowe.” The woman extended her hand out to me and said, “I’m Lisa.”
“Nice to meet you, Lisa.”
“I’ve been trying to convince her to come help you out at the bar.” He nodded his head towards several waitresses who were standing in a line at the counter, waiting for her to get them their drink orders ready. “Certainly looks like you could use a hand.”
“That’s the understatement of the century.” She turned her attention to me and asked, “You got any experience bartending?”
“I do. I’ve been bartending over at a place called Crockett’s for just over a year now.”
“Isn’t that Country’s grandmother’s place?”
“It is.”
“There a reason why you’re looking to make a move?”
“Gladys’s decided it’s time to retire, so she’s selling the place.”
“Oh, man. I hate to hear that.” Lisa glanced over and sighed when she noticed the line of impatient waitresses had almost doubled during our brief conversation. “I guess I better get to it.”
I’d been in her situation many times and knew how overwhelming it could be, so I offered, “I could give you a hand ... At least until you get caught up.”
“You sure?”
“As long as it’s okay with Rafe.” I turned to him as I asked, “Do you mind if I help her out for a few minutes?”
“Can’t think of a better way for you to test the waters.” He motioned his hand towards the bar. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I got up and made myself comfortable behind the bar. It was twice the size of Crockett’s, so I took a moment to memorize everything from the stock of alcohol to where they kept the glasses. I wanted to make sure I knew how things flowed, so I waited for Lisa to make a few drinks before I got started. Once I felt like I had a grasp of how things worked, I jumped in and started with my first order. I tried not to think about the fact that Lisa was watching me from the corner of her eye. Instead, I did my best to focus on the task at hand, and just as I’d hoped, I was able to fill the order quickly with no issues. After that, I filled one order after the next, barely stopping to take a breath. To my surprise, I was too busy to even notice the women dancing on the stage or the men who were drooling all over them. I simply concentrated on making drinks, and I was actually kind of enjoying myself.
I’d just started making an amaretto sour when Lisa came up behind me and smiled. “Damn, girl. You’re a natural at this.”
“No. Not so much.” She chuckled as I admitted, “I didn’t have a clue about bartending when I first started, but Gladys was very patient with me and taught me everything she knows.”
“Well, it clearly paid off.”
“Thanks!”
For the first time since I’d stepped behind the bar, I glanced over at Rafe and found him watching me with a slight smirk on his face. Damn, I never found a man to be so sexy. I could’ve stood there staring at him for hours on end. Realizing I was missing an opportunity to spend more time with him, I placed the drink I’d just made on the tray, then made my way back over to my seat. As I sat down, he asked, “Well, what’d ya think?”
“It was good. I think I could work here.” I glanced over my shoulder at the crowd of men and women who circled the different stages, watching as they tossed bills on the platforms, and sighed. “But all of this will take a little getting used to.”
“I’m sure it will, but you have to remember something.” He turned to face me as he continued, “This place is just a means to an end.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“It’s not just about sex.”
“Oh, really?” I motioned my hand over to one of the girls who was grinding up against some guy, tempting him to get a lap dance. “You could’ve fooled me.”
“Well, yeah. Sex definitely has a part to play in it.” He chuckled under his breath. “But that’s not the only thing. Coming here gives people an escape—a place where you can forget about work and all the bullshit at home for a little while.”
“You could do that at the movies.”