Breaking Shaun (18 page)

She studied me for a second, and I knew she didn’t believe me, but she left it alone.

“Okay. Well, I’ll see you out there. We still have fifteen minutes before we have to clock in anyway,” she told me with a wink.

My body relaxed when she retreated through the door. I tried to think of a smart, sexy response to give him.

I’m not sure. I don’t remember giving out my number.

I ended up sounding bitchy, but as I’d suspected, that didn’t deter him.

Come to my birthday party tomorrow.

I smirked as I texted my response.

Please?

God, he was bossy.

Please? We’re friends, remember? What kind of friend wouldn’t come to my birthday party?

Okay. Damn. Stop begging.

I laughed and covered my mouth with my hand as I read his reply.

You sure you want to be friends? Because I can’t stop imagining you naked. Is that normal?

Smiling, I sent a final text.

I have to work. I’ll see you tomorrow, friend.

I tucked my phone into my purse and closed the locker. Resting my forehead against the cold steel, I took a deep breath.

Jesus, what are you thinking, Nat?

I stood up straight and sucked in a breath before sighing.

Sex and love were very different things, but I knew the lines could blur easily. I had to remind myself that Shaun’s interest in me was definitely not love.

After a few hours into my shift, I’d gotten the hang of things. Red was full of mostly businessmen, some college students, and local military. Having so many bases nearby definitely helped business, but I couldn’t believe how busy we were on a Tuesday. As I added a few drinks to a man’s tab, I noticed someone moving to stand in front of me. Peering up from what I was doing, I realized it was Nick, and Luke was standing behind him.

“Oh, hey!” I shouted over the music, smiling at Nick.

“Damn, this place is crazy tonight,” Luke said as he squeezed in next to Nick and looked around him.

“Nice,” Nick said as his eyes moved to my ample cleavage. He wiggled his eyebrows.

I grinned at him and winked. “What can I say? I’ve got bills to pay.” I snatched the receipt I’d printed and put it aside. “So, what do you guys want to drink?”

Nick ordered a margarita, and Luke asked for a Budweiser. I went to grab their drinks as they settled in and turned their backs to me to look at the crowd around them.

A few minutes later, I returned, and Nick was eyeing a guy at the end of the bar.

“Looks like you have an admirer. That guy in the polo has been staring at your every move since we got here.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the man Nick was talking about. I’d noticed him watching me, too. When our eyes met, he tilted his bottle of beer toward me before grinning and taking a sip. He was attractive—nice hair, clean-cut, pretty smile.

I’d do him.

Turning back to face my cousin, I shrugged. “It’s the cleavage.”

Luke chuckled, and Nick’s eyes twinkled. Just the thought of someone having scandalous sex with a stranger got him excited.

“Well, we won’t be staying long. We just wanted to stop by and show you some support on your first day.” Nick took a sip from his glass.

“I appreciate you guys coming out,” I told them.

Someone new came to the bar and raised his hand for my attention.

“I’d better get to work.”

About an hour later, I was pouring some shots when Mandy came up beside me.

“Look! Look! Look!” she whispered, her eyes wide as they darted from me to the other side of the bar.

I lifted my gaze, and I stopped breathing when I saw Shaun making his way through the crowd in front of us. He hadn’t seen me yet, but he was walking toward the bar.

“Those guys come here at least once a week, and good Lord…” Mandy paused as she fanned herself with her hand. “They’re so hot.”

I laughed at her as I slid the shot glasses across the bar to my customer. I guessed it was good to know that Shaun hadn’t slept with her yet.

Just as I was about to tease her, I saw her eyes fix on something next to me, and a flirtatious smile formed on her lips.

“Well, well, well…”

I heard Shaun’s deep voice, and I peered over at him. His friend, Dre, was standing next to him, eyeing Mandy.

“Look who it is.”

I saw Mandy’s gaze move between Shaun and me when she realized I knew him.

“You two know each other?” Mandy asked, giving me a curious look.

I lifted my shoulder and let it drop. “Yeah, kinda.”

“We’re friends. Isn’t that right, Killer?” Shaun gave me his wicked grin.

I rolled my eyes at him, and Mandy hesitantly moved away to take another order. I knew she was dying to stick around and find out more.

“You guys want something to drink?”

I was trying to act professional. I didn’t want to let Shaun know how much his presence was affecting me. He was wearing a black T-shirt that hugged his shoulders and arms, and his green eyes were unbelievably gorgeous with the lights from the bar shining under them.

Shaun just leaned against the bar, smirking at me.

Dre finally spoke up, “I’ll take a Jack and Coke.”

I nodded and then glanced back at Shaun.

“Vodka and Red Bull,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

Turning my back to them, I went about making their drinks, trying to ignore the overwhelming urge to sexually harass Shaun. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I couldn’t deny the crazy chemistry I felt with him.

After mixing their drinks, I turned back around with their glasses in my hands. My heart dropped when I saw a woman standing next to Shaun, giggling. She was a tall blonde with tan skin and very little clothes on. Taking a deep breath, I put my emotions in check. I made sure to seem indifferent as I placed the drinks on the bar and gave them their total.

Shaun’s eyes came to mine as he pulled out his wallet. He slid his credit card across the bar. “I’ll start a tab.”

I made sure to act normal as I took it from him and entered his order into the computer at the end of the bar. When I was done, I stayed busy with filling drinks and doing what I could to avoid Shaun. The guy in the polo, who had been staring at me earlier, raised his hand for another beer, and I went into the cooler to get one.

Two can play at that game.

Making my way over to him, I placed the beer on the bar and slid it across, giving him an eyeful of my cleavage. When his eyes left my breasts and met mine, I gave him a seductive wink.

He grinned and made sure to graze my fingers with his as he took the bottle. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“My pleasure.”

I swayed my hips as I walked away, and I could feel Shaun watching me. When I glanced in his direction, I saw his eyes move from me to that guy and back again. His jaw clenched, but he quickly relaxed it and gave his attention back to the woman next to him.

A few minutes later, the blonde was pulling Shaun away from the bar and toward the dance floor. I suddenly had the urge to pull all her hair out of her head.

What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you seriously jealous right now?

Taking a deep breath, I straightened my back and started clearing empty glasses from the bar. I needed to remember that it had been my decision not to sleep with Shaun. I’d rejected him, not the other way around.

I couldn’t help looking for him out on the dance floor. He was easy to spot since he was so tall. I watched as he leaned down and said something into the blonde’s ear. She turned her back to him, and he put his arms around her waist as she ground her ass against him.

Just as I was about to turn, Shaun’s eyes met mine, and I couldn’t look away. His tongue came out and slid across his bottom lip before he leaned down and kissed the girl’s neck, his eyes on mine the entire time. I should have looked away, and I should have pretended I wasn’t interested, but I couldn’t. I was frozen in place as my body responded like I was the one in his arms. Goose bumps rose on my skin, and my nipples hardened as I imagined his mouth on me, his hard body pressed against mine. It was torture, but I guessed I was a glutton for punishment.

“So, when does your shift end?” the guy across the bar asked as I cleared out his tab.

It was one thirty, and we were taking last calls.

Shaun and Dre had left about an hour ago. After Shaun’s display on the dance floor, we hadn’t spoken to each other for the rest of the night. I had been careful to stay focused on my work and avoid looking in his direction. It was my first night, so I hadn’t needed any distractions.

My finger hovered over the buttons on the screen as I raised an eyebrow and paused to check the guy out. It was the same one in the polo.

“Soon. Why?” I asked as I finished what I was doing. I slid his receipt across the mahogany bar.

He caught my hand with his and waited until I met his gaze. “Because I’d like to hang out and get to know you.” His thumb stroked over the back of my hand.

I grinned at him before pulling my hand away and wiping it with my towel. I knew that was total bullshit, but it was fine with me.
Why play games?

“Are you sure you want to get to know me? Or do you just want to get me naked?”

The guy chuckled and clasped his hands together on the bar in front of him. He watched me for a few seconds before answering, “Would you believe me if I said both?”

I shook my head. “Probably not. But that’s okay. I’d rather just let you see me naked.”

I gave him a devious smile before moving to the other end of the bar and filling more last-call orders.

The night had gone by fast, and Mandy had been right. All the male customers had been curious about the new redhead. That had meant a lot of work and good tips. I liked both. Mandy and I had worked with Trey at the bar closest to the front entrance. We’d made a good team. Mandy was a hard worker, and she definitely knew how to please the customers with her flirtatious personality and Southern accent. Trey was so charming that he could sell hamburgers to a vegan—after having sex with her first, of course. I had a feeling Jay would be very pleased when he saw the sales reports.

The man currently waiting for me at the end of the bar had come in with a friend, but he was now alone. He looked a lot like the other men I’d slept with in the past—predictable and boring.

Twenty minutes later, I was wiping down his end of the bar.

“So, how about we get a bite to eat when you’re done here?” Mr. Polo asked.

The club was closing, and he was the only customer left.

“Don’t you have a job or something? A wife waiting for you at home?” I asked as I continued cleaning.

He chuckled and shook his head. “No. Well, yes. I have a job but no wife.”

I looked down to the other end of the bar and saw Trey and Mandy washing glasses in the sink. “I probably won’t be done here for another hour or so. How about you leave your number? I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“How do I know you’ll call?” he asked with a flirtatious smile.

“You don’t,” I told him with a smile of my own.

Grabbing a napkin, he asked me for a pen before writing his name and number down.

Brad.

About forty-five minutes later, all our side work was done, and Mandy and I were alone in the break room again.