Designing Woman (The Sloan Brothers Book 2) (5 page)

The place was hopping and our friends were no longer at the bar.  Pierce, having the height advantage, started scanning tables and booths.  I stayed close to Pierce.  I felt it when he found them.  He still had an arm around my shoulder and he went stone still.  I looked up at him and followed his eyes.

They’d found a booth not too far away and the first face I saw was Austin’s.  He was sitting on one side of the booth looking like he owned the joint.  Which he did.  He was relaxed and he was even more attractive than I thought he was when he walked into Dorothy’s.  Then I saw Anton.

Anton was seated on the other side of the booth with his arm around some brunette who appeared to have settled right in.  She obviously wasn’t a stranger, I knew that much when he leaned down and kissed her like she meant something to him.  Like he kissed me when we were alone.

Pierce started guiding me towards them when I pirouetted right out of his grasp.  He stopped and cocked his head at me.  I shook my head no, and something about the look on my face told him he’d better not push it or try some lame explanation.  First Cat Woman and now this.  If he was trying to make a point, I’d received it loud and clear.  Didn’t mean I had to sit near him and wallow in it though.

I wiggled my finger at Pierce who leaned down to hear me better.

“I’m gonna sit at the bar and wait for Ayla and Chase.  You go on and talk to Austin.  There’s plenty of room on his side of the booth.  Tell him for me that I’d love to have him.”

Pierce angled his head, catching the double meaning in my chosen words.

“Say it with quotation marks Pierce.”

“Melody I sure hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I think it’s more like I finally know what I’m getting myself out of.  Just go on.  I won’t wander off, don’t worry.”

He patted me on the back and continued towards the booth, while I dodged drink waving patrons to find a seat at the bar.  I found one close to the door end, and hoisted myself up onto the stool.  A petite woman with white blonde hair wearing a black t-shirt with a sparkly monkey on it, approached me.  She smiled and I returned the gesture, pointing to her monkey.

“Nice.  I like it.”

She wiped down the bar in front of me and laughed.

“Yeah, the boss has a wicked sense of humor.  I’m Deb.  What can I get for you?”

“I’ll have a Margarita please.  No salt, on the rocks.”

“Comin’ right up.”

She walked away and I crossed my legs while looking around.  The place had ambience.  A nice neighborhood watering hole kind of feel.  Every age group was represented and everyone appeared to be getting along.  We were in the main room, but I could see people bent over a couple of pool tables through the doorway of the adjoining room.  There was a jukebox on the far wall and a handful of people were perusing the selection.  The floors were a dark polished wood of some kind, as were the booths and the bar tables.  The walls were a pale rose color that looked textured in a loose swirled stucco kind of pattern.  Stained glass lampshades hung over the booths casting enough light to see, but not so much as to spoil the illusion of intimacy.  Recessed lighting lit the rest of the place.  The front window was long and had a rose colored curtain hung on a brass rod, halfway down.  You could easily make out the blushing monkey painted on the window and the name of the bar in an arch above him.  Casual and clean. I liked it.  I had a feeling it reflected the man that owned it.

My new friend Deb was just placing my drink in front of me, when I felt a hand on the small of my back.  I lifted my eyes to the sky blue ones that belonged to Austin.  He smiled and I smiled back.  He left his hand where it was.

“I saw you looking around.  What do you think?”

“I like it Austin.  It’s comfortable and has a good vibe to it.  People are having a good time and nobody’s hassling anyone.  I’m comfortable here.  Where are you putting the live music?”

“In the other room.  It’s larger than it looks and there’s a small stage at one end.  We’ll have small groups on Friday and Saturday nights.  You should come in one night and check it out.”

“If you’ll be here, I’d love to.”

He moved a half of a step closer and I took a sip of my drink.  He lowered his head to the side of mine and sniffed me.  I turned towards him and our noses brushed before he pulled back abruptly.

“Did you just sniff me?”

“Mel’, you smell incredible.  It’s like vanilla and coconut, but it’s subtle.”

I sipped again and placed my drink back on the bar.

“It’s my shampoo and body wash.  I can’t keep track of trendy scents, so I stick with scented shampoo and body wash.  Do you like it?  Is it too strong?”

“It’s perfect.  It makes me want to lean in for a nibble.”

I grinned at him and raised my eyes up and down once.

“Remind me to check and see if they make deodorant and lotion in that scent.”

His laughter was loud and it was real.  The hand that was on my back slipped a little sideways and he squeezed my waist.  I leaned into him and laughed along.  Now we were nice and cozy.

He looked at me with twinkling eyes that were lit by the smile he still had on his face.

“I hear you want me in your personal space for awhile.”

“You’re talking about nibbling on me Austin.  My space is your space.  You game?”

He studied me for a long couple of minutes and it was a look I recognized.  He was trying to decide if I was trouble with a capital “T”.  If I was, he was doing the math to see if I’d be worth it.

I could have downed my drink before I did this next bit.  That way, if it hadn’t have worked out, I could have blamed the alcohol.  I could have, but I didn’t.  I swiveled on the stool and ran my hands up his chest to his neck.  His eyes never left mine and his hand stayed on my waist.  He raised his other hand to join it and he pulled me a little closer.  My thumbs were slightly moving up and down below his ears and his eyes left mine and went to my lips.  I gave the hint of a tug and that’s all it took.  His lips were on mine.

He was tentative at first, still not sure if he was dealing with a psycho hoarder, a nymphomaniac, or his kid sister’s best friend.  Talk about Mystery Date... I went for the nympho.  I was still reeling from Anton’s second betrayal in one night and I figured I had nothing to loose.  It had already been lost.

I moaned against his lips and touched his bottom lip with my tongue.  I felt his hands pull me in tighter and away we went.  It was his bar, what were they gonna do?  Throw us out?  Highly doubtful.

The kiss was possessive on his part and I liked it.  Most men were afraid to kiss me like Austin was kissing me.  He was asking me a metric shit-ton of questions and I was answering every single one of them.  It seemed I had me a new roomie.

He stepped between my legs to get closer and tugged my hair with one of his hands to pull my head back for a better angle.  That’s when we heard someone clear their throat.  Then another person, a female person, cleared their throat too.

“Austin?”

If it was his girlfriend, I was gonna go postal.  My disappointment card was full for one night and one more would be pushing my limit.

He leaned back but held on to me.  I liked that.  I held on right back.  He turned his head at the same time I did, and there stood Chase and Ayla.  He pulled me into his chest where my cheek rested quite nicely.  He smelled of leather and forest.  Clean, but deep.  I sniffed him again.

He put one finger up at his sister and grinned down at me.

“Did you just sniff me?”

“Turnabout is fair play handsome.”

He kissed me once more quickly, then turned back to his sister.  Chase looked like he was working a Rubik's Cube that had fourteen different colors.

“Ayla, you’re staying with Pierce and I’m moving in with Mel’.  Chase, you can stay with us until you have to go back on Sunday.  Is everybody okay with that?”

Ayla was running her fingers through her hair in a nervous gesture while Chase grinned as if he wanted to say, “You sly dog you”.  He winked at Austin and then caught my eye.

“Mel’, is that okay with you?”

“Mi casa es su casa Detective.  I’ve got plenty of room.  We can stop at the desk on the way in and I’ll make sure you both have keys.”

Chase put his hands in his pants pockets and tried to look casual in that, good-cop-bad-cop sort of way.  He was being the good-cop at the moment.

“How many people have keys to your place Mel’?”

I had to seriously think about that, and I counted on my fingers.

“Dorothy, my folks, Ayla, Sean, Anton, and now you two.  Seven if you don’t count me.”

He relaxed and smiled again.  Austin was watching his friend carefully.

“Is this a major deal Chase?  Is he close?”

Chase gestured to the bartender and ordered a beer, trying to appear fearless yet casual.  He was so not pulling off Indiana Jones here, but I’d give him points for trying.

“He’s in the city.  I don’t think he’s found this place yet or you’d have seen him.  It’s best if we get you guys moved ASAP though.  It’s one thing for him to know you own this place, you’ll probably never be alone here.  Knowing that you live above the place with one exit?  That’s entirely different.  Splitting you two up is probably a wise move.  He knows that you helped her escape and you never came back.  I imagine he’s got a bone to pick with you as well.”

Ayla visibly paled.  This problem had a male face, now all I needed was a name and a story.

Our little corner of the universe got crowded when Pierce saw Ayla.  I never saw him approach, but he made his presence known in a big way.  He came up behind Ayla and slid his hands around her waist. She tilted her head back to look up at him and smiled.

“Ayla.”

“Pierce.”

“Are you ready to go up and start packing?”

“I am.”

“Then let’s go.”

He took her by the hand and just like that, they were gone.  Not much in the way of conversation, but the outcome was effective.  I turned to the man with his arms around me and noticed Anton approaching with his date.

“How about you?  Do you need to pack?”

He kissed me once and smiled.

“I’ll throw a few things in a bag and grab my razor and toiletries.  Every night I leave work I’ll bring a few more things over.  Will that work?”

“Whatever works for you, works for me.  Do you want me to go up with you or wait here?”

“Chase will keep you company, I won’t be a minute.”

“M’kay.”

I actually said, “M’kay”.  Hello?  Someone turned my brain to mush while I wasn’t looking.  At this rate, I’d be a valley girl by the end of next week.

Chase moved in closer and placed his beer on the bar.  Anton and whoever, filled the spot that Pierce and Ayla had occupied a few minutes earlier.

“Melody Lincoln, Chase McCartney, this is Amy Horner.  Amy, Chase and Mel’.”

She reached out and shook our hands and I had to give her credit.  She was pleasant, well dressed, and had impeccable manners.  I wanted to hate her, but I couldn’t.  Not yet.

“Amy and I dated in college.  Imagine my surprise to see her here!  She only lives a few blocks away and this bar is her local!  We’re thinking that we might head on over to her place where it’s quieter and catch up.”

His eyes were on me waiting for my reaction.  He got nothing and it threw him off kilter, I could see it. Chase interceded on my behalf.

“That’s fine Anton.  We’re waiting on Pierce, Ayla, and Austin.  Ayla’s moving in with Pierce for awhile and Austin’s bunking with Mel’.”

Oh Chase you sweet talker you, if I wasn’t currently working on your best friend, I would so make your night simmer...

Anton blinked several times in rapid succession and looked at me as if he hadn’t heard correctly.

“Austin’s spending the night at your place?”

I sipped my drink and smiled the most sincerest smile I could muster.

“Nope.  He’s moving in with me for awhile.  We’re gonna be roommates.”

“You’re moving kinda fast aren’t you Melody?”

Oh my.  He used my whole name.  Somebody was getting cranky...

“Not at all.  Austin needed a place to stay and I’m in the mood for some...company.  It’s a win-win as far as I can tell.  Besides, I have plenty of rooms.  You know that.  He can sleep wherever he wants.”

Alright, that last part was probably uncalled for.  It was a nice touch though, if I do say so myself.

As I watched him read into my words, I noticed something.  His eyelid began to twitch.  Amy was making small talk with Chase, talking about Boston and whatever else they were discussing, while Anton had his baby blues focused on me.  Bottom rail was on top now folks, and I was lovin’ it.

Anton leaned in and spoke softly.