Keep It Sexy (KIS Series Book 3) (12 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Billie

Out of any night, tonight was the worst time to be distracted. We were short-handed and
so
busy. I seriously considered submitting a request to the Global Government—if there was such a thing—to make Christian’s body the eighth wonder of the world. The man had ridiculous muscles, like obnoxiously hard and defined…and brawny…and
hard
…God, I was officially obsessing over him. It wasn’t the first time I had found a man attractive. I’ve had my share of good-looking men in my bed, but with Chris, damn, I felt distracted and wound up so tightly since meeting him.

Not to mention the boy could kiss. He made sure every part of my lips was well attended and satisfied. And now, since seeing him naked, I wasn’t sure if distracted was a sufficient enough word to describe what I was feeling. The only thing that made me feel better was seeing Christian just as distracted. He’d dropped God knows how many glasses already and every time he would look over to me with a knowing smile. I was watching him wipe down yet another mess when two familiar people sat down at the bar in front of me.

“What can I get you, ladies?” I smiled too broadly. I was trying to keep this professional. Even though Jade and I were fine, I still felt a little territorial and jealous.

“Hi!” Vanessa greeted me with her bubbly personality. She and Ava were night and day. “Can I have a lemonade and an order of cheese fries, please?”

“Of course. What about you, sweetheart?” I asked Mallory.

“Same.”

“Coming right up.” I punched both orders into the POS system as Christian came over to us.

“Hi, girls.” He gave them that smile that made women melt.

“Hi, Christian,” they said in unison like two schoolgirls.

“Billie’s a good addition to the team, right?” He leaned his elbow on the bar as he stared at me, his gaze traveling to my bare legs and back up to my face. He was looking at me like he was ready to devour my body. I tilted my head with wide eyes before wiping my hands on my apron.

“Your order will be ready in a few minutes.”

They smiled, looking between Christian and me, confused. Abruptly, there was a woman’s cry and people yelling toward the front of the bar. When Vin—our security guard—whistled, we knew there was a fight breaking out. Christian jumped over the bar as a huge angry black man barreled his way. Before he could reach Chris, Vin gripped his shoulders to stop him.

“You motherfucker!” The man shoved against Vin’s big frame in an attempt to get to Christian. He was pissed. Suddenly, a blonde rushed to him and tugged on his arm. The big angry man yanked it away, then called her a whore.

Christian appeared surprised until he got a good look at the girl. I saw the look on his face and imagined him cursing himself. A circle of patrons formed around them with cell phones in their hands. I knew Chris wouldn’t want his bar to be known for anything other than a great place to have a good time—not an establishment that was known for having a whore for an owner.

“Listen, she didn’t tell me she had a man,” he said over the crowd. “If I’d known it, I would’ve never let her suck my dick.”

Oh, Christ, Christian
. Hoots and hollers soon erupted, and once again he appeared furious at himself.
Yeah, maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say. Idiot.
The man growled and let out a string of swear words, fighting harder to get through Vin. Christian sighed in obvious annoyance.

“Let him go, Vin,” he said. Was he crazy, stupid, or both? Vin turned his bald head slightly, scowling.

“You sure, boss?”

“Yeah, man, let ’em go.” Vin slowly stepped back, standing next to Christian. The guy was big and could possibly kick his ass.

“No disrespect, dude, but your girl wasn’t acting like she was taken. She was all over me. Pulling on my belt buckle and shit before we were even off the dance floor.” Christian clearly had a death wish. The man sneered and looked at the blonde.

“Is this true?” he asked her. She sniffled, then looked down. The big guy turned completely in her direction, dropping to his knees. He started to cry.

Wow.

“What the fuck, Brandi, I thought we were going to get married. How could you do this to me again?”

Again?
Damn.

“Hey, guys, how ’bout I call you guys a cab. My treat. I’ll even pay for your dinner, but not here, somewhere else. Here’s some money.” Chris opened his wallet and crumpled the money into the guy’s hand. “Vin will escort you out,” he added, patting the emotional wreck on the back. “Take care.”

Vin easily picked him up off the floor and gently gripped the girl’s arm, escorting them outside. Once they walked out, everyone returned to whatever they’d been doing before the confrontation. It was all very amusing until I realized he was still messing around with girls. I wasn’t an idiot. We weren’t in a relationship. I barely knew him and I knew he was a man-whore, but the thought never really crossed my mind, even after seeing a picture of Hannah’s tits on his phone. Now it was right in front of my face. This was Christian; he slept around, and even though he said he had never cheated on any of his girlfriends, I found that very hard to believe.

“What?” he asked, moving closer to me. He was trying to make out the emotions on my face. I shook my head to force away what I was feeling.

“Smooth, slick. Real smooth,” I said, my voice deceptively calm.

“You think so?” He frowned, propping his elbows on the slab of wood.

“What did you win by telling that poor man that you slept with his girl?”

“I didn’t sleep with her. She sucked my dick.” Jesus, Christian isn’t anything if not blunt.
So, maybe he’s not lying about his past?
I felt my jaw clench at the visual of her giving him head. Bile burned my stomach.

“You know what I mean.” My words came out through gritted teeth. Christian glared at me, then stood up.

“I need to see you in my office,” he said calmly. I looked around, catching the intrigued looks from Vanessa and Mallory.

“We’re crazy busy,” I said, flabbergasted. Surely, he was kidding.

“Now.” He was forceful, but gentle.

Christian left without saying another word. Quickly, I went into the kitchen and retrieved Vanessa and Mallory’s order. Placing it in front of them, I smiled tightly before practically running to Christian’s office. Bobbing and weaving past people, I was made aware how busy we were and how stupid this was of Christian to do this right now. I knocked quickly on his door before opening it. I hadn’t stepped over the threshold when he jerked me inside and slammed me against the closed door. Holy shit.

“Did that upset you, Billie?” he asked as he caged me in. “Did the thought of another woman’s mouth on my cock make you jealous?”

Fuck, yes!
But I didn’t say that. I scoffed and ignored the fever building in my bones.

“I don’t do jealous.”

He grunted, un-amused. “Sure you do. I just saw it all over your face.” He lowered his face so he was breathing against my neck. “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he whispered. “I haven’t thought or fantasized about anyone but
you
from the moment you walked into my bar.”

Christian nipped my earlobe and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. They fluttered closed when his warm lips moved down my neck then to my jaw line. A whimper escaped me, unleashing Christian as he growled, pressing his hands against the backs of my thighs. He lifted me up like it was nothing. My legs circled around his waist as he pulled the back of my hair and kissed me hard and deep and oh, so
fucking good
. His hands stayed on my thighs, but I could tell by the way they shook and moved back and forth he was antsy to get his hands and fingers elsewhere. Christian’s fingers dug into my skin. I whimpered, breaking our kiss. We were breathing fast with short uneven breaths.

“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” he asked, gulping for air. I kept my eyes closed, praying my breathing and heart would slow down so I could speak.

“Yeah, but in a good way.”

He hissed, bringing my lips closer to his. “I want you so bad, and you being in a skirt is making me…a little crazy. I could easily pull your panties to the side and fuck you against this door.”

I moaned, nipping his bottom lip. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.” I grinned slightly. He chuckled, lifting me off of him like I was a doll and placed me back on my feet.

“Stay with me tonight,” he said, cupping my face in his hands. “We…we don’t have to do anything, just spend the night with me. That way I won’t worry about you being alone in Jade’s house and I can have your sexy ass all to myself.” His thumb caressed my face. With the way he was looking at me, how was I going to say no? I pushed off my tiptoes and kissed him sweetly.

“Okay.”

Christian smirked, giving me his dimples. “Love me some sweet Billie.”

Chapter Eighteen

Christian

Watching Billie’s expression after the confrontation at the bar made me feel like a complete dick, but at the same time seeing her jealous flicked on a switch inside of me I never knew existed. I felt like I belonged to someone, enough that she felt jealous because she had claimed me even though we were just
friends
. I thrived off that feeling. I wanted to belong to her and
only
her. Before she had come into my office I had had a mini panic attack. Was I ready for this? Was I ready to leave the random sex scene for this girl? And the answer hit me like a ton of bricks when she walked into my office. She was so fucking beautiful, with her milky skin and big brown eyes. I was constantly on edge around her because I never knew what she was going to say or do. I fucking loved it. I craved it. I craved her. I was ready to make her mine. Now, the only issue was convincing
her
.

We got back to the bar after our make-out session to some very pissed off customers, and I ended up giving out a lot of free drinks. I didn’t miss the quizzical looks Vanessa and Mallory were giving me. Clearly something was up between Billie and me, but they didn’t know me well enough to ask. It was one of the busiest nights we’d had in a long time. Besides the little mishap, Billie and I worked well together.

It was last call, and the crowd grew smaller until two minutes before closing. As I waved to the last customer, a tall, taut man with silver curly hair and a beard to match stalked in. His black boots scraped against the concrete floor as he neared the bar. I was about to tell him we were closing in a few minutes when Billie walked in from the swinging kitchen doors. She had a tray of clean glasses in her hands. When she saw the stranger she froze in her tracks, causing the glasses to clink against each other.

“Da,” she choked.

I tried not to appear surprised. This…
this
was Don McAllister? The man looked like he had one too many beers in his stomach, and aside from his dark clothing he looked like someone’s grandfather and not the notorious con man everyone said he was. Billie set the tray on the bar, rounding it.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

Don’s bright green eyes lit up and filled with warmth at the sight of her. “Billie girl.” He beamed. His accent was barely there, but his voice was deep and scruffy. “I wanted to see where you work, is all.” He took a quick look around the bar, then saw me. “Is this your bar, boyo?” The word reminded me of Connor, but Don seemed to be here because he was curious and not to start any problems.

“Yes, sir. Christian Rodriguez,” I replied, extending my hand over the bar. Don’s firm handshake was a symbol of respect.

“I’m glad to see you’ve finally chosen a man who respects his elders.” He didn’t even bother giving me his name; he knew I knew who he was. Don smirked at me but was speaking to Billie.

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my boss, Dad.” Billie’s cheeks were a little pink. Both Don and I grinned at the sight.

“Sure, wee girl.” Don backed away slowly before speaking. “Bring him over for dinner Tuesday night.” He directed his attention to me. “I’d like it very much if you came.” I swallowed thickly. Setting aside that he was Don McAllister, this was a huge step for me. I wasn’t the type to go to family dinners, but if I wanted Billie I guess I would have to get used to it.

“Of course. I’ll be there.”

With a curt nod, he headed for the door. “Bring some beer,” Don called as the door closed behind him. I felt Billie’s eyes burning a hole into the side of my face.

“What?” I laughed.

“You’re not going.”

“Yes,
we
are.”

“Christian, this isn’t a joke. Don is no one to play around with.” I lifted the bar door and stepped to her so that our toes were touching. She sighed, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“Say kiss,” I whispered.

On her tiptoes, she replied, “Kiss.” Her lips were warm and soft. I wondered if they would always feel this way against mine. Cupping Billie’s ass, I lifted her and set her on the bar. I looked at her and chuckled. We were finally at perfect eye level.

“No bullshit?” I asked.

“No bullshit.”

“I know you think your brothers and that Irishman will do something to me, but you don’t need to worry. I can handle myself.” Pulling back her hair behind her ears, I kissed her nose. “Don’t worry about your dad, either. It’ll be fun, you’ll see.”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, loads of fun.”

***

We finished closing the bar and I drove us back to my apartment. We walked into the building without speaking and went inside just as quiet. After locking the door, I offered Billie a glass of water or something to drink. She declined and said she’d get ready for bed in the bathroom. Getting out of my work clothes, I changed into a pair of navy blue pajama pants then plugged my phone in to charge. I waited for Billie on the corner of my bed.

Soon, I heard the bathroom door open and Billie’s light footsteps. She walked down the small hallway and stopped in front of my bedroom door. She was dressed in the same pale pink shirt and gray sweatpants from earlier. She held her folded uniform against her chest.

“Where am I sleeping?”

I glanced over my shoulder to my bed.

She laughed nervously. “Ah, no, that’s not happening.”

I wasn’t in the mood to argue with her anymore. Slowly, I lifted off the bed and stalked toward her. I watched as a slow swallow rolled down her throat before I lifted her off the floor and threw her over my shoulder.

“Christian!”

I ignored her slap on my back before I placed her on the bed and pulled her uniform from her grip. Placing the articles of clothing on top of my dresser, I turned off the lights and moved back to Billie, pulling the covers away from the mattress. I stretched out next to her then pulled her to me. She made a little growl that made me laugh but didn’t argue with me anymore. I was content to have her in my arms and in my bed. Then she snuggled closer and I nearly lost it. This felt right. For a while, we laid in the darkness of my room in a comfortable silence. But soon the clawing need to hear her voice gripped me.

“Sing for me,” I whispered, moving my fingers through her silky hair. Billie lifted her head and rested her chin on my chest. I could feel her smile when she kissed my skin.

“All right.” She moved to turn on the lamp on the side of my bed, then straddled me. Without the music behind the words I had no idea what genre the song was. She sang about changes in life and seasons and mountains and a landslide. I’d never heard the song, but to have her sing it was something beautiful. When she finished, she stared at me, leaning her head like she was surprised at the wonder in my eyes. She truly didn’t know how striking her voice was, how striking
she
was. Swallowing slowly, I asked the name of the song.

“
That
particular version,” she said, walking her fingers up and down my abs, “was “Landslide,” by the Dixie Chicks.”

“I like it.”

“It’s a country song,” she replied, one eyebrow lifted.

“A white girl who likes country music…let me get my surprised face.”

She playfully scowled and aimed her fingers toward my nipples, but I was faster this time. I grabbed her wrists and flipped her on her back. Billie squealed, giggling.

“Be nice,” I said.

“I’m always nice.” Billie moved her nose against mine, kissing me gently.

“I want to make you sing some other way,” I said, kissing down her jaw then her neck. She inhaled sharply when I bit down on her skin.

“Do you now?” Her breathing was labored and I knew she could feel my erection against her thigh.

“Yeah, so
fucking
bad.”

“But,” we both answered. Billie sounded more agitated than anything.

“But…I want to go to your family dinner first and take you out on a date.”

She stilled underneath me, pulling her hands out of my grasp and held them to her chest. “I thought we agreed we were just friends?”

I snorted. “Does this feel like just friends to you?” Something passed in her eyes, but as soon as it did it vanished just as fast.

“Yeah, actually it does. Friends who kiss, but we’re still friends. That’s all.” She pushed me off her, then climbed off the bed.

“Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom. Problem?” She threw her arms in the air as she left my room. I exhaled turning to bury my face in the pillow. This was going to be harder than I thought.