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The man turned, stammering, barely able to get his quivering lips to give Jamie an apology she didn't bother to accept seeing as it was only given during duress.
"Now I think it is time for you to go home and give your disappointing three inches to your poor wife," Sugar said, making me snort a laugh into his shoulder, not able to help myself. "You see these women again," he added as the man nodded at him, "you show them some motherfucking respect, got it?"
"Got it. Got it. Sorry," he mumbled, turning, and rushing out of the crowded bar.
"That's a nifty trick," I said, tipping my head to look up at him, finding him already looking down at me.
"It's amazing what having access to endless amounts of firearms will do for the fear you can put into another person."
"I could have handled him myself, you know," I told him, not moving out from under his arm even though I knew I should. Being so close to him was doing things to me. Getting my head fuzzy in a non-alcohol-induced way. Getting my lady bits all awake and shit. Damnit.
"Sure you could have. But then I couldn't swoop in all knight-in-shining-armor and impress you with making a grown man piss himself."
"Trying to impress me, huh?"
"It's the least I can do for my number one stalker."
"I am not stalking you. I think a case could be made for you stalking me at this point."
"Baby, Virgin and I saw your pretty ass come in here, slobbering all over the bartender."
"Slobbering?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "I was saying hello to an old friend."
"I wish all my old female friends said hello to me with fuck-me eyes."
"Somehow, I imagine they all do."
"Are you flirtin' with me, baby?" he asked, arm sliding down to just under my shoulders, curling me tighter to him.
Craaaaap.
I needed to get a hold of this.
I was half-ready to fuck him right here in the middle of the bar.
"If I was flirting with you, baby," I said, slowly sliding out from under his arm, "you wouldn't have to ask if I was."
"Friend of yours, Peyton?" Brodie's voice piped back in, his accent picking up on the 'yours' the o-sound suddenly becoming a thick aw-sound instead.
Between the two of these guys with their dialects, I didn't know who I wanted to talk dirty to me more.
"Just a Good Samaritan, Brodie," I said, moving to lean on the bar. "I need another," I told him, suddenly feeling sober as a judge.
"Henchmen being a Good Samaritan?" he asked, voice low so just the two of us could hear as he put a fresh martini glass on the bar in front of me. "Finding that hard to believe, angel. It's not my place, but I feel like I need to tell you that is not a smart move. I've seen him and his buddies in here a lot. Always going home with someone. Never the same woman twice."
"You're right," I agreed as he carefully mixed my martini. I had once asked why he didn't James Bond it, to which he informed me that it 'bruised the juniper berry' and no real bartender ever shook a gin martini. "It isn't your place," I chided softly. "Though I can appreciate you looking out for me. How many times have you seen me in here over the years?"
"I dunno," he admitted, shrugging.
"How many times have you seen me leave with a man?"
To that, the seen-it-all barkeep actually looked a little uncomfortable. "A few."
"And how many of those men were repeats?"
"Got your point," he agreed, stabbing two olives onto a toothpick and dropping them into my drink. "Just saying."
"What are you just saying?"
"That you deserve better than a gun-slinging playboy, Peyt. That's all."
"Are you gonna tattle on me?"
"Aw, angel face, think so lowly of me? Your secrets are safe with me. Though Ryan does keep an eye on the cameras on busy nights. Just so you know."
"Got it," I agreed, knowing Ryan was the least likely to be on my case about a two-minute interaction in the bar. If he watched on busy nights, then he knew I got crazy. He had likely even seen the bar-dancing scene. But Ryan was just chill like that. If you saw him, you might think uptight. That was what I thought at first too. But it wasn't accurate. He was simply reserved, had seen it all, and was, therefore, a bit jaded about it too. He wouldn't begrudge me a good time unless I got so sloppy that it was looking like I wasn't being safe. Even then, he would keep it between the two of us.
"Go have fun with your girls," he suggested, giving me a wink that shouldn't have been, but because he was hot, was completely sexy.
Taking his advice, I turned back around, finding Jamie with her arm around a Savvy who was looking like she was getting to the point where the tequila was making her knees stop working.
