“About fucking time.”
Addison jerked her gaze to the back of the bar. Another man was walking toward the bikers.
Oh, hello!
He was tall with thick, dark hair peppered with silver at his temples. She’d never been into the silver fox trend, but she was fully appreciating it across the room. And those tattoos. It was another thing she hadn’t found profoundly attractive about a man, but this guy? The art trailing down his muscular arms had her eyes lingering over him longer than appropriate.
He was facing her with two bikers in front of him. But she could see him directly between the two men. Unlike the other guys, he wasn’t in Knox’s club. He didn’t have the club vest like the others. But they seemed to know each other. A friend of the club?I wonder if he knew Knox.
He nodded to one of the guys and cupped his mouth, dragging his hand over his jaw. Addison was now zoned in on another surprisingly, sexy attribute. Her usual type were clean-shaven guys with the occasional five o’clock shadow. In fact, in all her years, she hadn’t kissed a man with a mustache and hadn’t thought about it.Untilnow.What should’ve been an ode to the 1970s porn star era, a creepy-esque tribute and complete turn-off, had the polar opposite effect on her. She licked her top lip, wondering if it would be coarse or soft against her mouth.
Without even realizing, she gave in to a smile, shifting her gaze to his neck. Another tattoo? What should have been red flag number two only intensified her desire.Who the hell am I?The rough and brutish persona should’ve had her looking away, but she couldn’t help herself. It had been a long time since she’d been with a guy. It was a choice. But now, she was acutely reminded of what she’d been missing.I bet his hands are calloused and rough.The men she’d dated in the past mostly worked office jobs. No grease under their nails, no scabs on their hands. She’d even dated a guy who’d enjoyed getting manicurestogether. Addison lowered her eyes to his hands.This man has never seen the inside of a nail salon.
Her gaze trailed up his arm, once again appreciating the tattoos and bulging muscles. But nothing was more appealing than his face. Addison glanced up for one last look and froze for a second. His eyes were no longer on the men in front of him. They were trained on her. Dark brown eyes, thick brows dipping slightly to form a line between them.Dammit!She quickly darted her gaze around the room in the opposite direction. She fixated on the bar signs for a good while. When an acceptable time had passed, she slyly looked back over at the men. They were stationed in the same position and sex-stache was still holding court. Without any warning, his eyes shifted to her. She gasped and looked down at her half-eaten burger. It was as if he sensed she was staring at him.
For the next ten minutes, Addison resisted the urge to look again. The front door opened and a woman walked in, giving her a welcome distraction. She didn’t seem to be in a rush until she glanced up from her phone. She gave a sultry smile, making a beeline for the bikers and her newest obsession. Addison slowly followed her every move, noticing her linger in front of sex-stache. But Addison refused to look at him. It was probably his girlfriend.
As the woman walked toward the back, Addison grabbed her beer, taking a sip and watching her. Long dark hair fell over her back in waves down to her perfectly rounded ass.I could do a hundred squats a day for the rest of my life and still not have an ass like that.When the woman glanced back at the bikers, Addison expected to see all their attention on her. Who wouldn’t look?Hell, I’m looking.Instead, she came into direct contact with sex-stache, and he was staring, but not at the woman.
Instead of looking away, Addison was caught in a trance. Men gawked at women all the time. Maybe this was her wayof taking a stand and giving him a taste of their own medicine.Or maybe I like looking at him.She gave in to a smile, and surprisingly, the corner of his mouth curled.
It was a fleeting moment.
The bikers, along with sex-stache, headed toward the back curtain, and she followed their every move. As he walked in, he glanced over his shoulder and smirked.
God, he’s sexy!
Addison stared at the curtain long after he’d left. Eventually, she finished her burger and most of the fries. She flipped over her phone. Still no return call from Cleo. Maybe that was a good thing. It gave her the opportunity to back out. Addison was still on the fence and no closer to a decision.
The bartender slapped the paper bill down in front of her and started to walk away. It was time to call it a night. But first…
“Where’s your bathroom?”
He pointed toward the heavily curtained area leading to the back. “You gotta use the one in the club. Bar’s is out of service.”
“Still, Barry?” The old man at the end of the bar whined. “For Christ’s sake, as the owner you should be on top of that shit.”
Barry slammed his hand on the counter, and spun around, scowling at the man. “You get a fucking free peep show, and your ass is complaining?”
Peep show? Addison didn’t stick around for an explanation. She slid off her stool, grabbed her pocketbook, and crossed the bar to the curtains. It was an odd entry, especially for a dive bar. She slid the curtains to the side and stepped into the darkened vestibule. It wasn’t much more than a ten-by-ten space. The only light illuminating the counter and the woman behind it was neon fluorescents.
The girl with the bright red lipstick and plunging neckline stared back at her. Her gaze drifted down her body and her brows hiked.
“Ten dollars.”
Addison leaned forward. “Excuse me?”
“The cover charge is ten dollars.”
Addison stepped closer. “To use the bathroom? Barry said it was back here.”
The girl laughed. “No, the shitter is free. Through the door and stay to your right. Halfway down you’ll see the sign; make another right down the hallway.”
“Thanks.”
Addison grabbed the handle and was taken aback by the blasting techno music once she opened it. It completely caught her off guard. From the entry, she hadn’t heard any semblance of music. She walked in, squinted, and cupped her eyes. It took her a second to adjust from the flashing lights. She blinked and finally glanced up.
What the…
