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“Why don’t you come over here and sit that nice fat ass right in my lap?”
Great, one of these assholes. I yank my arm back once again, but his grip is like a vice. I’m thinking about my options for getting out of here when his hand disappears from its hold on my arm. Confused, I look around before spotting the man huddled on the floor. There’s another person towering over the creep while he holds a hand to his face like he’s in pain. I look up at my rescuer and a lump forms in my throat.
Archer.
Ten
archer
An evening hanging out with Reed, a couple drinks, and a few rounds of billiards have me feeling like a new man. I put all the problems of today to the back of my mind while we reminisced about old times and laughed at each other’s shitty jokes. I don’t have many friends, but the ones I have, I value immensely.
We’re heading out of the darkened, upscale bar and I’m hit with the frigid evening air.
“This city is too fucking cold,” Reed grumbles behind me. Pulling my coat closer to my body, I nod in agreement. Though it’s not currently raining, it obviously did while we were inside. Even the air in Seattle seems wet.
“I’m parked down the street,” he says, pointing in the direction where I also managed to find a space. We take off down the street and continue our easy banter from inside the bar.
As we’re walking, suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I stop in my tracks and scan my surroundings. Noticing that I’m no longer at his side, Reed also stops and turns around, looking at me questioningly. “What’s up?”
I take a moment to search the empty street but don’t see any reason I would have this unsettled feeling. I’m about to shrug it off and head to my car when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye.
Across the street is a bar that’s lit up like the Fourth of July and with noise spilling out into the street. The front of the bar is covered in enormous windows, affording me an unfettered view inside. A girl in a dark gray skirt, blue blouse, and heels catches my attention with her long blonde hair. My breath catches and I forget to breathe for a moment. The girl turns her head and smiles at the person next to her, giving me a glimpse of her face.
Hollie.
My breathing starts again. Now I’m greedily gulping in air.
“Archer?”
Reed. Right. “You know what? I have a call I forgot to make. Thanks for this evening. It was fun. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He looks like he’s about to argue but then shrugs his shoulders, wishes me good night, and heads off down the street towards both of our cars. I wait another moment, then step off the curb, jaywalking across the street until I’m in the shadows next to the very last window. From here, I’ve got a perfect view of her.
Hollie is talking and laughing with a group of people that look vaguely familiar to me. Her blonde hair is falling down against her shoulders in silky waves that I’d love to run my fingers through right before I clench it in my fist and guide those plump lips to my cock. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the completely inappropriate thoughts, but it doesn’t help the semi I’m now sporting in my pants.
She always has her hair up in that prim bun at the office and seeing her like this, I realize that’s an excellent thing indeed. I observe the crowd she’s with and it only takes me a moment before I spot the guy she was speaking to on Friday.
Anger runs through me. Didn’t she understand she wasn’t supposed to go out with him? I know that I’m thinking like a mental patient, but I can’t seem to stop. Irrational jealousy is apparently my new thing. Hell, I’m standing outside in the dark and cold, spying on this girl. She’s turned me into a fucking stalker.
Even though I’m definitely acting like a crazy person, I stay put. I’m only going to watch for a few minutes. I just want to make sure she’s okay…
The entire group lifts their glasses and downs a shot of something. I see Hollie’s shoulders shake and can tell that she’s coughing. Whatever was in the shot glass was apparently a little stronger than she expected. The kid from six swiftly moves to her side and is patting her on the back.
My fists clench at my sides and I’m ready to march inside and tear him away from her. I barely manage to stop myself. These are obviously all people that work for me. I can’t go barging in there like a madman, pulling that kid off her. The gossip would be everywhere before I even made it to my car.
I’m about to tear myself away from the entire scene and leave when Hollie pulls away from the group and starts heading towards the rear of the bar. She looks completely unsteady on her feet and I’m a little worried she’s going to fall. I’m stuck in my spot, watching her weave through the crowd, when she suddenly trips and heads towards the floor.
I’m striding to the door before I even realize I’m moving when I see a man grab a hold of her from behind. This guy wasn’t from the group she was with and by the way Hollie’s body has stiffened, I can tell she doesn’t know him. She certainly doesn’t look like she wants his arm wrapped around her. I sprint the rest of the distance to the door and head inside, luckily avoiding any of my employees.
Approaching Hollie and the stranger, I get a better look at him. He’s shorter than me but a good thirty pounds heavier. Luckily, it looks like none of that weight is muscle. He’s wearing a cheap and wrinkled suit that screams middle management and his expression says he’s completely wasted. I’m about five steps away when I hear Hollie tell him to let her go and see her trying to pry his fingers off her arm.
I’ll kill him. White hot rage thunders through me. Before I even realize what I’m doing, I grab the collar of his shirt, pull my arm back, and swiftly punch him in the face. The man crumples to the floor like all of his bones were just removed from his body.
I immediately turn to Hollie and start checking her for injuries. The girl looks white as a ghost and I’m not sure if it’s because of fear from this creep or the fact that she just watched me punch someone.
“Archer?” she squeaks at me. I ignore her questioning voice for a moment and finish my assessment of her for injuries. It doesn’t seem like she’s hurt too badly. There are some marks on her upper arm that will probably turn into bruises but no permanent damage and she shouldn’t need a doctor.
I force my eyes from her arm up into her eyes. It’s like a punch to the gut. All the anger inside me turns into an icy fear. What if I wasn’t here? What would she have done? Sure, it is a crowded bar, but I didn’t see anyone coming to her aid. The fear makes my voice come out more harshly than I intend as I tell her, “We’re leaving.” Before I take her out of here, I give the man, who’s still sitting on the floor holding his face, a sharp kick in the side for good measure. Maybe next time he’ll remember to keep his hands off what’s mine.
