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“Sure as fuck do,Sierra Lane.”
“Then, you know he’ll kill me if I call, asking for a ride home froma bar.” I swallow.“Andgiven he’s the mayor of this town, there’s no doubt he’ll make it his mission to create problems for you. He’ll want this place shut down, so the innocent children of Blue Beech can’t sneak into your big, bad bar.”
His jaw clenches. He knows I’m right. “Call your brother then.”
“He’s out of town.”
He rubs the back of his neck, now appearing stressed. “A friend.”
I groan. “Fine.I’ll call someone, but it’ll take them time to get here.” I motion toward Leo’s friends. “I’ll hang out over there until they do.”
Ten minutes ago, Leo received a call, needing to run a quick errand. Ellie joined him, and instead of tagging along, his friends offered to keep me company.
Maliki shoves my ID into his back pocket and catches my elbow in his fist. “Nice try, Miss Teen Blue Beech. You can wait in my office until they get here. I’ll grab you a coloring book to pass the time.” His grip is firm as he pulls me out of the hallway and to the edge of the crowd, hiding me the same way Leo’s friends did.
“Won’t you taking me to your office look worse than allowing me to enjoy a few drinks?” I ask behind him, struggling to not stumble in my heels.
His gaze flashes back to me. “You’re too young to be in a bar, Sierra, not too young to fuck.”
I slam my mouth shut.
Fair point.
I lick my lips, hoping I don’t mess up my lipstick. Unfortunately, he looks as interested in fucking me as he does in serving me drinks.
He leads me through swinging double doors and down another hallway, and then he pushes me into a cramped office. A black desk with a computer and a tattered chair are the only furniture. The door slamming shut startles me, and Maliki strides around the desk.
He opens a drawer, drags out a sheet of paper and pen, and slaps them onto the desk. “I promised coloring books, but this is all I have.”
I study him up close. I’ve admired him from afar—once at the grocery store and another time when he was running shirtless in Town Square before I rear-ended the minivan in front of me, unable to take my eyes off him—but he’s more attractive in person. Captivating. Defined muscles are underneath his black tee that has the bar’s logo on the right side of his chest. Dark stubble shadows his jaw, and his face is hard and handsome. His skin is tan—somewhat natural but also a result of being out in the sun. A backward black baseball cap covers his dark hair.
Hat twinning.
He could give any Instagram model a run for their money.
I wave off his lame offer. “Don’t worry about me being entertained. I plan on snooping through your stuff as soon as you leave.” I shrug with no shame.
“There are cameras in here, Pageant Queen.”
“And?”
“And keep your hands off my shit.”
We’re interrupted by a knock on the door, and a loud voice follows on the other side. “Ki! Man, we’re slammed! I need you out here!”
Maliki gestures to my phone. “Call every contact in your phone if you have to.”
I release an exaggerated sigh.
He opens the door, throws me one last irritated look, and leaves.
I snatch the pen and writeScrew you, assholeacross the paper while grinning, and my snooping party starts.
Fifteen minutes later, Ellie texts, saying she’s in the parking lot. Maliki says nothing as I leave, but when I peek back to the bar on my way out, he’s watching me.
I add an extra skip to my step and flip him off over my shoulder.
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