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It was under the table where no one could see unless they were looking. Daisy got distracted by the memory of those hands and forgot to tell him to stop. She hustled back to the bar, just wishing it was already time to leave. She had twenty minutes left to go, though.
She tossed the empties and grabbed a rag.
“One more,” said the fly.
Daisy shook her head. “Nope. You’re done.”
He grinned at her. “Just one,” he countered.
“You already have to call a cab,” she told him. “Or walk. You had your last one.”
He grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. “I’m paying; I’m drinking,” he said.
Daisy tried to step back, but she had no leverage. She glanced across the bar at Easy’s table. He was looking her way, his face growing darker by the second.
She pulled on her arm and tried to wiggle free.
“Hey now,” said Milo, but he was twice as old as the fly. Milo also weighed more, but his pounds were in all the wrong places.
“Let go,” Daisy demanded.
“Not ‘til I get what I want,” he said, and Daisy wasn’t sure he meant another beer.
She looked back across the bar to see that Easy had risen from his chair and was headed their way. She sighed in relief. “Now listen,” she said loudly. “You see that guy over there? The one who looks pissed as hell? Yeah, he’s coming over here and if you don’t let go and leave…”
Her words trailed off as Easy reached them… and walked right past. She watched in disbelief as he strode toward the opposite side of the bar. “Get your hands off her!” he shouted and Daisy’s face felt flushed and prickly as she, and everyone else, turned to look.
Brenda had apparently shrunk a black mini skirt in the laundry that day until it was the size of the thong Daisy had on, the thong she’d just bought with the hope that someone might see it, the same someone who was now coming to another woman’s rescue.
The fly let go, thankfully, but only because he was more interested in the argument at the jukebox than Daisy.
“What’s your problem?” asked a long-haired biker as he had one arm wrapped around Brenda’s waist.
Easy gave him a shove. The guy might’ve retaliated, but Hawk appeared directly behind Easy, and suddenly it wasn’t such a good idea to continue arguing.
Easy grabbed Brenda’s arm and pulled her to him. He bent his head and said something to her, but between the music and the crowd Daisy couldn’t hear it. He turned and led her toward the door.
Daisy scoffed in disbelief and pushed off the bar. Turning, she stalked past Hawk, who’d convinced the biker to have a seat. She made her way to Maria while already untying her apron.
“Can I go now?” she asked.
Maria didn’t look at her but nodded. She was too busy keeping an eye on the potential problem by the jukebox. Daisy hung her apron on the hook in the office and clocked out. She couldn’t win for losing, it seemed, and slunk toward the door.
She was resolved to go home and cry in her non-existent beer, but when she stepped outside she spotted Easy and Brenda just a few feet from the door, and suddenly she didn’t feel like crying anymore.
She turned away from the Rainbow and toward the arguing couple. Easy had let go of Brenda at this point, but instead of leaving, she was up in his face, tottering on four inch heels.
“You can’t tell me what to do!” Brenda cried. “You can’t do a god damn thing.”
Daisy came up behind her and planted her feet on the loose gravel. “He can’t, but I can.”
Brenda turned, and Daisy waited until her nose was in full view before she swung. Her fist connected squarely with the other woman’s face. Brenda stumbled back into Easy, who caught her.
“Jesus, Daisy!” he shouted over Brenda’s howls.
Daisy ignored him and glared down at the woman. “You oughta stop running your mouth,” she told Brenda. “It’s caused enough problems. If you need me to duct tape it shut for you, I can do that.”
“What the hell?” said Easy, trying and failing to put Brenda back on her feet.
Daisy was about to tell him that Brenda wasn’t worth the effort when she heard a pair of boots behind her.
“Daisy Mae Cutter,” came Adam’s voice, as rough as the gravel he was standing on. He looked at Brenda, amusement playing on his lips, and back to Daisy. “You are a bundle of dynamite in one tight, little package.”
Daisy grinned at him and shrugged. At least someone appreciated her efforts.
“You done for the night?” he asked her, noting her missing apron.
“Yeah. Just had a little business to take care of now that I’m off shift,” she replied.
Adam smiled again. “Need a ride?”
