I allowed myself a glance over my shoulder when I’d almost reached the front door. Adrian was still watching me – like a lion would watch a gazelle. His stance was relaxed, sure of himself, that cocky smile plastered on his handsome face. I didn’t need to read his mind to know exactly what he was thinking: You just wait, you’ll say yes eventually.
And worst of all, I was pretty sure he’d be right.
***
As the day wore on, my confusion slowly turned to anger. I was clutching the handles of my scooter so tightly that I was worried I'd break them. I couldn't believe what had happened this morning. First he’d yelled at me and then he expected me to go out with him. The audacity of him! Arrogant bastard! And he hadn’t even asked. He’d just assumed that I would go on a date with him. Maybe he’d thought he was doing me a favor by gracing me with his presence.
Asshole.
I'd never been this angry before, but I was also confused, and I was very confused by my confusion. There was also a bit of regret in the mix, and that frustrated and confused me even more.
There wasn't any reason for me to regret not having agreed to go on a date with him. It was mere self-preservation. Not a single reason for regret. Nope.
Except for the fact that I couldn't stop thinking of him, and the fact that his cocky grin made me wet my panties, and the fact that his hair looked good enough to kill for, and the fact that I wanted to run my hands over his muscled chest, and the fact that I wanted him so very badly...
“Fuck.” Bruno tilted his little head to the side and looked at me curiously from his spot in the basket. I groaned. I was losing my mind. If I totaled my scooter because I was talking to myself, my father would kill me. And I’d have to rely on public transportation.
I pulled up in front of the bar and took a few breaths to calm myself. It didn't really want to work. I was a mess but if I didn’t get a pay check soon I’d have to sell a kidney, or return home with my tail between my legs and admit to my parents that my dream was just that. A dream. I’d rather sell my kidney and any other parts of my body that were of value than admit to my parents that they’d been right.
I grabbed Bruno and carried him into the shabby bar building with its faded paint. Mona patted Bruno’s head in passing and gave me a curious glance. I guess it was very obvious from my expression that I didn't have the best of days. My life was slowly turning into a nightmare. I forced a smile on my face, though I wasn't sure how convincing it was. But smiles were required if I wanted to get tips. The bar was still quiet and empty – how I liked it best, but I knew that would change soon. Leon was behind the counter, wiping the glass bottles that tended to get sticky. I did a double take when I realized Leon had cut off his hair. I walked up to him, set Bruno down and then gaped at Leon’s haircut. As long as I’d known him, he’d always worn it long. I reached out and touched his hair. It was mussed up with styling gel. “Wow,” I breathed. “You didn’t tell me you planned to cut off your hair.” Then I realized how stupid that sounded. Leon was my co-worker and maybe friend. He had no reason to involve me in his personal decisions.
He smiled and shrugged. “It was a spur of the moment kind of thing.”
“It looks good,” I said. I wasn’t into guys with long hair but now with his black hair cut short I decided Leon looked good. Female customers had always fawned over him and now I could see why. I wiggled out of my long coat, embarrassed by my thoughts. The thing with Adrian had muddled my brain.
“The boss man is here,” Leon murmured. “Don’t let him see Bruno.”
“Fuck,” I whispered. I had to come up with a way to hide Bruno from him. I was on strict orders not to take him to work with me. Everything because of a tiny incident that involved Bruno and a couple doing it in the men’s restroom.
“Yep,” Leon said with a smile. “He won’t be happy to see your dog.”
“Well, if he’d pay me more, I could maybe afford a dog sitter.”
“What about your friend Amy?”
“She’s busy this week.”
Leon leaned close to me, wiping the surface of the bar. “I could hide him under the bar. If he stays silent.”
I shook my head. “Bruno is never silent.” Leon would probably trip over him and break his leg.
The door of Jack’s office opened and he stepped out. As usual he was dressed in a Versace shirt and khakis. His big belly strained against the silk of his shirt. Bruno let out a bark and Jack’s narrowed eyes zoomed in on him. “What’s that thing doing here?”
“I have no one to look after him. It’s a one time thing, I swear.”
I hoped nobody had mentioned to him that I’d taken Bruno with me all week. From the corner of my eye, I saw Leon winking at me.
Jack narrowed his already small eyes. “I don’t want dogs in my bar, especially not that one. Get him out of my sight.”
“Just this once,” I half pleaded. I didn’t know what else to do. If he said no, I’d have to cancel my shift for the evening and I was pretty sure that Jack would kick me out if I did.
He muttered something I couldn’t hear, then he said. “Only this once. But lock him into the staff restroom. I don’t want to see him attacking guests again.”
I didn’t mention that Bruno hadn’t exactly attacked the couple. Their grunting and groaning had probably just excited him and he’d jumped at the guy, who’d dipped forward. Unfortunately that had propelled his girlfriend’s hands into the toilet bowl. Needless to say there had been lots of screeching. It hadn’t exactly helped that in a wave of inexplicable snark I’d said that the toilets weren’t a place for fucking. I still wasn’t sure what had gotten into me that night. Probably one too many puppet comments from drunk customers.
Without another word Jack returned into his office – if you could call it that; it was more like an extended storage room.
“He must be in a good mood,” Leon said. I nodded absentmindedly. With a quick smile in his direction, I led Bruno toward the staff toilet and shut the door. At once, he started scratching and yapping. Sighing, I returned to the bar.
I plopped down on a bar stool and buried my face in my palms. “Could you turn on the music so I won’t have to hear Bruno barking?”
Mona took a seat beside me. “You look like something’s bothering you.”