by Mae Doyle
“Does she know?” This broad, whoever she is, she know. I don’t want to marry her or anyone, but if she doesn’t know already that she’s suddenly being sold off to the Torenti family to ensure that her family remains afloat, then that’s pretty fucked up.
“They were telling her tonight.” Pops nods at me. “She knows.”
Okay. She knows. I have so many more questions to ask, like when this is supposed to happen, and what I’m supposed to do with her once I’m married, but I can’t stomach being in here right now. I tap the envelope against my leg and nod at him.
“I’m going out.” There’s no way that I can sit in here any longer, and I don’t want to go to my house. I need to get out of here.
“Johnny will drive you.” Upon hearing his name, Johnny, the kid we have driving us and performing other shitty jobs, pokes his head into the living room. He knows full well that he’s not allowed to be in here while we’re working on family business, but I also have no doubt that he’s heard everything that’s been going on.
“Where do you want to go, Arlo?” Johnny asks, already reaching into his pocket for his keys.
Somewhere I can get drunker than I am. I want to wake up in my own bed tomorrow without any memory of what the fuck I’m dealing with right now. As I walk past the table, Roque turns like he’s going to get up and follow me, but I pat his shoulder and push him back down.
Now’s not the time for me to hang out with my brother. I have a date at a bar with a shitload of whiskey, and nothing’s going to stop me.
***
We end up at the Claw and Crown. Of course we fucking do, Pops had probably already talked to Johnny to make sure that he didn’t let me make a run for it and try to end up in another state, but I don’t really want to drink at the family bar.
Whatever. At least drinks will be free. Who knows if I’m going to have to buy a fucking ring for this broad or what she’s going to expect. All I know is that I want something to drink and I want to forget that she even exists.
“Do you want to get out?” Johnny glances at me in the rearview mirror of the car and I grimace. I’m still sitting in the back, holding the envelope that Pops gave me, and I don’t want to get out. I still haven’t opened it, which means that I don’t know anything about my mystery fiancée.
“I want to get drunk.” Leaving the envelope on the seat next to me, I get out of the car and stalk into the Claw and Crown. This broad, whoever the fuck she is, can wait until tomorrow. Right now, I want to forget that any of this is happening and pretend like I’m just out enjoying myself.
It’s Friday night. I’m single, at least for a little while longer. I want to get drunk.
The bar is almost empty when I walk in, and it takes me a moment to realize why. It’s not Friday night. It’s only 2 in the afternoon, but I have no intention of letting that stop me. Pops or Roque must have called ahead before Johnny and I left because there’s a bottle of my favorite whiskey and a glass sitting at the end of the bar.
I slide onto the barstool and pour myself a drink, throwing it back quickly before I even bother to look around. There aren’t many people here, and I motion to the bartender.
“Sir?” He asks, wiping an imaginary spot on the bar. The staff here is all loyal and hardworking, but they’re also a little terrified of my family. “Can I help you? Is the whiskey not to your taste?”
To prove that it is to my taste, I take another shot. It slides down easily and he raises his eyebrows before turning and handing me a Cuban sandwich.
Yep, Roque called ahead for me.
I take a huge bite, enjoying how fucking good it tastes. There’s nothing like a Cuban when you’ve had a little to drink. Not only is it good, but it should keep me from getting sloppy drunk without meaning to.
“Open the doors. Let other people in to get this place more alive, okay? We can close them later and only let in on invitation, but it’s dead in here right now.”
He stops cleaning for a moment, and I can tell that I’ve thrown him for a loop. The Claw and Crown is private, and getting an invitation to come here is a huge fucking deal. “You want me to just let anyone in off the street? Are you sure?”
Normally, I’d be pissed that he wasn’t listening to me, but I just nod and pop a French fry in my mouth. “Open the doors. Let people in. It’s too quiet in here right now for me. I don’t want to hear myself think, do you understand?”
“Of course, sir.” He disappears instantly and opens the door, allowing a cool breeze to pour through the room.
Good. I want to drink alone, but I don’t want to be in an empty room while I do it. This should get some people in here, and that will take my mind off of the broad.
Chapter 3
Hannah
Just…unbelievable. I’ve pulled out my phone so many times to text my friends back in Colorado about the absolute bullshit I’m dealing with here, but each time I slip my phone back in my pocket. There’s just no fucking words for what the hell is going on here, and there’s no way that I can possibly explain the fact that my family wants me to get married to someone I’ve never even met.
Someone from the Torenti family, to be exact.
Fuck. As soon as they excused me from that ridiculous family meeting from hell, I made a run for it, looking for the closest bar. My little junker doesn’t fit in here on main street, but I don’t care. I never wanted any of my family’s money because I didn’t want to be pulled into their drama, and now look at me.
I’m right in the middle of the drama, so maybe I should have pushed for a better car while I was at it. It seems a little late now, but maybe I’ll be able to milk my new husband for a new car.
My new husband.
Ugh, just the thought of having to say those words out loud to anyone makes me want to throw up and I stop, looking around for the closest bar. I don’t care what it is. It’s been so long since I’ve been home for a visit that I don’t even know what bars there are around here anymore.
There’s nothing on this block but a bookstore, a candy shop, and an ATM, so I keep walking. As soon as I cross the street, though, I see something with potential. The Claw and Crown has its door wide open.
Sounds pretentious as fuck. Sounds like it’s owned by a bunch of people who probably go fox hunting in their spare time. There’s no way that I’m going to fit in here, but I don’t care, as long as they have whiskey.
Grinning to myself, I walk in the door and then pause, wanting to give my eyes enough time to adjust to the dim. It’s darker in here than I would have thought it would be, but as soon as I can see, I head straight to the bar.
There’s no reason for me to pretend like I’m not here to get completely obliterated and forget everything that I’ve just learned.
Down the bar from me there’s one guy absolutely inhaling a Cuban, and my stomach rumbles when I see him with the food. I never ate lunch, and now it’s that weird in-between time when it’s too late for lunch and too early for dinner…but when in the Claw and Crown…
The barkeep walks over to me and I point at the guy down the bar. “That sandwich,” I tell him, “and whiskey. Like…all the whiskey that you can give me.” Squinting, I see something that makes me laugh. “He has a whole bottle, so why don’t you go ahead and hook me up with one of those, too, alright?”
“I don’t think that I can give you an entire bottle by yourself,” he begins, but I cut him off.
“He has one.” I point again, to make sure that I get my point across. “If he can have one all to himself, then I want one, too.”
The barkeep pauses, a slight smile playing on the corners of his mouth, but I don’t care what he’s finding so funny. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but – ”
Okay, nope. This day is absolute shit, but I’m not going to let this guy make it any worse. “The sandwich then,” I tell him. Giving me a nod, he turns away, and I immediately lean over the bar and grab a glass, slip off of my stool, and walk over to the strange man.
He does
n’t look up at me until I hop onto the stool next to him and set my glass down on the bar with a clunk.
“Can I help you?” He’s holding a fry halfway to his mouth, but when I turns to look at me, he drops it back onto his plate and wipes his fingers on his napkin. “Do you need something?”
Holy. Hell.
What I needed when I walked in here was a bottle of whiskey and to be left alone in the corner of the bar to drink away my feelings and the memory of this shitty day, but my priorities have definitely changed. He raises an eyebrow at me while he waits for me to respond and I have to focus on getting my tongue unglued from the roof of my mouth.
He is, easily, the hottest fucking guy I’ve ever seen, and I feel a twisting in my lower stomach. Heat and damp pool between my legs and I cross them, shifting on my stool to get a better look at him.
Yep. It wasn’t the low lighting in here that’s making him so damn gorgeous. He has thick dark hair and dark eyes that bore into me. I’ve never seen such a strong jaw on a man before, and while he waits for me to respond, he clenches it slightly, making it stand out even more. There’s a bit of stubble on his face, and I want to reach up and run my fingers across it.
Well, fuck, I want to do more than that. My life’s completely falling apart, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to give into the urge to kiss him. I just ordered something to eat, for fuck’s sake, and I don’t want to get kicked out of this place for molesting this guy.
Although, the way he’s looking at me has me wondering if he wouldn’t welcome a little molestation. His lips are parted slightly and I have the sudden urge to lean forward and take his bottom lip in my teeth. I bet that I could make him moan a little. The thought makes me dig my fingernails into my palms to keep from reaching for him.
“Yeah, you looked like you needed a little help with the whiskey there, so I came to your rescue.” I have to tear my gaze away from his perfect face, but then I push my glass towards him, inching it closer to the bottle.
“I don’t need help.” He still hasn’t moved, but I have the sudden vision of him forking his fingers through my hair and pulling my head back while he kisses me. Shivering, I think fast, trying to regain control of the situation.
“You sure? You look like you do. Let me handle this for you.” I think that I’m moving fast enough to keep from giving him time to react, but when I reach out to take the bottle, he moves quickly, grabbing my wrist and holding it in place.
Even though he’s barely touching me, I can feel how strong he is. One hard squeeze and he could probably snap my wrist in two. His fingers are hot on my skin and I feel my pulse start to speed up.
“Were you just going to help yourself to my whiskey?” He sounds angry, but when I look up at him, I’m surprised to see that he’s smiling. Just a little, but it’s enough to make me think that maybe I’m not going to leave here with a broken wrist.
“I was. And if you’ll let me go now, I’ll continue to do that.” For a moment, I don’t think that he’s going to, but then he does, the heat from his fingers leaving my skin on fire. I hesitate and then grab his bottle, filling up my glass before topping off his and setting it back down with a thud.
“Care to tell me why you’re so keen on stealing whiskey from a stranger?” His voice is light, like he’s completely unfazed by the fact that I’m planning on drinking him under the table, but the way his eyes search my face clues me in that there may be something more going on.
Before answering, I take a long sip of the whiskey. Hot damn, it slides down my throat like warm honey, and I can feel the heat coursing through my veins as it surges through me. That’s some good fucking whiskey, and I have a sudden fear that he’s going to ask me to help him pay for it.
There’s no way that I can afford that.
His eyes are locked on mine and I take another sip before answering. “I just got some shitty family news, and I thought that I would come here to take my mind off it. That barkeep wouldn’t give me a whole bottle, but he gave you one, so I didn’t think that was fair.”
“So you came here to help me drink it?” Yep. That’s amusement in his voice, and I narrow my eyes at him. Personally, I don’t find anything amusing about my situation.
“I did. And you’re welcome. Who knows what would happen to your liver if I hadn’t come along? I’m probably saving your life, you know that?”
“Then you’re a guardian angel.” He lifts his glass and I touch mine to it, enjoying the soft clink that they make in the quiet of the bar. It was practically empty in here when I came in, and even though it’s starting to fill up a bit, there still aren’t a lot of people.
“Hannah,” I tell him, suddenly feeling bold. You know what? If my family is really going to make me go through with this bullshit marriage to some guy I don’t know, then I’m at least going to have some fun before I do that. They can’t stop me from enjoying my last little time of still being single, and I have a very good feeling that this guy may be just what I need to take my mind off of everything that’s going on at home.
“Pleasure, Hannah. I’m Arlo.”
Arlo. I imagine saying the name and I’m pretty sure that it’s going to roll off of my tongue just fine.
Before I can say anything else to him, though, the barkeeper comes up and puts my sandwich in front of me. As much as I want to keep staring at the gorgeous guy next to me, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen something that looks so delicious.
Grabbing my Cuban, I grin at Arlo. “I’ve never been in here,” I tell him, “and it seems a bit stuffy, but at least they have good looking sandwiches. And whiskey.”
He laughs while I take a bite. “You must not be from here, then.”
I nod, chewing. “Oh, I am. But I moved away and made my own life in Colorado. I’m just here because my mom had surgery and then I got pulled into some family drama.”
“Family drama. And yet you ended up at the bar?”
“Mmhmm. Anywhere else you would recommend to hide out from family shit? I’ll do pretty much anything to take my mind off of what’s going on.” Maybe it’s the whiskey, or maybe it’s the way he hasn’t stopped looking at me like he wants to get me naked since I walked in, but I continue. “You know anything around here that may be a good distraction for me?”
A bit of juice from my sandwich runs down the side of my hand and I lick it, keeping my eyes on him. His gaze narrows as I run the tip of my tongue along my hand.
“I think that I can come up with something for you to do. Why don’t you finish that up, sweetheart, and we’ll get out of here?” His voice is deeper than it has been, and full of gravel, and I feel my core twist at his words.
God, I know that my parents are going to kill me if I do anything to jeopardize the agreement with the Torenti family, but I don’t give a shit right now. If I have to be thrown into a loveless marriage with some guy that I’ve never met then I might as well enjoy myself now.
Chapter 4
Arlo
I’m not hungry any longer. Well, that’s not entirely true. I don’t want another bite of my sandwich, but I can’t wait to tear into sweet little Hannah. She’s just what I need to take my mind off of the bullshit that I just dealt with thanks to my family.
They want me to get married? To secure a relationship with another family? It’s a load of shit, and everyone knows it, but since Roque got married and popped out babies, everyone’s looking to me to do the same. I’m the perfect one for marrying off, and Pops knows that I’ll do anything he asks me to, even if I hate it at first.
And who knows? The broad I marry may not be too bad, but I doubt that she’ll be anything like the hot little sweetheart sitting next to me. Hannah threw down her whiskey like a champ and can’t keep her eyes off of me. I’ve never seen such bright blue eyes on a broad before, especially not with such rich, dark hair.
Hair that I can’t wait to have wrapped around my fist while I thrust into her.
My cock thickens at the thought and I grin to myself
before shifting position on my stool. She’s about halfway done with her meal, and every time she stops to lick her fingers, I think that I’m about to come out of my seat. She’s got a perfectly pouty little mouth that will look amazing when her lips are wrapped around my cock.
“You about ready to go?” I ask her. I don’t give a shit if she’s still hungry. I’m going to give her something that will take her mind off of it, and then when we’re all done, I’m happy to send her on her way with a doggie bag or something. There’s just no way that I can sit here much longer and watch her eat that fucking sandwich without slamming her into the bar and taking her for myself.
She grins at me. “Why, you got somewhere you want to go?”
Fucking playing at innocence, like she can’t see the fact that my cock is about to tear through my pants to get to her. I grin back at her like I have all the time in the world, even though I really want to throw her over my shoulder and get the fuck out of here with her.
She’s a perfect little prize, but maybe not quite the sweetheart I thought. I get the feeling that she knows that she’s driving me absolutely crazy, and she likes it.
Little tease. I love it.
Leaning forward, I tuck some hair behind her ear so that I can whisper in it, taking my time and letting my fingers trace slowly down her neck. She shivers but doesn’t pull away, and I let my lips slightly graze the soft shell of her ear.
“You know as well as I do that I need to get you out of here so that I can have you to myself, so stop playing like you don’t. Now, we can keep sitting here, Hannah, or you can come with me and I’ll take your mind off of all of the family drama you’re dealing with.”
She stills under my touch, but I hear her breathing hitch, so I know that she’s just as turned on as I am. Slowly, she turns to me, her bright eyes searching mine.
