by H. M. Montes
“I don’t know, it depends…you’ll have to show me if you can dance.”
He bent at the knees so he was eye level with me, “I make no promises.” He grinned and winked at me then pushed me out and spun me pulling me in against his chest. We had danced to this song so many times, we could do it blindfolded.
I stood back and shook my shoulders at him and danced the beginning of the jitter bug dance as Ryan circled me. People on the dance floor started to move away from us forming a large circle. We spun each other around, faster, twisting our bodies with the music. I was lifted and spun around his back and landed with ease. The last flip was around his arm as the song closed out. Theresa was whooping and whistling, Bryan stood back shaking his head and smiling. Ryan bent down and kissed my cheek and walked with us over to the bar. The male bartender put four shots of Washington Apple on the bar. Bryan and Ryan both twisted their faces at the sweet apple shot and shook their shoulders. We each order another beer and walked back over to our booth.
“So you think you should work for me huh?” I said to Ryan.
“I think I would be a great addition to your small family business, I’m very trustworthy, always on time. I’m strong,” he flexed his muscles on one arm, “And I can dance from time to time.”
I took a drink of my beer to hide the smile, “Well…I’m going to have to discuss it with my business partner first.” I leaned over and whispered “He will be a blast to work with.” She smiled and nodded her head. “Okay Mister Stone, I want you there bright and early at nine o’clock Monday morning.” I couldn’t hide the smile anymore when he pumped his fist in the air. I glanced around the bar at everybody, couples were on the dance floor dancing to the slow country song. Some were animatedly talking with friends. Then, my eyes landed on him—and her. Cade and the beautiful blonde bartender. She was pressing herself against him whispering in his ear, when he put the beer bottle to his lips his eyes connected with mine. The music turned into a low hum and everybody around me into a blur. With his beer bottle stopped in front of his lips he didn’t blink, he finally tipped the bottle back then slowly licked the liquid from his lips. My heart was thundering in my chest as our eyes stayed connected, when the blonde kissed his jaw he broke eye contact and smiled down at her. They walked through the crowd and out to the dance floor, she fisted her hands on the front of his cut and swayed to the low thumping bass. He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers, kissing her with such care I wanted to scream and run out of the bar.
“Sydney!” Theresa snapped her fingers in front of my face, “Did you not hear a word I just said?”
I shook my head, “Sorry, I spaced out there for minute.”
We talked more about “Get Twisted”, advertising, and contacting the local high schools and colleges. Bryan stood from the booth and held his hand out to me, “Let’s go dance little lady.”
A slow Brantley Gilbert song was playing, “I don’t know what went on between you two but he gets pretty fucking moody when your name is mentioned.”
I looked up at Bryan, “Nothing happened. Nothing at all.”
“Syd, I’m a man, so is he. Maybe a line got blurred between you and him when we came to visit. His attitude was pretty shitty after that. Maybe you two need to talk, he was pissed and so was I about how fast you ran right back into Ronnie’s arms.”
I looked around the dance floor but couldn’t see Cade or the blonde, “That’s Belle, they’ve been dating for a little over two months. He’s happy so just leave it be. I’ve known you for how long? I know you wouldn’t throw mixed signals but something about you puts him on edge.” Bryan turned my face to look at him, “Okay?”
“Okay.” The song ended so we went back to the table, I decided to leave so that Cade wouldn’t be uncomfortable plus I wanted some time to myself. The last few days had been busy and I was actually starting to wear down. I hugged everybody and walked out of the bar.
Belle and I got along great, she wasn’t clingy, she didn’t demand I spend every single second with her. She did her thing I did mine, some nights she would stay at my place and other’s I would stay at hers. On the weekends I always went to the bar in case trouble broke out, she was so fucking beautiful men didn’t hesitate to try and grope her. Her job as a bartender was only part time since she was finishing up her classes to become a CNA at the local hospital. We got to spend time together but not so much that we were tired of each other.
My mechanic business kept me busy thanks to Lucifer sending clients to me. He was still trying to get me to patch over but I kept refusing. The thought of walking into the club and Sydney being there put a knot in my stomach. I hadn’t heard from her since she sent the blast text out about nationals and Bryan had finally quit talking to me about her.
“Are you coming to the bar tonight? They say this is one of the busiest weekends.” Belle asked from the shop door.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” I said as I wiped the grease off of my hands and walked towards her.
“Don’t you touch me Cade McAllister!” she said with a grin.
“You like it though.” I teased.
“Mmm yes…yes I do, but I prefer to go into work and not have greasy handprints on my ass.”
I showed her my hands, “They’re clean.”
She shook her head and backed away from me with a smile, “I’ll see you later, save me a dance.”
I laughed, “Later.”
I decided to close up shop and go inside to eat, shower, and get ready to go spend a couple of hours at the bar. As I was walking inside my phone alerted me of a text message.
Bryan: Hey jackass, since your hot ass woman is working 2nite you going to grace us with your ugly mug?
Me: Sure am Princess and you’re buying me a beer.
Bryan: Okay lover boy catch ya on the flip side.
I made me a sandwich, ate some chips, loaded my dishes in the dishwasher and started it. After I showered I went into my office, paid some bills, made out invoices, and stuffed them each in envelopes so I could drop them at the post office before I went to the bar.
The bar was already starting to get busy when I showed up, Bryan was at his usual spot talking to Belle, when I walked in. We sat there drinking our beers talking about the MC, my shop, and then he brought her up.
“You going to at least go check out what it looks like? It’s pretty bad ass.”
“Check what out?” I asked and picked at the label on my beer bottle.
“Ass, I’m talking about the business Sydney and Theresa are going to open.”
“I’m good.” I told him.
“Man, why are you such an asshole when it comes to her? She’s a good person, she just got mixed up with the wrong guy.” Bryan turned towards me waiting for my answer.
Belle walked past us to the other end of the bar where a group of college aged guys were flirting with her. She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled while shaking her head. She knew how to flirt for tips but she also knew when to draw the line and ask for help.
“So, you’re just going to ignore what I said.” Bryan broke my stare.
I blew out a breath took a drink of my beer, “What do you want me to say Bryan? That I’m fucking pissed she went back to him and couldn’t see what was right in front of her? That I would have given anything for her to pick me? Was I supposed to beg her? Not likely. She’s too young, the drama is fucking childish and I don’t want any part of it. Someday she’ll come to her senses and realize he’s a bipolar, manic, asshole that can’t even get along with his own fucking reflection.” I finally looked at him. “I never fucked her, I never kissed her, I held her in my arms and felt her shaking. I wanted to protect her from him but she pushed me away.” I shrugged a shoulder and downed the rest of my beer.
“So it appears that you both missed the chance to be together. You’ve got her,” he tilted his head at Belle, “and Sydney has nobody.”
My head snapped up, but before I could say anything else Belle
was in front of us asking if we were each ready for another beer. Bryan told her yes and answered his cell phone, then my cell phone rang and showed that it was the retirement home calling. My heart sank instantly, it was almost eleven thirty. I hurried out the side door so I could answer;
“Hello”
“Cade my boy!”
It was my grandpa, wide awake, and confused about where he put his car keys. I explained to him that he needed to be in bed and told him that on Monday I would come visit. He laughed and hung up. I shook my head and put my phone in my cut pocket. Belle opened the back door, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah it was my grandpa calling.”
“This late? Is something wrong?”
“Nope he wanted to know where he put his car keys is all.” I told her and wrapped my arms around her waist.
She pulled away, “I’m on break and you owe me a dance.”
“We could do the wall dance.” I nodded at the brick wall.
“Cade! God you are such a man!” She laughed and pulled me through the door and into the bar.
We stood leaning against the wooden pillar as couples two stepped around the dance floor, Belle was pressing her chest against mine and kissing my jaw. Whispering about how she couldn’t wait to get to my house so I could do that wicked trick with my tongue on her clit again. As I raised my beer bottle to take a drink, a set of hazel eyes locked with mine. She was here, she was staring at me begging me to come to her. Sydney looked away for a split second at Belle that was whispering something in my ear, but the blood rushing through them deafened me. When another slow song came on I broke the stare and smiled at Belle when she tugged on my hand for me to join her on the dance floor. With her hands gripping my cut, she swayed our hips together and gave me a seductive smile. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the table where Sydney was sitting with Bryan, Theresa, and that guy from the cheer squad. I lowered my lips to Belle’s and brushed a gentle kiss across them. Before the kiss could get carried away her co-worker shouted for her to give him a hand at the bar. She kissed me again then disappeared through the crowd. I looked over at where Sydney had been but she was gone, Theresa and Ryan were in deep conversation and Bryan was glaring at me. He tilted his head toward the front door just as they swung shut behind Sydney.
When I got outside I looked around the parking lot for her but I couldn’t see her. Then I heard a woman’s voice mumble a string of cuss words. I walked over by my pickup and there she was using her cell phone to dig through her purse and look for her keys.
“Can’t even come say Hi?” I said, startling her causing her to fumble with her phone.
“Um Hi.” She said then started digging through her purse again until she found her keys.
I walked over to her, we were hidden by my pickup, “Sydney what the fuck is your problem?” I asked, if she had a problem with me I was going to find out tonight.
“I don’t have a problem with you.”
I leaned my back against my pickup and crossed my arms over my chest, “So then what’s your deal?”
She rolled her eyes and exhaled a deep breath, “Cade, I don’t have a problem with you. Now if you don’t mind I’m trying to get in my car.” I didn’t move and didn’t say anything. “What is your deal?” she threw her hands in the air and tried to unlock her car door.
I slammed my hand against the door so she couldn’t open it, “My deal? Do you really want me to answer that Sydney?”
“Sure why not, blow up at me for the whole Ronnie situation. Go ahead and say ‘I told you so’, then move so I can go home.”
Her hazel eyes reflected the neon sign of the bar, I looked at her lips then back into her eyes. “Jesus” I said and slammed my mouth against hers. She sucked in a breath and tried to push me away but I didn’t budge. I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth, her lips tasted like sweet apples. Then—she bit my fucking lip causing me to pull away. To make it even worse she slapped me before I even had the chance to stop her.
“Don’t you ever fucking kiss me again. You just had your tongue down that other woman’s throat, your girlfriends throat. Move so I can leave.”
My jaw muscle tensed, “You’re fucking jealous,” I said with a laugh, “It’s a shitty fucking feeling isn’t it Sydney? Wanting somebody so fucking bad your chest aches when you see them with another person. It sucks watching her kiss me, watching her feel my skin against hers, knowing that later on tonight it’s going to be her that I’m fucking. And it’s going to be her that I wake up with in the morning. I bet you’ve done the same as I have Sydney, you’ve thought of me when you’re fucking him. Just like I picture you when I’m fucking her.” She gasped and her eyes got big, “Oh come on Sydney, we’re both grown adults, hell I have no shame in admitting that I’ve stroked myself off a few times trying to imagine what your sweet lips would feel like around my cock. I bet you’ve rubbed your clit until your pussy twitched, all while thinking of what it would be like to feel my tongue rolling your clit around until you come against it.” I grinned at her, “Shitty fucking feeling isn’t it?” I turned and walked away.
Rocks scattered against the side of my pickup as she peeled out of the parking lot and drove away. I went inside and told Belle that I was going to go home, to let me know when she was headed to my house so I could let her in. She gave me a strange look then turned to help customers.
At three thirty that morning Belle finally text me to let me know she was headed to my house. Any other man would be suspicious since she usually left right after the last customer. Tonight it didn’t bother me because I couldn’t get the taste and feel of Sydney’s lips off of mine.
I drove in a daze back to my parents’ house, Cade’s words playing over and over in my head. I wanted to turn around and go scream at him that he should have tried harder to get me to see that he had felt the same buzzing connection as I did. I put my hands up to my mouth, I could still feel the stubble of his trimmed beard against my skin. He was right, the feelings I felt watching another woman kiss him made my heart ache. My cell phone ringing snapped me out of my thoughts, without even looking I hit the call button on the steering wheel. “He kissed me, and he…”
“Who fucking kissed you?” Ronnie growled through the speakers of my car.
I didn’t even respond, I disconnected the call, shut my phone off and drove in silence the rest of the way home.
~~~~
After only three weeks being open ‘Get Twisted’ was booked solid for dance lessons and the fitness center was always busy. I had moved out of my parents’ house and rented a small two bedroom house in town. It was easier for me to live in town instead of making the twenty minute drive each way. Ryan worked amazing with the high school boys that were struggling to be convinced that they could be on a cheer squad and not be labeled as “gay”. Ryan was far from gay, and the high school boys noticed that every woman that came into the building did a double take at him. I wasn’t even sure some of the ladies actually went into the fitness room to exercise, most of the time they stood and watched him dancing around with the little kids. This particular day he was helping Theresa with a group of eight year old little girls, they wanted to know what it was like to be held up in one hand. The mothers all sighed and awed each time he would lift one up and gently drop her into the cradle of his arms.
“Business is doing good I take it?” Bryan said as he leaned against the counter.
“It’s going excellent, although I think if he ever leaves most of our clientele will too.” I laughed.
“Yeah because I totally come in here to stare at his ass.”
I slapped Bryan’s shoulder, “You know what I meant.”
“Have you talked to him anymore?” he asked.
“Who Ronnie? I finally blocked his number, why?”
“No but that’s a good little bit of info to have. You know who I’m really talking about don’t play stupid.” I started messing with the ink pens in the holder, “Don’t ignore me.” He said softly.
He shook his head, “It’ll happen and when it does we won’t see either of your for days.” He rapped his knuckles on the counter and started to walk away, “Mark my words Sydney, you two will happen. You can cut the sexual tension with a knife when you two are in the same room.” He pushed out the doors and ran to his pickup trying to get out of the rain.
That night I was the last to leave, I set the security system and locked the doors. The rain had subsided but a thin fine mist filled the air, Theresa had always said misty night’s freaked her out for some reason tonight a shiver ran down my spine as I walked to my car.
The drive to my house only took a few minutes, I pulled my car into the garage and grabbed my gym bag out of the back. The garage door squeaked as it lowered and finally locked down. Since it was only after nine I decided to finish working on a dance mix disc for the high school squad to use during half time shows. I heated up some of the beef and noodles mom had dropped by earlier in the day over my lunch break and had just sat down at my computer desk with the music on when my phone rang.
“Good evening my most awesome neighbor.” I said to the elderly lady that lived across the alley.
“Sydney, where are inside your house?” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” I whispered back then laughed.
She cleared her throat, “Sydney, I’ve already called the police. Bones was out in the back yard doing his business when he suddenly stopped…there’s a man walking around the back side of your house. He’s tried two of the windows so far.”
I froze, my blood ran cold, “What? Are you sure it’s not one of Tim and Janet’s daughter’s boyfriend sneaking around waiting for the Okay to climb in her window?”
