Last Call

by Michele G Miller

  "DiCaprio?" I deadpanned, stretching my PJ-wearing body out. "I'm serious Sara, unless he's that Leo I'm not interested tonight."

  "Oh yes you are," she chided, grabbing my arm to yank me from the couch. "I realized after last night that you're still not embracing the fun of this dating thing. I want you to have fun. Savannah, come on…for me?"

  "Where's Candace when I need her?" I grumbled; slowly rising from the couch to put my dinner plate in the sink.

  "Don't forget these," Sara cried out as I passed her. She was holding out a very expensive leather mini with my see through ruffled black and white top.

  Taking the outfit from her hand I shot her the ultimate stink eye. She followed me down the hall as I went.

  "Wear those kick ass strappy black heels you have," she called out from behind me.

  I headed into the bathroom to figure out what to do with myself. I’d taken a quick shower when I first got home, and was in no mood to get all dressed up again.

  "Don't be mad. Leo is hawt, girl. Like, he could give Crocodile Dundee a run for his money." Sara followed me into my bathroom and sat on the toilet seat watching as I messed with my hair.

  "Where did you find this guy on such short notice?"

  "Actually he works at the studio with me. Something to do with marketing. He was totally open to meeting you for drinks on such short notice." She watched as I struggled with my hair and finally stepped in, pushing me down on the seat. "Let me do it. I think you need to go rock star chic tonight."

  A few minutes after eight, I walked up to the bar and ran straight into Gage's impressed smile.

  "That's some outfit tonight."

  "Hey," I called over the crowd. "Thanks, Sara picked it out for me."

  "She trying to get rid of you for the night?" he asked, his eyes scanning me lustily. I stared down at my outfit when he added, "You look good enough to eat, sweetheart. I'm tempted to jump this bar and take you to my place before someone else does."

  Laughing heartily, I countered his joke. "Oh, whatever - you would not."

  "Is that a dare?" His stone cold face stopped my laughter, and I noted how serious he was. Stamping down the desire to say YES! YES! I smiled; turning to check out the bar patrons.

  "Hey Savannah," Noelle shouted from the other side of Gage. "You've got a date in green at the end there," she provided helpfully. I watched as Gage visibly sighed, looking down at the guy in green as I waved to him.

  "Enjoy," he mocked, his voice now void of the earlier playfulness.

  I pushed Gage out of my mind, or at least as far out of my mind as I could these days, and made my way down to Leo. Sara wasn't kidding - he was hot with a double T. His brown hair was slicked back in that messy-on-purpose kind of way, and I noticed that he was leaner than Gage, who was all broad shoulders. Leo looked more like the "real" Leo, with a somewhat softer body but a very dazzling face. It was almost too dazzling; very metrosexual.

  His light green button up had small white polka dots on it, and he wore white suspenders. The entire outfit spoke of someone who liked to spend money on his clothing. Best of all, he was rocking an awesome pair of brown Clark Kent glasses on the bridge of his perfectly straight nose.

  "You must be Leo," I said as I took the seat beside him. "I'm Savannah."

  "It's nice to meet you," he spoke, leaning to the side to hug me. "Sara has told me so much about you. Wow, you are really rocking those Dolce shoes."

  I sputtered, "Oh, okay…" as I hugged him back. He was friendly AND well versed in fashion? Must be the marketing side of him.

  "I can't believe I haven't been here before. It's got a great vibe. The live music rocks."

  The current band was playing a hybrid rock/country set. The bass and drums were heavy, but there was a twangy sound coming from the slide guitar that brought a cool vibe to their songs.

  "Yeah - kind of a Mumford and Sons-thing going on, but heavier," I stated, agreeing with Leo.

  "Who’s your friend, Savannah?" Gage's question surprised me. He'd come out of the back - not that I was following his every delicious move - and walked straight over to us. Without bothering to ask, Gage began to mix a Tom Collins together for me.

  I looked at him like he was crazy while I introduced the two of them. "Gage, this is Leo. Leo, Gage. Leo works with Sara." I threw that in as if I had to justify being out with him. I don’t have to explain who my date is! I huffed to myself as Gage started talking to Leo.

  "So, did she fill you in on her theory about kryptonite yet?" he asked as he placed the cocktail in front of me.

  "Kryptonite?" Leo asked; his face confused, but leaning in towards Gage like he was hanging on his every word. Strange.

  "Yeah, apparently she thinks my accent is a special magic power."

  "Gage," I snapped under my breath, which caused him to wink at us.

  I looked over at Leo to see what he thought and noticed a subtle gleam in his eye as he answered back, "Well I can see why she’d say that. Everyone likes a man with an accent."

  I nearly spit my drink out and Gage frowned. He looked Leo over and excused himself swiftly. For a moment I thought Leo played that perfectly, until he looked over at me.

  Shaking his head he spoke. "Oh, honey, don't go scrunching your pretty little forehead like that. It’ll cause wrinkles."

  "Oh my God," I choked, as Leo looked past me to where Gage was. His head was tilted to the side, his eyes roaming up and down Gage’s backside with just enough intensity to clue me in. "You're gay." The conspicuous observation came out louder than I meant for it to.

  "Sara didn't tell you?"

  "What? You mean Sara knows?" I spit out, flabbergasted. I was going to kill her. "No, she didn't tell me. I thought this was a date."

  "It is a date," he assured me. "A platonic one for you to have some fun."

  "Okay…color me confused. What the hell is going on?"

  "Call me your fairy godmother, Princess." He winked at me and took a sip of his drink.

  His demeanor cracked me up. Somewhat serious, I asked him the question that peppered most straight girls’ minds.

  "So can you tell me why all the good looking ones are always gay? I mean, you've got Neil Patrick Harris, Anderson Cooper, and OH MY LORD, freaking Wentworth Miller just came out. I mean, really - do you recall how good those prison schematics looked on him?" I whined; pretending to hit my head dramatically on a wall.

  "Oh, honey, not all of them. Your bartender is definitely not playing for my team. How nice it would be if he was."

  "He's not my bartender," I corrected him, trying hard not to look for Gage. I hated the way I knew he was to my right without even looking. It was like I could feel his presence behind the bar; his direct gaze on me.

  "This is precisely why I’m here, gorgeous. That man is as much yours as the Kardashians are to the fifteen minutes of fame."

  I gave him a skeptical look. "In other words, you own him, Savannah. Look at the way his eyes watch you while he continues to move about the bar."

  I casually looked for Gage. He was shaking up a drink, but his eyes were fixed on us. Leo was right. Gage's eyes were always following me, much like mine seemed to follow him. Could I act on it though? Did I actually have the guts to do something?

  Leo turned sideways on his stool and grasped my knee; spinning me to face him. "This is Flirting 101. I don't think you need much help with that one, but let's have some fun, shall we?"

  Leo began to stare into my eyes intently. His hand came up to my shirt and he fiddled with the ruffles along the top as he spoke. "I'm loving this tuxedo ruffle shirt-thing you've got on. Obviously a straight guy wouldn't compliment you that way, so let me try again."

  His hand came dangerously close to skimming my breast as he continued to toy with the ruffle and spoke again. "This shirt is sexy."

  I felt laughter getting ready to bubble up out of my chest. Leo smiled and held his finger up. "Shhh. Don't laugh. Give me a sexy look. Something that makes the missing Hemsworth broth
er jealous."

  Choking back a loud guffaw at his outrageous joke, I followed his lead. I wished I could see what I looked like. Trying to make sexy faces at a gay guy to make sexy superman jealous was quite a huge feat.

  I crossed my legs slowly, picturing that movie with Sharon Stone where she flashed her lady garden to the world. My panties were firmly locked in place so it wasn't as tantalizing, but I moved my tan leg slowly; playfully running the tip of my shoe down Leo's leg as I went.

  "Damn honey," he admired, his voice hushed. "You've got this down."

  I raised my brows as I leaned in closer to him; putting my hand on his shoulder and pulling him to me so I could speak in his ear.

  "Is he watching?"

  His finger played with my hair as he replied, "Oh he’s watching, and I think he’s envisioning my neck as the bottle in his hand."

  I pulled back and started to feel guilty for purposefully trying to make Gage jealous. Leo must have seen the hesitation on my face, because he took my hand and pulled me to the floor to dance.

  "Explain your situation to me?" he asked abruptly.

  "What situation?"

  "Don't play coy with me, sweetie. Your eyes follow that bartender’s every move. Why are you hesitating?"

  "What makes you think I'm hesitating?" Leo gave me a 'Give me a break' look, and I knew it was Sara.

  "Sara is so going to pay for this," I fumed. Leo pulled me against his body so we could dance closely enough to talk over the crowd noise.

  "I don't know why. He isn't like most guys I know."

  "And this is a problem, why?"

  "It shouldn't be. I'm insanely attracted to him and I think he feels the same way. I mean, he flirts with me."

  "Stop right there," he interrupted. "It is as plain as the cute little nose on your face that he has the hots for you, Savannah, so let's get that straight right now. Sara told me about how he followed you to the parking lot to get your name."

  "What did she not tell you?"

  "Not much, doll. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, and she thinks the fact that he’s a bartender is what’s keeping you from jumping in headfirst."

  His words stirred up a torrent of emotion in me.

  "Sounds like she thinks I'm a snobby bitch," I bit out; angry tears pricking my lids.

  "Don't get mad at her. She swore to me that you were nothing of the sort. I wouldn't be here if I thought you were." He lifted my chin and steadfastly held my gaze. "She thinks you’re scared. She said that you’re so scared, in fact, that you haven't dated in three years." He shivered grimly as he said that, and I rolled my eyes.

  "So what does she think I need to do about it?"

  "Well, it's Sara. She thinks you need to seduce that sexy man and have a night of unbridled Australian passion. But," he added as my shoulders began to shake with silent laughter, "that’s obviously not your style."

  I shook my head, agreeing with him. Our dance ended and we walked slowly back to the bar. Our stools were miraculously still empty, with our drinks sitting there as if we hadn't left. I saw Gage laughing with a few people, and his smile made me smile. He looked so handsome when his little dimple popped out.

  "It's there, Savannah. I can see how drawn you are to him. Don't listen to Sara and her crazy schemes…when you're ready, you will be able to act."

  Grateful for his sweet advice, I kissed him on the cheek as he helped me sit.

  "Thank you."

  "Now let's play with your boy." He winked and waved him over.

  I watched as Gage excused himself from the group he was chatting with. He grabbed a tab from one customer and a beer for another before making his way to us.

  "Can I get you another drink?" he asked, his voice harder than usual. Jealous?

  "Get this hot thing another of your signature cocktails, and can I have a Cosmo?" Leo asked; his voice much looser now. Like he was trying to sound gay, if that was even a thing.

  "Sure thing." I couldn't help thinking that if his brain was a machine, I’d be able to clearly hear the gears cranking. Gage looked uncertain as he looked at Leo sitting there.

  As if Leo could see the confusion, he watched Gage's every move. I saw a less than subtle brow raise and heard an appreciative grunt from Leo when Gage turned his back to us. I fiddled with pulling out my lipstick tube to keep from laughing.

  "Tom Collins for the hottie, and a Cosmo for…you," Gage deadpanned.

  "Do you work out? You look like you work out. Your jeans fit you spec-tac-ularly."

  "Dude, really?" Gage glared, unsure of what to think. "Savannah, what the hell?"

  "What?" I asked innocently.

  "Well I was just singing your praises, and Savannah here said she wasn't sure if you’d be interested or not. I apologize if we made the wrong assumption." Leo held up his hands, giving Gage a 'My bad.'

  "I don't play for that team, sorry." Gage looked at me, his face confused as he almost pleaded, "You don't think I'm gay, do you? Really? You know damn well I'm not."

  "Well actually Mr. McAussie, could you blame the girl? Have you looked at yourself lately? We all know that all the hot guys are gay these days."

  Holy hell. I couldn't stop myself from laughing now. Waves of girlish giggles sprang forth and I covered my mouth as I turned away from the bar.

  "Very funny, sweetheart," Gage chuckled at me.

  "Are you sure? That's a damn shame, because I could certainly get used to hearing that accent being whispered in my ear."

  As if perfectly timed to our conversation, a group of ladies walked by us all; waving and saying hi to Gage. I bit my lip as I took in the sexy dresses and perfectly coiffed hair. It was his cougar fan club. Seriously - those women needed to find a new life. I might show up at the bar several times a week, but I was only 22 and they were probably all in their early to mid-forties.

  Gage waved and said hi as they passed by and sat a few seats down from us. Leo eyed them and then Gage curiously. Noelle checked in with them, shook her head and then walked over to speak with Gage.

  "Sorry Gage, but you know they only want you," she said, looking a bit perturbed.

  Gage excused himself and walked over, smiling as he went. Noelle huffed and commented almost to herself, "Every damn week they stop by. That brunette, she is one persistent woman."

  Rising to the bait, Leo zoned in on her comment. "How so?"

  "The other night she came in close to closing time and hung out sipping on drinks and flirting with him the whole time. Got way tipsy and couldn't drive herself home. It was obviously a ploy."

  "Really?" Leo prodded, not seeing my face as my stomach started to drop.

  "I assume he took care of her, if you know what I mean, since she’s already back tonight."

  "Um, excuse me," I blurted out, quickly removing myself from the scene and rushing to the restroom. I felt like I was on fire from the waves of embarrassment running through me.

  What was going on? I knew I had a date with Jax tomorrow night, yet there I was letting that cougar get the best of me. Who was I to be jealous? Gage hadn't asked me out. Sure, we’d flirted, and he made it known he was interested, but he’d never asked. In fact, he told me that flirting was part of the job.

  "Ugh," I groaned, not wanting to walk back out there. I didn't want confirmation that he was exactly what I had assumed he was from day one.

  A gorgeous playboy.

  No, that wasn't true. I never really thought that of him. He was too kind and too much fun for me to think of him as a playboy. Maybe his pretty face was screwing with my judgment.

  Leaving the restroom, I walked back towards Leo and was relieved to see Gage was no longer talking with the ladies there. Skimming the long bar I didn't see him anywhere around, and the urge to grab Leo and run was relentless. Instead I said a quiet "Hey."

  "He came back by and asked where you went," Leo declared, as he finished off his Cosmo.

  "Do I want to know what he said?"

  "I think you do, but I'
m not telling you."

  "What? Why not?" I demanded, the dread I was feeling now turning to excitement.

  "Sorry sweetie, I turned to the dark side. These lips are sealed."

  "You traitor."

  "What can I say? I find him much more appealing."

  "I'm sure you do," I grumbled. The laughter of the group of women there to see Gage sobered me up quickly.

  "You know what? I have an early morning and I'm sure you do too. You ready to head out?"

  "You don't want to see your boy toy again?"

  "Leo, he's not mine," I drawled. "Not close. Besides, I'm seeing someone else tomorrow."

  He babbled something under his breath but shook his head when I asked him to repeat himself.

  Pivoting to leave, I turned and bounced right into Gage's chest. Damn it - it was a fine chest - all hard abs and bulging pecs.

  "You going somewhere?"

  "Well…yeah," I stammered.

  "No, I was talking to Leo. I've been reconsidering his proposal."

  "You what?" I croaked, my brain too jarred by his hard muscles to concentrate on what he said. He was unable to keep his face straight though, and he laughed and thrust his hand out to shake Leo's.

  "Oh, whatever." I pushed him lightly; stepping back from his heat. "I'll leave you two alone, then. See you around," I jested, throwing my hand up in a wave and walking around him.

  Masculine laughter followed me to the door and I turned to see them both watching me. Gage leaned down to say something to Leo, which caused him to laugh again before they shook hands; Leo heading my way.

  I waved one last time to Gage and walked out of the bar with Leo fast on my heels.

  "Why the rush?" he called as he caught up with me.

  "No rush," I lied, walking to my car. "I'm just tired, that's all. I…"

  Anger rose up like water in a boiling pot and caught me off guard. "Damn it," I growled. "I just have to go, Leo. I'm sorry."

  Worry crossed his face as he stood there watching me fumble with my keys. He held the door open and I slid into my car. Leaning his head in, he spoke. "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah. No," I waffled. "I will be. I need to think things over. You're right - I need to figure out this hesitation. He's in my head, Leo." I confessed my confused feelings, my shoulders slumped in defeat.