by Marie York
“So, it’s two thousand square feet, ten minutes from the university. Prime real estate. The last buyer pulled out last minute. So, this is new to the market. I’ve already held it off for a week for you to look at it. But, if you want it, you need to act now.”
Lyla stepped away and circled the space. I could see the gears working in her mind, which is exactly what I was hoping for. “You can set the booths up over here. Have a pool table back there. Maybe even darts.” I leaned back on a wall, and listened to her go on. “You can have specials geared toward college kids, even lunch specials. Hold open mic nights and trivia night. That’s huge now. Sorry. It’s your bar. Your ideas. I just got excited.”
I moved to her. “I was hoping you’d say all that.”
She tilted her head, and looked at me with curiosity.
“I’ve been waiting for you to whip that marketing degree out on me.”
Blush filled her cheeks and neck. She smirked. “The wasted degree, you mean.”
“Not wasted at all.” I took her hand in mine, and laced my fingers through hers. “I was hoping you’d be my Marketing Director. You’d have free range. I trust you.”
She dropped my hand as disbelief washed over her face. “Are you kidding?”
I shook my head. “What do you say?”
Her lips moved, but no words came out. The suspense was fucking killing me. How hard was it to say yes?
Finally, she squealed, and dove at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. “Yes!” she exclaimed, and her answer echoed off the walls.
“Martin, where are those papers?” I asked.
Martin rested the papers on a folding table. “Right here. Sign on the dotted line.” He handed me a pen, and I signed my name, with Lyla by my side.
Chapter 10
To celebrate, we headed to Main Street, and found a wine bar with an eclectic menu and an extensive wine list. It was a small joint, but the atmosphere was pretty fucking cool, with rustic brick walls and dark wood tables.
My phone buzzed, and I looked down at the screen. It was a message from Gary, telling me everything was running smoothly, and that I had nothing to worry about. Declan must’ve been keeping him out of the kitchen then. I texted my appreciation for the update back, and turned my phone off before slipping it back into my pocket. Lyla deserved my full attention and nothing less.
I let Lyla order the wine since my specialty lied with beer and hard liquor. She found a white, after scanning the menu for a few moments, and placed the order with our waiter. Seconds later, he returned with a bottle and a corkscrew. He opened it, poured a little in a glass, and went to hand it to me. I nodded my head to Lyla.
Lyla swirled the liquid, and then took a tiny sip. “Perfect,” she said, and the waiter filled both glasses.
“I didn’t know you were such a wine connoisseur.”
“I’m not, but I was pretty believable, right?”
I laughed, taking in this beautiful woman in front of me. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was fun, and I couldn’t imagine spending my time with anyone else. “Fooled me.”
She put her glass to her lips and smiled.
“What?” I asked, nudging her knee with my own.
She sipped her wine, and then placed it back on the table. Her eyes caught mine, and it was pure heaven. “It’s been a good day.”
“It’s been an expensive day,” I countered.
“Potato, patato.” She combed her hair back with her fingers, and my eyes landed on the necklace she was wearing. It looked familiar to the piece Tara had been wearing.
“Where’d you get that necklace?” I asked.
Lyla rested her hand on the purple stones. “Tara made it for me. She didn’t even charge me. I told her she could get at least thirty bucks for this piece if not more. Even tried to come up with a marketing plan for her, but she told me it was just a hobby.”
“She made that?” I asked, completely confused. Tara didn’t have a creative bone in her body. For fuck sakes, I couldn’t even get her to write the specials on the main chalkboard. She claimed her handwriting was atrocious, and it took a certain person with an artistic touch to handle such a task.
“She did. Why do you ask? What happened with her anyway?”
I shrugged. I hadn’t talked about it in detail to Lyla. Hadn’t mentioned it to anyone either. Not even Declan. All everyone needed to know was that Tara was no longer with us. I kept it simple and vague. Felt it was better that way. I was pissed, but at the same time, I just wanted to forget about the fact that I could allow a criminal in my bar, someone who I took in as family, and they would steal right out from under me. It boiled my blood in the worst fucking way.
Lyla softly took my hand in hers. “Talk to me. What really happened? Tara would never just leave. Despite what she said, she loved working at Baile.”
I still didn’t want to talk about it, but when Lyla squeezed my hand, and I looked up and into her eyes, the words just fell out. “I discovered money missing. A little here and a little there, but it started to add up. The only people who had access were my employees. I suspected Tara, but I didn’t want to believe it. Didn’t want to accuse her. So, I approached her, mentioned money was missing, and she flew off the handle. I didn’t have to accuse her. Her actions showed me she was guilty. But, before I could decide what I was going to do, she threw her apron at my face, and stormed out.”
“Are you sure it was her?”
“Money hasn’t been missing since she’s been gone. It all adds up.”
“I can’t believe that.”
“I couldn’t either. Just goes to show you, you have to be careful with who you can trust.”
Her hand tightened on mine. “I hope you know you can trust me. Always.”
“I know and I do.” She gave me a half-hearted smile, and I lifted her hand, and kissed her knuckles. “Now, enough of this depressing nonsense. Let’s talk about something fun. Like your plans for Dara Baile, Miss Marketing Director.”
***
The entire walk to our hotel room, I was aware of every single thing about Lyla. The way her bottom lip stuck out just slightly further than her top. How her tits bounced with each step we took. The smell of her hair, and the feel of her bare arm against mine.
We got in the elevator, and I couldn’t resist anymore. I had waited long enough and now I needed her wet and begging for me. I pinned her up against the wall, and crushed my mouth to hers. A moan rumbled up her throat, and I wrapped my hand around her head, knotting my fingers in her hair. She tasted of wine and the mint ice cream we had after dinner. I ran my hand up her leg, and grabbed her ass, hoisting her up against the wall.
She kissed me back with reckless abandon, and then tore her mouth away from mine. “You have a thing for elevators, don’t you?” I kissed the words right off her lips, plunging my tongue in and attacking her with pleasure until she moaned in desperation.
I pulled my lips from hers and trailed them down her jaw. “Apparently so,” I growled against her neck and licked the sweetness off her neck.
“Don’t run off on me this time,” she said, as her head fell back.
“Baby, I’m not going anywhere.”
The elevator dinged, and I let go of her ass, setting her feet back on the floor. We walked out into the hallway, and when I saw there was no one in sight, I picked her back up, digging my fingers into her thighs.
She laughed, but her laughs soon turned into moans as I dragged my tongue down the length of her neck, and buried my head just above the curve of her tits.
I fumbled with the key in my pocket, and tried to slide it into the slot, but gave up when I couldn’t get the door to fucking open. I pushed Lyla’s back into the door, and cupped her tits, massaging the soft flesh.
She bit my lip, and I groaned at the mix of pain and pleasure. My dick strained against my jeans, begging to come out. Her hand slid into mine, and she took the keycard out of my hand, sliding it into the slot. The door buzzed, she pushed the hand
le down, and we stumbled into the room.
The door shut behind us, and I ripped Lyla’s shirt off, tossing it to the floor. I kissed my way across her chest, down the swell of her breasts to her perfectly pink nipple. I took the tight bead into my mouth, and sucked and licked until she was clawing at my shoulders.
Her head fell back, giving me the perfect view of her. I stared down, taking her all in. “All I’ve been able to think about is being inside of you,” I said, as I laid her on the bed.
I nibbled at her stomach, and followed her skirt with my lips, sucking and licking the entire way down. I left her heels on because they were hot as shit, and kissed my way back up her leg, making sure to taste every inch.
I hooked my finger on her black thong, and pulled it aside. Her pussy was glistening with desperation and want. I didn’t make her wait, flicking my tongue against her clit before devouring her completely.
She tasted so fucking good. I lapped her slick folds, and slipped a finger inside her wetness. Her hands knotted in my hair, and tightened, as I slid in another finger.
“Oh God,” she cried out, and it sparked the animal inside me. I grabbed her legs, pulling her pussy as close to my mouth as I could get her, drilling my tongue in and out of her in rhythm with my fingers.
Her hands slammed down on the bed, and she grabbed handfuls of the sheets. I reached up, grabbing her tit, and rolled her nipple between my fingers until she squealed.
She yanked on my hair, and I crawled on top of her. Her hand went right to my cock, sliding it up and down with just the right amount of pressure. “I want you inside of me now,” she demanded.
“Not yet,” I said, wanting to drag this moment out for as long as we possibly could.
“No, now. I’ve waited long enough. I need you inside of me. Please.”
She was practically begging, and I couldn’t resist. I stepped out of my pants, and plunged my cock deep into her soaking wet pussy. Her nails dug into my back as I thrust into her.
“Harder,” she cried.
I obeyed, driving into her with quick, forceful thrusts. I bent my head, taking her nipple into my mouth, sucking and teasing before dragging my tongue across her tit to the other. Her hands grabbed my cheeks, and she pulled me to her mouth, crushing her lips to mine and swiping her tongue across my seam.
She was taking as much as she was giving and I let her take the reins, enjoying every single fucking second of it.
Her legs wrapped around my waist, and I flipped her over. I sat down on the bed, and we rocked together in perfect sync. She hugged me close, our bodies hot and wet sliding against each other. I kissed her neck, and dragged my tongue down the length, swirling it across her collarbone. She moaned, and her head fell back.
Her tits were right there for the taking, and I dipped my head, lapping and sucking at the swollen mounds.
I reached down, rubbing her clit with my finger, and her hands tightened on my shoulder. Her teeth slid over her bottom lip, and I knew she was close. I placed two fingers on her swollen nub, and rubbed faster and harder as we rocked back and forth.
She screamed out as her orgasm over took her. Her muscles contracted around my dick like a fucking vise grip. I road out her orgasm, and when she went limp against me, I stood up and pounded into her until I exploded inside her.
I walked us back to the bed, and laid her down. “Definitely worth the wait,” she said, as her eyes fluttered shut.
Chapter 11
It was the best two days of my life. For the first time in forever, I let the darkness fade into the distance, and I didn’t let the guilt control me. I had power over my life again, and it felt good. It felt right.
We had got in late that night after spending our entire day in bed in Ann Arbor, only to stumble into my bed when we got back to the apartment. Lyla rested peacefully against my chest, and I hated to leave her, but I had work to do, especially now with another location on tap. So, I ever so slowly inched out from under her.
I pulled the blankets up around her, and placed a kiss on her shoulder before heading to my office. I went through the numbers for the days we were gone, and, son of a fucking bitch, short again.
Anger swelled inside of me, and I slammed my hands on my desk. “Motherfucker!” I ran my hands over my face, and tried to calm down. I needed to think. My mind ran in a thousand different directions, fingers pointing to every person along the way.
Lyla’s name popped into my head, and I cursed myself for even thinking such a thing. But wouldn’t that be my fucking luck? Right when I thought I found happiness, the missing piece to my life, a mound of shit got dumped on my head.
No. She wouldn’t. She told me I could trust her and I believed her. I didn’t trust many people, but I did trust her. I only hoped I wasn’t a fool for doing so.
There was a slight knock on the door, and I looked up to find Lyla wrapped in my shirt. Every bad thought I had fled. A girl who looked like a goddamn fucking angel could no way do me wrong.
“Hey,” she said, leaning against the doorframe. Her bare legs were practically calling my name. “Is everything okay? I heard a loud bang.”
“Fine,” I said. “I killed a bug.”
“Was it big and ugly?”
“Does it matter?” I asked, wondering where she was going with this.
“Of course it does. If it was big and ugly, then it’s okay to kill it, but if it was small and cute then that wouldn’t be so nice of you.”
I laughed, completely amused by her reasoning. I got up from the desk, and rested my hand above her on the doorframe. “It was a big, ugly spider.”
“Oh. In that case, kill it. I hate spiders.”
“But what if it was small and cute?”
“No spiders are small and cute. They’re all hideous monsters.”
“You’re nuts.”
She pushed up on her toes and captured my lips. Just as I was about to pin her to the wall, she pulled back. “But you like me anyway,” she said and walked away, lifting my shirt, and giving me a reminder of everything I liked about her.
***
I had security cameras throughout Baile, but anyone who worked here knew that. So, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to commit a crime in front of them. That’s why I set up a few more before anyone arrived.
Whoever was stealing from me was getting ballsy. This time, they took two hundred fucking dollars. They were smart, holding off after Tara was gone, probably aware that she took the fall. And, damn, did I feel bad about that. The way she looked at me before she tossed the apron at me didn’t bother me then, but now, knowing what I did, it ate at my fucking heart. I needed to find her. Apologize. Grovel. She’d fucking love that.
It had to be a part timer. So, I sat in my office while the doors opened, and watched for hours as people took orders, and placed money in the register. I was watching Becky, a girl I hired only three months ago, around the time the money started going missing, but when she walked by the bar, my eyes got drawn to something else.
I blinked, not able to believe what I was seeing. I rewound the tape, and saw with my own eyes, the kid I took in and gave everything to, pocketing money right out of Lyla’s book.
My fists clenched at my sides. Tension pulled tight across my neck and shoulders as I felt my own veins popping through my skin. That little fucking shit.
I stormed out of my office and down the stairs. I didn’t care that I had a whole fucking bar filled with people. I couldn’t see through my anger, I could only see the fucking blatant betrayal.
Lyla grabbed my arm as I pushed through the crowd. “What’s wrong?” she asked. But her words got lost to the fury in my mind. She let me go, and I didn’t stop until my hand was wrapped around the back of Gary’s neck.
“Dude, what the—” Gary laughed, but when he glanced over his shoulder and caught the disgust in my eyes, he stopped laughing. I pushed him to the back, and through the kitchen doors.
I shoved him away from me. He stumbled forward and I clenched m
y fists. As soon as he turned around I swung, knocking him good in the mouth. His lip split and blood poured out.
“What the fuck, Jax?” He wiped his lip, looking at the blood dripping down his fingers. He was lucky all I gave him was a bloody lip. I really wanted to rip his fucking head from his body.
“You fucking son of a bitch! How could you? I gave you a job when no one else would. Trusted you with my bar. My life.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said with an arrogance I had never witnessed before.
My vision blurred and all I saw was red. “Don’t you fucking dare.” Declan stepped out from the grill, and I knew he’d have my back no matter what went down. “You fucking stole from me.”
“I didn’t. It was Tara.”
At Tara’s name, Declan cracked his neck from side to side.
“I have you on camera. I set up new ones. I watched you take money out of Lyla’s book when she wasn’t looking.”
Gary stuttered, and then stepped toward me. I growled and he backed off. “I got myself in some trouble. I was going to pay it back, I swear.”
“Get out,” I growled through my teeth.
Gary went to move toward me, and then thought better of it. “But, I swear, I was going to. I promise.”
“I said get the fuck out before I kill you.”
Declan came over to stand beside me, and Gary threw his hands in the air and ran like the pussy he was.
The door swung open, and Lyla came in. I couldn’t see her clearly through the rage seizing inside me. She came to me, and went to rest her hand on my arm again, but I ripped it away, picking up the closest thing to me, and throwing it against the wall.
Glass shattered and Lyla jumped. Before she or Declan could say something, I walked out and headed to my office to calm down.
Chapter 12
An hour later, there was a familiar knock at the door, and I looked up to see Lyla peering in, but not willing to take the extra step to cross the threshold. She held up a bottle of Jack.
