Drunk Dial (Hard Core #1) (Hard Core Series)

by Michaels, Carly

  “I got this,” I said, frowning at her.

  I didn’t know what kind of guys she’d been out with—ones who’d let her pay for her own food and left her unsatisfied in bed, apparently—but that wasn’t happening when she was out with me. I paid the bill, then slid a five across the counter to Rosa and stuck another five in the plastic container for some children’s hospital.

  Lacy smiled at the gesture. “You do a lot for charity, don’t you?”

  I attended a lot of events when I felt it would help the cause. I knew how blessed I was to be making a good living doing what I loved, and I never forgot it. I shrugged before turning toward the front door when a couple of loud guys walked in. “I do what I can.”

  “Well, well, if it isn’t the sexiest little barkeep in Cali,” one of the guys said with a lecherous grin as he stumbled toward Lacy.

  I stepped in front of her, putting my hand out to stop the guy from falling into my chest. “Back the fuck up, buddy.”

  Lacy curled her hand around my bicep. “It’s okay, York. They’re regulars.”

  I didn’t give a fuck who they were. If they didn’t stop looking at her as if they were gauging how long it would take to get her out of her clothes, I was gonna knock them both out.

  “Hey,” the guy with long hair said, peering around his friend’s shoulder. “This your boyfriend, Lacy? He’s some big-ass dude.”

  Lacy chuckled. “No, he’s not my boyfriend, Charlie. Just a friend.”

  There was that word again. I was beginning to hate that fucking word.

  Rosa pointed the two men toward a table. “Sit down before you fall down, boys. I’ll be there to take your order in a minute.”

  The fact that Rosa didn’t seem appalled by their inebriated state told me she dealt with a lot of drunks after-hours.

  “How late is this place open?” I asked her.

  “We close at two.” Rosa rolled her eyes. “We get the worst of them after midnight.”

  “You’re not here alone, are you?”

  “No, the cook’s in the back.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “But poor old Barry’s not much good. He’s got a bum leg and a bad ticker. He really should retire, but he needs the money.”

  I knew what that was like. My father had been an outboard marine mechanic all of his life and still wouldn’t have been able to retire if I hadn’t paid off his house and bought him a new car a few years back.

  “You ever need backup and you don’t want to call the police,” I said, passing her one of the non-descript cards I’d given Ash, “you call me.”

  She held the card between her fingertips. “What kind of business are you in? Security?”

  Lacy laughed. “No, he’s a professional fighter.”

  “That’s where I know you from,” buddy with the long hair said, snapping his fingers. “York, right?”

  “Right.” I rolled my eyes when they started snapping pictures of me with their phones. “Just give me a call when our food’s ready, Rosa. We’re gonna snag a table.”

  I grabbed Lacy’s hand and led her to the back of the restaurant, then I slid into a booth across from her. “You have to deal with tools like that all the time?” I asked, gesturing to the two men.

  “Comes with the territory,” she said, sounding too nonchalant for my liking.

  I knew she could handle herself, but I didn’t want her to let her guard down, especially with guys like that. In my opinion, the ones women underestimated could be the most dangerous.

  “Let’s talk about something else. Like why you’re here,” she said.

  I appreciated her directness but wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Before I could, my phone beeped. My brother. WTF, man? Where r u? I was surprised he’d even noticed I was gone. Took Lacy to get a bite. Be back soon.

  “Sorry about that,” I said, setting the phone on the table.

  “Hook-up later?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she stole a glance at the phone.

  Some douche must have burned her bad. “Would I be here with you if I was hookin’ up with someone else later?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, folding her arms on the tabletop. “Would you?”

  Before I could defend myself, Rosa appeared with a plastic tray containing our food.

  “You didn’t have to bring it to us,” I told her, reaching for it. “I told you I’d come and get it.”

  She put her hand on my shoulder, smiling at Lacy. “This one’s a keeper, honey. Not like that last loser you were going out with.”

  I was torn between asking about the last loser and not wanting to think about her with another man. Finally, curiosity got the better of me as I set her plate on the table. “Is that the guy you mentioned on the phone last night?”

  “Yup.” She unscrewed the top of her water before taking a long pull.

  “What happened?” I shouldn’t pry, but I needed to know what I was up against. If this guy was going to make it hard for her to trust me, I wanted to know the whole story.

  She took the foil off her sandwich before digging in. “Same old, same old. I didn’t have enough time to spend with him. He said he was getting lonely—code for horny as hell—so he found someone else. Only he didn’t bother breaking up with me first.”

  “Sorry, baby. That sucks.” As my dumbass brother’s warning rang in my ears, I watched her closely for any sign that she was still hung up on him. I really hated myself for letting him mess with my head.

  “Whatever,” she said, rolling her shoulders. “Not like I was gonna marry the guy or anything.”

  Having a man cheat on them would have been a serious blow to most women’s egos, but Lacy seemed to take it in stride. She was either more resilient than most, or she’d built a wall so strong no one was busting through it.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked after she’d taken a bite of her sandwich. She reached for a paper napkin from the dispenser on the table and wiped her chin. “Do I have sauce on my face or something?”

  “No.” I shook my head, tearing my attention from her to focus on the food in front of me. “Just trying to figure you out.”

  She laughed. “Good luck with that.”

  Chapter Three

  Lacy

  I couldn’t believe it was closing time and York was still there. His brother had stumbled out with some hot blonde over an hour ago, but York was still there. Watching me. If I wasn’t so turned on, I might be creeped out by the attention. But one look at this guy, and I was good to go.

  I had no intention of sleeping with him tonight though, ‘cause I knew if I did, I’d never see him again. I wanted to prolong this, have a little fun with him first.

  “York taking you home?” Ash asked, unlocking the cash drawer.

  “No, I brought my bike.”

  He scowled. “It’s raining. You’re not taking that fucking thing home.”

  My brother hated that I rode a Harley, even though he did too. He said he could handle it but I couldn’t. I told him to go fuck himself. “Watch me.”

  “Oh yeah?” He crooked a finger at York, smirking when he got up and walked toward the bar.

  “I don’t give a shit what either one of you say. I’m riding the bike.” Normally I would have been apprehensive about riding her on slick pavement, but my brother had just convinced me it was worth the risk.

  “Would you mind giving my sister a ride home, York?” Ash asked. “I would, but I’ve got another hour or so of work and she has to teach a class in the morning.”

  “Sure,” he said, pulling his keys out of pocket. “You ready, Lace?”

  “Thanks for the offer,” I said, reminding myself it was my brother’s fault he’d made it in the first place. “But you don’t have to do that. I have my bike here.”

  He glanced out the front windows, frowning. “Uh, you can’t ride your bike in this. I’ll take you home.”

  “I can, and I will,” I said, reaching under the counter for my purse and helmet. Who the hell were
these thugs to tell me what I could and couldn’t do? I’d do whatever the fuck I wanted to, and they’d stand back and keep their mouths shut if they knew what was good for them.

  “I got this,” York said to Ash when my brother grabbed my wrist.

  “You got this?” I asked, glaring at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  York sighed heavily while Ash rolled his eyes and walked away. “You can’t ride your bike in weather like this, and you know it.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek before glancing outside. Any other night, I would have agreed with him, but if I backed down now, it would seem as though I was submissive, and I was anything but that. “What do you know about it?”

  “I’ve been riding for years, beautiful.” The look he gave me implied he was talking about more than just motorcycles.

  The sexy bastard was trying to wear me down, and I was ashamed to admit it was working. “Is that so?” I folded my arms under my breasts. “That makes you an expert?”

  He stepped closer, totally invading my personal space, while he backed me against the corner of the bar. “Yeah, I’d say that makes me an expert.”

  “Why do you care so much what I do?”

  He seemed to consider the question for a minute before he said, “No idea.”

  At least he was being honest. “I really don’t mind riding the bike home,” I said, thinking it was worth one more shot before I caved.

  “Yeah, well, I mind.” He grabbed the helmet from me, grinning to melt my resolve.

  It was those damn dimples that finally did me in. If not for them, I would have told him where to shove that helmet. “Fine. I guess I can hitch a ride with my roommate in the morning.”

  “You have a roommate?” he asked, threading his hand through mine as we walked to the door.

  It was weird for me to feel safe and protected with a man. Probably because most of the guys I dated were only tough when they were packing, but York’s hands were lethal weapons. While most women would object to the violence in his sport, I thought seeing two big, strong guys beat each other senseless was hot.

  “Yeah, we work together at the kickboxing studio.”

  “Male or female?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me before opening the door so I could precede him through it.

  “Female. Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  “She works the front desk at the club,” I explained. “That’s how we met. She was dating my brother Ash for a while, but that didn’t work out. I warned her it wouldn’t. I love my brother, but he’s a real man-whore.” I didn’t know why I was confiding in him. I only knew that I wanted to get to know him better, which meant letting him get to know me.

  He opened the passenger door of his shiny black Hummer and waited until I had my seat belt fastened.

  “Your mother raised you right,” I said, smiling. “I didn’t expect you to be such a gentleman.” Something flashed in his eyes, and I immediately wished I could retract those words. “Sorry.”

  “No worries.” He tossed my helmet into the backseat. “My mother didn’t really raise me though. My dad did.”

  “She wasn’t a deadbeat like my old man, was she?” His jaw tightened, and I realized I’d put my foot in my mouth again. Suddenly my size six shoe felt like a ten.

  “No, she died.”

  “I’m sorry, York.” I touched his cheek, savoring the feel of his stubble against my palm. “I didn’t mean—”

  He leaned in and grabbed the back of my head while sweeping his tongue inside my mouth. He didn’t hesitate or ask permission. He just saw what he wanted and went for it. Definitely my kind of man.

  I wrapped my free arm around his neck, pulling him closer as I moaned into his mouth. Damn. If one kiss got me this hot, I’d been relying on my plastic partner for too long.

  “Damn, girl,” he said, resting his forehead against mine while we both caught our breath. “One more kiss like that, and I’ll have to take you back to my place instead.”

  I wouldn’t object either, which was exactly why I should hold out. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but I wanted a little more than a pump-and-dump with this guy. I patted his muscular chest, smiling. “Let’s save that for another night. Assuming there will be another night?”

  “You better believe there will be, baby. You and me, we’re just getting started.”

  ***

  After another scorching kiss and promise to call, York left me wanting more, which I was sure had been his intent. I wasn’t the type of girl to sit by the phone, wondering whether a guy would call, but I had turned the ringer up on my cell before I left the apartment. Just in case.

  “I still can’t believe you met York,” Rachel screeched as she slammed on the brakes to avoid running a red light.

  That was the reason I hated driving with her. She got too easily distracted.

  “Is he as hot in person as he is on TV?”

  “Hotter.”

  When I met Rachel, she was looking for a BFF and I was looking for a roommate. I’d agreed to share an apartment with her as long as she didn’t expect me to share my feelings and shit. I wasn’t into that. I suspected it was because I’d grown up with two brothers who told me to suck it up every time I cried.

  “You gonna do him?” she asked, glancing my way.

  “I don’t know,” I said, reaching into my bag for one of the bottled waters I’d stashed there that morning. “Maybe. We’ll see how it goes.”

  For all I knew, he could have moved on already. Maybe he had been expecting me to invite him up last night, and when I didn’t, he decided to write me off. I told myself I didn’t care. But I did care. More than I wanted to.

  “Does he know you’re working for your brother again tonight?” Rachel asked, pulling into the parking lot of our workplace. “Maybe he’ll stop by and bring some of his friends.”

  I wasn’t the only one who liked pro fighters. Rachel did too, but she wasn’t as careful about guarding her heart as I was. Every time she banged one, she was convinced he was the one and ended up crying in her Corn Flakes at breakfast, making us both wish she’d learn her goddamn lesson.

  “He didn’t ask what I was doing tonight, and I didn’t tell him.”

  Rachel was prone to over-sharing, thinking that because a guy wanted to get in her panties, he also wanted to know every move she made. I kept telling her that if she held back a little more, they might stick around longer. At least that had been my experience.

  “Why not?” she asked, trying twice to back the car into a spot before she gave up and pulled in. “Don’t you want to see him again?”

  “Sure, but if I don’t, it won’t be the end of the world.” I got a little knot in my stomach when I thought about never seeing York again, which was crazy, since I didn’t break down over guys. Not anymore.

  “Liar,” Rachel said, getting out of the car.

  My cell phone rang, prompting Rachel to duck her head back in to sneak a peek at the screen before I answered it.

  “Oh, it’s him. I wanna hear!”

  “You’re gonna be late,” I said, glancing at the time. Since I didn’t have a class for thirty minutes, I could afford to kill some time.

  After a bit of grumbling, Rachel stomped off, leaving me to answer York’s call in peace.

  “Hey,” I said, waving to a couple of guys crossing the parking lot, headed for the studio.

  “Morning, sexy. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t need a lift to work.”

  Damn, that was sweet. I didn’t want him to be sweet. I wanted him to be an ass so I wouldn’t like him so much. “No, thanks, I hitched a ride with Rachel. Sitting here in the parking lot, in fact, getting ready to go in.”

  “Busy day?”

  “I’ve got a few classes. How about you?”

  “I’m just taking it easy. I still work out, but the hard-core training won’t start until next week.”

  I knew a lot of MMA fighters had jobs outside of fighting and had to fit in their
training when they could. But since York was the heavyweight champion, his fights earned him more than most, allowing him to work at training full-time. That definitely gave him an edge over his competition.

  “What have you got goin’ on tonight?” he asked.

  “Working for Ash.”

  “I figured as much.” He sounded disappointed. “You work for him every weekend?”

  “Yup, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.” If I wanted to hook up with anyone, which I hadn’t lately, it had to be Sunday through Wednesday night.

  “You mind if I stop by with a few buddies?”

  I wouldn’t mind seeing that sweet ass of yours again. “Suit yourself.”

  “What time do you start?” he asked.

  “Nine.”

  “You need a ride home from work? Maybe we could grab a bite before you have to head in tonight?”

  I wanted to see him again, but I didn’t know if I should. I usually preferred late-night hook-ups, not real dates. Too many of those could start to feel like a relationship. “Uh…”

  “What’s wrong? You don’t wanna see me again?”

  If I blew him off now, I’d never see him again. York wasn’t the kind of man who had to beg a woman for anything. “I do.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  I could tell he was pissed I wasn’t jumping at the chance to spend more time with him. Probably because he usually had girls lining up to suck him off. That was one line I didn’t intend to join. “I meant what I said, York. I don’t do relationships.”

  He chuckled. “Is that what you think I want?”

  “So you just want sex?” Normally I’d be okay with that. But this time, for reasons I didn’t want to dissect, it made me feel kind of dirty.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Then what the hell do you want?” He was confusing me, and I didn’t like it. I preferred to lay my cards on the table and liked men who weren’t afraid to do the same.

  “I don’t know. I’m still figuring that out.”

  “Well, until you do figure it out, maybe we just should keep our distance?” I waited for a response, but when none came, I slid my finger across the screen, disconnecting the call.