Finally, You (The Finally Book Duo 2)

by Burke, Roseanne

  I got ready quickly, throwing on a silver shirt and jeans. I would walk, but I didn't want to make the trek in heels. I arrived at Johnny's right before four. Sundays were usually pretty boring. It would pick up when football started, though. I walked in, greeting Jamie, the other bartender, and my closest friend here.

  "Hey girl!" I called.

  She lifted her head from her hands. "Hey," she smiled.

  "How was your day?" I asked, clocking in on the register.

  "Oh, just the usual. Eddie came in and hit on me. Brad and Morgan came in, too. Nothing earth shattering," she said, adjusting her strap on her teal shirt.

  I laughed. "Oh Eddie. Seriously. What is he going to do when you leave next month?"

  "I know, probably move onto you."

  "Ha! You know my policy. I don't shit where I eat." I winked at her.

  "And that's a good policy to have." She walked behind me, patting my shoulder. "Well I'm out of here. I'll see you later."

  "See ya, lady."

  I turned back around, looking over the room. It was sparsely populated, but I think I was still a little hung over, so I didn't really care. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, bringing up the Google app. "St. Mary's Hospital Forrester MN," I entered in. Oh shit, what was I doing? The link to the hospital website popped up. I clicked on it, scanning over the tab for staff. I felt my heartbeat quicken, clicking on the little blue hyperlink.

  "Meet Our Staff," it said across the top of the page. Ok, CEO, Mark Russell, CFO, James Johnson. James Johnson. Holy shit. I clicked on his name, bringing his page to view. There he was, Mr. Blonde, with a smarmy smile on his face, arm around Mrs. Brunette with two little brats smiling gap-toothed grins. Holy fucking shit. There he was. Family and all.

  I felt a small wave of panic wash over me, but I quickly squashed it. He was nothing. And obviously this picture was bullshit. He wasn't happy with his home life; that's why he went looking for me. That's why he fucked me.

  Luckily, someone walked up, taking a seat at the stool in front of me.

  "Hey Jim," I smiled, putting my phone back in my pocket. "What can I get you?"

  Chapter 3

  Finally, it was Friday. I had decided to cool it during the week and mostly just go home after work. I seemed to be luckiest going out on weekends anyway. Another one of the perks of working at Johnny’s was that he closed the bar at eleven, so I could easily work a full shift and then go out somewhere else. I discussed our plans with Jamie while we finished closing.

  "I did Vertigo last weekend. I wouldn't want to roll the dice and repeat it too soon. What do you feel like doing?" I asked.

  She walked back to the bar after putting the final stool upside down on a table. "What about on campus?" she asked, brushing off her hands.

  I groaned. What a terrible idea. "I forgot you're only twenty-two and still enjoy that scene. It's so tedious! I'm looking more for men that know what the hell they're doing, not trying to convince me to do a beer bong."

  She laughed. "Well maybe you could get some beer dong, if you know what I'm saying."

  I burst out laughing. "Oh my god, you did not just say that!"

  She shrugged her shoulders. "Come on, it's so easy! We can go to Monty's," she said, smiling at me with her big, hopeful brown eyes.

  I sighed, pouring myself a shot. I really had no interest in going to campus. I was twenty-five and never went to college. It didn't hold the nostalgia for me that it may have for other people.

  "We could make it interesting," she smiled, grabbing the liquor bottle from me and pouring her own shot. "First person to leave with a guy gets twenty bucks."

  Hmm, that was interesting. I was sure I could win. "Fine. Let's do it." I motioned for her to slide the bottle back to me. "But if I'm going to campus, I'm going to need at least one more."

  "Fine, fine, here you go," she laughed. "But I bet you'll be thanking me in the morning."

  I poured myself another, and smoothed out my pink halter top. I realized I was wearing white capri pants. I really hope I don't get spilled on by some drunk asshole, I thought. "We'll see about that."

  "Ok, you ready?" she asked, turning off the main overhead lights.

  "Just one more." I poured one more shot for myself, downing it quickly, and returned the bottle to its place on the shelf. "Ok, let's go."

  I walked hastily over to her, as she was waiting impatiently by the front door. We stepped out into the night, locked the door, and caught a waiting cab at the corner.

  "Monty's, please," she told the driver.

  As we made the short drive to campus, I got slightly emotional thinking about Jamie leaving in just a couple weeks. She had graduated from college and had found a job in Minneapolis. We had become pretty close since I had moved here four months ago. She was my wing woman, and she had helped me get acclimated to my new city. But she also made me go to campus with her. I wouldn't miss that part.

  I was pulled out of my thoughts as we arrived at the bar. "Let's go mess this bitch up!" Jamie laughed. I smiled, following her out of the cab.

  We walked in, and the smell of stale, cheap beer flooded my nose. Monty's was a more casual place. But for some reason, they had decided to make one of the three rooms into a "dance room," with club music, flashing lights, and a fog machine. A literal fucking fog machine. It was always only occupied with a few incredibly drunk girls and the guys willing to do anything, including spend time in the Monty's dance room, to seal the deal. So embarrassing.

  The other two rooms of the bar were packed on the other hand. We maneuvered our way up to the bar, and I ordered my usual vodka soda with lime.

  "Two fifty," the bartender said. Geez, I guess there was one perk to going to college bars. You could drink for practically just the lint in your pocket.

  Since we were late arrivers, there weren't any open tables left. "Where should we go?" Jamie asked, sipping her vodka cranberry through the tiny black straw.

  I quickly scoped out the room. "If we go in that corner there, that table of guys looks fairly promising." I nodded in the direction of a table of five guys. A couple were decently good looking, and the rest probably had "great personalities."

  "I call the one with the facial hair," she smiled, heading in that direction. "Who do you want?"

  I tried to inconspicuously check out the table as we made our way to our chosen corner. I crossed my arms, sipping my drink. "Green hat," I said. I quickly eyed his left hand, no ring. Not that I expected to see many married people in a college bar, but since last weekend's conquest turned out to be married, I couldn't be too sure.

  Jamie nonchalantly turned and looked. "Ooh, Green Hat is cute," she said, nodding in approval.

  "Ok, what's your name?" I asked.

  "I think I feel like a Samantha tonight," she giggled. "What about you?"

  "Holly," I answered.

  "You're always Holly!" she whined. "That's boring!"

  I laughed. "Yeah, but it's easy to remember when you're drunk later on!"

  She sighed. "Well that's very true. You're so good at this!"

  I brought my drink to my lips. Was that a compliment?

  I cleared my throat and just smiled at her. "So. Are you ready to draw attention yet? Or should we just keep to ourselves for a bit?"

  She pulled her phone out of her back pocket. "It's almost midnight. Let's get this going," she said. She leaned toward me, whispering in my ear. "Pretend I'm saying something really funny."

  I laughed, effectively sounding realistic. To anyone who didn't know me, it seemed genuine. But on my ears, I knew it sounded too high pitched and giddy. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the guys spot us. Perfect. Now time for physical touch. I playfully patted Jamie's arm. "I know! How funny! And it wasn't even her horse!"

  That was our go-to sentence when we were having a fake conversation, or if we were talking about someone and they suddenly walked up.

  She giggled, sucking the tiny straw between her teeth. I saw a twinkle in her eye, then
felt a presence behind me. I turned around, coming face to face with Green Hat.

  "Hi. I'm Garrett," he smiled, offering his hand to me, then Jamie.

  I smiled sweetly. "Hi Garrett. I'm Holly. And this is my friend, Samantha."

  I eyed his pretty blue eyes and boyish good looks. His hair was short and dark brown, hidden under his Notre Dame hat. His eyebrows were a little thick, but not bad enough to lower his points. I'd say a good seven.

  "My friends and I noticed you girls over here, and we were wondering if you'd like to join us?" He motioned toward the table.

  I looked at Jamie, pretending to hesitate. "What do you think?" I asked.

  She bit her lip, having the same pretend debate in her head. "Well ok, I guess."

  Green Hat smiled, briefly brushing my back as we turned toward the table. He motioned for me to sit on his empty stool.

  "Thanks, Garrett," I said, winking at him.

  "You're welcome," he replied, picking up his beer and smiling down at me. I loved when everything started falling into place so easily.

  Jamie walked over to Facial Hair, offering her hand to him.

  "Guys, this is Holly and Samantha. Dude, get up so she can sit down," he chided.

  Facial Hair rolled his eyes, smiling.

  "Such a gentleman, you are," cooed Jamie, taking the seat.

  "So, do you girls go here? What year are you?" asked Good Personality #1.

  "Well Sam did, but she just graduated. And I'm actually just visiting from out of town tonight." I spun my straw in my drink, locking my eyes with Green Hat. He had a really cute smile.

  "Where are you visiting from?" he asked.

  "Minneapolis," I responded, without missing a beat. I really was good at this. Never make up something completely outlandish. When you lie, it's best to at least be somewhat familiar with what you're saying, in case they start asking questions. I had strayed slightly last weekend by saying I was a flight attendant, but I had been to Phoenix several times. In this case, I really was from Minneapolis, but my "visit" was going on about five months now.

  "Cool," he smiled. Yep, visiting from two and a half hours away. Perfect one night stand material. Let's get this going; I have money riding on this.

  A couple different conversations broke out. I was mostly with Green Hat and Good Personality #2. I sat on my stool, sipping my drink, giggling at their "hilarious" jokes. I glanced at Jamie out of the corner of my eye. She seemed to be making headway with Facial Hair. I needed to move quicker. Green Hat set his empty Bud Light bottle on the table.

  "Who wants another?" he asked, pointing to his friends individually. "How about you, Holly?" He was being very attentive and sweet. If he only knew how sure of a thing I really was.

  I held up my near empty glass. "Sure. I'll come with you," I smiled.

  He grinned back at me, offering me his arm as I slid off the stool. I pretended to stumble, placing both my hands on him. Hmm, decently hard bicep.

  "Sorry!" I cried. "Alcohol and heels don't mix!"

  He laughed. I was sure it was the same type of laugh I had given him when he made a joke. It was an insincere laugh that one gives when they need to seem like they're putting in an effort, but they really only care about one thing. What a sad, silly game we all play.

  We made our way through the crowd, up to the bar, and ordered drinks for the table.

  "How about a shot?" I asked, twirling a lock of my hair.

  "Alright Holly," he smiled. "What would you like?"

  Tequila. "Oh I don't know, what do you think?"

  "How about a Lemon Drop?"

  Ok, an acceptable next choice. "Sure," I grinned.

  We waited up at the bar after ordering the shots. The bartender quickly returned with them.

  "Bottoms up," he said, tipping his head back then biting down on his lemon. I watched him, smiling.

  "What's wrong?" he asked, eyeing my still full glass.

  "Oh nothing. I just need you to hold my lemon for me," I answered, bringing the slice to his lips. His eyes lit up as he took the lemon between his teeth.

  I slammed the shot back, wrapping my hand behind his head and taking the lemon from his mouth. Our lips brushed each other as I sucked, digging my nails in his hair slightly. I pulled back slowly, taking the lemon from my mouth, trying to give my best shy smile.

  I could see the lust pouring from his eyes now. "Well I suppose we should get back to the table now," I said, grabbing my drink.

  "Do we have to?" he whispered in my ear. Hooked.

  I pulled back, looking at him. "We should at least drop these off."

  He slid his hand to my lower back as we walked. "Damn, I guess you're right."

  I was close. I wondered how close Jamie was. I wanted my twenty bucks.

  We made it back to the table, passing out the drinks. Green Hat's hands didn't leave my body the rest of the time, moving from my back, to my arm, to my back again. I actually kind of enjoyed his touch. I found myself quickly drinking, just to reach the finish line first. I watched Jamie giggling and flirtatiously touching Facial Hair. Oh, she was still a mile behind me.

  I leaned toward Green Hat, motioning with my finger for him to come closer. He smiled, leaning in.

  "So, do you live around here?" I whispered.

  He brought his mouth to my ear. "Yeah, just two blocks down on Addison. Why do you ask?"

  "Inquiring minds want to know, that's all."

  He leaned back in, his breath warm on my skin. "I could show you, if you'd like."

  I bit my lip, staring up at him. "Sure."

  He reached for my hand as I stood up. I shot Jamie a victorious look. She glared at me teasingly. I stepped toward her, and bent to whisper in her ear. "I win, bitch."

  She pulled my chin in her hand, planting a kiss on my lips.

  "Text me," she said, releasing my face.

  I could have burst with pride. Good girl! There was always a surefire way to get college guys riled up, and that was girlfriends kissing each other. I couldn't have planned it better myself.

  "I will," I replied, turning back to Green Hat.

  He grabbed my hand in his. It felt strong and commanding. That hadn't been my first impression of him, but I was excited to see if he was that way in the bedroom.

  "Ready, my lady?" he asked.

  I nodded my head excitedly. We walked out the door into the night.

  "So what are you studying?" I asked. I wanted to keep him talking about himself. The more he talked, the less I would have to talk and lie about.

  "History. I ultimately want to teach." He adjusted his hat on his head.

  "Aw, that's great. What era is your favorite?" I asked.

  We walked hand in hand down the two blocks with him droning on about the Civil War. I added in my required "mm-hmms" and head nods. He was sweet, but I really couldn't have cared less. We finally arrived at his shitty campus apartment building. It looked like college boys had lived there for decades- just run down and dirty.

  "My roommate is out of town for the weekend," he said, glancing at me as he unlocked the front door. He pushed it open, revealing a living room with mismatched furniture and random movie posters lining the walls. Really? Anchorman? What was it with college guys and that movie? This was such a cliché. But Green Hat was definitely cute, and I was sure he'd make an acceptable suitor for the night. I set my Bag down next to the couch.

  "So we are alone here?" I asked.

  He grabbed both my hands, pulling me to face him.

  "Yep," he said, taking off his hat and tossing it on the couch. I ran my fingers through his hair, trying to mess up his hat hair.

  He laughed, grabbing my hips and pulling me closer. I closed my eyes as our lips met. They were soft and sweet, and his taste was the perfect mix of mint and booze. I felt an instant flame of desire ignite down below. I allowed his tongue in my mouth; the way it moved with mine was definitely making me hot. I let out a soft moan. He instantly tightened his grip on me.

  I pu
lled back, wiping my lips with my thumb. "So, this is the living room, huh?" I could feel my heartbeat in my ears. I wanted to get this going, but not on a dirty couch with unidentifiable stains.

  He laughed. "Yeah, this is it. I can show you the rest of the place if you want."

  I grabbed his hand and ran the other one up his inner arm. "Yes, please."

  We took a few steps into the disgusting kitchen. Dishes were piled in the sink, and something had obviously spilled on the counter and no one had bothered to clean it up. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

  "You know, I'm not really interested in the kitchen," I smiled.

  He ran the back of his hand up my bare arm. "You're not?"

  I nodded my head no.

  "What are you interested in then?" he asked.

  I bit my lower lip and blinked my lashes. "How about your bedroom?"

  He laced his fingers with mine, and squeezed me gently. "I've got one of those," he said, his eyes darkening.

  "Oh you do? That's awesome," I teased.

  He grinned, pulling me abruptly down a small hallway. He pushed open the door, revealing a queen sized bed with a navy blue comforter that took up practically the whole room. He had a desk with a computer, and I could hear music playing. Was that... Bad Company? Oh lord. Feel Like Making Love. How appropriate.

  He pulled me to him, cupping my face in his hands as he started kissing me again. Wow, he was pretty good at that. I'd say a nine point five. I could make out with him for hours. His hands reached to my back, undoing the knot of my halter top. I felt the flimsy pieces of material skim my shoulders. He forced my shirt down, over my pants, to the floor. His mouth moved to my ear, nibbling the lobe gently between his teeth. I felt that instantly in my groin. His hands moved smoothly up and down my back, pausing at my strapless bra. He deftly unhooked it, letting it drop to the ground.

  His lips met mine as his hands moved to my nipples. "You have great fucking tits, Holly," he moaned.

  I smiled as I kissed him. "Well thank you," I said quickly. He was right, I did have great tits. They were double d's and completely natural. And I was thin, too. It's not like those girls that are fat and have big boobs. Sorry, you're actually just fat.