The Bartender (Seductive Sands Book 5)

by Sammi Franks

  After the bar officially closed, my feet screamed in pain. I hadn’t noticed before that being on my feet for long periods of time caused them to cry out in agony.

  I didn’t drink, but this was cause for a celebratory glass of wine.

  “Want a shot?” Bodhi asked from behind the bar. He gave me his patented charming smile and I felt myself chuckle, my face warming as his eyes fell on my face.

  “You’re off the clock, Bodhi Rogers,” I pointed out. “Don’t use that damn smile on me. It’s not going to get you a bigger tip.”

  “If I get a tip at all, I’ll call the night a success,” he said.

  My heart pounded. My stomach fluttered. There was something inside me that wanted to kiss him. I didn’t know if it was in rebellion against what happened with Mark and my parents and the café. I didn’t know if I was experiencing adrenaline still and I was acting based on the rush of endorphins coating my insides. Maybe I had wanted to do it for a while but hadn’t let myself, hadn’t wanted to be one of girls who threw themselves at his feet.

  I met his lips with my own. I felt him go still underneath me. Just for a moment. And then his hand grabbed the back of my head and his tongue licked my bottom lip. I sighed, feeling much better than I anticipated. The bar was between us but I didn’t mind even if it was slightly awkward.

  I opened my mouth to let him in, to let him explore my mouth. I could taste the Coke on his tongue and smiled. He was delicious. I heard myself moan, surprising myself and waking up from the haze I was currently under.

  “This is a bad idea,” I murmured after pulling away. However, I could not bring my eyes away from his lips. I wanted more.

  “Is it?” He sounded genuinely confused, like he wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. I could tell by the way his eyes had darkened that he wanted to kiss me again.

  “Yes, it is.” Even as I said the words, I felt myself leaning in for more.

  We kissed again. This time, it was more passionate. His fingers tugged on my hair and mine gripped his face. He should not be a good kisser. He should not be allowed to taste so good and smell so good and kiss so well. I wanted more. I wanted him all.

  My hands dropped from his face and tugged at his shirt. I had no idea what I was doing but I needed his shirt off now. I didn’t know if Hawk was gone, if Isla was lingering around. I couldn’t bring myself to care. I just knew I needed to get all of this tension and frustration and elation, all of this built-up energy and just let it out in a completely physical way.

  “The back,” he suggested, somehow, through our kiss, “my office.”

  I nodded my head. I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Not when my focus was entirely on Bodhi and the way his shirt looked nice on the floor of the bar. He broke from the kiss, only to dash around the bar and swoop me up in his arms once more. I couldn’t stop myself from squealing as he tossed me over his shoulder and led me to the office. From my position, I could see the muscles rippling in his back. He had cute little dimples just above his butt.

  When we got to his office, Bodhi slammed the door shut and repositioned me, placing me on the surface of his desk. He didn’t hesitate; he reached out and started to strip me of my clothes, and I let him. There was no voice telling me this was a bad idea. There was nothing inside of me telling me to stop.

  I urged him forward, running my hands up and down his arms, his shoulders, his rippling abdominal muscles he must have gotten from all the time on water.

  We kissed again as he shrugged me out of my collared shirt. My slacks were the next to go. My hands trembled with anticipation as my fingers undid the button of his jeans. I needed his help getting him out of those jeans, but soon, they were on the floor, leaving him in nothing but tight maroon boxer briefs. His hardness was bigger than I anticipated and my pelvis pulsed with desire.

  Bodhi was one of the few men who knew how to undo a bra without looking at it and he all but ripped my panties off. We were both naked, panting heavily, staring at each other.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  No. Of course I wasn’t. But I wanted this.

  Bodhi grabbed a condom and slipped it on. He gently pushed me back so I was lying on the surface of his desk. He took my knees and gently spread them apart. His hands gripped my thighs and he stared down at me with hooded eyes.

  “God, you’re gorgeous.”

  And he pushed himself inside of me, and in doing so, took me to a place I had never been before. I cried out his name when I hit my peak and he followed soon after. We were pretty quiet as we rushed to get dressed. There would be no lingering or romance in the bar.

  “So,” Bodhi began playfully once we caught our breath and were clothed. “What do you think? We’re clearly compatible. You know I need you, the bar needs you. Any chance you want the job?”

  I laughed. “As much fun as this was,” I said, running a hand through my hair, “I still have no idea what I’m going to do. I need more time.”

  I gave Bodhi one last look. He was...wonderful. But that didn’t necessarily mean that I wanted to work for him.

  17

  Bodhi

  * * *

  All morning, my stomach was in knots. I’d been with Norah. This was one of those things I couldn’t take back and if she decided to act as if it had never happened, there was a good chance I’d be completely destroyed. Naturally, this was what I was thinking about when I should’ve been concentrating on the waves. I wiped out hard, scraping my shoulder on the rocky bottom.

  Spluttering and stinging from the pain, I recovered my board and paddled back to shore and ignored fellow surfers who rushed toward me to check on me. “I’m cool,” I muttered as I waved them away, making a beeline for my truck.

  Since surfing hadn’t helped me at all, I decided to give up and go to work early. I might as well see what Norah had done, even if I wasn’t sure I could sit behind that desk without thinking of her. I drove home, dropped my board, showered off the ocean water, and dressed in a pair of khaki pants with a blue button-down shirt. I’d been told by other chicks I’d dated that I looked great in blue. Should Norah stop by, I wanted to be ready.

  As I parked, I couldn’t help but glance at the café in the hope she might be lurking around. Unfortunately, she wasn’t and my gaze was met by her ex, Mark, who all but glared at me. Though I’m sure he imagined it would injure me in some way, it actually improved my mood. I grinned and waved as I unlocked the door to the bar.

  I dragged myself to the office after grabbing a Coke. I’d been in there going through the notes Norah had made, the checklists she’d created, and the inventory sheets she’d started to make my life easier. Shaking my head in wonder, I leaned back and kicked my feet up on the desk and took a sip of my drink.

  Apparently, I’d been so engrossed in what I was doing, I never heard the door, or footsteps until all of a sudden Max and my father were standing in front of me. I blinked a few times and choked on my drink. “Damn, dude.”

  “Did you just ‘dude’ me?” my father asked, his perma-scowl deep on his face.

  “Nah. That was all for Max.” I glared at my brother. My day was getting worse and worse.

  “What are you doing here?” my brother asked.

  I dropped my feet on the floor and leaned forward. “I work here,” I explained slowly.

  Max sighed. “I know that. I hired you. I just don’t understand what you’re doing here now.”

  “Oh.” I shrugged. “Grabbing a soda, getting some work done.”

  “Why?” Max threw his hands in the air.

  “Because it’s better than being dehydrated and I needed the caffeine.” I eyed him with some annoyance. “Shouldn’t you be on a honeymoon?”

  He smirked. “We missed Penelope. We thought we’d come back early and check on things.”

  “Right. You thought I’d mess up and wanted to come back and do damage control,” I grumbled. “Come on. Take a look.” I was still holding the papers in my hands. “As you can see, we’re k
eeping the place nice and neat. We could pass any inspection thrown at us…because if you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” My mind raced as I tried to share everything I’d learned from Norah.

  “How the fuck did you manage this?” my father asked Max, talking completely over my head. “I could barely get him to go to work. You can’t get him to leave.” He shook his head, his frustration obvious.

  Max eyed me while raking a hand through his hair. “Norah.” He reached out and snatched the papers from my hand.

  “Hey!” I tried to take them back, but he turned away from me.

  “I thought so.” Max grinned. “You’re smart.”

  I shrugged. “She knows her stuff. I thought I’d put her talents to use.”

  “Good job. Let’s see where we’re at.” Max motioned for us to follow him. He wandered around, examining the cleanliness. We moved on to inspect the stock room. He checked out the walk-ins. “What’s that?” He pointed to a box on a shelf. “That doesn’t look like it belongs here.”

  I laughed. “Well, it’s only here because Hawk saved it.” I walked over and popped open the top. “This is your cake. He said you need it for your first anniversary.”

  “Victoria will be pleased.” He blew out a breath. “I’m pleased.” Max nodded as he scanned the area. “I’m more than pleased. I’m proud of you, Bodhi.”

  “Thank you.” I could feel my cheeks burning. “I still have a lot to learn,” I admitted quietly.

  Max walked over and clapped me on the shoulder. “You do, but you know it. That’s always good. You’re open to learning. And clearly, you’re devoted to the bar.” He turned me to face him. “I’m proud of you.”

  My jaw almost dropped open, but I somehow managed to hold it together. “Thank you.”

  “I wonder if we could get Norah in here to help.” His brows peaked.

  “I wonder too.” My shoulders sagged.

  “Who’s this Norah who seems to have completely changed you?” My father wandered closer to join in the conversation.

  “I don’t know.” I frowned.

  “How do you not know?” my father growled.

  I rubbed my forehead. “Well, I like her, but I don’t know what she is to me.”

  “You just need to spend more time together. This is the perfect opportunity…working here.” Max grinned, confident he’d found the solution.

  I shook my head. “She’s not sure she wants to work here.”

  Max started to speak, but my father interrupted. “I know you. Somehow, you manage to get everything you want in this life. I may not agree with it, but if this makes you happy, if you want it bad enough, then you’ll find a way to get through to her.”

  Inhaling sharply, I tried to hold it together. That was the nicest thing he’d ever said to me.

  18

  Norah

  * * *

  I woke up feeling more rested than I had in a long time. I stretched, staring up at the ceiling and replaying everything that had happened from the night before. I could not believe Bodhi and I had sex in his office, but my pelvis tingled just thinking about it.

  It was my last action of inner rebellion before I had to figure out what I was going to do. The dream had ended. I woke up. Which meant I needed to figure out what path I was going to take now that I had no job. And I needed to consider whether or not Bodhi would be part of that path.

  I liked him. Despite my better judgment, I did like him. But I didn’t know if that was enough. I didn’t know where I wanted to be or where I wanted to go. If I didn’t even know about me, how could I possibly make a decision about him?

  My phone blared, ripping through the silence like a shot in the dark. I groaned. I wasn’t sure what time it was but it was entirely too early for this.

  I glanced at the ID and frowned. I didn’t recognize the number but I knew it was from India, which meant it had to be my parents or someone related to them.

  “Hello?”

  “Oh, Norah, so good to hear your voice!” my mother exclaimed. “How are you doing?”

  I froze. My mother was on the phone, asking how I was doing? Like nothing had happened? Like nothing was wrong? Surely, she had to know Mark told me about the cafe. Surely she knew that I rejected his pity job, leaving his deal with my parents in a state of limbo.

  “Actually,” I said, honesty rushing out of me like steak from my shower. “Not great, Mom.”

  “Oh?”

  I shook my head. Was she serious right now? Was she going to pretend nothing major had just happened while they had been away? Something that she and Dad had conveniently forgotten to tell me?

  “I figured,” she continued as my thoughts were fuming, “that is to say, we figured that you would be in a better place once we officially sold the café.”

  I blinked, sitting up in bed. My black hair was sticking up, going everywhere. I knew I needed to shower. I could still feel Bodhi’s hands on my body, I could still feel him inside of me, I could still smell his scent on my skin. He was entirely too distracting. I needed to scrub him off before I did something completely irrational, like seduce him once more.

  I took in a deep breath. I needed to focus. Had my mother just said she thought my life would be better because they sold the café? Without even telling me? Was she crazy? Had something happened to my grandmother that she was in such a state of shock that she was spitting out crazy statements and assumptions which made absolutely no sense?

  That was what it sounded like.

  “Why would you think that, Mom?” I asked, trying to control my patience and doing a terrible job of it. “Why would you think I would be okay with you selling the café to Mark of all people? Without even telling me first?”

  There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

  “I’m hearing you aren’t happy, my darling,” my mother murmured. “Why aren’t you happy? You now have the freedom to pursue your dream and become a literature professor.”

  “Wait.” I stopped my incessant pacing and slowly turned to look at my bed. “What do mean, I have freedom?”

  “Norah, we sold the café when we realized we would not be coming back to the United States for quite some time,” my mother explained. Her tone wasn’t condescending, but it felt almost as if she expected me to know this. Like I was some kind of mind reader. “Your grandmother is okay, as okay as she can be, but she needs ’round the clock care, care that we cannot afford. Which means your father and I decided we will stay until she does not require that care and be there for her in the ways she needs.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly, still not sure what this all meant for me. It didn’t explain why they had to sell it either.

  “The café was our dream,” my mother continued. “Not yours. We came to America so we could live our dream and allow you to live yours. I know how dedicated you are to this family, my darling. If we told you what happened and what we expected from you, I know in my heart you would have put everything on hold in order to keep our dream alive. The problem with that is you would have killed yours holding onto ours. Your father and I couldn’t have that, so we sold the café giving you the option. You’re a good daughter, Norah. You know you would’ve sacrificed too much for us.”

  “Yeah,” I said. It was starting to make sense now. “But why sell it to Mark, of all people? And why make the sale contingent on me having a job there?”

  “Well, my darling, becoming a professor isn’t cheap.” She had this tone like she knew, like she researched it herself and knew personally. “I didn’t know if you saved your wages from the café so we wanted to ensure you had a place that would pay you a fair salary and health benefits until you became a professor. We sold the café to Mark because he made us a fair offer and the sale would go through quickly.”

  “And if I decline the job?” I asked tentatively.

  “My darling, do you still not understand?” my mother asked. “You have a choice in all of this. If you do not need the job, more power to you. We
support whatever choice you make in life. Do you understand?”

  I did. I hadn’t before, but now I did.

  My mother and I talked for another fifteen minutes before we got off the phone. I needed a shower right away and then some coffee.

  Maybe after I had both of those things, I could finally decide what I was going to do about Bodhi.

  19

  Bodhi

  * * *

  “Obviously the bar is in good hands,” Max announced with a solemn nod.

  I smirked. “Then why do you look so disappointed?”

  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shook his head a few times before responding. “It’s weird not to be needed.” He blew out a breath. “I’ve built my life on rushing in and picking up all your broken pieces.”

  My brow furrowed. “What’d I break?”

  “Nothing. This time.” He chuckled. “In the past, ever since we were little, I was the fixer. It started with model cars you struggled to assemble, and then helping you pass English in high school.” Max pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed them over his chest. “Hell, even recently, I ended up here to help you and build a bridge for our father.” He jerked his head toward our father who stood to his left, the tall, serious, imposing figure he’d always been. Although in the last few years, his hair had turned salt and pepper colored and his build didn’t seem as muscular.

  I nodded at my father. “I couldn’t be a fuck up my whole life.”

  “Yeah, well you sure tried damn hard.” He grinned.

  “True, but that was by not trying at all.” I shrugged. “I never felt like I fit in Seattle. But here…life makes sense to me. Here, I could actually have everything I want.”

  “I believe it.” Max sighed dramatically. “I suppose I could go work on this one new project…”