“Yeah? Well for someone who’s so talented at meeting people, it’s too bad none of them will give you a real job,” Jake shoots back and rolls his eyes.
“Dude, you know that’s a dagger right here, right?” He taps his long fingers over his heart and I chuckle. “My jewelry is my job, man. Anyway, stop being so mean.”
“Whatever,” Jake answers, then his eyes hold mine in another stare down. “I’ll tell you what, let’s make a deal, we’ll try to be quieter and move our truck out of your way and you try not to make a habit of breaking and entering. Sound fair?” He folds his tattooed arms over his broad chest and I can’t help but lick my lips.
“Fine,” I can feel my nipples form into little peaks against my nightie. I’m sure this thin robe is doing nothing to hide the fact. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to sleep. I was up late last night bartending and I’m exhausted,” I try to be snippy but my temper is like a solar flare. It burns hot and bright in a flash and then it’s over. Still, I try to keep my head held high as I brush past the two hard-bodied men and make my way down their stairs. I throw my red hair, fiery like maple leaves in autumn over my shoulder and make my grand exit.
Seconds later, I’m in my side of the duplex and close the door behind me. I lean back on it and breathe deeply as the images of those perfect men replay themselves in my mind.
I need a shower. But I know there’s no scrubbing these dirty thoughts from my mind.
* * *
Chapter 2 - Mackenzie
The warm water cascades over my skin as I tilt my head back toward the shower head. I feel my long, curly hair grow from my elbow down to my waist as the weight of the water pulls out the bounce.
There was no point in going back to bed. Not when I’m all worked up like this. I reach for my bodywash and squeeze a little puddle of the ivory liquid onto my washcloth before working up a lather of bubbles. The soap leaves a trail of shimmer on my skin as I drag the cloth down my arms and across my breasts.
With my eyes closed, I picture my new neighbors in here with me. Jake, the dark and brooding one is washing my breasts while, in my mind, Luke, the blond one is kissing a path down my neck.
Mmmm.
I let my fingers slide between my closely shaved lips and find my clit as I let the fantasy unfold. The two of them are so tall, so powerful, they could do anything they wanted to me. The thought gets my heart racing as I imagine twice the hands on my body. Twice the tongues licking and savoring every inch of me. Twice the cocks filling me.
“Ohhh,” I slap my palm against the tile wall of the shower as my orgasm shudders through me quickly.
Damn, I guess I was even more worked up than I thought. I didn’t even need to grab my waterproof rabbit vibrator to help me finish the job.
I smile as my muscles finally unwind and my tension eases in the glow of my bliss. It might have been annoying to wake up the way I did today, but my annoyance has washed down the drain with my vanilla scented bodywash.
After all, what’s a little annoyance for an orgasm like that? I figure we’re even.
* * *
Chapter 3 - MacKenzie
I raise my hands over my head and twist into a long stretch as I open my eyes. The guys next door made good on their word to keep things down and I managed to get caught up on some sleep with a catnap.
Finally feeling rested, I happily hop out of bed and grab my phone. I’m shocked when it tells me it’s after eight in the evening. I must have been more tired that I realized.
That’s the thing about working nights, they leave you like some kind of modern vampire, permanently unable to deal with daylight hours.
And the thing with working in a bar, even a classy whiskey bar like I do, is that on your days off, the last place you want to go is out to clubs or pubs. No, tonight is all mine and I’m going to enjoy every second of it curled up on the couch with my Kindle. Maybe later I’ll catch up on some of the shows I’ve been missing with a huge, buttery bowl of popcorn. But right now, all I want to do is get lost in a nice, light read.
I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and gasp at the state of my red locks. More like red fireball, damn it, this is why I don’t go to bed with wet hair! I frown at myself in the mirror, thinking about how long it’s going to take to fix this mess.
I run my hands under the tap and smooth them over my wild hair until it’s completely damp, but manageable. I’ll grab my spray conditioner in a second, but first I brush my teeth.
No sooner than I spit into the sink do I hear a blast of music from my neighbors. Oh well, I shrug in the mirror. If they’re going to be loud, this is the time of day I don’t care. Unlike seven in the morning, when I can’t function.
I smile as my mind replays my introduction to Jake and Luke this morning. I know I shouldn’t have been so angry, but sometimes it’s just impossible to contain this temper inside. My mother had it. Her mother had it. There’s a long line of Irish in these veins. Maybe that’s why I’m such a natural at the whiskey bar.
“MacKenzie!” I tilt my head as my name interrupts my thoughts. Peeping out the bathroom window down at my front lawn, I slump my shoulders over and sigh.
“No,” I moan. “Not him. Not now.”
I cringe as Chris stands on the small patch of green shared by me and the new neighbors holding an 80’s style boombox overhead and yells out my name again.
Fuck.
Here’s the other downside to working my job, without fail, you get some sad, clingy patron who is utterly convinced that you’re somehow the one for him.
Chris is harmless, but he’s a pest. A persistent one at that. The first time he walked into my bar with his group of friends, I felt sorry for him. He was out of place with the strong, sexy men who surrounded him. Like an adult child, I could easily picture him at home playing with his still-in-the-package collector’s item comic book toys. The very grown and very hot guys he showed up with couldn’t be less like him. Where he looked like he might still watch Sesame Street, they looked like Leonardo DiCaprio and his friends from the Wolf of Wall Street.
“MacKenzie!” He cries out again, ripping me back to the scene unfolding below.
I sigh and rush downstairs, flinging my front door open with anger for the second time today.
“Chris, what the fuck are you doing? Do you think you’re in an 80’s movie? Put that thing down and get out of here,” I point at the boombox he holds over his head.
“Oh, so you do know this guy,” my head jerks over to Jake’s smug voice and smile.
Standing in their own front entryway, Jake and Luke are enjoying the theatrics that Chris is humiliating me with.
I refuse to look at their tall frames. I can’t meet their stares. In each of their hands is a beer that they sip nonchalantly while this moment drags on.
“Yeah, he’s a regular at my bar,” I snip back.
“MacKenzie,” Chris interrupts, “I know you’ve told me there’s no chance for us, but I need you to listen to this song and look into my eyes and tell me you still don’t feel the same way,” the pale, slight waif of a man cuts in. He’s been frequenting my bar three nights a week since I made the mistake of taking pity on him and flirting with him, harmlessly I might add – just to make him feel like less of a loser that night. That’s a mistake I’ll never make again.
“Chris, go home. Seriously, go home right now or I’m turning on the sprinklers again,” I glare at him.
“Again?” Jake muses. “And we’re the annoying neighbors, huh? Who’s interrupting lives with noise and, well whatever the hell this is,” he holds up his palm at Chris, “now?”
My cheeks burn up and I turn away from Jake. I refuse to get into this with him, especially because he’s right.
Chris lowers the boombox to his shoulder and presses play. I didn’t think this moment could get worse, but as “Song” fills my ears, I know that I was wrong. So wrong.
“Dude, I’m cringing so hard right now,” Luke calls out as Chris r
aises the relic from the 80’s over his head and stares me down.
The cheesy lyrics pour from the low-quality speakers and I shake my head.
“Do you want us to take care of him?” Luke’s deep voice draws my gaze back to him.
“Possibly,” I consider the offer.
The guys both stand up taller and I reconsider. “No, don’t hurt him. He’s harmless, annoying, but harmless,” I raise my hands to stop them.
“We won’t hurt your boyfriend,” Jake smiles.
“He’s not my boyfriend. Not in this lifetime or any other.” I snap loudly and a look of pain flinches across Chris’s face.
“Hey man, turn that off, will ya?” Luke calls out.
“Not until the song is over,” Chris answers, literally standing his ground.
“Dude, it might not sound like it, but that song is done. Shut it off, man.”
For a second Chris stays still. The only thing moving is his eyes darting between me and the guys. Then, he listens and clicks the stop button, lowering the stereo to the ground.
“Good man,” Jake smiles. “Listen, I think you must be confused or something because MacKenzie is already taken, bud. She doesn’t have time for this stuff.” He leaves his front door step and walks over to me.
“Taken? By you?” Chris tries to process the idea slowly as Jake stands beside me and slings his arm over my shoulder. His beer dangles from his hand and wafts up to my nose.
“By just me? Nah,” Jake nods at Luke, who also joins us on my step and throws his free hand around my waist.
A shiver runs through me as I’m flanked by these two sexy guys. If only.
“Yah, man, she’s got her hands full.” Luke agrees.
“Not just her hands, if you catch my drift,” Jake adds.
I’d be embarrassed by his suggestion if I didn’t sorta wish it were true.
Betrayal for a relationship that never existed flashes in Chris’s eyes. “Oh,” he finally utters.
“Yeah, she’s got, like twenty inches of cock between us, right MacKenzie?” Luke spells it out. “There’s no room for more.”
“Well, probably more like nineteen, right?” Jake interrupts. “You’re packing more like nine, if we’re honest,” he teases his friend.
“Dude, really?” Luke answers.
I can’t help but smile. On the lawn, Chris picks up his boombox and slowly retreats to his car like a lost puppy as the guys hold me between them.
Finally, after one more mournful look over his shoulder, he gets in his car and drives away and the guys break out into laughter.
“There, I think we solved your issue for you,” Jake grins down at me.
“Thanks,” I can’t help but smile back.
“So, is this what you always wear?” Luke asks and I swirl my head over to him checking me out in my short nightie.
Heat blooms over my cheeks as I realize that I’m still half naked between them. “No, I went back to bed. Ugh, this whole day has been a total shit show.” I shake my head.
“Well then, let’s brush that off and start again. How about you come over for some drinks? I think we earned a do-over, don’t you?” Jake levels me with his intense gaze.
“I think so,” I agree. “Just let me get changed, I’ll be right over.”
“Aww, I like this look,” Luke still slowly devours my body with his hungry eyes. I feel my nipples harden as they both stare at me.
“I’ll only be a minute,” I force myself to pull away from them and go back inside.
Damn they’re hot. I need to hurry, I don’t want to miss a second of this night.
* * *
Chapter 4 - MacKenzie
Taking the stairs two at a time, I race to the top and quickly make my way to my bedroom closet. I know there’s no big hurry, but I’d like to get changed as fast as I can so I still have a little time to put on some lip gloss and eyeliner before I tackle my crazy mane.
Sch-wip, sch-wip! I slide the hangers across the bar and eye up my outfits. I decide on a flirty, short skirt and a form fitting tee. It isn’t long before I slip into a matching bra and thong and layer my choice of clothes for the night over top.
My feet fit snugly in my ballerina flats and I stop by my full-length mirror to take a peek at the completed ensemble. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
My eyes travel over my body slowly, like Luke’s did earlier and a tiny shiver runs through me with delight.
I remember, when I could never imagine any guy looking at me like that. When I was in junior high and had a face full of hormonal acne and a mouth full of braces, I never imagined I’d ever be anything but ugly. The fact that my mother insisted I perm my short hair into tight, poodle-like curls didn’t help things either.
Now, my hair is more work, but I love how it flows over my shoulders and down my back like a trail of hot lava.
It doesn’t take that long to tame my casual curls into submission. Then with a swipe of lip gloss and some quick work with my eyeliner, I’m ready to go.
I check the time on my way back downstairs, it only took me twenty minutes. Not bad.
Making my way to the dining room, I linger in front of my liquor cabinet as I decide what to bring over. You don’t work for years at a classy bar and not learn a thing or two about booze.
I pluck a bottle of Monkey Shoulder from my collection of amber bottles of aged whiskeys and head out.
Rapping my knuckles against my new neighbors’ door, I tilt my head and listen as I hear someone walking toward the door. It sweeps open and reveals Luke with a grin on his face.
“Well, well, looking good. And you brought a welcome gift too, nice.” He lifts the bottle from my hand. “Come in, make yourself at home,” he moves from the door and I cautiously walk inside as if I didn’t just barge in here only hours ago.
In all honesty, it doesn’t feel like the same place at all. My mouth drops open as I walk into the living room, now completely put together. I twirl in the middle of the room, in disbelief that they’ve made so much progress on moving day. When I first came here, it took me a month to get unpacked fully.
“The place looks amazing,” I smile at my guests, both carefully watching me.
“Thanks,” Luke responds. “That’s why we started so early today, we wanted to have it done by tonight,” he explains.
I stare too long into his beautiful blue eyes, even after he has spoken. They’re hypnotic.
“How about a drink?” He holds up the bottle I brought, breaking the spell.
“Sounds great,” Jake agrees. I nod my head.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Luke nods at the leather sofa across the room before disappearing into the kitchen.
I take a seat and Jake joins me. For once, he’s not staring me down with his deep brown eyes. He’s not scowling or smug. Instead, he leans back and relaxes, like he hasn’t had the chance to sit down all day.
Judging by this place, neither of them have.
Luke returns with our drinks and sits on the chair across from us with a friendly smile.
“So, you mentioned you work nights?” He breaks the ice.
“Yeah, I’m a bartender at a whiskey bar downtown,” I answer and take a long gulp from my drink. It goes down smooth, tracing a warm trail down my throat.
“Oh, cool. Is that where that guy came from?” He nods back at the door as if Chris is still standing out on the front lawn with a boombox.
“Yeah, he came in for drinks one night and became obsessive,” I explain.
“Not hard to see why,” Luke’s friendly smile evaporates from his face as his gaze freely explores the curves of my body.
I clear my throat and look at Jake, who still hasn’t said a word. “So, what do you guys do for a living? Are you brothers? Or…?
“Luke and I have been friends since we were kids,” Jake sits up taller and I notice how his muscular shoulders seem to grow even wider as he breathes in.
“Yep, this guy has had my back since grade seven. Wouldn�
�t trade him for the world,” Luke agrees. “As for jobs, I dabble mostly. I like to think of myself as an artist.” He brushes his shaggy, blond locks from where they’ve fallen across his bronze-kissed forehead.
In his skin-tight tee, I can’t help but notice his tightly coiled muscles and the deep cut ridges between his well-defined abs. For a second I picture my tongue running over every bump.
“That’s Luke’s way of saying he doesn’t get paid well. He makes jewelry that he supposedly sells down at the beach. However, I think he spends more time on his board than at his table.”
“Dude, the waves are my inspiration. I get my best ideas when it’s just me and the waves.”
“I’ve never tried surfing,” I admit. “I’ve always wanted to though.”
“You should totally come to the beach on your next day off with me. I’ll show you the ropes,” Luke’s blue eyes brighten at the thought.
“Thanks, I might do that.”
“Don’t thank me, if I get to see that bod in a bikini, I’m the one who should thank you,” he smiles.
Normally, I enjoy a good game of cat and mouse, it’s pretty rare that I’ll go for someone so bold. However, I can’t help but smile at Luke. There’s something about him that’s incredibly sincere, and possibly, incredibly dirty. I like it.
“Didn’t you say you’re a writer?” I turn in my seat and face Jake. His eyes narrow at Luke and then focus back at me.
“No, I believe someone else mentioned that,” he keeps his lips pursed. So much for small talk.
“Hey man, tell her what you write,” Luke eggs him on.
Jake’s eyes flash as he gives his room mate a pointed look.
“He writes dirty books,” Luke continues, “tell her, dude.”
I watch as Jake sighs and takes a long drink from his glass, emptying it. “How about you get some more drinks, huh?” He hands his glass to Luke, and I follow suit.
“Dirty books?” I don’t let him change the subject so easily. “What kind of dirty books?”
Jake rubs his hand over his dark scruff as the corners of his full lips twitch. When he looks into my eyes, I feel like I might melt right here on the couch. His eyes are so intense, I can’t make myself look away.
Quickies Page 3
