The Bartender (Working Men Series Book 3)

by Ramona Gray

  “Why?”

  “Because it isn’t any of my business.”

  I studied her for a moment. “I want you to know.”

  “Then tell me,” she said simply.

  I tried to pull my hands away and she shook her head. “No. Don’t pull away already. Just tell me, honey.”

  I took a deep breath and stared at her sweet face. “I was raised by my aunt and uncle. My mother was a single mom, and she got into drugs and died of an overdose when I was ten. Her sister took me in, but her husband was a drunk. He beat my aunt, my cousin, and me whenever he got drunk, which was often.”

  “Oh honey.” She leaned forward and hugged me before I could stop her.

  I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her throat as she stroked my back. After a few minutes, we broke apart but when she leaned against me, I didn’t stop her. Her hair was braided, and I touched the thick plait as she wrapped her arm around my waist and rested her cheek against my chest.

  “I ran away when I was sixteen. Three weeks later, my uncle was drunk and downstairs in the basement. My aunt and my cousin were upstairs in bed. My uncle passed out while smoking and the house caught on fire. They all died.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said again.

  I kissed the top of her head. “I lived on the streets until I was nineteen and got arrested for grand theft auto.”

  She lifted her head and stared at me. Feeling sick to my stomach, I said, “I was working for this guy named Tony, jacking cars and bringing them back to his shop. I knew it was wrong, but I needed the money, and there was a part of me that didn’t care. I was… angry and bitter at the world.”

  “I’m not surprised,” she said before squeezing me. “You didn’t have a good life, Ren.”

  “Anyway, Tony ran the biggest car jacking ring in the city and the cops had been after him for a while. Eventually, his time ran out and he, as well as a bunch of his employees, myself included, were arrested. Because I was only nineteen, the judge was lenient. I got four to seven years with the chance of parole.”

  She petted my chest through my shirt. “How horrible was it in prison?”

  “It wasn’t great, but I got my GED while I was in there and stayed out of trouble. After four years, I was granted parole. My parole officer was, well, he was actually a pretty good guy, and he helped me out a lot. He found me a place to stay and was okay with it when I got a job as a bouncer at a bar. A lot of parole officers don’t like that shit. They want you to get a job in an office or at a fucking car dealership or something. Anyway, the owner of the bar liked me and after about three months, he stuck me behind the bar and taught me how to be a bartender.”

  “Do you like being a bartender?” She asked.

  “I do. I like owning my own bar. Anyway, after a year, I wanted a fresh start, wanted to get out of the city, you know? So, I talked to my parole officer and got his permission to move. I moved here and worked construction for a few years before Jack helped me get the loan to open my bar.”

  “Are you still on parole?”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s done. Rach, I never did anything violent. I swear. I got in a few fights here and there, but I -”

  She sat up and cupped my face. “You’re a good man, Ren Parker. That’s more than obvious. I’m not afraid of you and I know you’re not violent. You’re the sweetest man I know.”

  “What about your mother?”

  “I’m not talking to her anymore.”

  “I can’t be the person who comes between you and your mom. I won’t -”

  “You’re not. I don’t want to go into detail right now, but I promise to give you the whole sordid story soon,” she said. “My Mom is…well, let’s just say I’m cutting her out of my life for me, not you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “God, yes.” She gave me a mock look of annoyance. “It’s not all about you, Ren Parker. I have my own baggage, you know.”

  I smiled a little before sobering. “I’m not good enough for you.”

  Her forehead wrinkled, and her hands squeezed my face. “Say that again to me and I swear I’ll make you eat my pussy a thousand times before I suck your dick once.”

  I laughed, I couldn’t help it, and she beamed at me before standing up. “C’mon, handsome. Let’s go to your bedroom.”

  “Rachel, we should talk some more.”

  “No, we’ve done enough talking for now. Come to your bedroom and let me suck your dick, Ren.”

  I hesitated a moment longer and she tugged on my hands. “Do I need to get on my knees and beg?”

  A slow grin crossed my face. “If you’re on your knees in front of me, sweetheart, your mouth will be too full to beg.”

  “There you are.” She gave me a cat-like look of satisfaction as I stood and took her hand.

  * * *

  “You are so fucking hot, sweetheart. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

  I smoothed Rachel’s hair back as she stared up at me. I had unbraided her hair after we had undressed, and I gathered her long tresses in one hand as I stared down at her. Fuck. Rachel, naked and on her knees with my cock in her mouth was the most beautiful goddamn thing I’d ever seen.

  “Good, sweetheart. Suck a little harder.”

  She sucked harder, staring up at me as I tugged lightly on her hair to guide her back and forth over my dick. She had admitted to me that she’d never had a cock in her mouth when we got to the bedroom, but goddamn, her enthusiasm for sucking my dick was overshadowing any of her awkward, not-quite-certain-what-to-do moves.

  “That’s good, sweetheart. Do you like sucking on my cock?”

  She nodded, and I made a harsh groan, my hips thrusting forward when she hummed, and her lips vibrated around my aching dick. I pulled back and she grinned up at me as I wiped away a mixture of my cum and her saliva from her chin.

  “I read about doing that in a book. Did it feel good?”

  “So good.” I hauled her up into a standing position and she pouted at me.

  “Why are you making me stop?”

  “I need to fuck you right now.”

  “Okay.” She gave me a thumbs-up and hopped onto the bed.

  I laughed and stretched out next to her as she studied my dick. “Can I try being on top?”

  I nodded, and she straddled me a bit clumsily. I groaned when she rubbed her soaking wet pussy against my dick.

  She made an unladylike grunt that did nothing to lessen my hard-on for her as she tried to push her pussy onto my dick. “Ren, help me. I can’t get it in.”

  I winked at her before patting one smooth thigh. “Lift up a bit.”

  She braced her hands on my chest and lifted her lower body. I grabbed my cock and rubbed the head of it against her clit.

  “Oh! Oh my gosh. Maybe you should just keep doing that,” she moaned.

  I ignored her and guided my dick to her wet, hot hole. As I pushed the head in, she made a happy little squeal and sank down, taking all of my cock in one hot push.

  “Oh!”

  “You okay?” I gave her a worried look and she nodded.

  “Yes, you’re just really thick. I need a minute.”

  I tucked my hands under my head and smiled up at her. “Take all the time you need, sweetheart.”

  She traced her fingers over my chest and I bucked a little into her when she pinched my nipple.

  “Ooh, that’s nice,” she said.

  She braced her hands against my chest again before moving up and down in a slow rhythm. I began to thrust up in time with her movements and she moaned happily before cupping her own breasts and pinching her nipples.

  “Fuck!” My hands came out from under my head in a hurry and I gripped her hips before fucking her hard and rough.

  She squealed and rode my rough movements, squeezing her thighs around my waist like I was a bucking bronco.

  “Touch yourself.” I demanded.

  She wet her lips before reaching down and rubbing her clit a bit hes
itantly.

  “Don’t be shy, sweetheart,” I said. “Touch it like you want it.”

  She giggled but began to rub her clit in a hard circular motion.

  “Good,” I said. I watched her rub her clit as I fucked her, and when after only a few minutes, she began to moan and toss her head back and forth, I didn’t stop her from cumming. Watching Rachel cum all over my cock was something I would never tire of. Her moans grew louder, and she shouted my name as her climax rushed through her. Her body stiffened, her pussy tightened exquisitely around my cock and then milked it with hard, rhythmic pulses as she came.

  I cursed and thrust in and out, Rachel’s squeezing wet pussy drawing my own orgasm from me in a hard, roaring rush that took my breath away and made my entire body shake. I arched into her again and again until I collapsed on the bed, panting harshly.

  Rachel rested her head on my chest and I petted her hair as she rubbed my arm. After a few moments, she eased off of me. I missed her soft warmth almost immediately and I pulled her close as she snuggled against my side.

  “So good,” she whispered.

  “Hmm.”

  “It’s good for you, right?” She stared up at me and I kissed her forehead.

  “Sweetheart, you have no idea. I can’t get enough of you.”

  “Good.” She rested against me again.

  After a while, I shifted beneath her and she raised her head. She studied my face and touched my jaw. “What’s wrong?”

  “Why do you want to be with me?”

  “Because I love you.”

  I sucked in a hard breath. She had said she loved me in her kitchen, but I didn’t know if she had meant it or was just saying it to piss her mother off.

  “Why do you look so surprised?” She asked. “I know you heard me say it earlier.”

  “I didn’t know if you meant it.”

  “Of course I meant it. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t. I know you’re not there yet, and I’m not trying to freak you out or anything, I promise. I just wanted you to know that I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  She sat up and stared at me. “Did you just say you loved me?”

  “Yes.”

  “For real?”

  “Yes.”

  “Like, you’re in love with me, want to be with me, will let me fuck you whenever I want to, love?”

  “Yes, yes, and…yes.”

  She laughed. “I knew it.”

  “You did not.”

  “Did too. You’re an open book when it comes to your feelings and I, Sir, am a librarian. I read books for a living.”

  I burst into laughter before pulling her down on top of me and kissing her hard on the mouth. “God, I love you.”

  “I love you too, Ren Parker.”

  * * *

  Please enjoy an excerpt of “The Welder”, Book Four in the Working Men Series.

  The Welder is available for preorder HERE.

  The Welder

  (Book Four)

  Working Men Series

  Copyright © 2018 Ramona Gray

  Luna

  Now’s your chance, girl. You have to tell him.

  I wanted to ignore my inner voice as the big man approached the counter. It was strange to see him in the coffee shop at this time. He always stopped by in the morning, and when I didn’t see him this morning, I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t see him at all today.

  But now, just five minutes before my shift ended, he was walking through the doors. He was wearing his usual t-shirt and jeans and I admired the broadness of his chest before peeking quickly at his crotch. Not sure why I looked, but damn if I didn’t every time. Apparently I was expecting, or maybe hoping, that he would just once have a noticeable woody.

  Yeah, because he just can’t control his reaction to you.

  I sighed. Pretending that Asher Stokes was attracted to me was the stupidest thing ever, but damned if I hadn’t been pretending since high school. He’d never shown a single lick of interest in me though, which made what I was about to tell him a thousand times harder.

  You did it to yourself. This is what you get for lying.

  My inner voice wasn’t wrong but, man, did it have to sound so judgmental?

  Of course, I didn’t have to tell Asher anything. I could just admit the truth to my sister when she came to town in minus three days and counting.

  I could look her in the eye and say, “Lydia, I’ve been lying to you for the last eight months. I am not, in fact, dating Asher Stokes.”

  It sounded simple enough in my head, but my entire body cringed at the thought. The look she would give me, the smug smile, the “Oh, Luna, I knew it all along. If Asher didn’t want me, he’d never want you.”

  She probably wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hear it. I had spent my entire life living in my sister’s shadow, and it had felt so good to finally have something she’d always wanted, but never had.

  The fact that it was one giant whopper of a lie that was three days and four hours away from unravelling around me, was small details. Right?

  The giant was standing in front of me now and my body started shaking, just like it always did when he was close. Not from fear. Oh no. Even though he could have crushed me easily with one ham-sized hand, I’d never felt any fear around him.

  Bone-rattling, vein-throbbing, body-shaking, lust?

  Yeah, that I was familiar with.

  “Hi, Asher. Your usual?” My voice was high-pitched. I sounded like fucking Minnie Mouse. Great.

  “Hey. Yeah, the usual.”

  “Coming right up!”

  His brows drew down and he studied me thoughtfully as he pulled a few bills from his wallet.

  Oh fuck. I was screwing this up royally.

  Then don’t talk to him. Just admit to your sister what you did and be done with it.

  “No!”

  “I’m sorry?” Asher gave me another confused look as he held the bills out to me.

  Oh God, I’d said it out loud. I smoothed my shaking hands over my apron, wishing I hadn’t spilled that Frappuccino all over it after lunch.

  “Um, nothing,” I said. I took his money and rang it through before handing him back his change. My fingers brushed against his rough palm and my shaking increased tenfold. God, I needed to get control of my own damn body.

  I turned away and poured his coffee, venti dark roast, and brought it to the other end of the counter where the man of my fucking dreams was waiting. I’d left more room than I normally did but I’d had no choice with the way my body was vibrating. As it was, I still spilled a bit of the hot liquid on his hand when I set the coffee down.

  He made a soft hiss and I dabbed at his hand with my fingertips, trying to, I dunno, soak up the hot liquid with my own flesh because that made perfect sense.

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  “Fine.”

  I grabbed his hand and studied the top of it. “Do you need a bandage? We have a first-aid kit in the back and it has stuff for burns.”

  He yanked his hand away. “It’s fine. I get burned all the time.”

  I blinked at him. “Oh, uh, right. Sorry.”

  Fuck, I was an idiot. The man did welding for a living and his hands showed it. They were marked with small scars from burns that would have hurt a lot worse than some hot coffee.

  “Bye.” He picked up his coffee and turned away.

  Shit, he was leaving. I had to do something, say something – “Asher?”

  He turned around and studied me silently.

  “Um, do you have a few minutes to talk? I’m off, uh, now actually, and there’s something I wanted to discuss with you.”

  I waited for him to say no, waited for him to make the decision for me about whether I was humiliated in front of my sister or humiliated in front of the man I’d wanted for most of my life.

  “Okay.”

  “I’m sorry?” I blinked up at him, certain I had misheard him. Okay sound
ed like no in some languages, right?

  “I said okay.” He repeated himself like I was slow and, honestly, I couldn’t blame him.

  “Oh, great. Okay, I just need ten minutes. Do you mind waiting while I cash out?”

  He shook his head and I stumbled back from the counter. “Okay. Great. Okay, I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere!” I laughed like a drunk donkey having a stroke, and then tripped over the box of coffee that someone – me, it was me – had left by the counter. I landed hard on my ass and popped back up immediately as my coworker Jeff rolled his eyes and kept on walking.

  I resisted the urge to rub my butt as Asher stared at me. “Sorry. I’ll, uh, be right back.”

  * * *

  The Welder (Working Men Series Book Four) is available for preorder HERE.

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  If you would like more information about Ramona Gray, please visit her at:

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  Books by Ramona Gray:

  Individual Books

  The Escort

  Saving Jax

  The Assistant

  One Night

  Sharing Del

  Other World Series

  The Vampire’s Kiss (Book One)

  The Vampire’s Love (Book Two)

  The Shifter’s Mate (Book Three)

  Rescued By The Wolf (Book Four)

  Claiming Quinn (Book Five)

  Choosing Rose (Book Six)

  Undeniable Series

  Undeniably His

  Undeniably Hers

  Undeniably Theirs

  Working Men Series

  The Mechanic

  The Carpenter

  The Bartender

  The Welder

  The Electrician

  The Landscaper