Haven

by J D Worth

  “Bastard!” Cal says. We turn our attention his way. Cal jerks his head at us, and Mace withdraws his sly hand from my shorts.

  Cal whispers in Payton’s ear. She takes her time laying all the way back on the bar, riling up the crowd with her sexy poses. Cal’s playful finger runs along the bare skin of her short top. His tongue roves around her belly button while her hand runs over his head, enjoying herself. He places the lime between her breasts and licks her lips, adding a sprinkle of salt. She sucks in her stomach and he pours the shot in the concave of her belly button area. Cal makes his move by licking her lips and sucking his drink off her belly. He goes for the kill when he reaches her breast, pulling back with the lime in his mouth and pumping his fists in the air, egging on the loud cheers.

  Cal pipes up with a proud puff of his chest, pouring more shots for us. “Looks like I’m the winner here. Drink up, y’all!” Payton swings to a sitting position on the bar beside me, grabbing a shot for the both of us to make a toast.

  “Wait!” I say, catching their attention. “I didn’t get my turn.” Payton’s head flies back with laughter, and Cal slams another quick shot. Mace plants his hand on my ass. His lips curl before grazing my neck with a kiss.

  Cal shakes his head. “I’m out, seein’ how this can go all night now. I’ve already had plenty of shots, and we still got the after party. I’m gonna meet up with Violet and Jax by the stage. Trent’s last set has begun, so the good stuff will be playin’. Wrap this up and behave, young’uns!” We chuckle as Cal’s accent grows in intensity the more he drinks.

  Payton trades looks with me, noticing Violet and Jax have slipped out while we were making a commotion at the bar. After their amorous tequila exchange, they’re off humping in some corner like usual.

  I smile at Mace and turn my attention to Payton. “May I?” I ask, holding a saltshaker and eyeing her breasts. I pat the stool in front of me. She smirks at Mace while sliding down from the bar and wrapping her legs around me.

  “Oh, please!” She surprises me by weaving her hands in my hair and full on kisses me, adding tongue for show. She shifts back against the bar, giving me a coy wink, keying up the crowd for me before I even begin.

  Considering a little payback is in order, I arch my brow back at Mace. He says under his breath, “Fuck me.”

  Sensing where I’m going with this body shot, Payton chuckles and pushes her chest outward. She’s more than willing to help. I lick a trail between her breasts and add a sprinkle of salt. Payton tips her head back. I pour a shot in her mouth while sweeping the tip of my tongue up her cleavage. She puckers her sexy lips while swallowing, revving up the crowd. Taking the bottle from me, she pours a little between her breasts so that I can catch the liquor with my mouth. She sinks her hand into one of my butt cheeks, hauls me towards her, and closes the shot with a kiss to her lips.

  “Give it up for our friend here. First timer!” Payton cheers. She holds up our hands and whistles with her fingers. Her eyes shine at me while the crowd goes berserk.

  “We got a winner here.” Sawyer swings a tiny Sunset logo tank top around his head before handing the trophy off to me. I slip the tank top over my other one as I beam at my silly prize.

  “Damn, Audrey, I’ve been wanting one of those for a long time. Got Candace to come in one time and neither of us got one either. I guess next time I should aim for the boobs, huh? Hey!”

  Mace hauls me away while smirking at her. “I don’t share, not even with you, Hot Lips!”

  Payton growls at his nickname as she follows close. She rasps in my ear, “Now you’ve got the hot, fired up biker. You can thank me later. Up until now, he’s only been lukewarm.” She kisses my cheek as my eyes go wide. She gives me an encouraging pat while Mace’s hand slides low, squeezing my ass.

  We weave around the crowd, catching up with Jax and Violet in front of the stage. The band is just feet away. The loud music vibrates through my teeth as Crow plays a rock song. On the other side of us, Payton leans back into Cal’s chest. Feeling the alcohol, Cal ditches his bashful side and wraps his arm around her, donning the silly smile he wears only for her. She whispers up at him.

  “Goof, you done won the body shot competition?” He laughs. “Let’s keep this side trip between us. I don’t want Pop mad at me for corrupting Miss Charlotte’s daughter. I’d never hear the end of it, not after your momma asked me to look out for you,” Cal says, ruffling my hair. He tops off his actions by giving me a playful kiss on the head. Somehow, that one kiss on the head feels like complete acceptance into this group. I’ve seen Mace and Cal give countless kisses to both of the girls. Jax is more of a hugger, which he had given me one earlier tonight. I smile, finding a niche in this world with my new friends.

  Payton leans over and whispers into Violet’s ear next. She grins as Jax laughs, smacking Mace on the shoulder. Mace raises his arm towards Trent, signaling something to him. Trent aims his bass in our direction, moving into the chords for the next song.

  Gavin flashes his ocean blue eyes in our direction, swinging his hands up, charging up the audience. “Okay, folks! Our last song tonight is a request going out to a friend right here in the front row. Great crowd tonight with lots of beautiful women, a bunch of old friends, and only one scuffle. Give it up for our band ‘Crow’!”

  Mace’s hands glide around me while the band breaks into their song. Loud clapping and hollering travels across the club in support of the band. Rough lips touch my shoulder as Mace sways our bodies to the music. I wrap my arms back around his neck. The intimate embrace has lit every one of my nerve endings on fire.

  I commit the beautiful lyrics about a woman in flight and breaking herself free from her cage to my mind. The words sound like poetry against the soft Southern blues-rock ballad as the instruments master a perfect harmony with Gavin’s smooth singing voice. The band ends the song and exits the stage while the devoted fan base fiercely calls for an encore.

  Mace holds my neck to the side so he can kiss me. “You’re mine, Princess. I can’t share you, even if Payton was just fuckin’ ’round! Every guy here wants a piece of you after that sexy body shot you gave her.”

  “Duh! Remember I spend most of my time around asshole brokers. I get plenty of insight into their feeble minds. Guys always lose their shit when you put two women together, especially in a bar.” I square my shoulders to him. “After Martin’s revelation yesterday, I’m tired of being kept from the truth. I’m not that innocent, so don’t hold back like earlier in the dressing room. Are you honestly afraid of corrupting me?”

  “I’m not the good guy here. I’d corrupt you in every sense of the word and fuckin’ love every moment of it too. One weak moment on my behalf would be all it’d take to ruin you. To ruin the both of us. You’re here only for one more week.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Princess, you wanna run into a burning building without thinking twice. I get that the broker lifestyle is ’bout that fuckin’ amazing rush, and like your cupcake obsession, you can’t get enough. Step out of that mindset ’cause I’m asking for more time. We both need a slow burn here before we blow things up. You can’t or you won’t give that to me.”

  “Do you recall why I drink Jack? My life is bullshit. Mapped out for me even before I was born. I have no choice in the matter. Each time I sip Jack, the burn brings me back to my little corner in the world. When that semblance of fire burns deep in my belly, I remember whom I am inside and nobody can steal that from me. The situation between us is what it is, Mace. Yes, I leave in a week. I’m not sure about returning. Lilith is a master of deterring my own plans behind my back. Certainly, the broker rush frames my life because all we truly have is today. Why do you keep punting what we can have now? I don’t need you to make those decisions for me. I want to be with you today. I want what you’re offering in that dressing room and much more.”

  “And I want all of your tomorrows as well. Pretty Boy got in your head, don’t fool your
self because I would’ve claimed you already. Sorry, Princess, you’re just not there yet. When Anton handled you tonight, you froze up and looked like you were gonna lose your shit.”

  “I was managing Anton just fine, but thank you for reminding me how badly you think Pretty Boy fucked me up.” I drop my head.

  “Hey.” Mace lifts my chin, saying, “That just means you gotta work him out.”

  “These last few weeks have been the most amazing in my life. I’ve been embracing life to the fullest.” Fighting off a frown, I press my lips together. “Once I return to New York, the emotional part that makes life worth living is over for me. Don’t you get it? I want to experience every facet, including you!”

  “I could give you that if that’s what you really needed. Though, you can’t give me what I need, so it’s not a fair trade.”

  “What do you need from me, Mace?” His face remains stoic. I go to slip past him, and his arm shoots out to stop me. I bump into Cal who sizes up the commotion between Mace and me. Cal plants his beefy hands on Mace’s chest, giving him a warning. When the band takes the stage again, I vanish into the rowdy crowd.

  22

  I squeeze in at the bar, thankful for the breather from the intensity that always surrounds Mace. When I catch Sawyer’s attention, he asks me, “What can I get you, Little Bird?”

  “Jack Daniels neat. Make that a double. Thank you.” He scans the crowd behind me for one of my friends since I’m at the bar alone. It doesn’t matter how I’m dressed when I carry myself a certain way. Someone like me shouldn’t be at a place like this by myself.

  Sawyer adds a little extra before slinging the drink towards me. “On the house. After the show you and Payton put on, you should’ve seen the ladies lining up for body shots. Went through all of my limes and three bottles of my top shelf tequila, though no woman got the crowd going like you two did.” I give him a grimacing smile. I close my eyes, savoring how the whiskey sears all the way down to my toes.

  I slip a fifty in Sayer’s tip jar when he bellows out last call. As soon as the band wraps their encore, the bar is quick to empty. The band and a mass of their followers move into the back room by the stage.

  “Make that two.” Mace’s rough voice draws beside me, tapping the mahogany bar.

  “Here, take the bottle for the after party.” Sawyer pushes the bottle towards Mace after giving me a refill.

  I keep my eyes trained on the mirrored bar shelf. Mace parks his elbow on the bar like he did at the wedding reception. That seems ages ago, yet only three weeks have passed. My existence flipped after getting a taste of what life has to offer when I’m a willing participant. A mere glimpse dangled in my face. I’m unable to maintain this life no matter how hard I try. Now I want to feel everything. I thirst for new sensations. I want to seek new emotions. Why was I so afraid to feel before?

  “Princess, the bar is closed, and the after party is in the back. A private room for the band.”

  “Sawyer was gracious enough to pour me a drink. Will it kill you if I take a moment?” I swallow back another swig. Mace taps the counter. Several shot glasses appear in front of him before Sawyer disappears in the back.

  Mace fills up his shots glasses, taking them back in quick succession. “All right then, the party will have to wait while we’re out here chasing fuckin’ dragons.”

  “I’ve heard my castle is surrounded,” I reply, not holding back on my alcohol consumption. Mace usually only sips on a bottle as I do. I have never seen him drink as much as tonight. There’s so much more I don’t know about Mace than what I do.

  “You ready for the burn? Dragons do spit fire.” He concedes by refilling his shots. “You’d know, wouldn’t you?”

  “I’m always ready. I have quite the infestation.” I look around the bar as Mace swallows down a laugh. “Where are my seven dwarfs when I need them most? I am a goddamned princess after all!” I tease by pounding the bar and giving Mace a scathing look. His eyes harden. I snag one of his shots and take the liquor back.

  Mace downs his and slams the glass on the counter. “Let’s tear this bullshit up the right way.”

  “Yes, we can finally demolish the fairy tale. Has anyone ever told you that you’re too big to be Doc the dwarf?” I mock with a big lopsided grin, letting the alcohol pull my strings. “You’re the Jolly Green Giant … wait, you’re not that jolly.” I wave my hand at him. “Don’t tell me I should already know what you need from me. I’ll get it eventually. Apparently, I’m slow on the uptake. All that damn sugar fried my brain. I should just snort sprinkles. Boyce could be my dealer.”

  Mace cracks up at me. “You that drunk, Princess?”

  The harsh overhead lights flicker on so the bar crew can start cleaning up. I squint at him as a haze of light beams over our heads. “Appears so and much more than at Sonny’s. At this point, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to walk in a straight line anymore. I may not remember this conversation either.” I muse. “Another first for me by the way. Hey, wasn’t that the point of staying in hotel rooms tonight?”

  “Motel rooms.”

  “Oh, that’ right. We’re talking about staying at a motel, another first.” I let out a sardonic laugh. “Naive rich people problems, right?” I crack up again, my face flushes from the alcohol. “Fairy tales explain how skewed my existence is. Things like motels don’t even register. Forget about tattoo studios and bars like this.” I look around the dank space. “My grandmother would call me ‘provincial’ for being here, dressed like this.” I glance down at my skimpy outfit that I wouldn’t dream of wearing in New York. “Happy? I do live in a fairy-tale world. A crystal bubble to be exact.” I sigh so deep that I sag on my stool.

  Mace replies, “Of course, the Asters keep you in a bubble. How else could they control you? I knew who they were the moment I laid eyes on them at the reception. William couldn’t stop smoozing, and Lilith was the stiffest suit in the room.”

  I form a gun with my fingers and click my tongue. “You got it! However, my mother also played this dangerous game. She’s the one who sent me away to protect me from my parents’ divorce. She spent her time down here with a hammer. All the while, her real battle was with cancer. She robbed me of that time with her and my chance to comfort her. When I could, she was bedridden. I only had two months by her bedside. The last three weeks, she didn’t open her eyes while she withered away. I’m still processing.” I rub my weary eyes, aghast with myself over the lingering unresolved anger I have towards my mother. Why so many damn secrets?

  “You’re not like her,” Mace contends. I do a slow blink at him. “Lilith,” he clarifies. I reach for the bottle, and he parks his hand over mine. “I see the fear in your eyes of ending up emotionless like her. Your mother sent you away to protect you from the repeated heartache, not ’cause you couldn’t handle the pain. My momma was depressed and did the same by leaving. Neither ran away, they both carved out new beginnings. We were kids. We may not like what they did, but they had their own shit to work out too. Their own dragons to slay. Everyone does. What they gave us was hope for new beginnings.”

  “I was so arrogant when I first came down here. Assuming everyone here lives an improvised existence, I gave Violet those shoes. The burden of student loan debts sometimes gets a passing mention in business news. I figured my shoes could help her. However, I wound up stumbling badly with my attempt to aid an assumed ‘need.’” I sigh under my breath and scrap the black label from the whiskey bottle with my thumbnail. “I come from a place where nobody has needs while they fill every passing whim. We pay people to cater to every one of our needs. That leaves our outlandish ‘wants.’ A Lamborghini, sure no problem. Another private jet? A custom-made wedding dress that costs a quarter of a million dollars? How about your own island in the Maldives? Yes, got that covered, even if you have to circumvent a government to get it. We seem to have no bounds when it comes to our wants. We keep trying to fill cavernous holes because our souls our empty. Tha
t’s the truth.”

  “Your momma was not like that.”

  “Why? Because she filled me with love? Love I’ve not been able to feel since she died? Nothing lasts forever, Mace. Haven has been a wakeup call for me. The community may be poor, but not one of you is lacking when it comes to supportive family, friendships, and love. There’s so much love here. And hope, just as you stated, for a brighter future. I’m trying to figure out what you want, which is challenging when that has always equated to the all mighty dollar in my world.” I meet his eyes again.

  “Me not telling you what I want … well, that’s something you gotta experience for yourself. First, you gotta crack outta your own damn bubble before you can move onto bigger and better things, like shattering the glass ceiling on Wall Street. You’re getting closer. Please keep digging through the bullshit. At this rate, you’ll burn your way through.” Mace pours us each another shot. He lifts his drink up and smirks. “To fire accelerants.”

  I toss my head back and laugh.

  Mace asks, “Why did you get a tattoo?”