With her purse and lunch bag flung over her shoulder, she looked done with her work for the day. What I would do to strip her down, make her soak in a bath, then fuck the effort and stress of the day out of her.
Those emerald eyes turned back to Bella along with a sassy, cocked eyebrow.
"Well, did you ask Logan's friend what he likes to drink?"
"I drink Scotch mostly. Not a big beer guy," Christian offered.
Aubrey returned her gaze to us and smiled. My cock pressed insistently against my zipper. Fuck, no woman made me instantly hard like this since I was a teenager.
"You would love the Scotch ale then," she said. "It's a bit higher alcohol and will have a similar peaty flavor."
"Perfect! I'll have that. I'm Christian, by the way," he said, extending his hand.
"Aubrey." She smiled when she shook his hand and my envy of him grew even more. He had already touched more of her soft, supple skin than I had.
"Aubrey's one of the brewers here," I said.
"Really?" Christian's eyebrows raised, genuinely impressed. "How do you like your job?"
"I love it. It's what I was born to do." She said it as if it were a simple fact of life.
"And she's great at it," I added with a wink.
She blushed even redder as she came around to our side of the bar and shifted the round globes of her ass onto a barstool. "I'll take a stout please, Bella." My eyes trailed up from her legs to her ass and the narrow curve of her waist.
Okay, fuck Christian's handshake. What I envied most was that barstool underneath her.
"Well, it was lovely meeting you both," Christian said, nodding politely as Bella came forward with his drink.
"You too." Aubrey tossed a lock of flaming red hair over her shoulder, which did nothing to quell the hardness raging in my pants, and raised her glass to us. "Cheers."
Christian punched me playfully when we returned to our private table. "Did you set out to buy a place run by all hot women, you dirty dog?"
I laughed. "Unfortunately not. You just happened to meet the two who are easiest on the eyes."
"Don't go sticking your pen in company ink now." He said it in a joking tone but I knew he was serious. Sleeping with employees created nothing but trouble in the workplace and they made for messy lawsuits as well.
"I know, man." I hid my frustration behind a long sip of beer. Running businesses became a science to me. It was simple, clean, easy. Not micromanaging or sleeping with your employees was a given.
But as I drank in those delicious curves in my mind’s eye, I knew even one night with Aubrey would be worth it.
As for the aftermath? I'd figure something out. If she was anything like most women I've met, she'd want more. More of my dick and more of my money.
She's different, though.
I don't know where the thought came from. It floated into my head like a disembodied voice whispering in my ear. I barely knew Aubrey but something told me it was true.
"So what the fuck does Charlie want this time?" I said, eager to change the subject.
Chris rolled his eyes dramatically and took a long pull from his beer.
"I'm not sure exactly. Just attention, it seems. He's running an MLM scam and using your business name as an associate of it."
"Fucking hell."
I placed my head in my hands. This was typical Charlie. Riding my coattails for as long as he could and then some more to make himself look legitimate.
Or at least that was the approach he took after I returned one of his hitmen looking like he went through a meat grinder.
Anyone with an ounce of common sense would stop kicking a beehive after they got covered in stings. Charlie stopped kicking alright, but his new strategy seemed to be staying ten feet away and poking me with a stick.
"I sent his lawyer a cease and desist already. He came back with 'wanting to talk man to man', as he said."
"There's nothing to fucking talk about," I growled, feeling my temper rise. "Our partnership was dissolved. He fucked me over. I wanted no association with him whatsoever. How can he legally do this?"
"We can sue him for libel and easily win. But not much beyond that."
I clenched my fist around my glass, knowing I could break it if I squeezed hard enough. My breath came in hard bursts through my nostrils like a bull.
I was fucking livid.
Of course, Charlie was smart enough to not do anything truly illegal. He didn't want jail time, he just wanted to keep buzzing in my ear like the filthy insect he was. I needed to squash him for good. But how to do that without landing in prison myself? It almost happened the first time.
"What can we do, Chris?" I asked, clenching my other fist at my side. I needed to hit the heavy bag at the gym soon before I hit something here. "I just wish he would fucking disappear."
"I'll make a few calls tonight. Maybe set a PI on on him,” Christian said. “He's a slimy bastard. There's gotta be something we can pin against him that would ruin him."
“I can’t believe he cleaned up so well after going after my family like that. Are you absolutely certain nothing was missed in that case?”
He gave me a look that was somewhere between condescending and sympathetic. “Logan, we’ve been over this. If we try to re-open that case, it puts you at risk as well. Another judge might not be willing to cut you the same deal.”
I sighed. “I know. You’re right.”
Chris took another long pull from his beer and smacked his lips as he set the empty glass down. "That was fuckin' good. Your lady brewer really does know her stuff."
Unable to help myself, I glanced over at Aubrey still sitting at the bar. She leaned forward with her elbows on the countertop which made the back of her shirt rise up a few inches and expose the skin of her lower back.
From the angle of where I sat, the dimples just above her ass seemed to smile at me. Damn, I loved those on a woman too. Those two little indents would be the perfect spot to rest my thumbs while I pounded that sweet ass from behind.
Tearing my eyes away to distract my throbbing cock, I drank deeply from my beer. It didn't seem fair that Aubrey seemed custom-made to fit all of my fantasies and yet I wasn’t supposed to touch her.
"Another round?" Christian stood, holding both of our now empty glasses.
"Yeah, I'll have what you're having." I definitely needed something stronger.
I watched him approach the bar, then glanced over to Aubrey again, this time concentrating on her face.
Her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth looked tense. She held her phone in her hands and seemed to be staring at a text message.
Probably from her boyfriend.
The thought hit me like a punch in the gut. Of course she had a boyfriend. How could she not? The thought of some other guy's meaty hands on her back dimples as he thrust into her churned my stomach.
I sat back like a deflated balloon as Christian returned with our beers. He and everyone else I knew joked about me being a player, and to some extent I was, but stealing another man's woman was something I never, ever did.
Plenty of lonely, attractive wives and girlfriends have tried to seduce me, crying about their husbands' small dicks or never being home. None of it fazed me.
Whether in the office or in the bedroom, I never stab people in the back. I've gotten too much of that myself to wish it on anybody else.
CHAPTER 6
AUBREY
I pretended my head was stuck in a vice in order to keep it from constantly swiveling over to look where Logan and Christian sat at the corner table.
He owns the place now. He's going to be spending a lot of time here. You better get used to it.
My pretending didn't help much so I played games on my phone and sipped my beer while I tried to unwind from my work day.
It had been a good, productive day but tough on my body. A hot bath would definitely be in the cards when I got home. I carried sacks of grain over my shoulders all day like a pack mule because Rob, sup
posedly the biggest, strongest guy who worked here, kept hogging the pallet jack.
Marty seemed to conveniently forget whenever I reminded him we needed a second one. I realized he wasn’t malicious about it, he just worried about budgeting constantly. But with Logan here, I could probably give him an entire shopping list of equipment we needed.
I sighed and studied the foam lacing around my glass, trying to focus on anything to keep my eyes darting over to that corner, where Logan surely sat back relaxed and without a care in the world. With his arm draped over the back of the chair, his broad muscles pulling at the buttons on his crisp shirt, his eyes piercing through whoever he caught in his gaze.
They spoke in low voices and I wondered if they were talking business or were just a couple of guys having drinks. Did guys like Logan ever do anything that didn't relate to business? How did someone even make that much money without making work their whole life?
Hell, work was my whole life and my salary was a tiny sliver compared to his.
A text notification yanked me out of my daydream. I opened it and frowned.
Yet another message from an unknown number.
A cold sweat broke out over my brow. It could only be Andy.
If I was right, he was upping his frequency. This was the second message he sent in as many days. When would he get bored of this bullshit?
I swiped over to the settings on my phone and opened up my blocked number list. All of them were his. Different numbers from which he sent his disgusting picture messages.
I scrolled through the list, the sheer amount of them overwhelming me. They began with different area codes from all over the country. How did he get so many numbers? Did he borrow other people's phones and use them to text me?
A gentle poke on my arm tore my gaze away from my phone. I looked up to see Christian smiling warmly at me.
"Just want to say thanks for the recommendation. That's probably my new favorite drink."
"Oh, awesome!" I exclaimed, perhaps a bit too excitedly but hearing my work praised always sent a rush of pride through me. "Glad you like it."
"I had my doubts at first but my boy Logan is a smart man. Cheers." He accepted the two Scotch ales from Bella and carried them back to his table.
As I watched his back walk away, I glanced over at Logan. He rested his face in his hand and looked out the window thoughtfully, his eyes sharp and clear. His rich, brown hair looked a bit mussed up as if he just ran his hand through it.
I yanked my eyes back to my drink in front of me before he could catch me staring. Christian wasn't a bad-looking guy but he could have been a bridge troll next to Logan.
Like me when I stand next to Bella, I thought bitterly.
The front door jingled cheerily, indicating customers coming in. I bristled at the sound and tried to relax but old habits die hard.
I was off duty. I no longer had to plaster on a fake smile and cheerful voice at every clueless customer that came in.
Thank God.
"Hi gentlemen, welcome to Oak Barrel!" Bella’s face and voice were much more fitting for customer service anyway.
"Well, aren't you nice to look at," drawled a nasally voice. I raised an eyebrow at Bella and rolled my eyes. These types of customers were the absolute worst. Jealous of her as I was, I wouldn't wish them on anybody.
"Hey Red, I'm talking to you!"
The voice was suddenly in my ear, along with the stench of nasty, stale cigarettes.
I looked up incredulously at the man who invaded my personal space. He was old enough to be my grandfather, with yellow teeth, scraggly gray hair coming out of his ears and nose, and the rankest breath I ever smelled.
This man had the nerve to place his hand on the back of my chair and lean in much too closely.
"Tell me something, sweetheart." Rank Breath leaned in even closer until I was nearly hanging off the opposite end of the chair from backing away.
"Does the carpet match the drapes?"
He pulled away just enough to laugh uproariously with his equally disgusting buddy. They clearly already had a few beers or ten before coming here.
Bella and I exchanged looks. I quietly made the cut-off motion with my hand and she nodded. Unfortunately, the two jackasses didn't seem interested in ordering beer anyway.
"Tell the truth now, darlin'," Rank Breath said, returning his attention to me. "I ain’t never had a ginger puss before."
"I find it hard to believe you've had any ‘puss’ before," I replied in my best cold bitch voice.
"Ooohh shit! She got you back, Dale!" His friend clutched his round belly while slapping Dale on the back with cackling laughter. Dale didn't look nearly as amused.
"Where are yer manners, you little bitch?" he whined and got up in my face again. My stomach lurched as his smell rudely invaded my senses for the second time.
Where are my manners? Oh, hell no.
"Excuse me? Get the fuck out of my face!" I shoved Dale away from me as hard as I could.
One useful thing my bartending job taught me was zero tolerance for assholes. I kicked out my fair share of them for messing with me just because they thought they could.
In that moment, I was extra pissed not just because Dale was being a straight-up pig, but because I wasn't even working. For all he knew, I was another customer just trying to enjoy my beer in peace.
He reeled back from my shove in surprise but was caught safely by his buddy. Only then did he turn to acknowledge Bella.
"Did you see that? She assaulted me! Call the police and get this crazy woman arrested!"
She just stood there, not moving like a deer caught in headlights.
"You better get the fuck out or I'll give you a reason to arrest me!" I shouted.
This lecherous, nasty excuse for a man pissed me off so badly I felt like my brain blew a fuse. He was the worst kind of person, thinking I owed him respect and a serious answer to his gross question.
As my nostrils flared and vision went red, I felt beyond livid but also victorious. I was standing up for not only myself but women everywhere who had to deal with scum like him on a daily basis. For the waitresses and bartenders who smiled through tears while foul men made their skin crawl with disgusting comments.
This was for them.
And I wasn't going to take it by smiling politely and saying yes sir.
Dale had no fucking idea what he walked into. His eyes darted between me and Bella while his buddy tried dragging him away saying, "Come on, Dale. That's enough excitement for one night."
But Dale wasn't done. He shrugged off his friend and continued to glare at me with his beady, sunken eyes.
"You want to throw down, fat bitch?"
Typical. Only when I say I don't want to fuck him, he's suddenly insulting my weight.
I've heard it all before but those words still cut me.
Deeply.
I said nothing but returned his glare. I might’ve been a sassy broad but I've never gotten into a fight before in my life.
I won't back down. If this coward really wants to attack a woman, let him.
In a surprising flash of speed, Dale rushed at me.
CHAPTER 7
AUBREY
"NO!" Someone yelled, probably Bella.
I fumbled for my keys, trying to grab desperately for my pepper spray and braced myself. All I could do was square my shoulder and wait for this dirty old man to tackle me.
Several seconds passed and nothing hit me. When I dared to look, my eyes widened in horror at seeing Dale's feet dangling in midair.
Logan held him off the floor with one powerful hand wrapped around Dale's scrawny neck.
"Let me go, fuck!" Dale rasped as he tried to claw at Logan's hand and kicked his legs pathetically.
"Put him down, man! You're choking him!" cried Dale's friend.
"No, unfortunately I'm not," Logan answered calmly. "The bastard can still talk. I'm just holding him until the police get here."
"Fuck!" Dale's buddy shriek
ed and made a panicked beeline for the door but Christian was already blocking the exit. As he held a phone to his ear, giving directions to the police, he put his hand out against the friend's chest and shook his finger in a no-no-no motion.
I blinked. It was like I stepped out of one world into another. What would have happened if Logan and Christian hadn’t been there?
"Are you alright, Aubrey?"
Logan's voice pulled me out of my daze. I felt like I was watching a bizarre episode of COPS play all around me.
His blue eyes looked over at me with concern. He didn't even seem to notice Dale still thrashing in his grip.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said robotically, feeling oddly detached from the situation.
"Don't worry about this. We saw everything." Logan grinned at me and my stomach flip-flopped. "You're quite the badass, missy."
The cops arrived shortly and put Dale and his friend in the back of their cruisers. They took statements from all of us and I couldn't be more relieved that Logan and Christian were there to witness it.
Bella was pretty distraught by the whole thing so Logan told her to go home early. The three of us closed down the tasting room ourselves to call it an early night.
"Aubrey, if that jackass tries to charge you with assault, call me," Christian said earnestly, pressing his business card into my hand. "I'll defend your case pro-bono. Shithead doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell."
"Thanks a lot." I smiled, feeling touched and relieved. "I can pay you in beer?"
"Sounds good to me!" he laughed and slapped Logan on the back. "I'll see you all later. The wife and kids are wondering where I am."
We said our goodbyes to Christian and I immediately busied myself with the closing duties for the tasting room. I didn’t want to be caught in Logan’s gaze, to feel awkward and indebted to him.
With a quick dusting of detergent and the push of a button, I started the dishwasher. Next, I moved on to cleaning residual beer off the faucets and drip tray.
Big Bad Boss: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 4
