Page 27 of Trusting You
I didn’t deserveCecelia Leary. In addition to being my most energetic and engaged employee, she also gracefully ignored my animalistic advances from Thursday night, sparing me the shame and awkwardness of my actions. I was not proud of myself. I mauled her like a starving tiger. What was I thinking? I couldn’t go around attacking women with my tongue. Yes it was amazing. Yes, she felt better in my arms than any woman I have ever met. But that’s not a reason to throw out all the rules and let my cock take the wheel.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but it seemed like she was really into it. And it was an incredible kiss. I thought I felt a fire for her before I kissed her, but as we kissed, it only burned brighter and hotter than I could have imagined. Her body fit so perfectly with mine, and I will never forget the way her legs wrapped around my waist when she ground up against my cock. And so I panicked. I ran away like a coward because even I know it was more than kissing. And I couldn’t go there right now. I couldn’t get distracted. So instead of apologizing, instead of promising never to let that happen again, what did I do? I fucking ran away like a coward, leaving her shell-shocked and confused.
I couldn’t get into a relationship right now, and face it, Cecelia was a relationship kind of girl. She deserved a guy who could give her everything. I had way too much on my plate, and she was an essential part of saving the brewery. I couldn’t afford to screw this up. I just needed to keep my focus on the brewery and my cock in my pants. Easier said than done since I couldn’t erase the feel of her in my arms, the sweet taste of her mouth, and the sound of her sexy moan when she felt my cock for the first time. She seemed like such a good girl, but the way she bit my lower lip, I couldn’t even imagine what she’s like in bed. Actually, that was a lie. I had spent a lot of time imagining what she was like in bed and I had many working hypotheses.
But it was a mistake. I had to keep telling myself that. Cecelia was more than an employee, she was my friend. She was on the rebound. I know her douchebag ex hurt her deeply and I wouldn’t want to make things worse than I already had. So now I just had to pray that she didn’t quit and/or file a sexual harassment lawsuit against me. Both possibilities were equally horrifying. I wanted to say something. Ishouldhave said something. But I didn’t know how without making things worse. I was a total coward. Luckily, we were so busy with the brewery that we didn’t even have a minute to speak to one another, let alone have the extremely awkward “sorry I stuck my tongue down your throat even though you are my employee” talk.
But she hasn’t seemed to hold it against me. In fact, she was clearly the professional in this situation. She has been working and hustling like everything is fine. Allowing me to stew in my shame. Luckily, the taproom was packed for our grand re-opening. Cece and Trent were bartending while Kyle and I bussed tables and barbacked. We had been booming since we opened at noon. The entire town had come out for our unofficial reopening weekend.
Usually, my bar was filled with beer snobs and hipsters. This was the most diverse crowd I had ever seen. My dad, the Captain, was holding court at one of the outdoor tables with his posse of old man friends, probably telling some wild navy story. Parents were clustered together while their kids ran on the lawn and played with the giant Connect Four game Cece insisted I order from Amazon. Mayor Liza and Gail were at the bar, greeting everyone and ordering round after round for friends and neighbors. Gail made sure to compliment the new plantings and suggested I run a drip irrigation system to the flower beds. Even my brothers turned out, which was rare for a weekend. Callum was working the room like he was running for office and Declan was, predictably, sitting in the back emitting a strong “don’t fuck with me” vibe.
But no matter how crowded and busy it was, my body instinctively knew where Cecelia was at all times. My senses were always on high alert when she was around. Every time we brushed by each other behind the bar I made sure to inhale a whiff of her shampoo, hoping she didn’t notice. I clearly needed some kind of exorcism because I was beginning to scare myself. I knew I couldn’t have her, but my stupid body didn’t want to listen. I needed to get my head on straight. This was the busiest weekend since we opened four years ago and I needed to be busting my ass to make sure every single one of these customers wanted to come back again.
I accepted congratulations from friends and neighbors and my family. It was nice, seeing the whole community here on a beautiful sunny day, enjoying my beer. Made me feel even more sure that Havenport was the best place to open my brewery. Callum came and stood beside me, clapping me on the shoulder. “Well done, little bro. This outdoor area is genius.”
“Thanks. I can’t take credit for it. It was Cecelia’s idea.”
“Well, good job hiring her then.”
We stood in silence for a few minutes before I realized I had to get back to work. “Hey Cal, have you seen Declan? He was here for a while but I wanted to thank him for coming out.”
“He disappeared.”
“Figures.” Declan was the master of the Irish goodbye. He had been sneaking out of events and parties for years unnoticed. He would probably Irish goodbye his own wedding, if he could find a woman willing to marry him.
“Marcus Flint is here.”
I nodded. That explained it. Marcus Flint had been Declan’s mortal enemy since elementary school. He bullied Declan for years because of his stutter and anything else he could think of. Those two got in more fights than I can even count, many of which Cal and I joined.
Don’t get me wrong, Marcus Flint was a dick and I hated him. But he was a cop in town now, so we had to make nice. As much as I would love to break his nose for all the shit he did to my brother, I am an adult and a business owner, so I have to choose the high road. But that definitely explained why Declan hightailed it out of here after one beer.
Callum nudged me. “Get back to work. This place isn’t going to run itself.”
* * *
I was so busy admiring the packed house that I didn’t notice the small woman tapping me on the shoulder.
“Um, Liam?”
“Yes.” I turned around and was faced with a tiny, intense-looking woman. She wore a tight tank top, jean shorts and Timberland boots. Her hair was slicked back in a high ponytail, and enormous hoop earrings hung from her ears. She was cute in a slightly scary sort of way.
She gave me a kind smile that softened her intense features. “Sorry to startle you. I’m Maya.” She stuck her hand out and gave me a firm shake. “I own the taco truck outside. We were just wrapping up our shift and I wanted to come and say thank you. We sold out of almost everything, and I would love to continue partnering with you in the future.”
“Um…sure,” I stumbled. “Cece handles the scheduling, but we would love to have you back. I didn’t get a chance to try anything, but the smells have been making my mouth water.”
“Ah.” She smiled. “Then it’s a good thing I brought you the house special as a thank you. Tacos al pastor.” She handed me a to-go box that smelled like heaven.
“These smell incredible and I’m starving. Thanks so much.”
“Anytime, cutie” She reached out and touched my bicep and I noticed she was standing even closer to me. “Can I get your number?” She shifted even closer. “So we can discuss scheduling in the future.” Her eyes twinkled and I didn’t know what to say. I knew she was flirting with me, but I didn't know how to extricate myself from this conversation.
“Sure,” I said tentatively. While she punched my number into her phone I looked up across the taproom and saw Cece glaring at us. I caught her eye and then she turned and stormed into the kitchen.
I excused myself after thanking Maya for the tacos.
I headed in after Cece.
“What’s up?”
