Page 43 of Liquid Courage
“Hell yes, girl, I want to meet this cute lady you’ve got on the front burner. Especially if she makes you come into the office whistling likethatevery day.”
“If it didn’t work out between us, I would highly suggest you try the bisexual life so you could go out with her.” Vivian leaned in with her sandwich. Mayo slopped against Lisa’s. “Best sex of my damn life.”
“Stop it. You’re making me jealous.”
“Maybe Iamtrying to make you jealous for once.” Vivian took a sloppy bite of her sandwich. “I need something good going on in my life. C’mon.”
She spent the rest of her work day flirting with Kat via text and fielding questions from the rest of her coworkers. Questions like,“What’s got you so happy, Vivi?”and“Since when do you smile this much? It’s a good look on you.”
Naturally, she had the perfect answer lurking in the bottom of her heart. Love had her in its clenches… but it wasn’t her coworkers’ business. She simply said that life was going good, and left it at that.
There wasn’t much time after work to go home and change her clothes to something more casual. Vivian texted a picture of herself in her work clothes, asking Kat if she looked nice enough to come bum around a blue collar bar. Kat didn’t really use words. She used a careful selection of emojis that got her aroused point across.
Lisa suggested she dress the pencil skirt and black blouse down with her hair in a playful ponytail and her sleeves rolled up. Oh, and lose the pantyhose.
By the time she reached the bar, she was as flirty as she was going to get. Good thing the mid-week rush hadn’t begun yet, because it allowed her to slip onto the corner stool and stay out of everyone else’s way.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Kat popped out of the back, sleek as shit in her layered tank tops and distressed jeans. The double-Venus necklace hung down her chest, and her hair had been combed into a side-sweep instead of gelled back. It was a mix of old and new looks as far as Vivian knew, and it looked so damn good on Kat’s body that it was a wonder they didn’t start making out right there.It’s been days since we saw each other. Days!“You’re way too pretty to be in a dump like this. I’m afraid you’re gonna have to leave, Miss. Only slovenly mavens who don’t love themselves get drinks here.”
Vivian propped herself up on the bar, grin the size of her glowing visage. “I think I fit right in, thanks.”
Kat’s eyes were glued to the cleavage popping out in front of her. “Okay. You can stay. If you keep your blouse unbuttoned like that.”
Vivian begged for a kiss. She got a sweet peck to the lips before Kat looked around the bar to make sure nobody had seen them acting like fools.Aw, that’s cute.But not as cute as the blush on her cheeks.
Only one other person was in the bar. A heavyset woman with bright red hair and a T-shirt that saidNasty Woman.She raised her brows at the spectacle and said, “So this must be the little minx who has absconded with your ice cold heart, huh, Kat?”
Kat dismissed that with a wave of her hand. “Vivi, meet Harriet, the worst patron you’ll ever meet here. Harry, this is Vivian. We’re kinda seeing each other.”
Harriet reached across the bar to shake Vivian’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you. Anyone cute enough to catch her eye must be someone worth meeting. Does Bev know you’re kissing clients around here, Kat?”
“Are the drinks watered down? Because that’s your answer.”
Kat got her girlfriend a drink while Harriet went back to her phone. The bar was so delightfully quiet. A shame to think that the first time Vivian ventured in here by herself, she had been intimidated by the empty stools and the adult contemporary playing on the satellite radio. It meant she was an open target for conversation and the eyes in the room. It meant Kat could easily see her after what had happened the night before. Between them.
Now? Vivian couldn’t imagine any other outcome being the right one.Look at her. That’s my lady!She had to contain her excitement behind her stretched palms. She didn’t want to risk Harriet seeing what a wreck she was in the company of the woman who had changed her life so much in so little time.
She should have never lowered her hands again.
“Whoa,” Harriet said when the bar door opened. “Look what the winter winds blew in.”
Vivian made the mistake of looking over. There, dressed to kill in a slinky red dress and tossing her curls over her exposed shoulders, was Shari.
“Hello,” she said with a curt voice to Harriet. “Is Kat here?”
She reemerged from the back room again. While Vivian stewed in horror, Kat looked as if she had expected Shari to walk into the bar that night.Does she come every Wednesday? If you knew that, Kat, you should have kept me far away!Even worse if Shari’s latest, most unsuspecting date came in after her!
“Hey,” Kat said to Shari. “Glad you could make it.”
What was going on here? Kathadexpected her!
Shari sat on a stool two seats away from Vivian. Her floral perfume was strong enough to fell an elephant. “I almost forgot.”
“I bet you did.” Kat glanced at Vivian. “She’s right here. In case you forgot her, too.”
“I’ll pretend your tone is not super condescending for now.” Shari turned toward Vivian, who held herself to the wall.
“Do you recognize her at all?”
