Page 19 of King's Barber
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing as I turned the knob. The door swung open to reveal a tiny bathroom with one toilet, which Luke was currently bent over. He heaved and looked at the vomit splattered around the white porcelain base before heaving again.
“Can’t handle a little bit of puke?” I teased.
Luke spun around on his knees, eyes wide as he stared at me. “Fuck. Quain?”
“No, I’m the Ghost of Christmas past.” I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Quain is my name.”
“What are you doing here?” He rushed to his feet and nearly slid on some of the vomit. Cringing, he lifted one of his shoes to stare at the bottom, but there was nothing on the sole.
“I brought back your bike. KC fixed it like he promised. It’s in the bed of the truck outside.”
“Shit. He fixed it?” He whistled. “Your kid is a miracle worker. If he wants to quit school and get a job—”
“He doesn’t,” I said sharply. “KC is finishing school and going to college.”
Luke held up his hand and laughed. “Okay, point taken. I was just busting your balls.”
My spine stiffened. I didn’t joke when it came to KC and my plans for him. There was no way in hell I was going to let him do anything that didn’t involve a degree. I wanted the best for him.
“Want to get a drink?” he offered with a mischievous grin, gesturing in the direction of the barroom.
I raised my brows and glanced at the vomit still on the floor. “Don’t you need to clean that up first?Whodid that?” I already knew the answer, but pretending to not know his brothers meant asking a question like that. “Are they sick?”
Luke winced and shook his head. “Nah, that’s Dash for you. He’s got a thing about blood. Usually he just faints, but this time one of the boys came in with a sliced arm from a fender bender. Dash ended up in here with his head firmly planted in the bowl. Missed, too.” He laughed. “Guy needs to get a stronger stomach.”
Dash’s history was interesting, though, and I wasn’t sure if Luke or any of the other Kings knew about it, just like they didn’t know about Luke’s past. None of them had any idea his father was a district attorney.
“So, what do you say about that drink?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Striding past me, he tugged on my arm and led me back down the hallway and toward the bar.
I crumpled my nose. “You stink.”
He flicked me a smile over his shoulder. “You’re so sweet, Quain.”
I rolled my eyes, and he laughed again, guiding me toward the bar where guys were already crowded. A few of his other brothers were dotted around the room with their respective significant other or a random groupie—probably a professional from the Courtesan—while some of the other Kings were just chatting with one another, a beer in their hand.
“I don’t really want a drink right now,” I said as we reached the wooden bar and took seats on empty stools. There was a murky atmosphere in the room, with lamps in the corners and stains across all sorts of surfaces. I’d hate to think what they were. The walls were discolored from smoke and the area smelled like piss and beer—a horrible combination. The bar top was the only clean area, but I thought that might have been because of their regular man who kept it gleaming.
Luke shrugged. “Come on, it won’t hurt in unclenching that tight asshole of yours.”
I tilted my head toward him and pursed my lips. “My hole happens to be none of your concern.”
“Not yet,” he murmured quietly. I didn’t think he realized I could hear him, and I smothered a smile behind my hand as I pretended to wipe it across my mouth. I had no intention of sleeping with Barber. Taking that kind of risk had never been my MO, and it wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
“What can I get you?” Josh, the young man who manned both the Kings’ clubhouse bar and a couple of their clubs, was a brother by blood to one of the Kings. I didn’t have much information on him, and I didn’t need to. He was a mouse in a lion’s den, innocent and small, even if he was having a sexual relationship with one of the bikers. He didn’t fit in appearance wise, either. The mesh top and tight leather pants he wore made him stand out, but it was the short, hot-pink hair that really hit the nail in the coffin. Not only a mouse, he was also a bright light in a mass of darkness.
“Nothing,” I said with a polite smile. “I work tomorrow.”
Luke grunted. “We’ll both have a blue moon.”
“I’d rather not,” I argued, but Josh was already moving. Clearly when it came to me and Luke, his word was final. I glared at him and crossed my arms. “Do you have no work ethic? I’m sure you work tomorrow, too, and you’re going to cut people’s hair while hungover?”
“Do you often have a hangover after one beer?” He chortled and nudged me hard enough that I nearly fell off my seat. “Untwist your panties, Quain. It’s one drink.”
“I doubt it’ll be just one drink with you, Mr. Booth.”
He leaned back with a smirk. “Oh, it’s back to Mr. Booth, is it? What happened to calling me Luke?”
“You annoyed me. I shouldn’t be surprised, though, should I?” I held back a smirk. I wasn’t going to flirt with him. No. One thing about this role I was playing had some truth to it, and it was that I had morals. Sleeping with someone I was protecting wasn’t going to happen, no matter how annoyingly handsome he was. It also didn’t matter he was the first person I’d ever had to protect; I didn’t fuck men I was going to kill, either. Dean was the only exception because he’d been my fiancé.
