Page 19 of See Me

“I’m drowning down here, Luca. I need you to come help.”

“I’m not a bartender.”

“I don’t care if you take over for Omar in the fucking kitchen and he helps me out here, just get down here.”

God dammit.

I hang up without a word and walk to dump my beer down the sink. I hate that she knows I’m right here.

The building above the bar is all condos and I just happen to have bought it a few years after I opened the bar. With my buddy Jace, if you can call him that, taking over my finances and doing wonders for my portfolio, I’m decently well off. After my fall from MMA, I took most of my winnings and bought the gym, but I gavethe rest to Jace and he has made sure that, not only does this place stay open, but I shouldn’t have to worry about money for a while. He also handles all rent and sales that come out of this building and just deposits my earnings every month. He does all his magic online and I couldn’t care less to learn or understand how he does it. As long as I see the money show up, he can keep on keeping on.

I shut off the game,fucking Enzo, and slip my feet in my shoes. Locking the door behind me, I walk to the elevator and punch the down arrow, a little softer than I’d like. I ride to the ground level and unlock the door that leads to a storage area with a thru way to the back of the bar. I hear the crowd before I see them, all clad in hockey jerseys, surrounding the bar.

Benny pours beers out of the tap while Tomi rings out someone at the register. I slap him on the shoulder when I make it behind the bar. “Go on. I got it.” He nods and goes back to his seat at the end of the bar. The bell rings in the service window and I walk over to find trays of mozzarella sticks and enough deep-fried crap to choke a horse. I gather the trays and walk them to the bar. She can pass this shit out. I don’t know where it goes.

The chaos continues until the game is over and the crowd dissipates. I managed to pour beers and ring people out without so much as a word. And I put that stupid fucking tip jar Enzo keeps out under the counter again.Just the tip, fucking dumbass.

When all that’s left is Benny and one couple finishing their meal, I head to my office to hide out. Tomi can handle the rest, but I probably shouldn’t leave her to walk out alone. There’s still some guy out there slicing up women and hanging them on doors. And I thought I had issues.

I grab the shipping manifests for today’s deliveries and file them in theto be paidfiles organized by date. I set out thetimecards for this week and get them ready for payroll on Wednesday. It doesn’t need to be done now but I finished my shit before I left and now my hands have nothing to do.

My eyes settle on the wall next to the door and my mind can still picture her standing there, all big eyes and parted lips. Trying to pretend that her body wasn’t affected, like she couldn’t feel the pull. Shit, I was trying to pretend too, until she looked down and saw the evidence I couldn’t hide. I can’t even describe how hard my cock throbbed when she noticed, like it could feel her attention. And don’t even get me started on the smile that came across her face when she called me on my bullshit. I’m getting hard now just thinking about how much of a turn on it is that she isn’t intimidated by me. Not that I want a woman to actually fear me, but myassholerydefinitely weeds out the weak ones, or points a flashing neon arrow right to them, whichever suits my needs at the time.

I palm myself through my jeans just to relieve the throbbing ache. I’m not even going to lie and say that I won't be stroking myself tonight thinking of her chest heaving while she looks up at me and licks her lips. Or maybe I’ll just call one of my regulars, my always down for a good time and just a good time girls. I have an itch that needs scratching.

Tomi walks halfway through the doorway, without knocking, and leans against the frame. “I’m done. You need anything before I go?”

I rub my fingers across my lips and look her up and down for only a split second and she smiles.

Do I?

She cocks her hip and pushes her tits out. I don’t know if she thinks people can’t tell when she does that or what, but it looks so uncomfortable and unnatural.

Abort, abort.

My cock deflates, completely retreats like a surrendering soldier waving a white flag. “No thanks.”

She rolls her eyes and I hear the back door slam a few seconds later. I stand to leave when I hear the door pull open.

Don’t be Tomi. Don’t be Tomi.

A few seconds later Enzo walks up to the door with his arm slung over Ella’s shoulder. She waves a giant foam finger in his face and they both laugh.

Fuck. Come back, Tomi.

“Did you see that lady’s face selling the foam fingers?Do you want a finger? No thanks, we’re just friends.” She slaps Enzo on the chest, “I can’t believe you said that. You’re so embarrassing.”

I’m not sure if I believe that’s how she really feels considering her face lights up with her smile. He takes the finger off her hand and pretends to jab it into her crotch and she covers her flushed face with her hands. Enzo practically has tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard.

She tries to hold in her laugh but a giggle pops out. “You should not be let out in public.”

I clear my throat. They both straighten up a bit. “So glad you two had a good time. I’ll be in late tomorrow considering I had to come down here and rescue Tomi, who was drowning, by the way.”

Enzo waves his hand in front of my face. “Whatever, she deserved it.”

I narrow my eyes at him and cross my arms over my chest. “What does that mean? She deserved it?”

Ella wraps her hand around Enzo’s arm and tugs on him, and I swear to god just seeing her touch him makes what’s left of my fraying nerves scream in my head. “It’s fine. Let’s just go.”

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