Broken Fairytales (36 page)

Fortunately, Zack called me after three days and squelched
most of my
fears when he asked if we could hang out the next night when he got off work. His mom was apparently feeling much better, and he seemed to be in great spirits. He said he’d come by and get me when he got off and we could do something.

That
day I was so excited and nervous that I was making myself crazy.
P
ossibly sensing my anxiety
, Molly convinced me to go with her to the closest mall, which was an hour away. She said she desperately needed to shop, and the limited selection of clothing stores on the island didn’t provide many options for someone as eclectic as her. Unfortunately, she was less than satisfied with the mall once we got there.

As we walked around, she waxed on and on about the artsy boutiques and thrift stores i
n London and L.A.
that just didn’t compare to what was available in rural North Carolina. Granted, she knew weren’t in the most forward-thinking, fast-paced
of
area
s
, so she was reaching if she thought she’d find anything more extravagant than The Gap or Americ
an Eagle during our excursion, but a
t least there was a Hot Topic.

Still, Molly being Molly made the day fun. She actually
turned me into a
project and set about dressing me up like I was her Barbie doll. Of course, the outfits she wanted to put me in, my Barbie’s wouldn’t have been caught dead in, and neither would I, but it was still fun. At the end of the day, I left with some new fun pieces that were funky, but I could still incorporate them into my existing wardrobe.

When I got home, I
set about hanging up my new purcha
ses and surreptitiously glanced
at my watch to see if the time, which was moving incredible slow, had suddenly inched to nine o’clock without my knowing it, and Zack would be getting off work
soon
.

He w
orked at Phil’s Tavern, a local
pub that served lots beer and array of seafood and boasted a huge deck with outdoor seating and live music. On Tuesday and Friday nights, that live
music was Zack and his guitar. He told me he’d worked at Phil’s off and on for the past few years, but had just started playing live a year ago when he moved back to the island permanently,
in ad
dition to bartending three nights
a week.

That night he was just bartending, and
since it was a weeknight,
he wouldn’t be that busy.
Seeing that it was just seven, and I still had two hours to wait, I made the decision to go up to the bar and surprise him
. I wanted him to know that I wasn’t looking for anything serious, so I figured I’d show him just how spontaneous I could be
. Feeling bold, I pulled out the new black leather miniskirt that Molly talked me into buying. I forewent her fashion suggestions and paired it with a black fitted t-shirt and black
platform
heels. I overdid my eye make-up to make my eyes look smoky and sexy, following the tutorial Molly had given me the week before, and sprayed some surf spray into my hair and scrunched it up to look tousled.

Stepping back to appraise my overall look, I couldn’t help but smile. I’d finally achieved the bad-ass look I’d tried to put together for the first party I’d gone to with Chase.
I hoped Zack would like it.
So far he’d just seen me in my more casual beach outfits. This look was a complete
departure from what he knew
of me
,
and it was perfect for what I had in mind.

“Whoa,” came Chase’s voice from behind me as I started down the stairs.

I turned around to face him, a huge grin spreading across my face. “You like?”

“It’s definitely different. I actually didn’t recognize you. For a minute I thought you were one of Keely’s friends.”

My heart sank. “Do I look ridiculous?” I asked, knowing he’d tell me the truth.

“Nah, you look great, Em. Zack’s not going to know what hit him.”

“That’s the point,” I said, evilly. “I want to remind him of what he’s been missing.”

“I think that’ll do the trick,” he said, laughing lightly.

“Let’s hope so,” I said before starting down the stairs again.

When I got to the bar, Zack was busy taking an order at the other end, so he didn’t see me make my grand entrance. Instead, I settled at the opposi
te end and waited for him to notice
me. A really pretty brunette came over to get my drink order. My jealousy radar instantly went up, and I wondered if
she and Zack had ever hooked up as my eyes dr
ifted unconsciously to her more
than
ample cleavage that was almost falling out of her black ‘Phil’s Tavern’ tank top.

“Hi there,” she said, sliding a coaster in front of me. “What can I get for you?”

“Um,” I said, my mind going blank
for a few seconds. Hot bartender girl had thrown me off. As part of my diabolical seduction strategy, I’d planned to ask Zack to make me something sexy. I didn’t even kn
ow what to order from this girl without sounding like a complete moron.

“Do you need minute?” she asked, and I could tell she was eyeing me skeptically, no doubt wondering if I was stalling because I was underage.

“No,” I said then, coming
up with an even better plan. “Actually, c
an you ask that guy to make me the sexiest drink he can think of?”

I slid my ID across the counter to her and watched her glance over her shoulder at Zack. I thought she might have rolled her eyes and wondered how often she got that same request. She turned back around and picked up my ID, looking between it and me several times before she handed it back. I guess she believed it was authentic.

“He doesn’t date,” she said then, and I wondered if she knew that from personal experience.

“Is that so?” I asked, glad I was armed with more information
about him
than she was.

“Yeah.”

“What’s your name?” I asked, leaning forward just enough to show her she didn’t intimidate me.

“Daphne,” she said, and I could tell I’d set her on edge by going on the offensive. She eyed me warily.

“Hi Daphne, I’m Emily.” I stuck my hand out so she could shake it.

“Okay,” she said with enough boredom in her voice to let me know she could care less who I was. She took my hand briefly, only because it would s
eem rude not to, and she was on-
stage
behind the bar
.

“I just wanted you to know my name since I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.”

“
That
’s what they all say,” she said, glancing back at Zack who was pouring beers for some guys
who had
just sat down.
“I wouldn’t waste your time.”

I suddenly felt bad for her.

“
I can take care of myself
,” I said confidently.
“Let Zack know I’ll be over by the jukebox if he wants to
say hi, w
hich I know he will
.”

She raised her eyebrows at me skeptically but didn’t say anything else before turning around and walking over to Zack. As soon as she was engaged in conversation with him, I got up and walked over to the jukebox
before he could see me sitting at the bar
.

I’d just selected my second song when I felt arms wrap
around me and lips on my neck.
See Daphne, I t
old you he’d want to say hi
.
I smiled involuntarily as I leaned back against Zack’s chest.

“I don’t think it’s possible for you to look any sexier right now,” he whispered in my ear. “If it weren’t for the fact that I need this job, I might be inclined to drag you back to the stockroom and have my way with you.”

I spun around in his arms and looked up into the eyes I’d missed seeing. “This is nothing compared to how sexy I’ll look later,” I said, leaning back against the jukebox.
“If you’re interested.”

“Is that an invitation?”

I shrugged. “Consider it a request. No, scratch that. Consider it a
demand,” I said, as I locked eyes with him
.

“Damn, princess. Are you trying to get me fired?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. I just wanted to be sure you had something to think about during your shift, since I know you’ll be busy serving thirsty customers
and no doubt being hit on by cute girls all night. Consider this my way of keeping your attention where I want it. And
after you get off, I’m demanding some alone time.”

“Your wish is my command,” he said, before he leaned down and kissed me deeply, pushing me back against the jukebox. All too soon he let me go. “I’ll get right to work making that sexy drink for you
, but I demand something in return
.”

“What’s that?”

“That you hang out until I get off. ‘Cause there’s no way I’m letting you walk out the door in that skirt with anyone but me behind you.”

With that, he turned and walked back to the bar. As he did,
Daphne
stood there watching him, nine million questions burning in her
narrowed
eyes. A few minutes later, I finished my song picks and returned to my seat at the bar
. In front of me was a
martini glass
and a little hand written card that read:
A dirty martini, because there are literally n
o clean thoughts left in my head
right now.

I glanced up at Zack who was watching me and smirking. I shook my head a few times and smiled at him before taking a sip of the strong, but delicious
,
drink he’d made for me.

When he got off work a few hours later, I had a nice
buzz going from the martini, a
Sex on the Beach
(something I know you’ll enjoy)
and a
Screaming Orgasm
(because I don’t want you to hold back)
. I’d noticed a pattern developing
in the drinks he made
and loved that he was playing along with my sexy game. I leaned against Zack as we walked out of the bar. He looked over at his motorcycle, then down at my short skirt and shook his head.

“What?” I asked.

“No way am I putting you on my bike wearing that,” he said. “I’d like to reserve what’s under that skirt for my eyes only.”

I pouted. “But black leather and motorcycles go together.”

“Not a chance.
Where’s your car?”

“Over there,” I said, pointing to my navy blue Explorer.

“Keys,” Zack said, holding out his hand.

“Come and get them,” I said, pulling away from him and stalking off toward my car.

Zack caught up with me by the driver’s side door, just as I was opening it. “Hand them over. You’re not driving.”

“You have to earn them,” I teased, holding the keys out to him, then pulling them away. I reached behind my back and tucked them into the waist of my skirt.

Without warning, Zack picked me up and sat me on the seat. His hands eased my knees apart and he settled between them. He looked at me for a beat before trailing his hand from my knee, up underneath my skirt to the top of my thigh. I let my head fall back and groaned lightly.

“What has gotten into you tonight,” he said, and I could tell he was smiling.

“I missed you,” I said, as I tilted my head back up and
opened my eyes to see him looking down at me in delighted amusement.

“I need to stay away more often then,” he said, as he teased
his
hand just under the lace of my panties.

“I’d prefer that you didn’t,” I said, as I reached for his belt buckle and pulled him toward me.

He crushed his lips down on mine, pushing me back against the cent
er console. My hands went up in
to his hair, loving the feel of the soft locks of his dark hair around them, as he deepened the kiss
, his tongue flirting with mine
. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer still
, fully aware of how I was affecting him
.

“Em, we’re in public,” he groaned
, against my lips, hardly breaking the kiss, and I wondered if he
really
minded where we were.
N
o doubt a bad boy like him had been more than adventurous in
his sexual exploits
in
the past, so this probably wasn’t new to him. For me it was like an out of body experience, but one that I was sort of loving, since
what I was doing
couldn’t have been more out of character for me.

“Then let’s go somewhere private,” I said breathlessly.