Glass Ceilings (2 page)

“MARCY!” Mugs shouting from the back room jolted me away from the visual I conjured up and back to the bar.

“Go ahead, Marce. I got it.” While maintaining eye contact with Ang, I washed my hands before fixing the requested drink. “Rum and Diet Coke?” I asked, waiting for one of them to claim it.

“That's for Angela. I'll have a martini.” The blonde leaned closer and said, “Extra dirty, three olives. I'm Eve. Please tell me your name is Adam.”

I chuckled while shaking my head. “Sorry to disappoint you, Eve.” Looking at Angela, I extended a hand. “I'm Nick Smith. It's nice to meet you.”

Angela slipped her small hand into mine. “Angela Cavello.” She smiled before focusing on the wall-mounted TV behind me. The obvious way in which she tried to ignore me had me grinning while preparing Eve's martini.

I loved shy girls—no clue as to why. I think it had a lot to do with getting into their minds, unlocking their secrets, an ultimate challenge. Add a beautiful face and a smoking hot body to the mix and it was suddenly game on.

“We were here last night. You are exactly my cousin's type. Dark hair, hot body, drop-dead smile, right, Ang?”

My eyes darted to Angela with a smile playing on my lips. “What a coincidence,” I admitted. She returned a smile of her own before quickly looking away.

Eve continued to yap. “You have quite a talent,” she said as she craned her neck to blatantly check out my ass again. Being caught did nothing to deter her from then focusing on my cock, which began to push against the zipper of my jeans just from watching Angela suck on her tiny straw.

Shit.

I stepped closer to the counter, to finish her martini, effectively hiding my growing hard-on. When I passed it to her she asked, “Has anyone ever beaten you?” before popping an olive into her mouth.

“Not here.”

“How did you get so good?”

“Practice.”

Eve fired question after question at me, unaware of my interest in her cousin. “What else are you good at?” she asked with a wink.

“Eve!”

“What?” Adorably, it was Angela who was blushing and not Eve.

“I make a great dirty martini.” I returned her wink before smiling at Angela. The corners of her plump lips lifted slightly, before she curled them between her teeth. My declaration worked long enough for Eve to sample her drink.

“Not bad,” she admitted with a nod.

Slowly, the bar began to fill up as the night went on. The ladies were finishing up their first round when Jase busted through the door in his usual obnoxious way.

“My jingle bells are freezing!” Moments later, my friend parked his ass next to Eve. “Marry me,” he said, the minute she looked his way.

Eve giggled. “I'm high maintenance.”

“I love a challenge.” Without breaking eye contact with Eve, Jase said, “Dart-man, beer and a refill for the ladies.” He leaned closer to Eve and whispered something in her ear. I could only imagine what he said. It didn't matter. My buddy managed to shut her up. As they exchanged whatevers, I leaned closer to Angela.

“I haven't seen you around here before last night.”

“You saw me last night?” she asked, surprised.

“Just as you guys were leaving. Are you new in town?”

Her brows shot up as she paused. “Um…no. Eve heard of this place from a co-worker. So we decided to check it out.”

A slow smile spread over my lips, and I honestly had no idea why I was smiling. Our eyes locked and her lips parted as if she was about to say something, yet no words came. She was the first to look away but her eyes were back on my smiling face a second later.

“Um…”

I waited with bated breath for her to speak, until our moment was interrupted when a customer called for me.

“I'll be right back.” My words came out in a whisper, making a very ordinary statement more like an intimate promise.

She continued to stare, nodding slowly, leaving me hanging and wondering what she was thinking.

I cursed the customer who needed a drink, as well as the next. When a third waved their money to catch my attention, I suddenly wanted out of The Dump. In fact, I wanted out of The Dump with Angela in tow.

At the other end of the bar, Angela and Eve chatted with Jase while I served drink after drink to every drunk in Chicago…or at least it felt that way. The concert breaking had the bar packed, effectively shutting Mugs up for the time being. Unfortunately, they only had one drink to warm up from the elements, before exiting as quickly as they came.

It wasn't long before the crowd thinned to only a handful of people, forcing a deeper scowl on Mugs's face. It was still fairly early, but it was a holiday. Tomorrow was Christmas, and The Dump would be closed. Being closed meant no profits, which meant Mugs would be hard to take for a few days afterward.

“Nick, fill everyone up and take off. I can't afford to be paying you overtime tonight. Marce will divvy up the tips later.”

“Sure, Mugs.” I internally laughed since the man was richer than Trump. Relief flooded at the reality that I was done and my night was wide open.

Jase and Eve were still hitting it off, while Angela looked bored out of her mind. As I watched her staring into space my mind wandered. Why would she still be sitting here, obviously not wanting to be, and on Christmas Eve?

“Can I get you another?” I asked, hopeful that she would stay awhile now that I was done for the night.

“No, thank you. I think I'm ready to go.”

Eve turned toward her. “Oh come on, Ang. It's still early.”

“I'm beat. Take your time.”

“You're staying!” Eve barked animatedly.

Angela rolled her eyes before grabbing her coat.

“Angela, you put me in charge of your bucket list. So, sit your ass down right now!”

Several of the others turned their heads toward them, amused at the outburst and leaving Angela absolutely mortified. She gaped at her cousin, her eyes bulging incredulously, which did nothing to deter Eve. “Sit!”

“Bucket list?” Jase looked over and asked. “Oh, do tell. What is on this bucket list?”

Angela sighed before asking, “Actually, I will take that rum and Diet Coke, please.”

“Sure thing.”

“So?” Jase prodded.

Eve explained, “Well, my cousin is staying with me for a bit until she moves. She's in between…” The girls exchanged a look, Angela's wary and Eve's determined. “She just needs to live a little. So we made a list of all the things that a normal twenty-five-year-old experiences that Angela has not yet experienced. Item number one is a one-night stand.”

“You never had a one-night stand?” Jase asked as he quirked up a brow. “Not even in college—a drunken night of complete debauchery? Never?”

I handed Angela her drink and she swallowed half of it down in one gulp, her eyes watching me over the rim of the glass. I leaned back, enjoying this exchange.

Jase scanned the thinning crowd and pointed to Wood. “Wood would do it.” The girls followed the trail from his pointed finger to a very drunk Wood, who was having a heated discussion with his frosty mug.

“Ewww.” Angela crinkled her nose up in disgust. “I do have standards.”

“Okay, him.” Eve pointed to the tallest guy at the dartboard.

“Gay,” I offered. They both looked at me, Angela's eyes crinkling with humor.

“Him,” Eve tried again.

“Hairpiece,” I countered.

Eve laughed before adding, “Him. The blond hottie who looks bored while his chick yaps annoyingly. You can swoop in and put him out of his misery.”

“They're fighting because she feels he needs to go on Viagra,” I lied.

Eve cracked up, and Angela giggled.

With much ceremony, Eve picked up her martini glass, drained it, and slammed it on the bar before saying, “I got the perfect guy, Ang. Jase.” She turned to Jase and said, “You'd take one for the team, right?”

Jase was nodding before she finished her sentence. “Hell yeah. And when we were done, I'd move on to you for dessert.”

“Ewww,” Angela repeated.

“I get the same response as Wood? I'm hurt.” Jase held his heart in mock agony.

“Nick, help us out here. This girl is in dire need of a night filled with hot, mindless, sweaty passion,” Eve begged with her hands folded.

“Okay, on that note, now I'm really leaving.” Angela drained her glass and attempted to put on her coat again.

“It's really coming down.” I pathetically pointed toward the front windows. “You may want to wait a bit.” Their eyes went to the window to see the snow falling mercilessly, leaving a fresh layer of white over the inches that were already on the ground.

“Crap,” Angela huffed with a shake of her head. “I'll never get used to Chicago winters,” she added with a pout.

“We'll wait for Nick to get off duty. He'll drive you girls home. He has one of those fuck-the-snow kind of trucks that can plow through anything.” Jase diplomatically volunteered my services.

“I'm off now. Mugs released me.”

“Well, then screw leaving. Let's take this party over to a booth,” Jase amended. Snatching his drink and Eve's, he headed toward an empty booth near the dartboard. Eve bounced off the barstool, following him.

“Do you want to go? I can drive you home,” I asked Angela as she continued to sit at the bar.

“She'd kill me, and I do need a roof over my head tonight.”

“How long are you staying with her?”

Angela sighed, looking down into her empty glass. “Not sure yet. A few days, I guess.”

“Where are you from?”

“Out east.”

“Me, too,” I admitted without thinking. What the hell? I never offered information about myself.

“Oh, whereabouts?”

“Near D.C. You?”

“Jersey.”

“What has you in Chicago?”

“Um…I guess I'm trying to find myself. How about you?” she asked, her green eyes widening with curiosity.

“I guess I'm fulfilling my own bucket list.”

“Working at The Dump in the heart of Chicago in the dead of winter? I'd love to know what else is on your list.”

“A one-night stand,” I smirked.

“Don't go stealing my bucket list. Get your own.”

I leaned close enough to smell her perfume. “I didn't steal it. It's something I've never done before.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You're lying.”

“Okay, I am lying,” I admitted. “But they all left me unsatisfied.”

“I knew it. Look at you. You're drop-dead gorgeous.” She raked over me with a heated gaze, starting at my legs and working her way up to my face. When she reached my eyes, she blushed with embarrassment, defensively adding, “I'm sure that one-night stands are a common occurrence in your life.”

“Why do I detect an insult beneath that compliment?”

Her lips parted as she fumbled for a moment. Even still, she was so beautiful. Her natural beauty took my breath away. “I'm sorry, that was rude of me.”

“Angela, I was teasing you.” Trying to lighten the mood, I motioned to the booth that Jase and Eve were getting very cozy in. “Hey, I'll grab you another, and meet you over there. If you still want to leave after your drink, I'll drive you home.”

A flash of suspicion passed over her features, before she smiled warmly. “Okay. Thank you.”

I filled a tray with one more round for the three of them, adding a black coffee for myself.

“That's my man!” Jase exclaimed when I reached the booth with more fortification for the group. He motioned between us with his two pointer fingers. “One mind.”

Jase chose one of the smallest booths in the bar, forcing me to squeeze in beside Angela. The close proximity had my leg resting up against hers. She shifted slightly, failing to create more space between us.

“So let's get back to this bucket list.” Jase was quick to rehash the topic. “Eve, do you have a bucket list?”

“I do.” She nodded before sipping her martini.

“Well?”

“Most of my items involve public lewdness that could get me arrested.”

Jase spit out his beer, spewing it across the table and hitting Angela and me with his backwash.

“The fuck, Jase?” I grabbed a few napkins, handing one to Angela to clean up his disgusting mess.

“Sorry. I just had a visual of me and Eve at the top of the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier.”

“Ooh, I never thought of that one. I'll have to add that location,” she quipped with a wink.

“Marry me,” Jase repeated his request from earlier.

Eve giggled and Angela rolled her eyes. Jase took Eve's giggle as an invitation to make out with her. Angela looked everywhere but at her cousin who was playing tonsil hockey with my friend. Her eyes landed on the dartboard.

“Do you play?” I asked Angela.

“Definitely not. I'd probably kill someone.”

I chuckled before adding, “It's not hard. I'll teach you.”

Neither Jase nor Eve realized we left the booth.

“Thank you.”

“For?” I raised a brow in question.

“For sparing me from watching those two. My cousin is a bit more free spirited than I am.”

“No worries. As luck would have it, avoiding his awkward attempts at seduction is on my bucket list.”

Angela nodded with a giggle. “I don't blame you.”

I removed the darts from the board, and stepped closer to her. “Okay, watch me. It's all about the concentration. Pretend there's a rope tethering your hand to the bull's-eye.” I widened my stance, aimed at the board, and threw the dart, landing it slightly off the center of the target.

“Sure, piece of cake,” she said sarcastically.

“Here, I'll help you.” I maneuvered her to stand facing the board, then stood behind her. Her breath hitched when I placed her hand over mine as I held the dart. The sweet scent of vanilla filled my nostrils. The soft skin on her forearm aligned with my arm. I placed my other hand on her hip, leaning in closer until I was flush up against her. The back of her head leaned into my shoulder when I placed my lips close to her ear. Goosebumps pebbled her skin as I whispered, “Ready?”

Wordlessly she nodded, her panting the only movement she made. I drew our hands back and forth in a rocking motion. “When I count down to one, let go. Three, two, one.” We released the dart and it flew into the air hitting the double points of the outer ring.

“See?”

“Well, that was all you,” she protested.

“Okay, you do it now. Just like I showed you.” I handed her another dart, and she looked at me nervously.

Mimicking the same rocking motion with her hand, she counted down from three. My eyes focused on her slim hips as they swayed in sync with her hand. The motion of her ass slightly moving back and forth was hotter than her sucking on a small cocktail straw. I continued to blatantly stare, with my arms folded across my chest. At the count of one, she released the dart and it hit the wood paneling beside the board.

“Oh my God!” she gasped. Her eyes nervously flew over to where Mugs was standing a few feet away.

“Don't worry about him,” I whispered, closing the distance between us. “Not bad.”

“Not bad? That was awful.”

“At least you hit the same wall that holds the dartboard. Do it again.” I handed her another dart and watched as she repositioned herself. Smiling over her shoulder, she repeated the ritual, barely landing the dart on the board in the outer ring.

“Yay! I did it. How many points is that?”

“None.”

She spun around with her hands on her hips. “None? I hit the board.”

“The outer rim is zero points.”

“Well, that's not fair. You should get something for hitting the board.”

“Yes, you're right. I'll give you a point for that.” I removed the dart and asked, “Ready to play a round?”

“Sure! I'm a pro now. I hit the board,” she boasted. “But I can't beat you. I've seen you in action.”

“Okay, I'll give you five points for each throw you land on the board to my one point.”

“That's a pity deal,” she accused with a smile.

“Beginner's deal.”

“Okay, you're on. What are we betting?”

Upon hearing the word “betting,” Jase's head whipped in our direction as he claimed, “I get a cut!”

“Take a hike, jackass,” I threw back, causing him to scoff.

“Winner reveals what they want at the end. Ten rounds.”

“Deal,” she said, thrusting her hand toward me to seal the terms.

Instead of staring at our handshake, my eyes were glued to her fabulous tits; I wondered how they would feel pressed up against my shirtless chest.