Treasure Tides (The Coins) (12 page)

“The bar is packed tonight,” Tabby, her friend and fellow waitress,
warned as Becki clocked in.
“I noticed,” she shot back. “Is everything going ok?”
“Yes, it’s all under control with the exception of Ted-- he burnt his
hand caramelizing the crème brûlée,” She laughed.
“No! Is he ok?” Becki asked, her eyes opening as wide as silver
dollars.
Ted reminded Becki of a short-order cook from an old TV
sitcom. He was as sweet as he could be, but his bulb didn’t burn the
brightest.
“He’s fine,” Tabby reassured her. “But, I think you need to cover
blow-torch safety with him one more time before he burns this place
down around us!”
Becki laughed, “I’ll take care of it.”
She grabbed an ink pen and jabbed it through the messy bun on the
back of her head. She always had pens sticking out of her hair. She had
sent several pens through the washer and dryer and ruined countless
articles of clothing before she decided to stop sticking ink pens in her
pockets.
Tabby reached around Becki to grab her tray of drinks the bartender
had just finished making. As she nodded to a big round table currently
filling with women, Tabby teased, “I’ll let you take the party. They just
came in. Have fun!” Then she headed for the rowdy table of frat boys
in the back corner of the bar.
“Ohhh, thanks sooo much,” Becki threw over her shoulder as she
went to get started with drink orders.
Groups
of
women were
notoriously hard to keep happy, and the crowd was already a little more
boisterous than usual.
That always happened around a full moon; it
seemed to bring out the nut-jobs.
As she placed the first round of drinks on their table, one of the
women handed Becki a stack of twenty dollar bills and a list of addresses.
She explained that their husbands were on kid duty, and the girls were
kicking up their heels. She asked Becki to keep the drinks flowing and to
call cabs for each of them at the end of the night. Girl’s night out was
about to begin.
Oh, my
.
The
girls
dined, danced,
and drank their way into a
stupor.
Surprisingly, they had remained polite and had turned out to be the most
fun group Becki had served in a long time. They were now being poured
into their respective cabs to be driven home.
Once there, Becki hoped
they were prepared for the hangovers that would surely linger for the
next day or two.
As Becki gathered the empty glasses and wiped down the recently
vacated table, Trevor entered the Pub and immediately began making his
way toward “his” table. He preferred to sit where he had a clear view of
the front door and easy access to the back door on the off-chance he
needed to make a hasty exit.
He spotted Becki clearing a large table and quickly changed his route
to bring him close enough to playfully grab her back-side as he passed.
Becki spun around with fire in her eyes preparing to way-lay whoever
dared to touch her in such a familiar way.
Trevor merely winked at her and continued walking.
“I’ll take care of you later, you Lecher,” Becki threated, flipping her
towel at him.
He quickly side-stepped successfully avoiding the stinging
pop
of her
wet towel.
“Promises, promises…” he taunted looking back at her over his
shoulder.
Becki was glad to see Trevor; he was exactly what she needed tonight.
A little
crazy
in the company of a sexy bad-boy should fix her right up.
She might have a hangover herself in the morning.
She knew Trevor would see
that she got home safely. She might even let him do that
belly-shot
he had
mentioned earlier.
Becki finished cleaning up, clocked out, and headed over to join
Trevor.
“Hey bad boy, are you up for showing a girl a good time tonight?”
she teased running a playful finger down his cheek.
“You’re talking to the right man, doll,” Trevor said as he stood to
slide his arm around her for a quick hug. “I’m all about a good time,” he
promised as he guided her into the chair next to the one he had been
occupying.
“I’ve had a rough day,” Becki said dropping into the chair like a sack
of potatoes. Dropping her head into her hands, she expounded, “Really,
really
rough.”
Trevor’s hands immediately descended on her shoulders and began
massaging away the tension.
“Mmmm,” she purred, “your fingers are
magic
.”
Trevor smiled.
If you only knew
...
“That feels
soooo
good.
If you keep that up for the next twenty
minutes, I’ll be your slave for a day,” Becki bargained, feeling her
muscles practically melt at his touch.
“Oh, sugar,” Trevor leaned down to whisper in her ear, “you don’t know
what I expect of my slaves.”
Becki’s shoulders shook with laughter, “Whatever, Trev, you are all talk.”
He gently squeezed her shoulders one more time and then moved into
his seat.
“I have you figured out,” she bragged as he sat down pulling his chair
closer to hers.
Becki picked up the shot glass she had carried with her from the bar and
tossed it back like a pro. Her cell phone rang as she finished the shot. Her
lips tightened as she glanced at the screen and then turned it off completely.
She was not thinking about anything tonight. The only thing on her agenda
was consuming enough alcohol to guarantee a good night’s sleep.
“Trev, there are a hundred girls who would love to be sitting here with
you tonight. Why is it that you’re here by yourself?” Becki asked, signaling
the waitress to bring her another shot.
“In case it has escaped your attention, I’m not by myself, doll,” he said
with a playful leer. “I’m with a sinfully--” Trevor began only to be
interrupted as their server appeared.
“Thanks,” Becki said as the drink was deposited in front of her. “Keep
‘em coming, Mel. It’s been a rough day,” Becki said. She downed the
second shot and proudly deposited the empty shot glass on Mel’s serving
tray. “Hon, could you bring me another -- a double this time, and a beer
too.” Becki pulled a stack of bills out of her bra and slapped them on Mel’s
tray before adding, “Please, and thank you, darling.”
“Becki, are you ok?” Mel asked with frown wrinkling her brow.
Becki knew Mel would call Landon if she suspected something was
wrong.
“I’m fine, Mel,” Becki promised with a bright smile. “Can’t a girl let
go and get drunk once in a while?”
“I’ll take care of her, Mel. I’ll make sure she gets home safely,”
Trevor promised.
“Ok, then. One double shot, coming right up,” Mel said with a wink.
With that settled, Becki turned her attention back to Trevor.
Batting
her eyes playfully, she prompted, “You were saying?”
Taking a drink of his own beer, he shook his head and said, “I was
saying that I’m not alone. I’m with a sinfully sexy woman who, if I’m
lucky, will take a moonlight stroll on the beach with me tonight.
But
judging by what I’m seeing, I guess I’ll just wait around to take advantage
of you in that drunken state you seem to be headed for.” He gave her a
sexy wink and saluted her with his beer bottle before taking another long
swallow.
“I know you better than that,” Becki countered, flashing a quick smile
at Mel as she placed a new shot of Crown the table.
As soon as Mel moved away, Becki continued, “You’ve had numerous
opportunities to take advantage of me, Trev. But, you’ve never crossed
the line… never.” She lifted her shot glass and saluted him in return
before killing the double-shot with a large gulp.
Trevor had never seen her throw back shots one right after the other.
He watched her intently, waiting until she was numb enough to tell him
what was bothering her.
“Do you know what I love about you, Trev?” Becki asked, turning to
signal Mel for another shot. “I can trust you-
really
trust you-- and I can
count on you not to hurt me.”
“I would never hurt you,” Trevor agreed.
And…I’ll make sure no one else
does either.
He vowed not to let Becki get hurt.
He would make sure she
came out of this unharmed, even if it meant his own life in exchange for
hers.
The fact that such a thought would enter his mind surprised him
somewhat. He had never in his entire life considered anyone else’s welfare
before his own.
“You don’t make any secret of the fact that you’re just out to get laid,
right?” Becki asked bluntly.
“What?” Trevor croaked, dumfounded. Her question had certainly
caught him off guard.
“With other
girls
,” she explained. “You don’t make girls think you want
anything other than sex, right? Well, maybe a whole
lot
of sex,” she added
with a giggle, “but you make it known that it’s all about
sex
and
only
sex.”
Oh shit, it’s going to be a long night and not in a good way.
Trevor shifted
uncomfortably.
All this talk of sex was hard on a guy
. He almost grinned at
the unintended pun. Regardless, he would not take advantage of Becki.
Since he had agreed to be her safety net tonight, he might as well get
over it.
“You don’t lie to them, right?” she asked, her eyes shining a bit.
“Never,” he answered solemnly.
Were those tears gathering in her eyes?
“You don’t make them feel special…like they’re special to you. You
just tell them up front that you want to fu--”
“
Becki!
” Trevor interrupted before the conversation could digress
further. “Darlin’, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing,” she assured him. “Nothing
at all
is wrong, Trev.”
He watched as a glint of determination replaced the sheen of tears in
her eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief, assuming that she had come to a
resolution of sorts. Perhaps she had even found closure to whatever had
been bothering her.
“I think
we
should have sex tonight, Trev,” Becki suggested without
warning.
Trevor almost fell out of his chair as she dropped this verbal
bombshell.
Whatever he had expected,
that
was not it. “Dollface, as
much as I--”
“Take me to the beach. You promised me a walk on the beach with
moonlight and stars.
Take me to the beach, Trev.
Take me to the
beach, and let’s
do it
right there on the sand under the stars,” she begged.
As another shot appeared, Trevor caught Mel’s attention. He
mouthed the words, “Water it down.”
Mel nodded in agreement. She studied Becki for a moment, as if
reconsidering her decision not to call Landon.
“I’ve got this, Mel,” Trevor reassured Becki’s friend.
Becki didn’t even notice their exchange, as she drained the shot glass
a little more slowly this time.
Mel snatched one of the ink pens still protruding from Becki’s hairbun and wrote her phone number on a napkin and stuffed it in Trevor’s
hand.
Trevor looked at her, his eyebrows shooting skyward. Mel made no
secret of the fact that she was madly in love with her husband of fifteen
years.
Mel chuckled, “Not for you, Casanova. For her,” she nodded toward
Becki. “Call me if you need my help. My shift will be ending soon.”
Trevor grinned wickedly, “You’ve broken my heart.”
“Sorry,” Mel grinned. She wasn’t really sorry at all, “mine’s spoken
for. Seriously, Trev; call me if you need me.”
“Thanks, Mel.”
“Whew,” Becki said, slamming the empty shot glass on the table.
“That is goooood shit. Now, back to what I was saying, you give me
bullshit all the time, lllots of bullshit. I don’t want bullshit tonight, Trev.
I just want you to show me a good time,” she said leaning into him. “I
can show
you
a good time.
Think about it. Sex on the beach.
Hot,
intense, grinding,
dirty sex
…with me. Kiss me, Trev.”
“Doll, you need to take it easy. What is going on in that beautiful head of
yours?” he murmured as he gently cupped her face in one hand. Giving into
temptation momentarily, he slid his thumb across her full lower lip and then
quickly released her.
“I’m not going to do anything that you and I
both
know you would regret
in the morning,” he gently refused.
“I’m tired of
White Knights,
” Becki complained. “White Knights who then
turn out to be
Dark Lords
,” she pouted.
“Kiss me, Trevvv. Be my White Knight, just for tonight,” Becki pleaded.
Trevor sighed regretfully.
There is no way this Dark Lord could ever be your
White Knight, Doll.
“Come on, Trev. Be my White Knight-- or maybe my Dark Lord,” she
said, suddenly changing her mind. “Dark Lords are probably better in the
sack right?”
His life was full of danger; he had done things that no man could be
proud of. He had never cared about anyone he used or hurt-- never cared
until he met Becki. Still, he could only be what he was, and that was a Dark
Lord-- a Dark Lord with a job to do.
The coin collector in Savanna had gotten in their way and had to be
eliminated. While he didn’t soil his hands with that murder, he didn’t stop it
either.
Trevor knew the coin would surface again soon.
There were too
many ART members in town including their team leader Royce St. John and
his Witchy sister for it to be much longer.
Trevor’s reinforcements should be arriving soon. More Vamps had been
called in, even a few shifters.
He felt a slight shiver down the back of his
spine.
He was in charge of this operation, but some of those idiots were
hard to keep reined in.
“Kiss me, Trev. Please, just kiss me,” Becki whispered softly with tears
shimmering in her eyes.
As Trevor leaned forward, Becki closed her eyes.
“Doll,” she felt him whisper at her temple, “if there was anyone who
could turn me into a White Knight, it would be you.”
He closed his eyes absorbing her goodness for just a moment. Then he
stood and pulled her toward the dance floor.
As they approached the dance floor, the song ended to be replaced by a
slow ballad.
Becki snuggled as close to Trevor as she could without being
intimately joined. She wrapped her arms around him and dropped her head
on his shoulder. She was currently breathing into the hollow of his neck.