Whats Your Pleasure (5 page)

“Got your back on this one, Vince,” Nathan assured him.

Some of the tension drained from Vincent. He knew he could count on Nathan for anything.

Chapter Four

Ladies’
Nightini

1 part gin

1 part vodka

1 dash vermouth

Garnish with lemon slice

“Vince, I need to ask you for a favour,” Joe said a few weeks later.

“’Course.
What’s on your mind?” Vince answered.
You want my body? You want me to bend you over that bar right now and fuck your brains out? Or would your rather I slowly strip your clothes off that luscious body, lick your nipples until you scream then make love to you for the next two hours?
Vince shook himself slightly, trying to focus on Joe’s concerned frown.

“You okay?”

“Yep.
Just a little distracted,” he assured her.
Boy, am I!
Joe had worked for him for three weeks now, and with each passing day, Vince became more and more fascinated by her. Her quick, efficient movements entranced him. Her easy smile and hearty laugh reflected an open-minded and friendly personality. Vince couldn’t be more infatuated than if he’d still been in high school and Suzy Jones, the head cheerleader, had smiled at him.

“Okay, well…” She rubbed her hands on her jeans in a gesture that he now recognised as nervousness. “I know we agreed that my living upstairs was just a trial, but I just talked with Renee and, well…”

Vincent’s heart contracted just a bit. He had completely forgotten that Joe’s living arrangement was temporary. Somehow, her staying so close to the bar—and to him—gave him great comfort.

“Is there a problem?” he asked.

“Well, kind of. Renee just got a notice that she has to move out for a few weeks while the landlords remodel the apartment complex. She forgot to tell me about it, so she’s had to rescind her offer. So…” Joe glanced quickly at Vince’s face before focusing on a spot somewhere over his left shoulder. “Would it be cool if, until I get on my feet, I just stayed and paid rent?”

Vince grinned. God bless landlords who remodelled. “I don’t think that will pose too much of a problem at all. Actually, I kind of like knowing you’re living there,” he admitted.

“Really?
Why is that?” She leaned her elbows on the bar.

They had been discussing the weekend’s specials and checking supplies. Vince had to admit that her creativity and sharp sense of business impressed him as much if not more than her spectacular pair of breasts.

“Well,” he began, “I like to know that my favourite bartender is safe, for starters. And, that apartment was kind of sad and lonely just sitting there empty. I like knowing
it’s
being taken care of, lived in.”

Joe nodded. “I get that. But, really, I need to start paying rent. I will not be a sponge.”

“Fine.
I’ll take it out of your pay,” he offered. “We’ll both save a bit on taxes that way.”

“Sounds good.
Now that that’s settled,” Joe put on her business face, “have you thought about the name of this place?”

“I have. And you’re right. We need to change it. I’m just not sure what to change it to,” Vince admitted.

“I’ve got a few ideas if you’d like to hear them,” Joe said with a wicked grin.

Vince sat on a stool and waved his hand for her to continue.

“What do you think of
Sexy Shots, Shot of Kink
,
What’s Your Pleasure
or
The Cock and Tail
?” she asked.

“Interesting.
Why?”

“Well, a lot of people are into shots now, and a lot of shots, as well as cocktails, have very sexual names.”

“True.”

“If we keep the
Shots
part of the name, it won’t confuse the regulars or change the atmosphere too much. Still, we could play up the sexy part with our specials, redo the décor,
even
have sexually themed parties.” The words rolled off her tongue, and Joe paced back and forth as excitement took control of her body.

Vince wanted to interrupt but was mesmerised by her energy.

“If you like
Cock and Tails
better, that kind of brings in an old world feeling but still implies sex,” she went on. “We could keep Wednesdays as Ladies’ Night but add a few things, like once a month host a sex toy party. Thursday could be lesbian night, Tuesday gay night, Friday for singles and Saturdays for couples.”

“Wait a minute. You mean only let in singles, gays or couples on those nights?” Vince wasn’t sure about that.

“No, no,” she assured him. “Have some drink specials named after those themes. You know, like Sidecars for couples’ nights, stuff like that.”

She waited in front of him, bouncing slightly up and down on her heels, while he digested what she had just proposed.

“And did you know there are sex groups in the area that sometimes have trouble finding a place to meet? You could open your door to
them,
maybe even rent the place out on off nights for special events.” Joe looked up at him, her eyes bright with excitement.

Vince considered. Sex did sell. Hell, the idea might work. He knew first hand about some of the sex groups. He and Nathan had attended a couple of parties a few years back. He’d never really wanted to be a 24/7 Dominant, but he had to admit he’d enjoyed administering a few spankings over the years. He grinned, remembering the relaxed, fun atmosphere of those parties—not to mention all the interesting people.

“Let’s try it,” he decided.

Joe let out a whoop, jumped up on the bar and twisted around to stand beside him. Instinctively, his arms went around her waist when she planted a victory kiss square on his mouth.

As soon as their lips touched, Joe felt an instant jolt of electricity. Suddenly, she didn’t want to let go of him. Pulling back slightly, she looked at him and saw her own passion and need reflected in his blue eyes. She had time to expel a quick breath before Vince dropped his head and once again claimed her lips. His arms tightened around her, and she lifted her hands to run them through his hair. Sure enough, it was as soft as she had imagined, but she didn’t have time to dwell on that thought. Vince deepened the kiss, using his tongue to explore her mouth, his hands trailing a path of fire along her spine. Joe felt her body push against him as feelings long repressed began to surface. Her left foot, as if of its own accord, hooked around his leg. Vince made a sound deep in his throat, his hand slipping beneath her shirt.

Joe caught her breath and moaned when his fingers discovered her braless breasts.

Vince lifted his head, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Jesus,” he muttered before lifting her top and capturing one pink nipple in his mouth.

Joe tipped her head back, fire radiating from deep inside of her. She couldn’t breath, couldn’t think. All she could do was
feel
. His teeth gently nipped her tingling bud. Joe buried her hands in his hair, pulling him closer to him. He pushed her shirt higher up, his finger tips brushing against the bottom of her shoulder blades.

Reality crashed in on Joe like a flash of lighting. What the fuck was she doing? Suddenly, she pushed him away from her with surprising force.

“What the hell?” Vince exclaimed.

“Vince, I’m so sorry. I should never have let things . . .” she began.

“No shit. I never took you for a tease.” His voice was raw with emotion.

Her eyes filled with unexpected tears. “I’m sorry.”

Vince ran a hand raggedly through his hair and sighed heavily.

“God, Joe. Okay. I’m good now,” he said more calmly, taking deep, ragged breaths.

Joe looked up at him.

“I’m the one who’s sorry. Hell, I’ve wanted you since the day I saw you looking in that front window. I just let things get out of hand. Look, you’re not going to quit on me now, are you?”

Joe smiled, hearing the slightly joking tone return to his voice.
“
Naw
.
Not this time. I won’t even press sexual harassment charges. If I did, I’d probably just get possession of this place, and until we make all the changes, it really isn’t worth that much.” She managed to grin at him, punching him in the arm.

Vince smiled somewhat shakily. “You’re right, kid.” Suddenly, his eyes turned serious. “Can I ask you something, though?”

Joe held her breath. She knew what he was going to ask and wasn’t at all sure she was ready to tell him. Still, after what had just happened, the poor guy deserved some answer.

“Shoot.”

“You promise to tell me the truth?”

“I try to tell the truth all the time, at least for important things that don’t involve teasing my brothers,” she answered.

Vincent actually grinned. “Good. Because even though I am your boss, I’d also like you to consider me your friend. And as your friend, I’d do anything I could to help you.”

His eyes probed into hers, and she realised the honesty in his simple statement. She could feel her heart begin to melt, which scared the shit out of her.

“Thanks. So, what’s the question?” she asked softly.

“Have you ever been abused?”

Joe frowned. What would make him think that?
“No, of course not.
If anyone had ever
laid
a hand on me, my brothers and father would have gone spastic. Besides, since I was at the bar so much growing up, they taught me how to take care of myself, as well. Why?”

“Just something Nathan said,” Vince explained. “Don’t worry about it.”

Don’t worry about it? Sure. That isn’t going to happen.

Vince’s expression cleared, and he reached out a hand to mess with her hair. “Now that we’ve got the shenanigans out of the way, what do you say we get to work on your new ideas?”

Joe smiled.
“Let’s.”

“Hey,” Vince said, his face suddenly lighting up like a Christmas tree, “what about
CockyTails
for a new name?”

Joe giggled. “Don’t you think that’s a little
girlie
?”

Vincent laughed.
“Yeah, maybe.
Let’s go with
What’s Your Pleasure
then for the moment. We can finalize it later.”

Together, they worked for another few hours, and Joe ignored the quizzical glances Vince occasionally threw her way.

Chapter Five

Favourite Brother

2 part
Kahlua

1 part vodka

Shot of heavy cream

Shake with ice, serve in martini glass.

“Hey Dad, good to hear your voice,” Joe said, nudging the phone between her cheek and neck so she could continue to fold her laundry.

“Good to hear you, too, Baby Girl. Good to hear you, too,” Henry answered.
“Just checking up on you,
Darlin
’.
Your mother worries.”

Joe grinned. She’d just spoken with her mother the day before. “I know, Dad. How’s everything going?”

“Just fine.
Heard you were making some interesting changes at your place of employment,” he continued.

“Now, Dad, have you been talking to Bill and Mike?” Joe knew she could thank her two loudmouth brothers for
ratting
her out to their father.

“Well, now, a father’s got a right to know what his kids are up to, doesn’t he?”

“Of course he does. And to answer your question, yes. Vince and I have been working on changing the image of the bar a bit,” she admitted.

“Joe, honey.
I want to tell you something. And I don’t want you to be shocked, understand?” Henry’s voice took on a serious note.

Unsure what to expect, Joe sat down on the side of her bed before answering.
“Sure, Dad.
Tell me anything.”

“The boys said you’re working on adding a sexy kind of theme to that bar of yours,” he began.

“It isn’t
my
bar
,
Dad.”

“Don’t interrupt. And they said you were a little nervous as to just what your mother and I would think about it.”

“Uh huh.”

“I just want to put your mind at rest, Baby Girl. We’re behind you, no matter what you want to do,” he said emphatically.

“Oh, Dad.”
Joe didn’t bother to wipe away the
puddling
of tears in the corners of her eyes.

“As long as you’re happy, we’re happy. Besides, I’ve been in the bar business long enough to know a thing or two.” Henry chuckled.
“And to have seen and experienced a thing or two, as well.”

“Ah—you don’t really have to share everything with me,” Joe urged, suddenly quite nervous.

Henry’s booming laughter filled her eardrum, and Joe held the phone at a slight distance from her head.

“Don’t intend to, Baby. Listen, I
gotta
run, but I just wanted to let you know, I’m proud of you.”

As Joe hung up the phone, she realised how truly blessed she was. On the work front, Vince had changed the name of the bar to
What’s Your
Pleasure,
they had instituted Gay and Lesbian Night every Thursday and Fetish Night on the first Friday of every month. Business was better than ever. She had opened a savings account and, with the recent increase in tips, should soon have enough money to look into renting a bigger place so that by summer, she could make good on her promise.

Of course, that would mean moving and that would mean facing Vince.

Vince. Joe’s heart beat a bit faster when she thought of him.
Gorgeous, kind-hearted Vince.
He’d not laid a hand on her since she’d freaked a few weeks earlier, and while she knew she should be grateful, she felt only longing. Lying back on the bed, she ran her hands over her body, remembering his touch, his scent. Her fingers touched her breasts, and she closed her eyes, pretending that it was his hand that squeezed her nipples. She tweaked harder, her peaks forming small mountains. Breathing harder, she reached down to finger her clit, pulling and teasing it to full erectness. Imagining Vince’s cock deep inside of her, she plunged two fingers into her wet tunnel. Continuing to rub her pleasure button with one hand, it took only a few moments for the feelings to build inside of her. Drawing Vince’s image to her mind, Joe brought
herself
to full, shaking orgasm.

 
This isn’t helping matters
, she thought. If she kept this up, she’d end up so frustrated she’d forget her resolve and attack the man. And what an incredible man he was. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and wondered briefly if what she really wanted was for him to attack her.

A few minutes later, she walked into the bar, ready for work. Vince glanced up and waved but, since he was on the phone, he didn’t speak to her. Joe got busy, writing the night’s specials on the board.

“Hey, Blondie.”

Joe smiled.
“Hey, Nathan.
You’re here early.”

“Yep.
Got the night off, so I thought I’d see what was going on here. It’s Fetish Night, isn’t it? Thought you guys might need some help if it got busy.”

“Always glad for the help,” she answered truthfully. Nathan had turned out to be an unexpected treasure. Not only was his olive skin devastatingly attractive, his quick mind and sharp humour appealed to Joe. He offered her honest friendship typical of Mid-Western values which she willingly accepted.

The night proved eventful on a number of levels. For starters, a group of four leather clad men led by
four leather clad women arrived around 8:30. Each man wore black leather pants, a chainmail shirt and a collar with a lead. The women wore an assortment of leather pants, halter tops, corsets and short skirts. They gathered around a table, with their men seated at their feet, sipping Cosmos and chatting away. Eventually, one man was allowed to order four beers for
himself
and the other men, but requested they be served in dishes which he placed on the floor. Joe watched in amusement as they knelt on all fours and lapped up their beers.

“Vince?” she asked.

“Yes?” Vince also watched the spectacle with a glint in his eye.

“That’s not breaking any health codes, is it?”

“None that I know of.
Besides,” he added, “looks to me like everyone’s happy.”

Joe grinned. Personally, she couldn’t imagine wanting a man to sit at her feet, but at the same time, she found the whole idea of submission strangely erotic and exciting. No time to dwell on it now, though. The bar was shoulder to shoulder with patrons, and every table was full. She laughed, joked and traded insults with folks while pouring beers, mixing cocktails and wiping the counters. These were the nights she loved the most—busy and vibrant. Glancing around, she caught sight of Nathan guarding the door and checking IDs and saw Vincent go into the back room.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck prickled, and she scanned the room. She caught sight of him just before he moved in to grab her, his huge arms reaching over the bar.

Joe screamed, the man’s arms nearly crushing her ribs as he lifted her against himself and spun her around.

Nathan charged. Vince
came
flying out of the back room. Patrons squealed and mugs of beer went flying. Vince grabbed for Joe at the same time Nathan put his hand on the man’s shoulder and spun him around.

Surprised by the double attack, the man released Joe and swung at Nathan who ducked down. Vince pushed Joe behind him, grabbed the man’s left arm and twisted it behind him while Nathan neatly kicked the man’s feet out from under him. Within seconds, the man was face down on the ground, and stunned silence filled the room.

“Vince! Let him up!” Joe yelled.

“The hell I will! No one attacks you—not here, not anywhere,” Vince shouted
,
his knee firmly on the guy’s back.

“You’re going to hurt him.” She pushed both Vince and Nathan aside and knelt beside the prone man.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” She pushed on his shoulders, trying to turn him over.

The crowd of people looked on in amazement as the huge man rolled over, sat up and began to laugh.

“Joe, what the fuck is going on?” Vince demanded

Joe looked up at her angry, confused boss. “Vince, I’m so sorry,” she began, getting to her feet.

Vince opened his mouth, but Nathan put a hand on his shoulder.

“Guess I’d better introduce myself,” the man said, gaining his feet. “I’m Bill Dunes, Joe’s brother.”

Vince felt the wind go right out of his anger. Brother? This giant of a man was her brother? He glanced at Nathan who had the audacity to be grinning and shaking hands with the guy. The crowd seemed pleased, going back to their drinks and conversations. Vince even caught the words ‘sweet’ and ‘brotherly love’. Running a hand through his hair, he glared at Joe.

“Vince, I’m sorry,” she said again. “I didn’t know he was coming, or I would have been expecting it.”

“Obviously,” he answered dryly.

Joe blushed, and suddenly Vince felt sorry for her. Still, she’d scared the hell out of him.

“Vince, good to meet you, and sorry about the mess.
How about I buy a round for everyone to make up for it? No hard feelings?” Bill announced to the cheers of the other customers. “And just to prove I’m a good guy, if you’ll point me in the direction of a mop, I’ll do the cleanup.”

Now, how could he resent such a generous offer?

Vince accepted the man’s hand. “No hard feelings.
Just a misunderstanding.
Welcome to
What’s Your Pleasure
.”

“Fine looking establishment.
Interesting people, too.”
Bill looked around at the groups of patrons, his gaze lingering on a particularly pretty girl with sleeve tattoos and two nose piercings.

“Bill, be nice. It’s Fetish Night. What are you doing here, anyway?” Joe asked as she returned to her side of the bar and began serving up beers. Vince joined her and worked the far side of the bar.

“Got the weekend off and thought I’d come down. I already booked a room, so don’t start on me about staying with you.” He grabbed his beer and gulped down half of it in one swallow. “Thought it was time I checked up on my baby sister.”

“I’m fine, you moron. But it is good to see you,” she admitted.

“Looks like you’ve got two protectors, kid.”

Joe noticed the assessing look Bill shot at Nathan and Vince and smiled. “They’re good guys, Bill. Leave them alone.”

“Right,” he answered.

“I mean it,” she warned.

He pouted. “What did I say? I didn’t say anything.”

She laughed. “Go flirt with the painted princess who’s making puppy eyes at you.”

“Really?
She is?” Bill almost spilled his beer turning around to grin idiotically at the girl in question.

Joe laughed again and got back to work.

The rest of the evening passed without incident. She and Vince worked the bar as Bill flirted with every woman in the room. He even spent a good deal of time chatting with Nathan. Now, why did that worry her so much?

Bill knew trouble when he saw it. He’d been around to pick up the pieces of his sister’s heart ever since Bobby Mitchell first broke it when she was in the sixth grade. He grinned, remembering how he’d also broken Bobby’s nose. Looking at her now, as she competently worked the bar and cast furtive glances in Vince’s direction, he didn’t see anything amiss. But he knew her well enough to know she was headed for trouble.
Might be time to do a bit of snooping.
Spotting Nathan sitting at a lone table, Bill grabbed his beer and meandered over.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked the handsome Italian.

Nathan gave him an assessing look before answering. “Sure, have a seat.”

Bill sipped his beer, trying to decide the next course of action. He figured the best route was the direct one.

“So, is my sister falling for the owner?” he asked outright.

Nathan regarded him narrowly.
“Could be.
Is that a problem?”

“Only if you’re falling for her,” Bill responded, noting the quick frown on the other man’s face.

“What makes you think that?” Nathan asked, quickly clearing his expression.

“Look. I’m a salesman, and a damn good one. Know why I’m good?
Because I notice people.
Their expressions, their eyes, their mannerisms.
I notice if someone is leaning away from his or her date and chatting with someone else. I notice you rarely take your eyes off of Joe for more than a few minutes,” Bill stated.

Nathan paused before answering. “You’re a smart man, Bill. And, I’d say you really care about your sister. In your shoes, can’t say I’d be any different. Truth is, Vince has a thing for her, and since he’s my best friend, I’d never do anything behind his back. Just
ain’t
right, you know?”

“Yeah, I can respect that.”

“Still, she looks wounded, despite her sharp mind—and sharper tongue.”

Bill threw back his head and laughed. “You got that right. That mouth of hers has got her in trouble more than a few times.” Suddenly, he became serious. “As to the wounded part, that’s up to her to tell, but let me just say, you’re right on the money. She might seem tough, but she’s vulnerable. She could use a friend, maybe some backup. Here.” He pulled out a card. “Take that, and I’d appreciate you calling me if she needs anything, and I do mean anything. I’d also appreciate it if you kept this between us. Joe doesn’t like Mike or me poking around her business, but hey, what’s a brother supposed to do?”