Three of Diamonds (Hamden Series) (5 page)

Cal’s was bumping. Lola had been working here almost six weeks and she loved it. The pub had a great set of regulars, and offered live music on the weekends, to bring in the bigger crowds. Cal, her boss and the pub’s owner, had just added on a huge addition, and was doing a soft opening tonight before the official one this upcoming weekend. The band was rocking and the lines were three or four deep. The noise from the crowd proved everyone was having a great time, and Lola’s pockets were quickly filling with tips. She was meeting great people and building a good rapport with the customers.

Lola’s feet were dancing to the beat and her hips were shaking to the bass. The band was incredible. She filled drink order after drink order. She could make any combination cocktail as easily as she could fill a draft pilsner or unscrew a bottle top, all while continuing a conversation with some of the patrons.

“Why don’t you just go talk to her?” Lola asked of Kevin, one of her regular patrons, as she filled an order of five mojitos.

“I’m working up to it. It should be illegal to look that good in a leopard print dress, Lord have mercy. What do you women do, wake up and think of all the ways you can drive a man crazy with need?” Kevin asked as he took a log pull from his Guinness.

Lola had not seen the woman that Kevin had been drooling over, but given the number of people, she was lucky she had seen Kevin.

Lola continued to tug at the hem of her black shirt, trying to tuck it back into her pants. However it was a losing battle, every time she reached up for a glass or bottle, it just road up again, exposing her midriff. Not that Cal had a dress code, but she still insisted on dressing appropriately. Just because she worked in a bar didn’t mean she should skank out. Granted she was far from small, in fact technically she would be considered plus size, but she generally liked her figure. She knew how to accentuate her curves and feel sexy without embarrassing herself. She would be lying if she didn’t know that a small peak of her bright red bra was sticking out her top.

The dance floor was packed and the band was rocking. Lola found herself more dancing than walking in the small area behind the bar. She was singing along to the song about a redneck woman, just enjoying herself. Hank, one of the regulars, never gave up the chance to flirt with Lola.

“Anytime you want to entertain someone with that sweet sounding mouth of yours, you just come see old Hank here.”

“But then what would I do with the other fifty-nine minutes left in the hour, Hank?” Lola said sassily, winking toward the salt and pepper haired man.

That earned her a couple of wolf whistles and a couple of laughs. This was just one of the reasons she loved working here. Cal, her coworkers and the customers, have all gone out of their way to make her feel welcomed and part of their family. Lola enjoyed the flirtatious repertoire that she had built with many. In fact, Lola enjoyed flirting with most men, because she knew it was just that, flirtation. She did not intend to get involved with anyone. She had goals in life, and nothing was going to stop her and Boyd from making every one of their dreams come true. She had promised Boyd she would make him happy, and dammit, she fully intended to keep that promise.

As the intense pace of the night started to break, seats opened up at the bar. A previously vacant seat was now occupied. Wiping her hands on a towel, she headed over to take the next order.

“What can I get you, hun?” Lola looked up to find a very attractive woman sitting in front of her. She sat elegantly on the stool with her long caramel hair down and her low cut leopard print dress displaying her fabulous rack.
So, this must be the girl Kevin has been drooling over
. Lola saw the appeal; she was a very sexy woman. Lola was also not surprised when she gave her order.

“I’ll have a Slippery Nipple with a Screaming Orgasm chaser. Wes, either of those peak your interest?” The leopard print vixen asked the man next to her. Lola’s eyes moved to her date, Wes, as the lady in the leopard print called him, and froze. She would know those blue eyes anywhere. His skin still looked soft. Even from this distance she could smell his scent as it surrounded her, subconsciously confirming her suspicion.

Just the sight of him had her body responding, suddenly very warm. She could feel her nipples harden and a tingle begin to make itself known, deep inside.
Get a grip!

She was proud of how quickly she recovered. With a smile in place, she waited for him to give her his order.
Glenlivet 12 on the rocks, figures
. When she pulled the bottle of scotch down, she thought back to when she first started and noticed the expensive scotch as part of the inventory. She wondered why Cal kept such an expensive bottle on hand, now she knew the answer.
Of all the bars in all of New England, why does he have to be in this one?

She placed Ms. Leopard Prints order in front of her and watched as the knockout picked them up off the bar, winked to Wes, and said in a purr, “Thanks, sweets.” And walked off swishing her ass.

Lola placed his rock glass down in front of him, with more force than she meant to, immediately she looked up and regretted it. The deep blue of his irises sought hers.
Recognition?
She was afraid he would slip up and their secret would be out. No, not “their” secret, rather, his of participation and hers of employment.

Before Lola had a chance to tell him how much, he was handing her a crisp bill, “keep it.” His voice sent a shiver up her spine. It flowed out in such an intimate volume, she was sure he could bring a woman to the brink just by his voice.

Knowing it was cowardly, but taking it nevertheless, she accepted the exit he offered. Without another word, she walked down the bar and threw herself into another order. She stuck the bills into her left bra cup, and squeezed her eyes shut as the stiff paper grazed against her already stimulated nipple.

The evening went by quickly, before Lola knew it, it was closing on last call. There was now only a handful of people left in the bar. The band had since stopped and was now packing up their equipment.

“Hey Lola, Cal said one of us could head out, so if you want to take off, I don’t mind closing up.” Jeff said as he started taking inventory of what needed to be brought up from the storage room.

“Oh, I don’t mind staying Jeff, if you want to get out of here and see that beautiful newborn baby you got waiting at home.” Lola said as she walked over to the large tough looking man that was such a marshmallow when it came to his new daughter. She pulled the elastic from her wrist to put her long black hair up in a messy knot. She just needed the weight off her neck.

“You don’t mind? I miss my princess. Who would have thought someone so small could have me wrapped around her little finger so easily. I’m starting to feel guilty for giving Kara so much of my attention and so little to Nancy.” He said as he stared off into space, no doubt to think of his girls at home.

“Hey, Nancy knows she is your number one girl over the age of one month.” Lola said giving his husky arm a shove and a wink of her eye.

Filling the last couple of orders to the regulars who closed the place down, she looked across the room, and was once again snared into a pair of ocean blue eyes.

Oh God! He is still here!

Suddenly, Lola could feel his eyes on her no matter what she busied herself with. She went to stack and fill the condiment containers with their freshly washed lids. She found herself looking up through her lashes and he was there, staring again.

He just sat there, statue still, at one of the high pub tables, sipping at his scotch. Lola continued to busy herself with stocking and cleaning.

“Hey Lola, how’d you do tonight with tips?” Cal asked in his signature raspy voice. He was a kind old gruff of a man that looked like any loveable grandfather. His preference for flannel-checkered shirts made the comparison even more truthful. The rainbow suspenders he fancied, never matched but was constant, just as his unshaven face and kind smile.

Throwing the cloth she was using to wipe and polish the bar top, she put her hands on her ample hips and said sassily, “Oh I think I made a few bucks.”

“I’m sure more than a few, Peaches!” Cal tapped his large fist on the bar and walked over to the table Lola had gone out of her way to avoid looking at for the last thirty minutes.

After finishing wiping everything down, now that everyone had left, she took a quick peak toward the only two men left in the room. They were deep in conversation, so she once again took the offered opportunity and decided to call it a night.

She was lost in the maze. The flourishing and impenetrable vines that separated one path from another were as high as she could see. The sky above was bright; she must be outside, but there were no sounds of nature or life. A thick curtain-like hazy fog would sweep in but then vanish as soon as it came. When the fog came on her, she couldn’t see the path directly in front of her. The hedge was the only thing that gave her any sort of direction when the heavy mist shrouded her. The green vines were lush with small delicate flowers of pink and purples hues, while others were wicker-like with viciously sharp thorns, eager for blood. The satin of her flowing gown became a victim of the thorns. There was no rhyme or reason to the changing of soft green to dehydrated brown, but it changed nevertheless.

She started to run trying to find the exit, but the faster she ran, the path just stretched on that much further. She could hear his pursuit. He was getting closer. She began looking for a turn or bend that would help put additional distance between them. There was nothing. Only vines. Vines which thwarted her options of escape along with the comfort of safety. She kept going, even though every muscle in her body begged for mercy. She finally came to an opening that offered a choice of three paths. Looking over her shoulder, she took the one on the left and ran, for the first time, feeling that she would make her escape. Too soon, he sounded like he was right upon her. What did he want? She could hear him calling for her, chanting for her to seek him. She was over-come with fear. Fear to protect herself, fear to not become his prey, along with something else, some sort of feeling she was hesitant to explore. She shuffled along quietly hoping her bare feet would enhance her stealth. With the rapid beating of her heart, her eyes found it harder and harder to register any sound other than her own pulse hammering. There he was, just on the other side of the growth of greenery. She stayed as silent as she could, and hoped her thundering pulse would not give her location away.

“I can smell you.” He exhaled in a husky sensual whisper.

Oh No! She bit her lower lip to stop herself from crying out.

“Your smell draws me to you. Do you know that? You could never elude me for long; your essence exposes you to my senses.” He breathed, but for as quiet as it was, he might as well have been using an amplifier. His voice echoed off every surface.

He extended his arm through the herbaceous border, where the thorns should have shredded through his skin; instead, they pulled back, offering a curtain of opening. His large hand grabbed onto her hip in a grip that froze her movement. He stepped through the opening and aligned his front to her back. With her hair swept to the side it allowed easy access to her neck. He placed his lips at the sensitive base, and let his tongue lick her sweet skin bringing her palatable flavor into his mouth.

The air seized in her lungs while her blood boiled from the sensation. His strong fingers pressed gently but firmly around her hips, halting any sort of flight. This close, her aroma swirled around them making a pocket of pure erogenous decadence. He finally could touch her skin. She was pliable and full, like a woman should be. Her body curved and dipped in all the places it should. The satin of her gown flowed over her physique; clinging to her beauty and showcasing a sensual alter for which he planned to worship.

“Don’t be afraid. This is for you, all for you.” He whispered against her skin.

He slowly let the strap of her gown fall down her shoulder, leaving skin exposed for his lips. When he thoroughly touched every inch of one side, he moved to the next. She felt her skin become alive from his touch and her body began to beg for more. Her pulse continued to beat erratically, but somehow, it changed reason from fear to desire without her even knowing it.

He lifted her easily and laid her down on a cushion of soft earth with a natural pillow of green, giving her body plushness and comfort as she looked at her aggressor. His body was fashioned as if carved from stone. His long torso was colored golden, as if it had not spent much time in the darkness. The definition of his muscles from his shoulders, down over his pectorals and beyond, were as if his creator was exceptionally gifted with a chisel. The light spray of hair that covered his chest and created a trail of happiness down below his navel and lower, looked soft and inviting. As his waist dipped inward, the muscles of his abdominals constricted, showing that much more of hard sexy male.