The grating voice of a woman at the bar in front of her drew Ruby’s gaze away from Owen. She plastered her friendliest smile on her face and made the drink. Once it was handed over, she looked back toward Owen’s seat, but he was gone, leaving a couple of bills at his seat that came out to nearly double the cost of his single drink.
It was disappointing that they didn’t talk much tonight, but she didn’t hold it against him. When he was surly like this, it just made her more curious about him. What was going on with him that made him seem so stressed? Was it just running a restaurant?
She didn’t think so. That could definitely be a tough gig, but her instincts told her there was more to it than that. There was some kind of mystery to Owen that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it just made him more intriguing to her.
She wanted him. It was the first time she’d really wanted a man since Derek broke her heart, but she knew that it was probably never going to happen. He was her boss, so that made him strictly off-limits.
Clearing away his drink and pocketing her tip, she headed down to the other end of the bar where there was a group of three rowdy guys that were having a good time and getting drunk. She was a pretty good judge of when to cut people off, but these guys weren’t quite there yet. She’d just have to keep an eye on them.
“Another round, boys?” she asked.
They were all in their early thirties, so about her age, and she’d noticed a few appreciative glances thrown her way since they arrived, but it was nothing too concerning. But now that they’d each had a few beers, she couldn’t help but notice that one of the men was eyeing her like he was a starving man and she was a juicy piece of steak.
“Yeah,” he said, “And I’ll take your phone number as well.”
Ruby grabbed three new glasses and started to fill them from the tap. “Sorry, I’m only offering drinks tonight.”
The man looked angry for a split second before he smirked. She suspected that he was trying to look charming. It didn’t matter. The only man she was attracted to was a big broody guy that was currently sitting in an office right above their heads.
“Come on, baby, don’t be like that.” He reached out to grab a hold of her arm, but Ruby shoved his drink into his hand.
“It’s not happening,” she said firmly. “Enjoy your drink.”
She was handing his buddies their beers when the man took a step back from the bar with the full beer in his hand.
“Oops,” he said, and she turned her full attention back to him just in time to see him purposefully drop the whole thing.
What an asshole.
Ruby struggled to keep her professionalism as she came out from behind the bar to clean up the mess. As much as she usually liked to interact with customers, there were always jerks out there that had to be dealt with.
She grabbed a mop bucket from the back while Stevie had everyone clear the area so that no one slipped and fell.
“I got this,” she told her manager as she approached. “Can you man the bar while I take care of the mess?”
“As long as I don’t have to do it,” Stevie grinned.
Ruby moved her mop bucket to the side and bent to carefully pick up the glass shards and throw them into the trash. She’d just picked up the biggest shard when she felt a hand grab her ass, giving her a rough pinch.
It was so sudden and unexpected that she yelped and reflexively tightened her hand around the piece of glass. There was a sharp pain in her palm as the glass cut into it, and she straightened with a gasp, dropping it.
Whirling around, she glared at the man that grabbed her, the same one that asked for her number and dropped the beer. There was amusement in his eyes, which just made her angrier.
“Don’t touch me,” she shouted loud enough to get Stevie’s attention. It only took seconds for her manager to put the pieces together and she looked positively violent when she saw blood dripping from the edge of Ruby’s closed fist.
“Get him out of here,” she told the bouncer.
He was a huge man that was always polite to Ruby and drank sprite every night while sitting at a table in the dining area, watching over everything. He’d already seen Ruby being grabbed and was nearby, waiting to be told what to do.
The handsy jerk was removed from the bar in seconds. He didn’t go easily, cursing and trying to yank his arm out of the bouncer’s grip the whole time, but it didn’t do any good. His friends followed him out, looking embarrassed.
“I’ve got a first aid kit in my office,” Stevie said. “I’ll cover things out here. Go get that cut taken care of.”
Ruby did as she was told, heading to Stevie’s office. She grabbed a clean rag along the way and wrapped it around her hand, which was still closed into a tight fist. It hurt, and she was still angry that it happened.What kind of a man just grabs a woman like that?
In the office, she tried to remember where the first aid kit was located. Stevie had told her on her first day, but she didn’t anticipate needing it, so she hadn’t paid much attention. The room was small and there were two sets of cabinets behind the desk.
Ruby had just opened one when she sensed a presence behind her. Turning, she saw that Owen was standing there, his body filling up the door frame.
