Charley
He was hard.
That thought hasn’t stopped running through my mind for my whole shift. Not only was he hard, but he was flummoxed too, he didn’t know what to say. I can’t believe I had that much of an effect on him. The Nashville everyone knows is never lost for words.
It makes me feel powerful, it gives me confidence that what I did back there was enough. Even his comment about seeing my tits didn’t upset or embarrass me. The more I think about it, the more I understand what Lily has been telling me about how dancing makes her feel.
Okay, she says it feels like she is holding their balls in her hand, that she could do or say anything and they’d give her whatever it was she wanted.
Having that kind of power over anyone isn’t something I want but I do understand it.
While I wait for Max to fill a tray with drinks for me, I think back on the interaction. He agreed, no questions asked, to help me tonight. He took me home not caring that it was out of his way, and he rescued me from that house, letting me into his home.
No one has ever been so selfless toward me before. He’s always been respectful, but occasionally I’ve caught him watching me, he always tries to blow it off with flirty joking banter. I may be younger than he is, but I’m not blind, or dumb. Or immune to his charms.
He is a gorgeous man, his hazel eyes are so expressive, and his smile could melt ice caps off the mountains. And his body… I caught him coming out of his home gym a few nights ago, shirtless, covered in sweat and trying to catch his breath.
Instead of facing him all hot and bothered I hid in the shadows and waited until he had gone upstairs, then imagined him in the shower.
It’s been a really long time since I had sex. And honestly, I wish I could forget every second of it. I’m not looking to get close to anyone. It isn’t worth it. You always end up being hurt in the long run, that’s the way things have been for me since I was nine years old.
Even the one person I thought could never turn their back on me, did it without a second thought. All because he was too weak to fight back againsther.The woman who ruined my life.
How did I go from thinking about Callum having a very hard, very large bulge in his pants, to remembering the horrible place my step-mother turned my home into?
I’ve got more important things to worry about than the past, or a crush on the guy who would probably enjoy a few nights with me but isn’t looking to get into anything serious.
Like I am. Shit.
The drinks are ready to go and I lift the tray as someone slams into me from behind, hard enough that my hip hits the bar. I scramble not to drop the tray but my wrist twists and the tray goes over, all the drinks falling off the tray.
Alcohol spills all over the floor, my legs and the suit pants of the idiot who ran into me, and glass is shattered all around us.
“Jesus, Charley, I thought you’d got over that?” Max comes back along the bar, not looking happy.
My instinct is to say it wasn’t my fault, the asshole ran into me, but we don’t blame the clientele for anything and given my history who would ever believe me? Having Max think I’m back to being a klutz is annoying as hell.
I apologize to the man who glares at me.
“Look at my pants,” he snaps.
“It was an accident,” I say, through gritted teeth because it was caused by him. Not me.
“An accident, do you know how much this suit cost, you dumb bitch?”
“Excuse me?” How fucking dare he call me a bitch.
“You heard me, what kind of fucking idiots do they have working here? One word from me, and you’ll be fired.”
He is so angry I take a step back, bumping into the bar. I’ve come across men like this before, men who never take responsibility for their actions, who think nothing of belittling women. Or hurting them.
I don’t know who he is, haven’t seen him here before and have no idea if what he just said is true.
I hate groveling to anyone but losing my job can’t happen.
“I’m very sorry that we bumped into each other.”
“We bumped into each other?” He takes another step toward me but there is nowhere left for me to go so he is in my face when he shouts. “What the fuck-”
