“It’s just… it’s been a long day.”And if I go with you, I’ll beg you to fuck me senseless against the brick wall of whatever restaurant we end up at.The honest words clung to the tip of my tongue.
I could see it in my mind’s eye.
It would be hot.
Toe-curling.
I had no doubt that Griffin would be more than capable of providing what my body needed. And it might make me sound a little slutty, but any other time, I would have done it.
I wasn’t the type of woman who wore her heart on her sleeve, nor some blushing virgin. A woman had needs, and I wasn’t shy of getting those needs met. Men were easy to find in a darkened bar or at a club. Something fast and easy to take care of an itch. But there was a long list of why I shouldn’t go there with Griffin.
After the day I’d had, the sides I’d seen of his man who was literally my wet dream come true, I couldn’t risk it.
Not because of my job, though if I had any kind of common sense, that alone should have stopped me. But my job wasn’t what I couldn’t risk. If anything, it was a part of me I’d thought no longer felt anything for anyone other than my mom and sisters—my heart.
“Anyhow.” I smiled, probably way too big. “It was fun.” Something inside me softened. I had worked at the casino for three years, and I’d never, not once, laid eyes on him before. The thought of never seeing Griffin again hurt. Which was silly. We hardly knew one another. But as much of a bitch as I was, I wanted, no, Ineededhim to know how special today had been. “Thank you for today,” I whispered, my features softened.
“Right.” He nodded and glanced away. I watched as his big hands were shoved into his front pockets and he tipped his head toward the back service door of the building. Silently dismissing me.
It stung, but I was the only one to blame.
I didn’t look at him a second time because I knew myself. If I did, I’d change my mind and follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked me to.
After changing out of the coveralls and back into my regular clothes, I shoved my still clean uniform and the coveralls into my locker. I would figure out who to give the coveralls back totomorrow. Tossing my purse across my chest, I glanced at my reflection. I’d sweated most of the small amount of makeup I’d put on off. My hair was in a messy bun after the tight neat one I’d put it in had fallen off mid-afternoon.
“You’re still here.” Mary’s voice made me jump in the quiet locker room, and I turned. She was standing in the archway of the exit for the locker room. I nodded.
“Yeah, just about to leave.”
“You need a ride?” I shook my head. “Are you sure? It’s late and?—“
“I’m sure.” I smiled. “Thank you for today. I’m not sure what you told Griff for him to want to turn that room into a rage room, but… it was nice. Today was nice.”
“Griff, huh?” She noticed I’d shortened his name. Her lips quirked up. “All I asked him to do was to check in on you to make sure you were okay when you returned up there. He had the remodel rage room idea all on his own. He said he figured breaking things might help.”
“It probably would have.”
“But you decided to be noble,” she pointed out, and I blinked.
“I’m not?—“
“For all that shit you like to talk, you’re a softie, Martina.”
“Marty,” I corrected, and she laughed, a sound I had only heard come from her twice in the three years I’d been working for her. Instead of arguing, I ignored the heat that hit my face and rolled my eyes.
“Big teddy bear Marty. Now, the next thing you’re going to tell me is the money you made is going to be donated to a local food pantry.”
“Damn, that would have been a better idea.” Her laughter died and her eyes widened. “Better idea than what?”
“Griff said, I mean Griffin said the club matched the money, and he’s going to go out and buy drinks and snacks for the breakroom.”
“What?” This was obviously news to Mary. “That’s… that’s a really good idea. We could buy it to keep buying more when we run out.”
“That’s what I said, but Griffin said Pope told him that’s something the club will keep doing from here on out.”
“Wow.” She crossed her arms.
“I guess he thought we had something like that in place already.”
