Page 16 of Red My Lips

“Are you a psycho stalker, too?” Lana asks, looking him up and down. Her tone hasn’t lost its flirty undertone, but her gaze has sharpened.

“I’m definitely considering it now that I’ve met you,” he replies smoothly, licking his bottom lip in appreciation as he openly checks her out. “Let me get you ladies a drink.”

“I’m not drinking today,” I inform him. My skin is overheating, and I spot Sierra in the pool. “I’m gonna go for a dip, but you two have fun.” Standing up, I make intentional eye contact with Lana before sauntering away.

Joining the others in the water, I strike up a conversation with Sierra and her girlfriend, Taylor. Splashing around in the water, we laugh and dance, and I soak up as much sun as I can before it’s time to get ready for another night at work.

Nothing gets rid of the buzz from a fun day by the pool like going into work. Walking into the empty club, I let out a heavy sigh. Being called in early with the instructions to ‘clean and prep the bar’ adds insult to injury. Miranda didn’t specify who wanted me here by myself before anyone else arrives, but I can guess.

“Are you going to just keep lurking in the shadows watching me?” I call over my shoulder, not bothering to look back at the man I can sense behind me as I wipe down the counter.

“You know how much I like to watch,” Gage says, getting closer. “You’re in quite a mood tonight.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say, adding some false sweetness to my tone. “I’m a bartender. Why would I be in a mood when I get to come into work early to clean and play barback?” My movements as I clean are more aggressive than needed, but I don’t give a shit.

“And you’re doing such a good job.” His comment is bait for my attention, but I don’t bite. I ignore him instead. The irritation underlying his taunting is satisfying. “Don’t be like that. I was just about to have you make me a drink.”

My hands still and I suck in a deep breath as I force myself to remain calm. Pasting on my best customer service smile, I turn to face him.

“What can I make for you, sir?” Gage stands with his arms crossed over his broad chest, eyes smoldering and head slightly tilted as he watches me.

“I’ll have a Boulevardier.”

His drink order is a complex mixed cocktail that calls for bourbon. Pulling the necessary bottles from the shelves, I add the ingredients in balanced measurements into an ice-filled shaker. I don’t miss how Gage’s eyes wander when I lift my arms to mix the cocktail in the shaker. His phone rings and he turns his back to me as he answers. I pull out a chilled glass to pour the cocktail into, adding an orange wedge as a garnish.

Placing the drink in front of him, I wait for him to hang up and turn around to grab it before reaching under the counter for my knife. He takes a leisurely drink as if he’s enjoying a quiet moment with a friend. The metal handle bites into my palm as I squeeze the weapon, my hand itching to lash out and see what color Gage bleeds. A simple red seems far too commonplace for a dark entity like him. I bet the color of his blood will look great against my complexion.

“Getting rid of me won’t wipe out your debt.” His words have surprise trickling through me, though I don’t show it. “It just means you’ll answer to someone else—someone a lot less attentive to your needs.”

What would make him say that to me?

He tilts his head back with a lazy smile, looking down at me with heated hooded eyes, making my urges swell and my pussy throb. “Plus, I’m a lot harder to kill than you think, little devil.”

“I don’t know,” I reply easily, casually offering him a falsely innocent smile. “You took that drink awful fast.”

Gage’s gaze burns into mine as he presses the glass to his lips again. But not before I’ve seen it—the hesitation. The flicker of doubt as his mind races with the possibilities of what I might have done. What I can still do to him at any time.

As he tips his head back to swallow the last of the liquid to prove his point, I know it burns differently going down.

“Then again, men aren’t usually the ones worrying about what’s in their glass.” I lean onto the counter, my self-satisfied smile wide as I flash him my cleavage just for the hell of it. “But maybe they should be. It really could be anything.”

“You didn’t put anything in my drink. That’s not your style.” His choice of words creep under my skin. Gage thinks he knows me after following me for a few days? He has no idea who he’s dealing with.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Hey, boss, the truck is here to pick up the old ice machine.” Jax appears in the doorway to the back hallway. “What do you want me to tell them?” Gage looks over at the bouncer before glancing back at me. I meet his stare head-on, raising my brows expectantly.

“Sounds like you should go,” I say, adding an extra thick layer of sarcasm when I add “boss.” Gage stands in silence for a moment, in no hurry to move from his spot, watching me. Picking up his glass off the bar, his eyes remain locked with mine as he drains it down to the very last drop.

Then the fucker licks his lips.

“See you later.”

Chapter Seven

Jill

Being told to go to the owner’s office at work feels a lot like being called to the principal’s office, and I don’t like it. When I walk into Gage’s office to find him waiting for me with that fucking grin of his, I want to slap it right off him.

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