Page 9 of Serpent Darling
They were still standing so close to one another that Sadie tried to lie to herself when she attributed her shallow breathing to her morning workout. She came to work off some of the sexual tension she was feeling from not one but three men. Honestly, her soul couldn't take much more of this. She needed a better boyfriend, a better lay, and a goddamn orgasm.
They stood in a silent game of chicken for what felt like an eternity. Neither of them moved closer, but they did not move away from one another, either.
Sadie surprised herself when her hand reached out to toy with the un-tied drawstrings hanging from his waistband, brushing against his hand with her own. Jagger stood utterly still and fought the desire to pull her to him. His blue eyes shone in the bar's lights as he looked down at her small frame. The entire scenario was sending a rush of blood to his cock, and the bulge in his pants started to be painfully evident through his sweatpants since he wasn't wearing anything underneath.
It might be possible to control his breathing, but he couldn't controlthat.
She brought her other hand to the front of his waistline, and her fingertips grazed against the hard length, shielded only by thin cotton as she worked up the nerve to run her fingers along his waistline. When she reached the tattooed snake, her fingerstraced the tail and down the length of its torso. His skin was so hot against her fingertips that she was ghosting her hand over his to grip the waistband before she realized it.
"Sadie," Jagger breathed, halting her movements and putting his hand over hers. Just as her eyes flitted up to meet his, there was a sharp knock at the door.
"Come on, it's 11:32!" A gruff voice called, causing Sadie to jump and yank her hands back to her sides. "Ya'll should've been open two minutes ago!"
Sadie tried to look anywhere except at Jagger's face. She was so thoroughly embarrassed by her recent actions. Might as well be throwing herself at him at this point. Time to get her damn libido in check.
"I-I, I should change." She stammered and made her way behind the bar, where her bag was hidden from plain sight. She pulled out a change of clothes and willed herself not to turn around, sensing Jagger's eyes on her.
Why isn't he moving?She thought.You really fucked this one up. Just because you're horny doesn't mean you have to assault Jagger. What's wrong with you?
Sadie heard him moving as she quickly pulled her white Serpent Pit shirt over her head, his words coming shortly after.
"I'm going to change, too. Unlock the front door when you're covered," he spoke quietly, his voice strained.
Sadie tugged her black leggings up over her hips and threw an "Okay!" over her shoulder, her attention now on pulling on her boots. The gruffness of his voice did not go unnoticed by her, and her hands shook as she struggled to tie the laces.
"Oh, and Sadie?" Jagger questioned from the top of the staircase, hesitating before he reached his apartment door. His eyes met hers as she looked up from tying her boots, finally meeting his gaze.
"I enjoyed your performance." His gaze moved from the stage back to her once more. "Feel free to interrupt my sleep anytime."
And with that, he was through the door to his apartment, leaving Sadie with her mouth hanging open and her body thrumming with something very close to desire.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sadie was exhausted. She and Jagger had been managing the bar all day and were stuck there until closing time. It was Saturday, their busiest night of the week, and she was thankful when Bianca and Camille came in to deal with the crowd by eight. Bianca was handing out shots like glasses of water, Camille was helping Sadie behind the bar, and Jagger was walking the space with Gremlin, keeping an eye on the patrons.
The whole day was filled with tension, and Jagger and Sadie barely spoke, choosing to keep themselves busy cleaning up after customers or changing taps. It wasn't until the end of the night when Bianca decided to pull her shit again, that Sadie realized how on edge she was from it all.
"Bianca, can you bring these beers over to the gentlemen by the pool table when you head back to the floor?" Sadie asked, handing her a newly filled tray of shots. With Jagger not behind the bar, Bianca was forced to limit her interactions with him, leaving Sadie to help her throughout the night.
Bianca rolled her eyes as she replied, "Run your own beers, bitch."
"Excuse me?" Sadie's eyebrows shot up, and she turned to look at her.
"You heard me," she sneered at her. "Besides, I'm with Jagger now. I don't gotta do shit for you."
Sadie slammed the tray on the counter, coming from behind the bar to meet her. The bar was so loud that most didn't hear the commotion or see the whiskey pouring over the bartop onto the floor from the toppled glasses. Camille signaled over to Jagger and Gremlin when she sensed that things were about to get heated between the girls. It was only confirmed when Sadie snarled, "What the fuck are you talking about, Bianca?"
Bianca crossed her arms, pushing her breasts up in the tiny black dress she always wore, looking the part of the pathetic skank everyone knew her to be.
"Fuckbeing the operative word." She said smugly, "You didn't think I went home after you left, did you? Someone has to keep up with that man, and we all know you're too boring to do it."
Sadie tried to process the feeling of hurt that flooded her senses, flashes of their moment that morning clouding her judgment. She blamed it on that when she pulled back and punched Bianca right in the face, not caring how her hand screamed in pain afterward.
"What the FUCK?!" Bianca screamed as she clutched her hands over her face, blood pouring from her nose.
At this point, the sounds ofSleep Tokencould only cover so much, and several customers within hearing distance turned to survey the scene unraveling in front of them. Jagger was there instantly, having rushed ahead of Gremlin to get to Sadie.
"What's going on here?!" He roared, pushing past the last few customers to get to the girls.
