Page 5 of Muted

Susanna Walston will be fine.

Chapter 1

Non-Vocal

Susu

“Can I help you?”

I whip my head to my left and see a man standing in the doorway to what I assume is the main office. His arms are crossed, and he’s leaning to the side, braced against the frame of the doorway, frowning slightly at seeing me standing here.

Swallowing deeply, I try to wet my throat and forceanyword out to answer him because I really,reallyneed this job.

I must take too long because his face hardens as he puffs out his chest. “Bar’s closed. Come back at six tonight when we open.”

I’m supposed to be meeting with Chester Ahearn, the bar owner. The assumptionshouldbe that this is him, but I have a gut feeling it isn’t. Glancing around the bar, I don’t see anyone else. I let my eyes fall back on the man in the doorway just as he shifts away from the frame, taking a step toward me.

“Hey, did you hear me? Bar isn’t open. Get the hell out of here.”Fuck. He’s getting irritated and I try once again to force myself to answer him. Opening my mouth, I beg my throat to let the words out, then snap it shut when we both hear a small commotion from the front door.

“We’ve got delivery on Monday. Can you be here to help unload the truck?” The question comes from an incredibly good-looking man with dark auburn hair which matches a thick, well-groomed beard framing his face. He’s very professional looking, and obviously muscular by the thickness of his arms and thighs.

He’s walking next to another man who’s shockingly larger, but completely opposite in looks. This man looks like he came straight off the cover of a motorcycle smut novel. Tattooseverywhere. He’s got dirty blonde hair tied high up on the back of his head, and like the first guy, also bearded, but his is definitely a few inches longer and a bit wilder. This bear, because that’s what he reminds me of, is wider, thicker, and taller than anyone I’ve ever met before. He’s a goddamn giant.

I gulp, then wince when his piercing gaze land on me.

It’s too dark in here to see the color of their eyes, but I can tell the auburn-haired man has light ones, and the bear of a man next to him… they’re dark as fuck. And he won’t. Stop. Staring.

I feel the moment that the first man’s eyes fall on me, his attention zapping my body with unwavering focus. “What’s going on here?” he asks, his eyes flicking over my head to the man who was trying to kick me out.

“Just letting a patron know the bar isclosed.” The growl that comes out behind me causes an unwelcome shiver to rack through my body. I can’t help but shoot a panicked gaze at the bear with a slightly pleading look.

“Are you Miss Walston?” The question to me comes from who I now feel assured is Chester Ahearn. Having and feeling all of their attention on me is disconcerting, but I dig my nails into my hands to ground myself and force out my answer.

“Su-Su…” I trail off, stumbling over my simple name of Susanna, and lick my lips to try again. I want to tell him he doesn’t need to be formal and can call me by my first name, but of course, my voice fails me.

Chester’s eyebrow raises just a touch before his smile peeks through his beard with a flash of white teeth. He steps forward with his hand held out. “So, not Susanna. You prefer Susu? That’s a unique nickname. I’m Chester Ahearn, one of the owners here.”

The bar, ‘Sonority’, is a dueling pianos bar, which I’ll be honest, really intrigues me. I didn’t even know this was a thing out there. There wasn’t one back home. I always thought it was something that died out decades ago.

Slipping my shaking hand into his, another shiver flows through my spine when I’m engulfed by his warmth. His eyes roam over my face, and with him standing this close to me, I now see that his eyes are a light blue green. The color compliments the small smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose and hair color.

When I take a nervous, shuddering breath, his eyes soften in understanding, and he releases my hand to direct me to the office. I shared in my emails that I have difficulty speaking, but I didn’t fully explain the depths of my struggles, particularly around strangers.

“Let’s go in the office and we can get started. Cliff, do you want to join us?” Chester asks, stepping around me to lead us toward the man still hovering in the doorway.

Cliff’s scowl unnerves me, but I straighten my spine and follow Chester anyway.

“You’re hiring someone?” he asks Chester, who gives him an incredulous look.

“I told you this already. Someone needs to take over the books. There’s enough to do around here between the both of us. Having extra help will take a load off our shoulders.” Entering the spacious office, I look around at the twin desks covered with papers and a black leather sofa sitting along one of the walls. “Why don’t you have a seat on the couch, Susu? I’ll grab your file and we can get started.”

Cliff is still scowling at us when he moves to shut the door. Just before it closes, I allow my gaze to find the bear still standing in the center of the bar, eyes locked on me. I focus on him until the door snicks shut. That small sound has goosebumps spreading across my arms. It feels as if my fate just irrevocably changed to something I’m wholly unprepared for.

Chester’s voice pulls me away from my thoughts. “Susu? Would you take a seat?” I attempt not to flinch at him calling me Susu. I’ve always been called Susanna, so the fact that he’s calling me Susu because of a stutter is a bit embarrassing.

I make my way over to the couch, then drop my bag on the floor by my feet as I sink into the cushion. The leather padding is so plush that it immediately envelops me, making me feel like I’m going to be absorbed into the furniture and disappear. It’s a tempting thought with how hard Cliff is glaring at me.

Chester rolls his chair out from behind his desk and grabs a file before settling down in front of me. “Alright. Again, thank you for coming in so quick—” He stops mid-sentence and looks at Cliff. “You gonna sit down, man? Or are you leaving?”

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