Page 31 of Enemy Kisses

“Can I get you another?” I look up at the voice. It’s the woman this time. Her brows furrow when she sees my face. “Are you okay, hun?”

I shrug. “Not really. And yeah, would you mind?”

“No problem. What are you drinking?”

“Vodka cranberry, please.”

She smiles at me and makes my drink. As she slides it across the bar, I hand her my money and ask, “Is it always this busy?”

“When Toby Summer’s in the house, it is.” She tips her chin toward a set of stairs. “He’s playing downstairs and the overflow crowd is up here.”

Right. Well, that explains some things. Toby Summer is only one of the most popular musicians around at the moment, and he’s a local boy. I had no idea he played at venues like this. I sip my drink slowly, keeping an eye out for Finn, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

My bladder screams at me, so I forfeit my stool and make my way down the hallway that leads to Finn’s office to visit the bathroom. Then I should head home. I have an early start in the morning, and I’m guessing Finn’s probably too busy for me. I’m not sure why I came here; I always manage on my own. When I’ve finished in the bathroom, a familiar-looking man is leaning against the wall opposite with his arms crossed in front of his thick body. He’s a big guy, probably bigger than Quentin.

Where do I know him from?

He glances up and a sly smirk lifts one side of his lips and a predatory gleam shines in his eyes. I quickly drop my gaze to the floor and scurry down the hallway, only to have a big hand wrap around my bicep and pull me to a stop. My heart hammers in my chest and my skin becomes too tight.

“What’s the rush, beautiful?”

I struggle to come up with a reason that doesn’t let him know I’m here on my own. Even though I’m sure Finn’s here somewhere, he can’t help me right now. “Uh, my friends are waiting to go downstairs to watch Toby Summer.”

“Is that right? I didn’t notice any friends when you were sitting at the bar.” He spins me around and pins me against the wall with his bulky body.

Blood pounds in my ears and sweat coats my spine.Shit.

“I’m meeting them downstairs.”

His grin turns sinister. “Don’t lie to me, beautiful.” He runs his nose up my neck, following my jawline to my ear. His disgusting breath coats my face as he moves. I pull my head as far back as possible, but I can only go so far with the wall behind me. “How about letting me sample the goods you gave up so easily for the boss?”

Now I recognize him. He’s Finn’s day bar manager.

He licks his way from my ear, along my jawline to my other ear, pushing his disgusting cock into my stomach. I close my eyes tight. Maybe if I can’t see him, he’ll disappear. His putrid breath surrounds me and I try to hold my breath as I push him with all my strength.

Suddenly, his weight is gone.

CHAPTER16

–finn–

The minuteI step through the doors to the pub, Macy calls out, “Phone for you!”

It’s still early enough that the main bar is only at one-third capacity. I stride across the room and grab the phone. “Finn Brady. How can I help you?”

“Finn. It’s Toby Summer.”

“Toby. Good to hear from you, man. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

His sigh sounds across the phone. “Yeah. I’ve been busy writing and getting married.” He chuckles. “I was hoping I could come down and test out some of my new stuff.”

“Absolutely, man. Any time you wanna come down, just come. Do you want me to get the word out or do you want to just show up and play to whoever’s here?”

Silence greets me. “Let’s do a spontaneous show.”

“No problem. When are you thinking?”

“How about tonight?”

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