Page 53 of Bound to You

“Isla, can I have a hand?” Marina yells out from somewhere on the floor, the place has gotten even busier in the five minutes that I’ve been distracted.

“That’s me.” I give a two fingered salute to the guys before heading out.

It’s been nonstop for the last couple of hours, well I’m assuming that’s how long it’s been considering I haven’t had a minute to check my phone.

Nora and Vanessa have been dominating the karaoke machine tonight kicking others off every couple of songs, subjecting the rest of the bar to their tipsy mumbling of what would be classic bangers.

I’m balancing a tray of drinks while weaving through the full tables to my group right in the middle of the bar. It’s a big group, maybe fifteen guys are sitting around the table that’s meant to fit more like ten, but they’ve been ordering round after round keeping me busy and giving decent tips, so I let them away with it.

“Alright two Peroni’s and a gin and tonic?” I load the drinks onto the table before turning to head back to the bar, but the stocky guy sitting right next to where I stand grabs my wrist getting my attention.

“Would you be a doll and get me a whiskey? Neat.” He smiles up at me as he slips a few bills into the front pocket of my apron, taking his time to pull his hand out of the pocket resting against my front. I inwardly shiver as I take a step back, nodding before I quickly turn around and get out of there.

I shudder as I get back to the bar to get his whiskey. I know this kind of thing happens to women all the time, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore considering I’ve come across many men like that many times, but it still creeps me out just the same.

“Everything okay?” Caio asks, frightening me. I barely remembered they’re still sitting there. They’re all looking at me now.

I catch my breath composing myself before I respond. “Of course! All good.” I throw him what I hope is a reassuring smile before making my way back to the table with the whiskey. Once I’ve served this drink, they should be sorted for a while, and I can get away from this table.

“One whiskey neat.” I place it down in front of him and turn to leave but he grabs my wrist again, keeping me in place. “Why don’t you sit down with us for a bit, you look mighty tired.” The sly smile on his face forces another shiver down my spine. His accent is Southern, they must be tourists passing through, because I don’t recognize any of them at the table.

“No, thank you, I’m working.” I go to pull away from his grasp, but his hold tightens on my wrist, and my heart skips a beat.

The other men sitting on either side of us don’t pay any mind to the uncomfortable situation unfolding right beside them, this is either normal for this guy or they don’t give a single fuck. Either way, I don’t like it.

“Come on, sugar, relax a little.” He tugs on my arm trying to pull me onto his lap with more force than I’d expected. I rip my arm away trying my best to get out of this situation. My arm slips from his grasp, but I quickly lose my balance and the dark floor comes rushing towards me.

I land hard on my wrist causing me to wince as I try to push away from the floor.

Caio’s voice floods my senses as I come to, and I look over my shoulder to see him standing behind me, holding the creep up by the collar of his shirt. Pure fury blazes in his eyes as he looks down at him. I’ve never seen even a hint of anger in Caio, butright now, he looks far from the cool, calm, and collected guy I know him to be as he stares directly into the stranger’s eyes.

“Apologize.”

His voice is harsher than I’ve ever imagined it could be. The man’s eyes snap to where I still sit on the ground. “I’m sorry,” he stammers.

All of his friends are standing at their table now, facing Leo and Rafael as they stand beside Caio with deadly expressions on their faces.

A hand rests on my shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?” Marina sounds worried as she helps me up off the ground.

“I’m fine, this guy just got a little handsy and I tripped,” I say, brushing my hands off on my thighs.

Caio releases the stranger, giving him a shove in the direction of the door and motioning for his table of friends to follow.

“If I ever see one of your faces in here again, you won’t be asked so nicely to leave next time.” He follows them to the door holding it open for them, giving them a hand a dirty look as they leave.

Marina loops an arm through mine. ‘Yeah…my cousin is not likethatwith anyone.”

I stare backat myself in the bathroom mirror. I can’t shake the icky feeling crawling over my skin, so I distract myself by retying my ponytail. I collect my thick hair up on top of my head, willing my hands to stay steady.

Miles would be pissed if he knew I let myself get in that situation. Before going to work at the dive bar in college, Miles made May and I take a self-defense class, he’s big on us beingable to protect ourselves, and it made him feel better about his little sister and her best friend going to work at a bar.

It made me feel better too, but tonight I just froze, like anything I knew just escaped my head.

It was the way he was looking at me. It took me straight back to that one night in my sophomore year of college. May and I were at a party with some girls from our dorms. May had gone off with her boyfriend at the time, escaping to any free bedroom they could find while I stuck around in the living room of the gigantic house we were in.

There weren’t many people around, and when a senior from the school’s basketball team caged me in against the wall, there was no one around to see when he wouldn’t let me go, keeping me there as he tried to convince me to go upstairs with him.

Nothing happened, but I always feel icky whenever I think back on it, and the way that guy was eyeing me up tonight was the exact same way he did back in college.

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