Page 2 of Accidental Proposal

“Yeah, I am. But I’m off at eleven,” I said, then got to work on someone’s drink. Pouring whiskey into a glass, I slid it across the bar and grabbed the money the man laid down. One after another I poured drinks and collected the money. Before I worked here, I didn’t know there were so many kinds of drinks. There were Sip and Go Naked, Buttery Nipples, Rum and Coke, Margaritas, all different kinds of beers, etc. I would be lying if I said I’d never drank before, but that was only once, when I graduated and got dragged to a party by one of the other kids in the home. I drank way too much and ended up with a terrible hangover. After that, I vowed to never drink again. Plus alcohol never tasted good to me.

For the next hour I made one drink after another, never having a break. Thankfully the girls would put on a show on the top of the hour, leaving us bartenders free for about thirty minutes or so. Since this was a strip club, every hour a handful of girls would go up on stage and “perform” for the gentlemen. I usually took that time to run to the bathroom and wash up. When it got super busy, the drinks usually splashed up on your arms, making your arms and hands sticky and smelling like whatever you were serving. As I wiped the counter down, I felt like someone was watching me. I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw Candy was doing the same thing. Frowning, I kept wiping the counter until all the alcohol spills were cleaned up. I took a step back and pulled down my tank top, which had ridden up. I ignored the feeling of being watched when a man walked up to the bar.

“What can I get you?” I asked, setting my rag down.

“You can give me a lap dance.” He shot me a white-toothed smile. I watched as he looked down my body but stopped at my stomach. The counter blocked the rest of his view. The way he was looking at me made my skin crawl.

“Sorry, not my job. You can go ask one of the girls over there,” I said, gesturing to the right of the bar where the girls who usually did lap dances stood. I turned away from him to another customer. The new guy wanted a beer, so I turned around and grabbed a glass to pour it in. As I poured his drink, the creepy guy stood there staring at me. Trying to act like I wasn’t getting freaked out, I handed the new guy his beer with a smile.

“Jenna, there’s a guy over there that wants you to bring him his drink,” Candy said, sliding up next to me.

“What? Why?” I asked, confused. Usually the men just came to us.

“I don’t know, but he specifically asked for you. So here,” she said, handing me a whiskey and nodding toward the section the “guy” was sitting in. I was silently glad to get away from the creepy guy. I passed Candy and exited behind the bar on her side, heading to the customer with his drink. The lights were down, so it was kind of hard to tell who I was supposed to go to, but when I edged around a table, I saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring straight at me. My legs immediately felt glued to the floor. Even from here I could see his face, and to say he was gorgeous was an understatement. He had high, prominent cheekbones and a jaw-line sharp enough to cut someone. His blue eyes were bright and intense as he stared at me. I finally forced my legs to move, somehow knowing he was the person who ordered the drink.

“Here you go,” I said quietly, setting the whiskey down. Being near him, I realized he was even more handsome. Instead of thanking me, he just nodded, his eyes hard. Slightly taken aback, I also nodded and turned away. I frowned as I walked back to the bar.Why would he ask me to bring him his drink and not say anything? Wait, why do I even care?Shaking off thoughts of the mysterious man, I got back behind the bar, thankful the creepy guy was gone.

The rest of the night went by quickly, with nothing else weird happening. The mysterious hot man either left or didn’t order anymore drinks, and the creepy guy was gone, but that still didn’t mean I didn’t get hit on. Once the clock hit eleven, I stepped back and Stacey, the girl taking over for me, took my spot and started serving drinks.

“I’m off. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I called over to Candy. She smiled and waved at me over her shoulder. I weaved past drunken men toward the side door for my jacket. When I pushed through the door, I saw Tom. “You’re still here?” I asked, grabbing my jacket and putting it on. I could already feel myself shivering, and I hadn’t even stepped outside yet.

“Yeah, I’m here until closing,” he said, smiling over at me. “Do you want me to call you a cab?” he asked and went to open the door for me.

“No, that’s okay. I’ll walk, but thank you. I hope you have a good night, Tommy,” I said. I shot him a smile at him and slid past him, hearing him shout “Goodbye and be careful” as I walked away from the club. As the cold air blew, I shivered in my thin jacket, picking up my pace. I did not want to be out here longer than I had to. Suddenly, a car pulled up beside me. Like an idiot, I stopped dead in my tracks. A minute later, the door opened and a tall figure stepped out. When a streetlight illuminated the figure’s face, I tried not to gasp. It was the stranger from the bar.

Chapter Two

I stood there, in the middle of the sidewalk, as the stranger walked up to me. I had to tilt my head back so I could see his face. He must be six-foot two or six-foot three, much taller than my five-foot four height. He looked a few years older than me, maybe twenty-four or so. My voice seemed to be stuck in my throat. His blue eyes stared down at me, almost making me cower. Standing this close to him was intimidating, especially after seeing what he was wearing: a clean-cut black suit jacket, a white button-up shirt underneath, with a dark blue tie that made his blue eyes darker, and a pair of black slacks with shiny black dress shoes. His brown hair was styled perfectly, not a strand out of place, and he had a five o’clock shadow covering his chin and cheeks. His lips looked so kissable I nearly jumped on him. Everything about him screamed wealth and power. I could just feel the power radiating off of him as he practically glared at me.

“I need you to come with me,” he said, his voice deep and velvety. Finally, after staring at him for a good couple of minutes, I spoke up.

“W-what?” I stuttered out, confused.This mysterious, handsome man wants me to get in the car with him? Is he crazy?I looked him up and down, trying to find any sign of him being crazy, but didn’t find anything except a very expensive Rolex watch. Okay, not crazy, just crazy rich maybe.

“I need you to come with me,” he said again slowly, as if talking to a little kid. Hearing him talk down to me seemed to jerk me awake.

“Excuse me? I am not going anywhere with you. I have no idea who you are. And don’t talk down to me as if I’m stupid or a child,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. I crossed my arms over my chest as I glared up at him. I could see him clenching his jaw, his lips thinning as if he was trying not to yell.

“Jenna, I need you to come with me. I have something to discuss with you.” His voice was hard.How does he know my name?He must have seen the look on my face, because he said, “I was at the club, remember?”Ohhhh.

I stood there in silence, having an internal war with myself. One part of me wanted to go and see what he wanted, while the other was shouting a warning at me, saying, “Don’t go!”Maybe he wants something from you?a voice said in the back of my mind. The thought of sleeping with this handsome stranger somehow seemed to turn me on.Jenna, get your shit together!“Jenna, I promise you I will not harm you. All I want to do is talk to you for a few minutes. Then I’ll bring you back home,” the stranger said, interrupting my thoughts. The longer we stood out in the cold wind, the weaker my resolve became.

“Are you a rapist?” I asked him.

“No.”

“Are you a killer?”

“No.”

“I will only get in the car if you tell me your name.”

“Liam. Liam Stanford,” he said, raising an eyebrow at me almost expectantly.What? Did he think I would immediately trust him or know his name?I thought angrily. He stepped to the side and gestured to the car. Sighing, I walked to the car, no longer able to feel my hands or toes. Liam opened the door for me as I slid inside. Liam slid in next to me and gestured with his hand. I then noticed that there was a driver in the front seat.Wow, he does have a lot of money.

I stared out the window as we drove down the street, headed to who-knew-where. The car was quiet. I should be scared driving with an unknown man headed to an unknown location, but for some reason, I really wasn’t…Stupid, I know. After about ten minutes of complete silence, we pulled up to Liam’s destination. The moment the car came to a stop, Liam opened the door and stepped out. Now slightly scared, I slowly slipped out and stood beside him. I quickly looked around and almost sighed in relief. We were out front of a coffee place. While I was busy looking around, Liam had already walked to the front door of the coffee shop and was impatiently waiting for me. I was already done with his attitude. I walked past him and instantly smelled the amazing aroma of fresh ground coffee. Not bothering to wonder why this place was still open at 11:30 at night, I walked to the front counter.

“Hi,” I said to the bored-looking barista. She was about my age, maybe a year older. She had platinum-dyed hair and makeup caked on her face, making her look like an Oompa Loompa.

“Hi,” she said boredly.

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