Page 32 of Mimosa

“Get to work, go to sleep. Seems like everyone wants to tell me what to do.”

After setting the computer to work on autopilot for a bit, Mims made it to his bedroom just in time to get a call from Sonny. He smiled as he answered, “Hello.”

“Hey. I was hoping you wouldn’t be asleep yet. Just wanted to say…I don’t know. Goodnight?”

“I was just getting ready for bed and thinking about you. Will you be here tonight?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. Besides, I guess for it to look good, I should be. But…that’s not the only reason I’ll be there. You know?”

“I know. At least, I hope. Goodnight, Sonny.”

Chapter Ten

Thecrowdwasparticularlyrowdy that evening, so much so that Murphy asked the guys to keep it tame. They could do that, but they didn’t like it much. It was much more fun, and financially beneficial, to rile them.

But that wouldn’t keep if they tore up the place, so they put on closer music, the bar dances were more seductive, and Jager Bombs, Jägermeister with energy drinks, were off limits.

A couple hours after the night began, the crowd was calm enough that Mims could flirt with his new guy. He was afraid to think of him as a boyfriend yet, even though that would be their cover story. In his heart, he was simply the latest in a long line of hookups.

He left to do a round and pick up empties and take orders from the patio and the two back rooms. As he got to the patio, Sonny pulled him close and told him in his ear, “Smile as I’m telling you this, like I’m flirting with you, but Sandy isn’t the other BBC person here with me tonight.”

He smiled and batted his lashes. “I see.”

“They just came to look over the place. They believe you all don’t know anything about them yet.”

“That’s sexy,” he said, kissing Sonny quickly.

“They want to meet you,” he said as he grabbed Mims’s ass. “This week.”

“This week is…tough. I have…prior engagements.”

Sonny’s eyes narrowed hard. “Um…what prior engagements?”

“We’ll talk later. I have to get back to the bar.”

“Mmhmm.”

Mims could tell he was pissed, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He did have a job, well, two, in fact. When the crowd died down close to one in the morning, Mims got away and met Sonny in the back. “Come with me.”

“He left.”

“Come with me anyway,” he pleaded, and pulled him along to the stairs. After the big metal door was shut, he shoved Sonny to the wall. “Stop getting so jealous!”

“Who said I was jealous?”

“What prior engagement,” he mocked.

“Oh. I…I’m sorry.”

Mims couldn’t tell him he loved it. He didn’t want it to get worse, because as much as it flattered him, it could get bad. He wasn’t stupid enough to want that. “It’s okay, but chill. I’m not interested in anyone, but I also can’t say exactly what I’m busy doing this week. It’s…it’s between me and the guys here.”

“Crime, you mean.”

His eyes had narrowed again, but that look on his face, it was hot. “I mean, it’s between me and my family here. If you can’t deal with that, then we will go around pretending to be into each other.”

“I’m not pretending shit,” he said then grabbed Mims and kissed him hard, holding him so tightly, even if Mims wanted to get away, he couldn’t have.

Mims melted in the man’s arms, that strong hold, posessive, it was what he wanted, needed.

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