Page 15 of Steve's Barmaid
Sensing I’d lost the ability to be coherent, Joey continued.
“The tribe has relieved Billie and me of our duties in the kitchen so we can work on the bar full time. We were hoping you all would be willing to join us?” Joey said brightly.
“Yeah, yes, of course!” Steve responded, dragging his fingers through his hair. He turned to look behind him, where Reykr was still asleep in bed.
My mouth finally decided to work, “Why don’t you get some breakfast and meet us at the bar in about an hour?” I suggested.
“That sounds great,” he said, but remained standing in the doorway.
I gave him an awkward smile. “I guess will see you in a bit?”
“Sure.”
“Alright. Bye then!” I said it little too loudly as I pulled Joey away from the door and down toward the path.
We walked briskly for a few moments in silence before Joey asked, “So how long are you going to wait to fuck him?”
“Gahhh! This is what I’m talking about!” I waved my arms in the air. “I am terrible at friends first, fuck later. You saw him.”
“Um, I think I sawyouseeing him,” she said. “You need a better poker face.”
“Do you think he noticed how awkward I was?” I asked, concerned.
“No, he was just as awkward. But I think you are right about him being clueless about women. He was too busy being embarrassed that he was still asleep to notice that you were drooling.”
“Oh fuck you, I was not drooling.” I shoved Joey off the path.
“May as well have been,” she teased, rejoining me.
“You’re going to make keeping things friendly and professional impossible, aren’t you?” I huffed, starting to walk faster than her.
“Maybe.” She kept up with me easily, still enjoying pushing my buttons.
“You know, you’re lucky I like you. Otherwise, I’d banish you back to the kitchens to pine over Ottar while he feels up Bo in the walk-in.”
Joey was mock-offended. “Well, that would be just plain mean.”
“Fine, fine. But seriously. Let me navigate Steve?” I asked plaintively. “Who knows, under all those muscles and vulnerability, he might be the same type of dude to completely ghost me.”
“Alright, I will be on my best behavior, scout’s honor,” she said, linking her arm to mine.
We continued to the bar in silence. The image of Steve, shirtless and rumpled from sleep, was burned into my brain. Without warning, the image of me licking down his happy trail popped into my mind.
Fuck. Friends. We were going to be friends. I was determined to see what this could be before I started anything physical with him. If I really did want to find amatehere in my new life,jumping into bed with Steve wouldn’t end well, considering his inexperience and my past.
CHAPTER NINE
STEVE
Shit. Well, that could have gone better. I wasn’t doing a good job proving my worth here if, on my first morning, Billie and Joey found me still asleep. I didn’t want them to think we were lazy.
I shook Reykr awake and nearly got a face full of his fist as he woke up swinging. Reykr did not like waking up early.
“We need to go. Billie and Joey just stopped by on the way to the bar, and work starts this morning.” I pulled my tunic on over my head.
“Already? The sun is barely up.” He grimaced, stretching his arms over his head.
“Do you want to make a bad impression in Fýrifírar?”
