Page 23 of Caging Liberty
Amari, a regular bartender, is working tonight. She bustles around, hurrying to make drinks for the six or so people waiting. She meets my eyes and winks.
“Hey, gorgeous,” I mouth, a smile plastered on my face. Shiny sequins dot beneath her eyes, and her makeup is laid on so thick, it’d be hard to recognize her if she wasn’t working the bar. She’s been here for nearly a decade and is in her early forties, but I personally don’t understand why Sawyer doesn’t have her joining in on the fun anymore. She’s one of my favorite women here.
She holds up a finger and finishes making a drink for someone.
“How are you, tonight?” she asks once she’s done, pulling out a glass and setting it in front of me. She grabs a bottle of whiskey and pours while keeping her eyes on me. She has this shit down to a science.
“I’m doing well. Would be better if you weren’t working.”
She chuckles and rolls her eyes before her gaze flicks to a guy who steps up beside me and leans across the bar to request a shot of tequila. Even in the heavily-scented room, I can smell the alcohol wafting off of him. She takes his order and swiftly grabs another glass.
“Right,” she says to me, unconvinced.
I pick up my glass and take a drink of the amber liquor, savoring the way it burns on the way down. “Been a while, huh?”
“Too long.” She finishes up the guy’s drink, then slides it to him, displaying what is obviously a forced smile when he says something I don’t make out over the music. Her smile falls as soon as he walks away, then she turns back to me while grabbing more glasses from under the bar. “Desiree was looking for you earlier.”
My jaw tics. “Oh, yeah?” I look over my shoulder as if Desiree will be standing behind me.
“Said you haven’t come to see her lately.”
“I’ve been busy.”
She narrows her eyes skeptically, a smirk playing on her lips. “You’re always busy. That’s a terrible excuse.”
“I’ll think of something better.”
She looks behind me and dips her chin. “You’d better think fast.”
Before I can turn, a hand wraps around my arm and another covers my eyes. Desiree’s perfume stands out among the cloud of sweat and sex, and her lip gloss sticks to my ear when she presses her mouth against it. “Guess who?”
Shit.
She removes her hand, and I down the rest of the whiskey before turning to her and forcing a smile. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself.” She winks and lifts onto her toes to kiss me.
I let her lips linger on mine for a moment before gently pulling away. I wipe away her cherry lip gloss with the back of my hand and clear my throat.
“Where have you been?” she asks, her lips softening into a pout I found cute two weeks ago but now has me annoyed. “I’ve missed you.”
“I know, I’ve missed you too. Work has been crazy lately.”
“Aww, poor guy.” She pouts again and runs her hands down my chest while I try not to recoil. “Lucky for you, I know a great stress reliever.”
She lowers her hands to my belt and tugs while sliding her tongue over her bottom lip.
I look over her shoulder, searching for Lib yet again, and when I don’t see her, I almost consider taking Desiree up on her offer. I’m hard, and I’m beginning to get impatient. But I know anything short of Lib would be a letdown.
“That sounds nice.” I move my eyes back to Desiree. “I wish I could, but I’m actually looking for someone. There’s a new girl who’s been having a hard time, and Sawyer asked me to check in on her. Make sure she’s acclimating well. Her name’s Ivy. Do you happen to know where she is?”
Desiree arches a brow. “Sawyer asked you to check in on her?”
I nod.
“That girl isn’t working tonight. I’m pretty sure she’s in trouble.”
My eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”