Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
The flirting could be a mistake. I don’t know this guy’s sexuality, but something tells me I’m not barking up the wrong tree. When you grow up in a world that tells you straight is the default, you look for yourself in others, recognize similarities to find people like you.
He wrinkles up his nose in a way that’s entirely too fucking cute. “I didn’t…I’m not…you know what? Never mind. It’s been a shitty day, and now I’m closing down the bar when all I want to do is…well, I don’t know what I want to do.”
“Hit me with it.”
“Hit you with what?”
“Your bad day. Though I must point out the role reversal. Usually it’s the bartender talking through the patrons’ problems with them, but I guess since you’re not a bartender, that doesn’t matter.”
“You’re really weird, do you know that?” He crosses his arms.
“Eh. I’ve been called worse.”
“I’m not telling you about my day.”
I shrug. “You don’t have to. I couldn’t sleep, and the gym is closed. You’re alone up here, except for the hog-tied bartender and me. I thought you might want to take advantage and talk to a stranger who will never see you again.”
Something seems to flash in his brown eyes, like what I just said was the right thing and he’s focused on it, but then he shakes his head, silently talking himself out of it.
“There’s no hog-tied bartender, which you know, so I don’t know why I’m arguing with you about it.”
“That’s on you, not me,” I tease.
He scowls.
My cock twitches slightly behind my joggers. Clearly this guy is interesting to me.
“You could always leave,” he throws at me.
“Where’s the fun in that? I have a bartender to rescue and a kidnapper to annoy.” I take another drink of my water, enjoying myself. It feels freeing, just sitting here casually flirting with him like this. “It wasn’t my first hope for the night, which was getting laid, or my second, which was to work out, but I’m finding myself much more entertained than I would have thought.”
His face flushes pink, and something shifts in his gaze. It’s almost…calculating? I’m not sure if that’s the right word. It has a negative connotation, and I don’t think my bartender is like that, but he’s working through something.
“That was my plan for the night too—the first one. Not the second one because gyms are my version of hell, but I was going to get laid. Just with some random man. I’ll have you know, you’re looking at a self-proclaimed slut.”
A laugh jumps out of my mouth, loud and surprising even to me. That’s not on my top-one-thousand list of things I thought he’d say, but I don’t really know the guy. I don’t have much room to be thinking anything about him. “Welcome to the slut club. Are you a new member?”
“Tonight was going to be my first night, and I was looking forward to it. It’s got to be better than other clubs I’ve been a member of.”
His comment strikes me as odd, but then, this whole conversation is weird. We’re talking about being slutty and kidnapped bartenders and whatever else our brains can think of. So I keep it going, play off our club theme. “Chess is cool, but it’s not sex.”
“I was never a member of a chess club, and you play?”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
“Damn it. Sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
I wave off his concern. Now that he’s relaxed a little, he’s not as grumpy anymore. “No worries. I’m giving you shit, but back to the previous topic, what’s made you decide to become a slut?”
“You don’t think I can do it, do you? I totally could. I could have all the no-strings-attached sex I want. Like a whole lot of sex.”
This strange, intriguing man makes me chuckle again. He’s good at it, and somehow, I don’t think that’s something he realizes about himself. I don’t know what has me feeling that way, but sometimes you can just tell with people. And I’m enjoying him even more because there’s zero recognition in his gaze that he’s talking to Rylan Pierce. It’s not as if that never happens. Not everyone is into hockey, but being recognized happens more than I’d like, and as much as I enjoy the spotlight and love the sport, sometimes I just want to be with someone new. “I’m not doubting your ability to have a whole lot of sex. All the no-strings-attached sex you want. Hell, I’d have some of that sex with you if you wanted.”
The words are meant playfully. Would I hook up with this guy? Fuck yes, but I said that mainly because he seems to think I doubt him, and, well, also because he already had my cock twitching earlier, so I continue on that path.