Page 67 of Rome
I spotted Lincoln behind the bar, cleaning out the ice machine. He grinned and waved when he saw me. He was a good kid, and I wondered how much longer it would be before he was patched in.
There were a couple of club bunnies lounging around on the couch over by the big screen, watching some kind of talk show. Paisley and Star. I had no idea if those were their real names and didn’t give a shit either way.
Paisley was a fucking bitch, and useless for anything other than spreading her legs. Star wasn’t all that bad, although she had her moments. She’d been around for a few years now, and she at least did some work around the place. She was one of the ones who’d been cleaning the bathroom the day I’d overheard them talking abouther, the stripper who supposedly looked enough like me that my husband had fucked her by mistake. I’d recognized Star by the slight southern accent she still had, even though I’d heard her say once that she’d moved here from Alabama as a little girl.
I ignored the women as I pulled out my phone to call Viking. I wanted to let him know I’d gotten here a little earlier than planned.
“I just got out of the shower, honey. It’s taking me a little longer to get myself decent with this bum shoulder of mine, but I’ll be down just as quick as I can. Are you all right to wait on me, or do you want to meet up later?”
I smiled at his concern. “I’m OK. I’ll just wait down here.”
I slid my phone in my pocket and walked over to take a seat at the bar. I thanked Linc when he automatically handed me a Diet Pepsi, my drink of choice.
“I’ve got to run out to the garage to grab some tools to fix the door on this damned thing,” he grumbled, gesturing to the ice machine.
“No problem, I’m just waiting to see Viking. He’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“OK. It’s really good to see you, Abby.” He gave me an encouraging smile, then turned and headed down the hall to the back door.
“I’m surprised you’re here.” I rolled my eyes at the bitchy voice coming from behind me. I turned on the stool to see Paisley standing a few feet away, with her hands perched on her hips and an ugly sneer on her face. Star was still sitting on the couch, watching avidly. I gave them both a dismissive look, then turned my back again. The bitch was clearly trying to start shit, and I wasn’t going to stoop to her level.
“It’s beenreally nicehaving Rome coming around every night. He doesn’t come in until later in the evening of course – after he gets done playing Daddy – but he’s really been making up for all those years tied down to just one pussy.” I stiffened at her words, then forced myself not to react as she continued running her mouth.
“He’s been fucking his way through every woman in this place, and we couldn’t be happier. I could barely walk after he fucked me the other night. He was wild for me. You were a lucky woman, Abby, because that man has a talented tongue, and his dick is impressive. I’m surprised you held on to him as long as you did.”
I clenched my hands around the ice-cold bottle in front of me, wishing it were a glass bottle rather than plastic, so I could smash it over her head.
“He’s clearly been dying for a woman who can match his level of experience. Someone who actually takes care of herself. You do know he begged Cyn to blow him that night, right?He told her he was desperate for some good head for a change.She can probably give you some pointers if you want. Maybe then you can keep the next guy you latch on to happy enough that he won’t fuck around on you.”
Every word she threw at me felt like a bomb that landed with exact precision, designed to inflict maximum damage on her target. I was seconds away from shattering, but I’d be damned if I’d give the whore the satisfaction. I calmly slid off the stool and picked up my purse from the bar, leaving Viking’s gift behind. I turned to leave, only to find Paisley blocking my way. I noticed that Star was nowhere to be found, and idly wondered when she’d left.
“I’m leaving now. You’ll need to find some other way to entertain yourself.” I was proud of myself for being able to speak without my voice shaking. I started to walk around her, but she stepped into my path.
“You think you’re so fucking special. You’ve waltzed your fat ass around here for years, being his preciousbaby girl, thinking he only had eyes for you. He talked a good game, but you weren’t special. He was trapped, bitch, and trying to make the best of it, pretending he was happy with you. He just didn’t want to lose his son. You got knocked up and he had to marry you. Why the fuck do you think he drank all the time?Did you know he was ready to leave you when you got knocked up again?”
“Paisley! Shut the fuck up, you goddamned bitch!” The sound of Bull’s voice, loud and angry, distracted her long enough for me to leave. I heard him yelling at her as I ran out the door. I jumped in my car and backed out of the parking spot just as Viking hustled outside. I saw him motion for me to stop as I peeled out of the lot. I only drove for a few miles before I knew I needed to pull over. I was too upset to be safe behind the wheel. I sat in the parking lot of a shopping center, my body shaking violently as my delayed reaction kicked in, trying to absorb the verbal blows that fucking skank had delivered.
I knew better than to believe everything Paisley said, but she knew right where to hit me. She knew that Caleb was coming over every night. Playing daddy, she’d called it. She knew I had been inexperienced. She wasn’t around back then, so she either guessed, or Caleb had told her.
My phone rang then, the sound startling me as it came through the speaker in my car. I saw that it was Caleb and assumed that Bull had called him. I hit the button to decline the call. It rang again a moment later. I declined it again. It rang a third time, and I answered, knowing he would just keep calling otherwise.
“Leave me alone, Caleb,” I greeted him harshly.
“Abs, are you OK? Viking called –“
“Leave. Me. Alone.”
I jabbed my finger on the screen to end the call, then sat there taking some deep breaths to try to calm down.
Caleb kept calling, then sending text after text. I turned off my phone a few minutes later without reading any of them.
Everything Paisley had said kept running through my mind until I couldn’t stand to be alone with my thoughts anymore. I couldn’t go home because Mom and the kids were there. I knew that Amelia and Laura had an appointment at the spa for their monthly massages and facials, so they weren’t home either. They’d been doing that since their nursing school days. They’d invited me to join them, but I hadn’t wanted to butt in on their thing. I’d told them that I would just meet them at the restaurant after they finished.
I glanced around the parking lot, spotting a few cars parked in front of a bar at the end of the row of businesses. I didn’t want any alcohol, but I decided to go in to get a Diet Pepsi, since I hadn’t gotten a chance to drink more than a sip of the one Linc had given me. I drove my car around to that end of the lot. There were more cars there than I’d thought, and most of the spots in front of the bar were taken. I pulled into the first open spot I saw at the end of the row and closest to the street.
The place was fairly small, with a couple of guys sitting at one end of the bar who looked like they were regulars. They had their eyes glued to the TV above the bar, watching some kind of auto race. I could see several people gathered around a pool table in the back. There were a few people scattered around at some of the high-top tables, and a woman sitting in one of the booths. I spotted a lone waitress working the floor, and two bartenders covering the bar.
I took a seat on a stool at the opposite end of the bar from the two men, and the younger of the two bartenders walked over immediately to serve me. His mouth quirked up on one side when I ordered a soda, but he poured it and set it down in front of me with a flourish. He stopped me as I pulled out my wallet.
