Page 35 of Animal's Reformation
“The better question is, why the fuck is she with him?”
“Whyisshe?”
Olivia shrugged. “Any time I’ve asked her that, she simply tells me that the kinky sex is just a small part of their relationship, and that he’s a very nice and caring man.”
“She’s got to dump him. Iknewsomething was off with that guy.”
“What can I get you ladies?” The bartender focused his gaze on Kennedy’s cleavage.
She moved in further over the counter. “A black Russian, a vodka martini, and a white wine spritzer.” Kennedy ran the tip of her tongue over her top lip. “Please.”
A wide grin cracked the sandy-haired bartender’s face. “Anything for you, babe.”
Olivia rolled her eyes and shifted where she stood, trying to ease the ache in the balls of her feet. The strappy black stilettos were an extravagant purchase, but they were definitely sitting shoes only. Teetering on them, she leaned to the side and bumped against the man standing next to her.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
When he turned to look at her, his eyes widened as they lingered on her chest. Self-conscious, Olivia folded her arms across her breasts. The man’s chuckle pricked her nerves and she pivoted away from him.
“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, now fully facing her.
“No thanks,” she said, looking at the bottles on the shelves behind the bar.
“Why not?”
Olivia gave him a sidelong glance. “Because I don’t want one.”
“Then why the fuck are you standing by the bar?”
“I should’ve said that I don’t want onefrom you.”
“Feisty, aren’t you? I’ve never seen you in here before,” the dark-haired man said.
Olivia ignored him and picked up one of the cocktail napkins the bartender had put in front of her and Kennedy, and began tearing it into little pieces. A clean-cut guy in black pants and a silver button-down shirt with black pinstripes was talking up a storm with Kennedy. Olivia glanced over at the bartender, wondering how long it could possibly take to make three simple drinks.
She tugged at the hem of her skirt again, wishing she would’ve worn pants instead. The man next to her was looking, his head to one side, into the mirror above the bar. Olivia noticed he was wearing a leather cut with the all-too-familiar one-percenter patch on it. She caught his blue gaze and held it, then he broke away and turned back to her.
“Hey, I know you,” he said.
“That’s a clever line,” she replied, grateful that the slowpoke bartender finally brought their drinks.
“I don’t feed chicks lines, baby. You’re a neighbor to my brother—Animal.”
When Olivia heard his name, her entire body tingled, much to her chagrin, and her mind raced as she wondered if he was in the bar. Not wanting to sound desperate or pathetic, she coolly nodded.
“Yes, I live next door to your friend.” She didn’t dare say his name for fear her voice would tremble. What the hell was the matter with her? If the mere mention of her sexy neighbor’s name threw her in a tizzy, it was obvious that she needed to get back out on the circuit. But there was no way her circuit was going to include bikers—she’d had a lifetime fill of them.
“I saw you a few nights ago—you were on the porch giving my buddy the eye.”
“What?” Olivia replied in a strangled voice, her face heating to the roots of her hairline.
The biker laughed. “Don’t sweat it, babe, Animal was eyeing you too.”
At that moment, she wished the floor would just open up and swallow her whole.
“Smokey!” Kennedy’s voice danced above the music.
The biker shifted his attention from her to Kennedy and a loud boom of laughter burst through his lips. “Fuck, you’re a tempting sight,” he said moving away from Olivia. He wrapped his arms around her friend and hugged her quickly. “You look fuckin’ good, baby.”
