Page 2 of Burning Embers
“Thank you,” she replies. I know how sour those words must taste passing her lips, and I can’t help but beam at her confusion.
Her hips sway as she returns to their table, and I stare at that voluptuous arse of hers. Mavis saddles up beside me, the smell of liquorice replacing the faint scent Rachel left in her wake. “Here you go.” She passes me a tray, her eyes probing.
“What?” I ask
She shakes her head. “I thought we only do that on a Monday?”
I adjust the drinks on the tray. “Yeah, we do, but…I made an exception. Thanks for not outing me, by the way.”
She nods, her expression amused, but I don’t like it. “Well, you didn’t ask me what day, did you?” Her hip bumps against mine before she returns to the other end of the bar.
I take the drinks over and place them between Rachel and the douche who dared to show up almost an hour late—who is now tapping away at his phone. I catch enough to see he’s messaging someone about getting lucky. I clear my throat, and he puts it face down next to him.
“Do you want nachos with this?” I ask, addressing Rachel.
The corner of her mouth twitches, but it’s the moron who answers, “Yes, and don’t be stingy with the jalapeños.”
I look at him but say nothing as I walk away until I hear Rachel’s voice call out, “Thank you.” I glance back over my shoulder, and her eyes are cast down.How did she end up on a date with him?
Continuing with the bar service, I keep my ears open for the buzzer indicating the nachos are ready, and then wave Mavis away before she grabs them. I place the large plate in the middle of their table along with two smaller ones and a pile of napkins.
“Hey, are you deaf?” asks the moron as I walk away.
“Excuse me?” I reply, turning back to him, stifling a glare.
“I said extra jalapeños.”
His arrogant fucking demeanour rubs me the wrong way, but I keep my cool. “I heard you, but your date here,” I say, gesturing to Rachel, “—is allergic. So how about you be a gentleman and go without.”
His nostrils flare ever so slightly, ready to retort, but he must see something in my expression. His Adam’s apple bobs ever so slightly, though he remains quiet.
“Thank you, Olly,” Rachel says.
I turn and give her another wink. It’s the first time she’s ever called meOlly, the syllables dripping off her tongue as smooth as melted caramel. I step away, tossing her one last wink and watch as her lips twitch and eyebrows raise in appreciation. She deserves so much better than this knob of a date.
I’m distracted while making drinks, and I had to actually force myself to go to the back, a pile of dishes needing loaded. It took no time before I was back in my place at the bar, my thoughts betraying me. I don’t know why I continue to glance in their direction, but I swear he keeps reaching his hand under the table. My fingers tingle with a charge of frustration.
She stands abruptly, grabbing her purse before she dashes to the ladies’.
I head over to clear the plates, and he’s on his phone again. He sets it down, screen face up, still lit up on the message—something about his date being an easy lay. My heart hammers in my chest. It’s none of your business, I tell myself.
“So, you know her?” he asks. Does this jerk not have any manners whatsoever? I nod, dropping the plates on top of each other a tad aggressively. “An ex or something?”
I ungracefully drop the plates back on the table with a heavy clunk, causing the prick to flinch.
“Nope, she’s a regular here,” I reply, and then want to kick myself. It sounded wrong, even to me. His mouth slides into a sleazy slant. I am just about to correct the terminology when Rachel returns, looking between the two of us.
But she doesn’t sit back down. “I’m afraid I have to call it a night. I need to get home to my daughter,” she says.
The moron dares to look inconvenienced by this but stands anyway. “Let me walk you out,” he says.
She nods, but I notice her posture—rigid. She’d prefer it if they parted ways in here.
Without looking me in the eye, she grumbles goodbye and begins to walk towards the exit. His hand grazes her arse, and she sidesteps him. He doesn’t take the hint, crowding her as they leave. I have to force myself not to grab him by the collar and sling him away from her.
Chapter Two
OLLY
