Chapter 7: Chapter Seven

Karla wiped down the bar, preparing for the next wave of drunks to come spill their drinks all over it again. She loved the money the weekend crowd brought in but hated putting up with the drunks. It was one of the reasons Paul hired Heath, the bouncer who worked the door five nights a week. His thick arms and broad chest were deterrent enough for anyone wanting to stir up trouble, but they were also a distraction, and not just for Karla. Several of the female patrons huddled around Heath every night, almost to the point of distracting him from his real reason for being there. Still, it didn’t stop some jackass from trying to steal the attention of the infatuated women by getting himself drunk and attempting to show off for anyone desperate enough to watch. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. It also didn’t help her mood that her skin was just a little on the burnt side from being at the beach all morning with her sister and Aimee’s ready-made family. She knew she shouldn’t begrudge her sister her happiness, but with Aimee it was sickening to watch, almost like the guys trying to one-up Heath. Clint and she made for a typical couple, all romance and gooey eyes. Karla hated gooey eyes.

“Another Jack and Coke, please, gorgeous,” Charlie said, as he leaned on the bar. “And why the glum face? Need something to boost your spirits?” He gave her a wink.

She just laughed at him as she reached for a clean glass. “I’ve heard rumors about you, Charlie. I don’t think boosting my spirits is in your tool bag.” She poured a shot of Jack Daniels into the glass and then reached for the Coke spritzer.

“Ouch. Hey now, that’s hitting below the belt. I knew I should make my one-night stands sign a non-disclosure agreement,” he said with a chuckle.

 She slid his drink in front of him as she glanced around the place. “I’m sure you can find someone here who doesn’t mind Vienna sausages.”

“Brutal. You’re just brutal.”

She shrugged. “What can I say? I only repeat what I hear.”

“Why do you treat me this way, Karla? I’ve always been good to you. You should give me a chance. I bet I can surprise you.”

“Leave my staff alone, Charlie,” Paul said, stepping behind the bar with a crate of clean glasses. “Karla has higher standards than you.”

“Everyone loves slumming occasionally,” Charlie said. He turned back to Karla with a smile. “Come play in the gutter with me for a while. You might like it down here.”

“Do women ever fall for that line? Playing in the gutter and all?” Karla leaned on the bar; her eyebrows raised a little. “I mean, it doesn’t really have an attractive appeal to it, you know.”

Charlie leaned on the counter, his grin spreading across his face. “Hey, I can be whatever you want. Gutter. Penthouse. You name it and it’s yours, gorgeous.”

“How about absent? Can you be that for me?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him as she saw the crumpled expression on his face. She patted his hand. “Go find someone who enjoys the gutter.” She winked at him as she slid over, ready to fulfill another order.

He sighed dramatically as he picked up his glass and walked back over to his table where he was stalking tonight’s prospects. She watched him walk away, knowing that he more than likely would be a fun romp in the sack, but for now he was just too much fun to torture.

Paul stood beside her, watching Charlie settle in at his table. “I think that man strikes out more than he scores.”

Karla chuckled as she pushed herself away from the bar. “Yeah, he definitely sucks at the game.”

“I don’t know about that,” Sean said, sliding behind the bar. “I’ve seen him on the quieter nights and that man has taken home some pretty gorgeous women, some more often than just the one night.” A girl came up asking for a rum and Coke. When he slid it in front of the other woman, he turned to the others again. “He just prefers being single and unattached. Always said he’d only cheat on a wife and it wasn’t fair to put a woman through that.”

Karla was pouring two guys beers but paying attention to Sean. “I can understand that. I was thinking about the same thing actually, not wanting kids because I know I’d only give them a broken home.”

Sean slid over, leaning on the counter as he grinned at her. “You know, I’m single, too. No kids. We could break each other’s hearts for a while. I’m definitely not gutter like dear ol’ Charlie.”

Paul laughed as he walked away. “No, you’re more like last call and free drinks. Speaking of which, more pouring and less flirting.” He left the bar, returning to the back.

Sean just winked at Karla. “I’ll be here at last call. And I can get you free drinks.”

Karla pulled a shot glass out from under the bar and filled it with tequila. Giving Sean a wink, she downed it, and set the glass back on the bar. “Well, I’ll be here at last call, and I can get my own drinks. Thanks, though.”

Sean chuckled as he bowed his head. “One out of two is still one in the right direction.”

Karla stared at his ass as he walked away. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

Karla pushed Charlie out of her mind, not that he was ever really in it, as two dudes fresh off the beach stepped up to the bar, ready to order.

The crowd started picking up as the night progressed, mostly people in their late twenties, early thirties. The Shuckers took over the stage, giving the crowd live music to shake their asses to with a DJ taking over between sets. The dance floor stayed full, which made people thirsty and, therefore, Sean and her busy. She didn’t mind, however. Being busy made the time go faster and she was always eager to get the night over with and her own fun started. Of course, she still had no idea what form her fun would take. She was so busy serving drinks she hadn’t spotted her take home adventure yet. Karla, my girl, you are slipping.

“How can a guy get a drink around here?”

Karla turned around, wiping her hands with a bar towel. Mitch leaned on the counter, staring at her ass until she turned around, and then he raked his eyes over the rest of her. She wore a short skirt to work, one that covered her, but if she bent over at the right angle, she’d be giving some attentive soul an eyeful, and a tight, navy blue T-shirt that gripped her breasts like another layer of skin. “Well, he can try asking,” she said.

“Not as much fun as some other ways, but I guess it’ll do.” His laughter still made her heart smile. She fought it, however. “How about a whiskey sour?”

“Whiskey sour it is. See, nice and simple.” She reached below the bar and grabbed a high ball glass.

“You look like you’ve been in the sun today. Hit the beach?”

“Yeah, with Aimee and her boy toy.”

Mitch laughed as she handed him his drink. “I don’t think I would classify Clint as a boy toy, but more like her man above all men. She seems pretty smitten with him.”

She gave him a puzzled look. “Did you really just use the word smitten? Where the hell did that come from?”

“What’s wrong with the word smitten? It’s a good word.”

“Sounds like you’ve been reading women’s fiction; you know that sappy, gooey stuff with the woman on the front cover in a flowing gown, and a strong man with leather pants and no shirt in a field of wheat ready for harvest. Those people get smitten. Real people just get horny.”

He chuckled again. “You always know how to take the romance out of things.”

“Romance is wasted on those who are new to life. High school kids. Those of us who have been around a while longer know better.”

“You’re twenty-five. Aren’t you a little young to be so negative?”

“You have met Karla, right?” Sean asked as he reached for a bottle of rum to make a drink for another customer.

“He has,” she said. “He just chooses to ignore the facts.”

“I don’t choose to ignore them. I just don’t believe them,” Mitch countered.

“Believe them. Trust me.” Karla winked at him.

“Trust her,” Sean echoed, tapping the bar before turning and walking off to deliver his drinks.

Another customer stepped up to the bar and Karla slid over to take his order. She could feel Mitch’s eyes on her. Not that he was staring at her, because he was facing the mirror behind the bar, but she knew he stared at her reflection. She wasn’t sure why he was being so persistent. She was quite adamant about her views on relationships. She was too selfish for those, too independent. Why he still tried to be the one to change her mind, she had no idea.

Nor did she really care. She was going to live her life the way she thought best, and it didn’t matter who approved. As a matter of fact, it was the lack of approval that usually helped her make decisions.

“So, what are your plans for after work?” Mitch asked. “I was thinking we could take a moonlit stroll on the beach.”

The last time she went to the beach with Mitch after work, Sandy was there and the three of them wound up having sex on a blanket too small for the three of them before going to Mitch’s place to finish the fun. She was sure he had something similar in mind. “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

He nodded once. “Good. Then we can go for a walk. It’ll be fun.”

She leaned on the bar with both hands, the bar towel dangling in one. “Who said I was going to do that? I said I hadn’t made up my mind yet.”

He shrugged. “So, make it up. You know you’ll enjoy it. Crashing waves, moonlight. What’s not to love?”

“I didn’t say there wasn’t anything to love about it. I said I hadn’t made up my mind as to what I wanted to do yet. You don’t make decisions for me, you know.” She couldn’t believe his audacity.

Or his smile. “Someone needs to.”

“Buddy, you love to live dangerously,” Charlie said, stepping up to the bar, waving his empty glass. “This one’s a spitfire. How about one more before last call?”

Mitch lifted his glass, smiling over the rim. “Oh, I know. And she’s stubborn. Very stubborn.”

“I’m stubborn? I’m stubborn? I’m not the one who keeps trying to force me to change who I am?”

“Who said I was trying to change who you are? How is asking you to go for a walk on the beach trying to change you?”

Karla took the glass from Charlie, setting it in the sink before reaching for a clean one. “You’re male. You can’t help it. It’s what you do. You all want to change the women in your lives to be who you wanted in the first place, instead of the one you got. Well, I don’t change for anyone.”

She handed Charlie his drink, but instead of walking back to his table, he slid into the stool at the bar and focused his attention on her and Mitch. She stared at him with wide eyes, willing him to go away, but he just smiled at her as he held his drink with both hands. She growled, but turned back to Mitch, who still had that insufferable smile plastered on his face. She wanted to slap that smile right off his lips.

Charlie just lifted his glass in a mock toast as he took a sip. She wanted to slap his face as well. “I’m going to go wipe down the tables.” She didn’t wait for a reply. Gripping the bar towel tighter, pretending it was Mitch’s neck, she moved from behind the bar and headed for the nearest table. She could tell it was nearing closing time, as most of the crowd had already paired up and headed out for some last call fun. A few hung on, waiting to be kicked out while still clinging to the hope that someone would give them a nod and make their night memorable. Or at least not so lonely.

While the rest of the patrons started filtering out, Mitch and Charlie stayed glued to their chairs. She knew what Mitch hung around for, but Charlie’s appearance confused her. As she stepped behind the bar again, Paul came out of the back room, telling her he’d lock up and for her to go home. Sean and Heath had already left. It surprised her that Paul didn’t try to make her his last call sure thing. Now that she thought about it, he hadn’t made a pass at her in days. Something was off. Still, with two other men panting at the bar for her, he probably assumed it wasn’t going to be his night anyway.

She tossed the bar towel in a basket they kept under the bar and shoved her tips for the night into her front pocket.

“So, now we can go for that walk on the beach,” Mitch said, sliding off his stool and standing away from the bar, stretching as he did.

Charlie just sat there, his gaze bouncing back and forth between them.

Karla stood there, hands on her hips. “I told you I hadn’t made up my mind about what I was doing after work.”

Mitch slid his hands in his pockets. “And you’ve made other plans since then? I never saw you on your phone.”

“Maybe I just want to go home and go to sleep.”

He gave her a doubtful look. “You? On a Saturday night?” He shook his head. “C’mon. The breeze is nice. It’ll be fun.”

“Stop deciding what I’m going to do.”

“What’s the big deal? You’re not going to do anything else. What’s wrong with a walk on the beach?”

“What if I planned on going home with Charlie?”

Charlie perked up in his seat, one eyebrow popped up. He didn’t say anything; probably afraid his luck would change if he opened his mouth.

Mitch glanced at Charlie, his expression blank. “Is that what you’re going to do? Go home with him?” Mitch asked, as he turned his gaze back to Karla.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, I am.”

“You are?” Charlie sat straight up on his stool.

“You are?” Mitch stared at her, and she knew he didn’t believe her.

She didn’t believe it, either, which is exactly why she had to do it. “I am. C’mon, Charlie. Let’s get out of here.” She turned and walked from behind the bar, heading for the door. She didn’t doubt that Charlie followed behind her. He probably already came in his pants. She needed to get out of there before she realized what she was doing and changed her mind. Her frustration at Mitch was making her do something she didn’t think she’d ever do, but she would be damned if she allowed Mitch to keep making decisions for her. No man controlled her; she only allowed them to think they did until they gave her whatever she wanted, and Mitch no longer had anything she wanted. His illusion of control was over.

He just needed to accept it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mitch watched as she walked out of Sand Dune, Charlie panting on her heels. He took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe she was doing this. That stubborn woman was going to drive him batty. He knew she didn’t really want to sleep with Charlie. She was only doing it because she was pissed at him for wanting to go for a walk on the beach with her. Smiling, he crossed his arms over his chest. She was going to be more of a challenge than he first thought.

Paul stepped out from the back room. “You have your hands full with that one,” he said. “She’d rather do something she doesn’t really want to do, like go home with dipshit, than anything someone tells her to do.”

Mitch nodded. “So I’ve noticed.” He tapped the bar with his knuckles. “Have a good night.”

“Night,” Paul said, as he opened the cash register.

Mitch started for the door. It was okay. He liked challenges. And he was determined he was going to win this one. It was just going to take longer than he thought.

Stepping out into the night air, he saw her car pulling away. He let out a sigh. While he knew getting Karla to surrender control wasn’t going to be easy, he didn’t expect her to make such rash and stupid decisions. He needed to get her to open up if they were ever going to move past her stubborn denial about relationships. He swung his leg over the seat of his bike, sitting there a moment before heading home. Somehow, he knew Karla Harper was worth the effort. She just needed to accept it.