“Not in the mood, Georgie.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re never in the mood.”
He knew exactly what I was referring to as I teased him all the time about us having sex. Of course, I was off the menu.
He went to grab the bill from me and I quickly shoved it in my pocket. “That’s this week’s one-nighter.”
“You don’t have one-nighters and if you did, I’d be stopping them.”
True, sorta, kinda. I’d never had a one-night stand, but really that was my choice, not his. But I let him think what he wanted. I scrunched my nose then went and poured him a black coffee. “Vagina blocker,” I mumbled, but he heard because I saw the corners of his lips twitch when I looked over my shoulder at him. Nice to know he liked some of my humor.
I’d dated several men over the years, and Deck did his overprotective thing and checked them out. He probably knew more about the guys I dated than I did. The thing was I had to be careful about the men I didn’t want him checking into. Tristan … well, as far as I knew, there was nothing on him except he owned Mason Development and dated a lot of women.
Deck placed a five on the counter when I came back with his black coffee. I never took the money. Well, I did because he insisted, but I placed it in a pink elephant piggy bank I kept under the counter. There was no reason why I did this except I didn’t want his money and he refused to take free coffee. So, I put it in the piggy bank and saved it. He knew I did it—shit, Deck knew just about everything I did … except what was the most important. What bothered me was being bothered in a way I couldn’t ease except with a battery-operated device named Deck.
“You off work now?”
“Is that a question, Deck? Really?” Deck didn’t ask questions he already knew the answers to and he knew exactly what time I left the coffee shop on Tuesdays. “You must want something from me. Ah, I know, you’ve missed carrying me out of bars these last few weeks you’ve been away? Well, I’d let you do it here, but my one customer might think you’re kidnapping me.”
“I want you to stop drinking.” No bullshit, Deck. Straight to the heart of what was pissing him off, and as usual, it was me. “What the fuck, Georgie? Every night? What the hell is going on with you?”
“Not every night. And I like to go out.” I’d been overdoing it lately because my girls were gone and Deck or his men had been watching me closer than usual. Tanner had warned me to cool it on the drinking thing.
“What was with last weekend?” He must have heard already about my little episode at Avalanche on Saturday.
“I wasn’t that drunk. And the band asked me to get on stage and sing with them.” Semi-sort of truth. The band had asked me to get on stage, but the singing part was all me. I’d been seeking the attention of a guy who was alone drinking in the back of the bar. I knew the type of guy. He wouldn’t go for a chick who threw herself at him, so I got it another way. And I was good at what I did, but getting carried off stage by security was not in the plans.
“We need to talk,” Deck said.
Oh, that couldn’t be good. Deck needing to talk meant he was talking, I was listening and then he laid down more rules. Luckily, he hadn’t yet tapped my phone or computer. I suspected if that happened, all hell would break loose. And it was a hell he wasn’t going to be cool with. “Can’t.” I grabbed my purse from under the counter and made for the back exit. “Just scored a date. I have to wash my hair.” A lie. I wouldn’t be calling Tristan for at least a week.
“Georgie.” That warning tone sent tremors down my spine. Yeah, I liked it. How totally screwed up was that? I was pretty immune to most men—I’d trained myself to be—and yet, Deck was my kryptonite. The worst part was everyone knew it, which made it dangerous for him and me.
I didn’t want to talk about the drinking. It was a never-ending conversation, and one I wasn’t going to fix anytime soon. But what I didn’t like was that Emily had mentioned it before she left with her fiancé’s band, Tear Asunder, a few weeks ago. Hearing it from her hit hard, because I knew her mom was a real shitty mom who’d been a drunk. I hated worrying Emily like that, but that was who I’d become to everyone. I liked to party, had a sassy mouth and lived under Deck’s thumb. For now, it was staying that way.