“Yeah, because you’re the boss. I get it. But, you should learn you can’t treat your employees this way. Pretty soon, you’ll have none left.”
He laughed. “Bartenders are a dime a dozen. I’ll always be able to find someone hungry for a job.”
“Good luck,” I said, biting my tongue as he walked away.
Once again I was left to clean up the disaster which was Theo Sullivan.
SEVEN
THEO
What a shitty week. This bar would break me if Penny didn’t first.
After sitting in my office at the Bearded Goat, I decided I would need to seriously figure something out to keep this bar afloat. The past two weeks were a testament to how bad off this bar truly was. The only good things about my days were getting a rise out of Penny.
I took great pleasure in seeing the crimson flush of anger creep up her neck when I made her clean the seagull shit off the back patio after she poured my drink into a baby bottle.
I then went and took the Roses Lime Juice and poured it over the liquor bottles and watched as the bottles slipped from her hands while she tried to serve the guests. It was unprofessional but I didn’t give a shit. The next day she’d sent me a “Running a Bar For Dummies” book. She’d left it on my desk with a note telling me to read up.
One instance, of Penny engrossed in a book, kept replaying over in my mind. It was a rainy day and the bar was empty. She was zoned out, bent over the bar, her chin resting in her palm. I walked up behind her and cleared my throat.
She jumped. “Shit, you scared me.”
“Are you reading about how to bartend?” I grabbed the book from her hands and flipped it open, reading aloud,
“She lay with her legs spread wide before him as he stared longingly at her. Her heart beat faster as he closed the space between them.
With a wild passion burning through his system, he struck out his tongue to taste the sweet nectar she possessed.”
“Give it back,” she demanded, reaching for the book.
“What is this smut?” I turned away from her and continued reading,
“His throbbing member entered her love slit as she moaned loudly. “Make me come, Thorne.”
His jagged movements brought Babette to her own tumultuous orgasm.”
“It’s not smut, it’s romance.” Her tits pressed against my back as she tried to reach for the book I held in the air.
“No this is smut. What the hell is a love slit? Do you enjoy reading these filthy books?” It felt personal to be knowing these intimate details but, what the fuck was she reading this stuff for at my bar?
“Yes, I love these books. Now give it back.” Her temper rose as she once again reached for the book.
“Oh right, here’s your book,” I said, handing it to her, trying not to think about her reading alone at home, late at night. “I guess you need to get some ideas.”
“Maybe you should.” She leaned down, stuffing the book in her handbag under the bar. “You wouldn’t know the first thing about romance.”
“Romance? What do I need to read a smutty book about romance for? I do just fine.”
“It’s better than the comic books I’ve seen piled in your office.”
I took a deep breath, my smile faltering. “They’re graphic novels, there’s a difference.” I crossed my arms. “Besides, at least my books don’t talk about pulverizing a pussy to smithereens.”
Her cheeks turned a bright crimson as she propped a hip against the bar.
“Well maybe you’re not mature enough to read about pussies since you’re obsessed with those cartoon books.”
I cocked a brow. “Cartoon books? Again, they’re graphic novels. And you’re right, I don’t need to read about pussy. I can always go out and get it.”