~ ~ ~ ~
Aces was packed.
I’d heard about a lot of the guys coming here after work but this was my first time here. Of course, Luke and Logan had never offered to bring me before. For two men who didn’t want other men near me, I find it funny how persistent they were for me to come and work for them. Did they not realize this job meant I was the only woman around twenty hunky retired military men? Not to mention all their cop friends who are constantly coming and going.
Taking a table near the back of the bar, I sit and wait for Sam to return with our drinks.
I can’t remember the last time I was on a date. A few horrible first dates in college and the boyfriend I had for a few months amounted to very little experience with dating. My ex and I didn’t have anything in common, and we never made it past dry humping. God, I need to have sex. I need to get the first time over with, and give the clit massager my girlfriends got me for my last birthday a break.
Looking around the bar, I feel a little out of place. All the other women are dressed in halter tops with skirts or shorts. Eyeing my blue babydoll dress I adjust my boobs to give myself a little more cleavage. Glancing up to make sure no one saw me fixing myself, I lock eyes with Luke. Fuck. I’m totally busted. I sent him a text this afternoon letting him know he didn’t have to take me home because I would be meeting a girlfriend for dinner after work.
“I wasn’t sure what to get you so I got you an apple martini. I hope that’s all right. I always see chicks drinking that shit,” Sam says, slipping into the seat next to mine. Still not taking my eyes off Luke, I can see his jaw tic from here as Sam slides his arm around the back of my chair.
“I’m sure it’s fine. Thank you.” I turn my attention back to Sam and try to push Luke out of my head. I’m praying to every god up there he won’t come over here.
“So how long have you worked for my brothers?”
“A couple of years. We were in the military together. I kind of feel like I know you already as they talked about you all the time. FYI, I saw them both at the bar. I’m sure they’ll be making their way over once they see I have you with me.”
Unable to control myself, I search out Luke again and see he’s still standing in the same spot. Only this time there’s a stunning brunette rubbing up against him. I’m not sure whether the hollowness I feel in my stomach is hatred or jealousy. She’s the kind of woman I always imagined one of my brothers with. Long, dark, silky hair, a waist I haven’t had since I was in the sixth grade, and legs that go on for days. Her legs look so long because her shorts are so short, I figure. Or that could possibly be underwear. Jesus, I could probably see her vagina if I looked hard enough.
She looks like she fits up against Luke perfectly. With those heels on she comes up a few inches shorter than Luke, which is saying a lot because my stepbrother has to be pushing six-foot four. She’s probably a model.
“Fucking Christ,” I mumble to myself.
How did I ever think I had a chance? I’m five-foot three, curvy everywhere, and my hair is so blonde I swear it’s almost white. If I tried to wear heels like that, I would kill myself and drag anyone within reaching distance down with me.
“Don’t give her a second thought, Sarah, I’ve got you.” Sam’s words remind me that I’m blatantly staring at my stepbrother and not paying attention to my date. My date, I’ve decided, is going to be the man to take my cherry. Yes, it’s happening. I have to move on from lusting after my stepbrothers, and the first step is throwing the V-card out the window, like, yesterday.
I turn and lean into Sam and question what he means. “You’ve got me?”
“I’ve known your brothers a long time,” he whispers in my ear. “They mean the world to me, almost like my own brothers. I want to see them happy and I’m starting to think if I don’t give a little shove then it will never happen. You know your brothers barely talk to each other anymore without snapping?”
I had been noticing that lately. They had always done everything together when they were younger. They were inseparable. Being away at college, and only seeing them for a few days at a time, I wasn’t sure what was normal for them anymore. I did notice they stopped dropping by my dorm together towards the end of college. Only one of them would come by, when it always used to be both.
“I’ve noticed a few things but I’ve only been back a couple of weeks. I thought we were all just adjusting to living together. Is something wrong?”
I wonder what Sam knows that I don’t. Did something happen that I don’t know about? God, I hope not. What would I do without them? It would be horrible if the only two people I have left in my life hated each other.
Looking back at Luke, I can see the leggy brunette has now wrapped her arms around his neck. It looks like she’s whispering something in his ear, but Luke’s eyes are on me. He looks as if he doesn’t even know there is a woman practically crawling up him. The sight of her wrapped around him like that makes a lump grow in my throat.
Sam brushes his hand against my chin, making me look back at him.
“I’m going to fix it. I just hope I don’t end up in the hospital in the process,” Sam says in a whisper against my lips. Before I can process his words, his mouth is on mine. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him, pushing his tongue against my lips, demanding I open them. I acquiesce, but before I can kiss him back he’s ripped away from me and I see Luke bearing down on him.. He swings at Sam, connecting with his jaw, and then grabs him by the collar