“Sasha!” Riley immediately shouted at me. I heard her sugary sweet greeting to Liam seconds after mine. “Oh! Hi, love! Got your seat reserved right here, babe! Boys coming?”
“They’re on their way.”
My back was turned to him, but I felt Liam’s eyes on me as I read tickets off the service bar. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to act normal as I poured Bloody Marys and mimosas. To my annoyance, my hands were trembling. Was it actually possible to feel sex in the air? He was a full bar’s length away from me but somehow, I felt hot and naked – as if Liam’s hands were all over me in front of everyone. I could feel the lust in his eyes and the filthiness of his stare. I loved it and hated it and the second I glanced at him, confirming the hot expression on his gorgeous face, I dropped the Prosecco in my hand.
“Sasha!” Riley scolded, snatching the bottle off the floor before too much spilled. “What is up with you? It’s gonna be a really long fucking shift if you keep spilling shit and moving slow!”
“Take it easy on her, Riles,” Liam said.
“Sh!” Riley pointed a playful finger at him.
God, this sucks, I thought as I realized all my regulars were watching the display. I swear half of them chose to sit at the bar instead of the tables so they could watch our ridiculous family antics.
“Here.” I turned to see Riley shoving a massive shot of whiskey at me. “Either this’ll help you or make you screw up even more but I’m willing to take a chance. Knock it back. Now.”
I didn’t want to deal with her nagging so I did as I was told.
“Good girl,” Riley said. “Ready to crush this shift?”
The liquor trickled down my throat and settled as a warm buzz under my chest. I tested myself with another glance at Liam. He was taking a swig of his beer, his eyes grinning at me over the rim of the glass. God. Still hot as ever but at least now I could breathe again. “I’m ready,” I answered Riley, mouthing behave at Liam before getting down to business.
I was thirty minutes into the shift when A.J, Max and a couple others arrived, drawing the usual mob of women giggly women around them. Good, I smirked inwardly. The less I can see him, the less distracted I am. An hour later, I had to laugh when Red, our new regular and queen of groupies, arrived to clash with the existing group of women trying to flirt with Liam and his boys. It was a full-on reality show in my bar and while Riley was pissed, I couldn’t help but find it deeply amusing.
“Something funny?” the new guest to my left asked.
I turned with a smile on my face but it fell like a brick to the floor when I saw who sat before me. Every muscle in my body tightened because there he was, utterly relaxed and grinning at me like he still owned me.
It was Ethan.
Chapter Nine
“Ethan,” I blurted, immediately stiff. I stared in pure shock. I waited for someone – Riley, maybe even Liam – to notice his presence and tell him to fuck off but no one did. I shook my head, realizing my ex had come at this hour for a reason. The bar was packed and he’d blend right in, especially since today, he decided to forego the usual sweater draped over some preppy, pastel Polo. There was even a baseball cap covering his lustrous hair. “Prince Charming hair,” my mom always called it. His glossy mane grabbed attention wherever we went, and so he treated it like his baby. Even went to the salon for highlights to further blonde the existing blondeness. The term metrosexual would look at my ex and think even he was overdoing it but today, he was all covered up, completely disguised – for the sole purpose of harassing me discreetly.
“Sash. You’re looking good as fuck. How are you?”
To keep appearances, I gathered myself and tossed a menu in front of him. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d grab a beer and have a talk.”
“About what?” I asked. Despite my irritation, I poured the IPA he used to order. He grinned as he watched me do it.
“See? It’s still your instinct to please me.”
“Stop.”
“No. You’ve always been perfect wife material,” he murmured, shaking his head. “You really have. I never should’ve let you go.”
“It wasn’t exactly your choice.”
Ethan scoffed. “It should’ve been.”
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t know what’s best for you if you’re leaving me to fucking lust after your meathead step – ”
“Ethan!”
“What?” he smirked. “Is the asshole here?” He looked around. “Should’ve known he was somewhere under that mob of sluts.”