“But what’s her deal? She single?” Fritz asks with interest, making me smile. Maybe the night isn’t a total dud. Fritz is hot in his own way, even if he doesn’t have Bren’s dangerous voice.
“Aww, man, you claiming dibs on the hottie? Didn’t even give a guy a chance,” says another man, who I’m pretty sure is the guitarist.
Then Brenner’s thunderous voice rises over everyone else’s. “You all sound like idiots. You can’t claim dibs on women.”
Someone laughs, and I think it might have been Fritz. “Looks like dad already claimed dibs,” he says, and I can picture the grin on Fritz’s face even without looking at him.
“I hate it when you call me that. And I’m not calling dibs. I wouldn’t call dibs on an insignificant waitress,” Brenner answers.
“That’s not cool, man,” Fritz says. “Who cares if she’s a waitress?”
“Yeah,” Karl chastises. “Nothing wrong with being a waitress.”
That does it. I walk into the room, my hands shaking so much the glasses tilt and water sloshes, nearly spilling over the rims. Mandy must see murder in my eyes—and I can’t deny I’m seriously considering turning the tray upside down on Brenner Reindhart’s head—because she calls out to me to grab my attention.
“Sofia! Hey. Thanks for the drinks.”
Her loudness draws everyone else’s attention in the room, and Brenner looks at me for the first time. In his defense, he grimaces and slides a bit down in his chair.
Good. I hope he is embarrassed.
Mandy begins offering an explanation, “Actually, Sofia isn’t—”
“Done getting all the drinks. I’ll be right back with more. Mandy, can you come help me, please?”
“Um, okay.”
Joe has the vodka and tequila bottles ready to go with buckets of ice by the time I get back to the counter, Mandy trailing behind.
“What was that about?” Mandy asks.
“Don’t tell them I own the bar.”
“Why not?” she asks.
“If that pretentious ass thinks I’m a waitress and that he gets to look down at me because of it, I don’t want him to change his tune. I will never see him again after tonight. Let’s just get through the night and leave me out of it.”
“You promise you won’t pour a drink over his head?” Mandy asks sweetly.
“I promise I’ll do my very best.”
THREE
Bren
Iinsulted Sofia, our waitress, not once but twice. The first time at the meet-and-greet backstage, when I flat out called her rude to her face, and the second when I put down her profession just now, and I’m almost sure she heard me.
I’m almost certain of it because her icy glares send shivers down my spine the rest of the night, and when I sign for the bill, I pay about twice what I usually do. Given we are in Kansas City, I expect the bill to be less than at a major American City, not more. I can’t fault her for padding the bill, though. I’ve been a total ass.
I’ve tracked her all night, hoping to find a moment to explain myself and apologize, but she’s a slippery one. In my defense, after the concert, I was exhausted. At thirty-four, I am the eldest member of the band and the front man. I need to keep up with the younger guys, but I also need to deliver our overly ambitious performances. When I saw her sitting there alone, I couldn’t believe there was a woman as hot as her not kissing Karl’s or Fritz’s feet. An excitement I hadn’t felt in a long time bubbled in my chest, and I had to talk to her.
It doesn’t help matters that she is perfect. Her raven-black, short hair falls in straight tresses around her perfect, heart-shaped face. She is wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt. Despite her simple outfit, her body is fucking killer. The instant I saw her sitting by herself, my cock twitched. Then I got close, and she bit that perfect full bottom lip of hers as she typed on her phone.
I wanted that perfect mouth on me—anywhere.
Then she kept her attention on her stupid little phone and texted away. And I’m Brenner fucking Reindhart. I’m not used to women dismissing me. Sure, I’m not the first one the women go to, but once Karl, Fritz, and even our drummer, Adrian, pick, I get the same kind of attention from their castoffs.
Usually, it doesn’t bother me to be last pick. Karl, Fritz, and Adrian are still looking for the next hottest groupie for the night. But I want something real. Something more. And I think women realize that when they get to know me.