RUNNING GAME (A SECOND CHANCE SPORTS ROMANCE) (34 page)

S
ummoning
every drop of charisma that I could find, I smiled and plunked down the glasses at the four-top bar table for the graying, slovenly bikers. I rattled off the orders as I sloshed the drinks in front of them in turn, each of them smiling grotesquely.

“Four drafts: Bud, Bud, Miller Lite, and Abita. And four shots of Fireball, because
why not
,” I added mirthlessly.

“Thanks, darlin’,” the closest biker chuckled, lifting his shot and suddenly grabbing a nice handful of my ass.

I flinched and drew back from him, preserving my pride – and my job – by not responding poorly to the harassment.

“Can I get you guys anything else?”

It was less a question, and more a growl.

“One other thing.”

He dropped his menu on the ground, and looked at me expectantly.

“Step onto that.”

I was used to this by now, and I suppressed a heavy sigh and a filthy look. Instead, I stepped meaningfully onto the discarded menu.

“We’ll take one of
you
,” he grinned.

“You can’t have one of me.”

“But darlin’, you’re on the menu!”

They broke into riotous laughter, as if this was the cleverest fucking joke ever.

It
was
pretty funny the first time someone did it to me. Months ago… People are less original than they think. I heard this one twice a week.

“Looks like we’re fresh out,” I responded, scooping the menu off the floor and strolling away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw their laughter die down, and they were looking at me with annoyance for not playing along.

To hell with ‘em.

To hell with everything about this stupid goddamn job.

I hated working this ancient, decrepit dive bar. The money was just good enough to keep myself afloat, and bartending was fun enough, but not somewhere like this.

If it wasn’t bikers, it was rednecks.

If it wasn’t rednecks, it was thugs.

If it wasn’t thugs…

A shiver went up my spine. I didn’t like to think about that.

Old Greg owned this place, and he was a friendly enough guy. Hell, he’d been a godsend. A lifelong resident of this backwater little town, he was old enough to be my grandfather. His best patron was our sheriff – someone who turned a blind eye when I was brought onboard to tend bar at sixteen.

At least
that
was no longer a problem. I’d turned eighteen pouring drinks.

When it was slow and I was cleaning glasses or wiping surfaces, I dreamed of exactly what you’d think a bright, young girl who dream about in a place like this:

Getting the
hell
out of Riverton.

That was the name of this place. The town, not the bar. Well, the bar too, technically.

Riverton Bar
, in
Riverton… On Riverton Avenue.

Remember when I said people aren’t original?

That applies to the friendly ones, too.

Dropping the drink tray off at the stack, I passed back around the counter and checked on my other patrons – several working-class stragglers, downing cheap beer specials, an older fellow nursing a whiskey neat, and a few older crones sipping heavy martinis.

Satisfied, I began taking stock of my liquors. I was gonna have to pop open a bottle of Crown soon, and we were still out of half our rum…

While I checked things off on my clipboard, I noticed someone approaching the bar. I didn’t think much of it, and I continued my work for a moment. I was busy, and the shadow could see that.

Whoever it was, he could wait a minute.

Ticking a couple of more checks, I finally turned around to see the same biker from before – the jester of the group.

Well, more like the leader, from the way the other bikers regarded him. He was leering at me for some reason, and I felt a pit deep in my stomach.

“You forgot something,” he grumbled.

“Sorry,” I answered, letting my tone demonstrate how unapologetic I really was. “My memory’s a bit fuzzy. What was it?”

He sat an empty shot glass on the counter.

I glanced at it, then back up to him.

“I wasn’t kidding. I really don’t remember. What was it again?”

His eye twitched, but he backed off a little.

“Crown.”

“Oh, right,” I nodded, reaching for the liquor bottle. “Fireball shots for everyone, and another Crown for you.” If he’d have been any less of a total creep, I would have snuck him a second one, just to make up for it.

It wasn’t becoming for a bartender to have to scribble down the drink orders, but I’d been managing pretty well all night. On crazy nights, I took the excuse to do it, which made things run way less stressful for me.

Of course, it was on a simple shot for the most intimidating and questionable guy all night that I’d lose my train of focus.

“Here you go,” I placed it back down on the counter for him.

“Thanks,” he grumbled, walking away.

But he was still watching me out of the corner of his eye. I didn’t like it.

I sighed inwardly, turning to my other patrons. They’d been trying to ignore the raucous bikers, but even
they
could sense the unsettling tension in the room that had developed around the group.

And there was the way they looked at me…

Maybe I’d get lucky and they’d lose interest before closing time. Risking a quick look, I caught the big biker staring, a crooked smile growing across his unshaven face.

I’d never been a very
lucky
girl…

A
fter ditching
the shitty after-party, it was a small matter to figure out where to go. I still felt like drinking, but if I’d stepped into any old bar here in the city I’d be recognized and ambushed for autographs and selfies.

Fuck
that
shit.

I needed something a little more discreet.

That’s why I slipped out and hopped into one of the rentals that were made available for band use. It was nothing special, just a shiny little red jeep – not really my style, but I didn’t really care. After all, who the fuck was I trying to impress out here?

Hitting the road, I found my way to the Interstate and just started driving.

Once I got away from the light pollution, the night sky was beautiful. Crystal clear stars without a cloud in view. It was hard to find the time to appreciate the stars when you were on seemingly permanent tour.

Only two more weeks of this shit.

Another little voice reminded me:
for now
.

That’s life. Hard work plus luck begets success. A spot of good luck definitely sparks the fire, but the hard work? That’s what keeps the blaze going strong. I knew damn well I’d be back on tour soon enough.

After about thirty minutes cruising down the highway in the rental jeep, I decided to take a chance on the next exit. Out here, the tall, monolithic restaurant and gas station sides were all weeded out, and I was lucky to spot a Chevron station from the interstate.

This particular exit looked like it led to the middle of nowhere. The sign said “Riverton”, but the endless, dark woods all around practically screamed “dilapidated little town.”

Never heard of the place.

Sounded small. Quaint.

Just to my tastes.

But after cruising down the main road into town, I realized that I might have chosen a place a little
too
small. There wasn’t a lot to this little backwoods town. Hell, I hesitate to even call it a
town.

True to its namesake, it was situated on a riverbank. The spot was primarily residential, with a ton of ramshackle houses and borderline huts. Not a whole lot of businesses. You had your hardware stores, combination gas station slash small grocer, and a few tiny, ancient restaurants. This was one of those little commuter towns where everybody drives forty-five minutes to work in the city.

If this place wasn’t the sticks,
nothing
was.

I’d just about given up on finding this place when I spotted a derelict old bar by the side.

Riverton Bar...

“Alright,” I muttered to myself, flicking on my blinker and slowing down. “So long as they don’t actually
piss
in the stills, this should be fine…”

Something about the place looked appealing despite its shoddy state. Maybe it was just that it was so different from anywhere I’d been since hitting it big. These days my life was full of big city bars and clubs, and the occasional lavish hotel room after-party.

But that was only really part of it.

It just looked like how I felt inside.

Filthy.

Broken-down.

Borderline functional.

Committed to the cause, I pulled up beside a battered collection of old trucks and crumpled, ancient sedans.

Hopping out of the jeep, I became aware of how clean and pristine the rental looked, especially beside these dirty, sputtering rust-buckets…

And, glancing down at myself, I realized that I was
definitely
going to stick out like a sore fucking thumb in these parts. I hadn’t even bothered to change from my stage clothes.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside, walking into redneck central dressed like a fucking rockstar.

Which, let’s be honest.

I totally fucking
was.

With a glance, I surmised the atmosphere. Not too many people here, maybe a dozen at most, but the ones that
were
painted a pretty vivid picture for me.

A group of gnarled old bikers.

Couple of sloppy rednecks.

Some older women holed up in the corner.

Yeah…definitely not my speed.

I hesitated at the door, but then my eyes fell on the bartender. She was in the middle of taking a drink order at one of the bar tops and was about as out of place as an angel in hell.

She wasn’t just pretty. She looked
fucking
beautiful... Her luscious hair barely graced her shoulders. Long, bare legs stretched for miles from her miniskirt down to her cute and almost criminally disheveled pair of red Converse sneakers. Her low-cut blouse hinted at moderately sized breasts – not too big, but not small.

Perfect.

My feet moved of their own volition, stepping closer towards the counter. The patrons were already looking at me with their stupid, judgmental eyes, but I didn’t give a shit.

They could get fucked.

Half of them looked like they could use it.

As I comfortably took my seat, the bartender glanced over her shoulder at me – flashing me a look at her sharp and beautiful eyes.

My cock twitched in my shredded jeans.

That’s when I knew.

I was fucking her tonight.

T
ending
bar as an eighteen-year-old girl – particularly one with a pretty face – had taught me a valuable skill: the art of keeping an eye on the entire room at once.

The newest arrival proved to be a bit of a distraction. He was dressed in a tight shirt that clung to a deliciously muscular frame. A brief slick of red ran through his hair, and he finished off the look with a pair of fashionably torn black jeans. He’d been staring ever since he walked in. I could feel his burning gaze bore into me from behind as he hungrily treated himself to some eye candy.

Without a word between us, I knew I could flirt a big tip out of him. Maybe it would be enough to get some decent food for the next few days. It was time to play hard to get.

“What can I get you?” I offhandedly asked him after plugging in the previous order.

“What do you
want
to get me?” he replied.

I turned around to try and catch the jackass undressing me with his eyes, but his gaze was surprisingly fixated on the chalkboard drink specials instead.

“I’ll take a draft,” he said before I could respond to his little comment.

“Which draft?”

He chuckled arrogantly to me, flashing a condescending but admittedly sexy smile.

“Your favorite draft.”

I put my hands on my hips. “I don’t drink.”

A genuine look of surprise flickered across the man’s face. “You work behind the bar...”

“All the more reason not to drink. Let’s try this one again: which draft do
you
want?”

He nodded thoughtfully, ignoring the tone of my voice. After a moment, he opened his mouth to answer, his tongue absent-mindedly sliding across his canine.

“I’ll take Abita. Tall.”

I took a second to shake that sexy tongue flick out of my head.

“
Amber
or
Lager?
”

“Lager.”

“You’re not from around here,” I observed.

“Never been here,” he answered, his lip curling up into a sly smile again. “Name’s Trent. Trent Masters.”

Trent Masters.
Didn’t hurt to know exactly who was pissing me off at any given moment. His name sounded a little familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

I couldn’t place a lot of things these days.

But he didn’t need to know that.

“Coming right up,” I said, intentionally brushing my fingertips against his before turning toward the tap. It sent a small bristle through me, which I promptly tried to ignore.

“Thanks, beautiful.”

Beautiful… It was nice to hear him say the word. Most of the people who called me beautiful were old enough to be my grandfather… Trent was anything but. He was
handsome
with a capital H
.
Even with his stupid clothes and his gelled hair, I couldn’t help but notice up close that he was built like a damn linebacker. I didn’t like it one bit.

Which means, of course, that I was practically salivating and wanted to touch him again…

As Trent curled his fingers around his fist and rested his elbows, I could see how thick and well defined his huge forearms were even as I grabbed a glass. A little higher up, his bulky, broad shoulders stretched his dark shirt. A simple medallion hung around his neck, draped over what were undoubtedly rock-hard pecs.

Ignoring his gaze – and his stupidly hot muscles – I whipped up a frothing, overflowing pint in a chilled glass. With a glance stained with disdain, I plunked the draft beer down in front of him.

“Enjoy.”

“Oh, I think I will,” he smiled again.

UGH.

While Trent began swigging it, I checked on the other patrons. They had been mostly ignoring us, which pleased me. Everyone seemed fine.

Well, almost everyone.

“Hey, Darlin’! Bring those sweet cheeks over here with another round of shots!”

I sighed internally.
Fucking bikers.

“What’ll you be having?”

“More Fireball!”

I couldn’t help but grin to myself.
Fireball.
That was such a college kid choice.

As I turned for the bottle, I realized that they had seen my smile and were grinning lecherously among themselves.

Whelp. That was a mistake.

Now they think they’re amusing me.

I quickly poured their shots and brought them over, ignoring the way that the newly arrived stranger’s eyes traced the outline of my body.

God. What is it with everyone eyeballing me like a piece of meat tonight?

At least he was fucking attractive, unlike these old weekend warriors in their leather costumes...

“Thanks, Darlin’,” the lead biker told me. He placed his hand on my bare shoulder, his fingers barely brushing my hair as I dropped off their shots.

“Hey. Don’t touch me,” I flinched.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Trent stiffen up, his head cocked very slightly.

“She’s feisty, boys!”

The other bikers hungrily grinned at me. I didn’t like the looks on their faces.

“Alright, that’s it for tonight. I’ve gotta close down soon anyway. You ready to finish out your tabs?”

The leader scowled. “Cuttin’ us off, Darlin’?”

“It’s that time,” I pointed at the dusty clock on the wall.

I slipped back behind the safety of the bar, announcing
last call
. To my satisfaction, nobody raised their attention for a top-off, and I began closing out checks and dismissing the regular patrons with a weary, thankful smile.

After about two minutes, everyone was gone except the new guy and the bikers.

Trent hadn’t seemed to really care about my announcement. He continued working on his beer at the same rate, leaving over half of it still in his glass.

“I’m probably gonna need that glass back in a few minutes,” I smiled coldly, nodding towards the clock again. “Closing in five.”

“Understood,” he nodded, his traces of cockiness gone. Instead, he seemed a little on edge.

No idea why.

The bikers were bothering
me
, after all.

“Got a bathroom?” Trent suddenly asked.

I pointed him towards the doorway around the other side of the bar. He slipped off of his stool and sauntered towards the hall.

This left me alone with the bikers. Their lecherous leader called me over, and I reluctantly strolled to his side with the check.

“Here you go, lass,” he chuckled, dropping a few twenties onto the tabletop. One flittered down to the floor, and I begrudgingly reached down for it.

I only realized the mistake just as his hand smacked roughly against my ass.

“
Ow!
” I called out, quickly hopping back up and glaring menacingly at them. “I
said
, ‘Don’t touch me.’ I don’t give a flying shit
how
drunk you are. You can’t do that.”

“Sorry, Darlin’. You’re just too damn pretty.”

“I’m cashing you out, and you’re getting
out
of my bar.”

The biker stood up swiftly, grabbing me by the arm. He pulled me deep into his embrace, his thick, alcoholic breath stinging my eyes. He was an old guy, but he was built strong and
mean
.

I struggled, but I couldn’t pull free.

“I don’t know about all that, sweetheart,” his gravelly voice rumbled. “I think you owe me and my boys a proper apology.” His thick lips curled into a disgusting smile. I tried to scream, and a rugged hand clamped around my mouth.