Cake Love: All Things Payne(93)

I grab her phone and take a better look at the picture. Holy crap the man is gorgeous. I can't quite tell from the photo how tall he is but he does have a lean athletic body as if he runs a lot. He is smiling in the photograph and his light brown hair shines while his slight beard gives him an edge. Wow, that man has a stunning smile.

"Is he real?" I ask her wondering if she took a picture of an advertisement in a catalog.

Aria laughs and nods, grabbing the phone she swipes at it before placing it back on the counter.

"Of course he is. Look this is us at work. He's the owner of the club. I would have hooked up with him but he's my boss so you know." She cringes right after she speaks, realizing what has come out of her mouth.

"Yeah, I am all too aware of how bad it is to hook up with a boss."

"Sorry, I didn't mean you or what happened. I, just ... oh well, you know how I am, Morgana. I never want to see the guy again so it would be weird if I had to work with him every day. Ahh, this isn't coming out right. I'll just go back to eating." She shoves some noodles in her mouth staring at the carton.

"It's fine, Aria. Even if I would be up for a date with him, who's to say he would be interested in me?"

Shoving her hand into the air and pointing up she mumbles with the food still in her mouth.

"One, he is single. Two, he is straight. Three, he's not blind. Look I'm working Friday night; stop on by for a few drinks. You can meet him. If you don't hit it off then no big deal, all right?"

I shrug my shoulders and take a few more bites of cake to ease my nerves about possibly meeting another man so soon after the Payne incident. No, you know what? I am not calling anything "incidents" anymore. I have far too many of them. Maybe if I trick my brain with a different word I will be less likely to have them. From here on out it will be known as the Payne Munting or the YouTube Munting or the Lap Face Plant Munting. If you don't know what munting is, I suggest you look it up, but be warned it isn't pretty. In fact you might vomit in your mouth, so maybe don't look it up.

"Sure there is no harm in meeting your boss. I'll do it! Screw Mr. Payne and all the craziness that comes along with him. I deserve a hot guy who owns a bar or someone equally as good."

And with that, my Brain quits her pacing and gets to work thinking about outfits. Heart limps back to the window and sighs, staring out into an inky and starless night, wordlessly mumbling that nothing could be worse, not even Tiffany.





Chapter 21 - THE Club ...

It is Friday night and I don't feel that much better than I did three days ago when the Payne Munting occurred. The loud thumping techno music and flashing lights in the dark room add to my apprehension. Never having been to this club where Aria has worked for a year I look around nervously until I spot her waving at me from behind the bar.

I saddle up to a stool. Oh, I always wanted to write that. Like I live in nineteenth century Oklahoma and it's a dusty hot day. When the barkeep yells, "What's your poison?" I give my worn cowboy hat a flick, wiping my brow with my kerchief (old school) and in a raspy but firm voice call out, "Sarsaparilla."

Of course this place is the exact opposite of an old western bar but I choose to walk with a wide gait and hook my thumbs in my belt loops anyway. I ease onto the stool and give Aria a knowing nod. She creases her brow while wiping down a glass.

"Did you hurt yourself, Morgana?"

"No just trying out a new walk."

Aria shakes her head while putting the glass down to grab something from under the bar. She places a beer bottle in front of me.

"Here this is the lightest beer we have, should last you the night."

"Hey, bar lady. I'll have what she's having."

A male voice slurs from a few feet away. We both turn our attention to see a man about six feet tall with dark blonde hair and an average build trying to glance my way. I say trying because his body seems to have other ideas. It's like watching a toddler first learn to walk with a lot of wobbling and gripping of the bar. I think he is attempting to hit on me as he keeps giving me a very cartoonish eye wink.

Before either of us can respond I see a hand grip his shoulder and a tall man come out from behind him. It's Aria's boss, the one I saw the picture of and I have to admit he is even hotter in person. His hair is doing that messy just out of bed thing mixed with the faint beard all of which is doing things to me. Sexy things.

"I think you have had enough, Trainer."

Trainer? The drunk is named Trainer. That is the title of a job not a name. No wonder he's drunk.

"Oh come on, Jackson. Me and the lady were just hitting it off. It's not cool to cock-block, man."

Jackson turns to look at me, but he doesn't just glance at me he skims my body with his eyes and I swear it felt like it was his hands moving around me. I suddenly feel hot, like I have to get naked immediately or I will disintegrate.

When his eyes leave me the warmth goes and there is coldness once again.

"Nah, Trainer. A woman like that, I'm sure she's taken. You must be mistaken, here let John find you a cab."

A very large man with a shaved head, tattoos from his skull curving down his neck steps in front of Trainer and helps him away.

I can hear Trainer calling out from the distance, "I will always churish our brief time too gesser, my lady."