Her Dirty Bartenders (Men at Work #5) - Mika Lane Page 0,43

wasn’t the end of him.

As suspected, the night flew by in a blur. I was wiping down the bar for what I hoped was the last time, trying to keep myself from staring at Maze’s sexy forearms, when an old familiar voice made my blood curdle.

“Hello, Stell.”

I took a moment to look up. I didn’t want to believe Vaughn had come back, and I thought if I didn’t actually set eyes on him, then maybe the voice wasn’t real.

But it was.

“What are you doing here? I thought Maze told you to leave,” I hissed.

He gave me his smarmy grin. “Yeah. Your boyfriend told me to hit the road. Fuck that jerk.”

“Fuck what jerk?” Maze asked, appearing at my side and placing a protective arm around my shoulder.

“I’d like to speak with Stell in private,” Vaughn snapped.

Maze looked to me. “Stell. Why don’t you tell us how you feel about that? You want to be alone with this man to have a conversation, or would you like me to stick around?”

I just looked up at him and before I could say anything, he answered for us both.

“It looks to me, my friend, that Stell doesn’t want to speak with you, either alone or with me nearby. So you should probably hit the road,” Maze said calmly. “Do you think you could do that?”

Vaughn laughed, trying to gain the upper hand.

He didn’t know yet that he wouldn’t be able to.

“Look, buddy,” he started, shaking his finger, “you need to stay away from Stell. Keep your hands off her.” He pointed to Maze’s arm on my shoulder.

“Really?” Maze laughed. “I think Stell can make her own decisions. Like the decision she made about dumping your ass right before your wedding.”

Rage turned Vaughn’s eyes narrow and dark. “Do you know, bartender, who Stell’s father is?”

“Why would I give a shit who Stell’s father was?”

“You would if you were smart. He’s a US congressman running for reelection. That means he’ll stop at nothing to keep his reputation clean. Think about it. How do you think he’ll feel when the press gets ahold of a photo of his daughter dirty dancing in your club, and then getting knocked over in a fight?”

Shit.

In a flash, Maze jumped over the bar and grabbed Vaughn by the front of his shirt. “I told you, fucker, to get out of my club and stay out. I’m done talking.”

Vaughn’s eyes grew wide, his bravado of a moment earlier vanishing. He clearly hadn’t thought through what might happen when he pushed Maze too far.

Maze dragged Vaughn to the front door and shoved him out. “I don't want this fucker back in here,” he shouted at the bouncers.

He returned to his spot behind the bar and started slamming things around.

“Um, thank you, Maze,” I said.

He slammed a bottle of whiskey on the bar, the adrenaline still rolling. “I fucking hate guys like that.”

Well. That made two of us.

29

Stell

“Oh my god, Cab, this place is insane.”

I stood at a vast bay window with views toward the mountains.

Breathtaking was the only word for it.

“Check out the outside,” he called from the kitchen where he was stirring a large pot of something that smelled amazing.

I pulled on a sliding glass door and stepped onto a wood-decked terrace lined with built-in seating and huge potted cactuses. In the middle was a sparkly fire pit and a far corner held a hot tub.

Oh. My. God.

“Isn’t it great?” Robbie said, who’d just arrived.

“Hey, you’re here,” I said, as he kissed me on the cheek.

Sweet.

“Yup. So is Maze. I think he’s pouring wine.”

“How’s baby Jax?” I asked.

Robbie adjusted his glasses as he transformed into a softer, happier version of himself. “He’s awesome. So great.” He shook his head like he couldn't believe his good fortune.

It was beautiful to see.

“Oh, hey, Cab’s putting dinner on the table. Let’s go,” he said, letting me pass through the door first. “He’s a killer cook.”

“Hey, baby,” Maze said, embracing me.

Baby? I was baby now?

We settled around Cab’s giant rough-hewn dining table and dove into the roast chicken he’d made.

“Oh my god, Cab. Delicious.” I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.

Where had he learned to cook? Not growing up, that was for sure. His family had a freaking chef.

After a couple minutes of stuffing our faces, Maze broke the silence.

“Stell, I filled the guys in about Vaughn. If he gives you any more trouble let us know. We’ll take care of it.”

“You’ll take care of it? What does that mean?” I asked.

Maybe I didn’t want