when her body suddenly stiffened. She clapped her hands. He opened his eyes, ready to ask her what the hell she was doing, and noticed the light had gone out.
He chuckled, spooning her back. The last thing he'd expected was for her to fall for the latest gimmick sold on television.
"Don't laugh. It's disrespectful," she muttered. "Grandma June bought The Clapper for me the last Christmas we had together."
He kissed the back of her head. "Night, Faye."
"Night." She inhaled deeply. "Uncle."
"Don't make me put something in your mouth to shut you up." His cock pulsed to life, pressing against her ass.
Faye took his threat to heart because he never heard another peep out of her. Eventually, he fell asleep.
Chapter 21
Faye
Four hours into opening Promise Bar, Curley slid a drink across the table to Faye. She eyed it suspiciously, knowing it wasn't ice water.
"Go ahead. It's going to be a long night if nobody but Tarkio members come in." He sat down and lifted a can of beer to his lips.
She ignored the drink, not giving up. Yesterday, she'd scoured the town for last-minute supplies, and despite the ten-foot banner hanging out in front of the building announcing a Grand Opening, not one single customer had walked through the doors.
To top off her disappointment, the Tarkio members were throwing money at the waitresses, taking pity on them. It was embarrassing.
Charity wasn't her thing and the way Curley acted for the last two days; she suspected he wasn't taking the bar seriously. That flipflop of attitude was combined with him, acting like sleeping with her wasn't a big deal.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to add directional signs on some of the surrounding streets after I check with City Hall and get their approval. I'm hoping they'll let me advertise on the sidewalks, too. It's something we did in Superior, so I don't see why Missoula would forbid that kind of practice. If it's possible, I can plant the signs right in the path of those who visit the other bars in town and hopefully encourage them to bar hop. Once they're here, they can see what we offer, and hopefully, gain some business." She glanced over at Angela.
Aaron had pulled her friend onto his lap, and Angela was soaking up the attention. Faye tapped the table. Hesitant to say anything because Tarkio had their hands in running Promise, that kind of behavior wouldn't be good if the bar was full of people off the street. She couldn't have customers thinking they could touch the waitresses.
Looking around the room to check on the others, Paco caught her gaze. Instead of breaking the moment, Paco frowned at her.
Uncomfortable under his judgment, she ducked her chin and stared at her hands on the table. She had no idea how often Curley talked about her with the other Tarkio members. He could've told Paco or someone else that he'd had sex with her again.
Of course, they wouldn't judge Curley. He was a man. He was one of them.
But Paco judged her. She could feel his disapproval. Or maybe he plain disliked her because she was past the age of caring what anyone thought of her sex life or lack of.
"Hey," said Curley.
She looked up. "What?"
He cocked his head. "I'm not worried about the bar getting business right away. It'll happen in time. Don't stress yourself out."
That wasn't her problem. Like always, all her troubles seemed to revolve around Curley.
She leaned closer, resting her elbows on the table. "What have you told your MC brothers about me?"
His gaze narrowed. "They know I hired you to run this place."
"And?"
He leaned back in the chair. "That you're off-limits."
"And?"
"Stop hedging. Just ask what you want to know."
"Do they know about us getting together the other night?" she said, low enough no one else could hear.
The music from the stereo system kept their conversation private. To be sure Paco and the others to the right of her couldn't read her mouth, she put the flat of her hand to the side of her face to hide her lips and said, "Do they know you spent the night with me?"
"Why would they?"
She bugged her eyes. "That's what I'm asking you."
"They don't know shit." He picked up his beer and drained the mug. "It's nobody's business what goes on between us, including you going to Walker."
She wasn't surprised Curley knew about her going to the prison. Tarkio Motorcycle Club had their nose in everything that happened in Missoula, especially if it involved those associated with