the job. It’s my uniform,” I replied with an eye roll before doing a little spin, showing off the disgusting trail of sweat down my spine in the process. I was walking over to the couch when he grunted and bit his lip. A part of me wanted to dance at the idea of catching him off guard, but I knew the subtle shock was short lived. I wasn’t in the mood to chit chat but figured I should catch up with Lance, so I made my way over to the couch.
“Please tell me you didn’t get my sister a job at a strip club,” Lance replied while looking me up and down with a disgusted scowl, his eyebrows dipped in disapproval.
Scooting over for me to sit, Lance shook his head before setting down his controller. I settled between them before reaching for the open bag of chips. Grabbing a handful, I stuffed them in my mouth with a satisfied moan that made Decker sit up straighter. The bar was so busy I didn’t have time for a lunch break, not that I would have taken it. I was avoiding Rose at all costs.
The one time she did find me, she said, “Slouching is for people that want to hide, Blake. Roll them shoulders back. You are a fearless woman. Roar, damnit!” Then she danced away to chat with Monica.
“I’ve never actually been there. Rose and I meet at the park for our sessions,” Decker said on a swallow, his eyes lingering on the straps of my black bra. He shook his head and started staring at the TV like it had offended him. “But maybe this was a bad idea.”
“Bad idea? You think? About that,” I said while turning to face him, trying to ignore his rippled abs fully on display. I was so close I could lick them if I wanted to. But I totally didn’t. Random licking would go against the grieving daughter vibes I’d been sulking in all week. It wasn’t fair, really. The man had more muscle than my ex-boyfriend’s classic car. “I don’t appreciate being blind-sided by Rose. I wanted a job, not a fucking life coach. Why do you even have a life coach?” I asked.
Decker smiled, and damn if I didn’t notice the dimple on his cheek and the strong lines of his face. I hated how sexy he looked. “Rose saw me sitting alone in a coffee shop one day and sat down with me. Within an hour, she told me that she was my new life coach and that I needed her help. Her methods are weird, but I’ve gotten some good stories out of it. I told her about you, and she said she’d take you under her wing. I don’t see the problem.”
“The problem,” I began, “is that she’s bat shit crazy.”
“She’s not crazy. She’s eccentric.”
“Says the man sipping the Kool-Aid,” I snapped back with a grin.
Beside me, Lance chuckled before taking another sip of his beer. I was feeling bold, so I grabbed Decker’s half-full bottle and lifted it up to my lips, prepared to take a swig. Naturally, the asshole swiped it from me with a frown before chugging it.
“No underaged drinking, punk,” he replied with a hiss once his bottle was empty. I watched him wipe his lips with the back of his hand and found myself licking my own. His eyes zeroed in on the movement, and a smirk erupted on his face. Asshole. I needed to somehow figure out how to control my body’s response to this guy.
“My mama used to send me to the liquor store to buy her shit. Got me a fake ID for the sole purpose of sending me on beer runs when she had friends over. I think I can handle a swig of your piss warm drink,” I replied with a roll of my eyes, then nearly slapped myself when I heard Lance’s shocked gasp.
“Wait, what?” Lance asked before grabbing my wrist, forcing me to turn and face him fully. His blue eyes were laced with concern, and I watched all playfulness flee his body in one fell swoop.
I felt Decker go still in anticipation. Fuck. I was supposed to be telling the pretty little lies that made Mama sound like the good, wholesome woman Lance wanted her to be. The magic illusion I’d been weaving all week was fading, leaving a man with nothing but a dead rabbit in his hat behind.
“Kidding,” I replied with a