Sidney’s Triple Shot [Apache Crossing] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (9 page)

“Hell yeah! We’re celebrating!” Lane’s yell distracted her from Noah’s touch and Tyce’s close presence, so she turned to him. Cocking her head and putting one hand on her hip, she let his smile wash over her, and she genuinely smiled back.

“Really? What are you celebrating?” she asked curiously.

“Laramie over there just retired!” He pointed at the man that sat across from him. She looked him over, surprised that someone so young would even be talking about retiring.

“Retired? You don’t look old enough to be retired, mister!” she said with a laugh.

“Gage Laramie, ma’am. Pleasure to meet you. I retired from the Marine’s and moved back to Apache Crossing last week,” Gage explained. His eyes scanned her body, and when they drifted back to meet hers, the look in his gaze was inviting. “I’m officially off the clock as far as Uncle Sam is concerned. No more dust, sand, danger, trouble, boots, or sleeping bags for me.”

She laughed loudly. “Something tells me you aren’t done with danger or trouble.”

“Might be right, sugar. Wanna come a little closer and we can start some trouble together?” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully and patted his lap, indicating she was welcome there.

“Nah, I’m too dangerous for retired men. You couldn’t handle me,” she flirted back. As she walked away to get the beer requested, someone let out a long whistle, and she could feel the eyes of the whole table on her while they all laughed loudly. The guys all teased Gage about being too old for a hot little piece like her, and she smiled to herself. When she glanced back over at the table she saw that there were still two sets of eyes watching her every move.

Noah and Tyce weren’t chatting with their friends. They seemed to be ultimately focused on what she was doing. It made her nervous to know that they were observing her so closely, and she found herself fumbling as she prepared the order. When she finally had the tray loaded with glasses and a couple of pitchers of beer, she bent to pick it up and carry it over, only to find Xavier at her elbow lifting it easily from her grasp.

“I got it, baby. Grab some more napkins though, these guys are animals.” He winked at her, turning her surprise into another smile, and headed for the table. She followed with the napkins and moved around the table collecting empty glasses.

She made her way quickly around the table until she came back to where Noah and Tyce sat. Looking up briefly, she caught Xavier’s raised eyebrow from where he stood behind his brothers, and her brow furrowed in confusion. Then she realized that the last four empty glasses on the table were between Tyce and Noah and to reach them she would have to lean over the table, basically pressing herself against their broad shoulders and pointing her ass directly at Xavier.

Preparing herself for the unavoidable touch, she reached. The glasses she picked up almost fell from her hands when she felt their touch. One large hand drift over her ass, another one slid up the back of her thigh, and the third hand stroked softly down her spine. For just a moment they all caressed her and then moved their hands away, but the wave of desire that hit her made her whole body quiver. Jerking herself upright, she mumbled an apology for reaching across them and moved away quickly with her tray full of empties. The glasses clinked noisily as her shaky hands tried to keep the tray steady.

Standing at the back counter with her back to the open bar, she tried to swallow the heat that was rippling through her. Her panties were damp, and her stomach was fluttering with excitement. Every time they touched her it seemed like she was no longer in control of her own body. It was scrambling her brain.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she breathed deeply, only an hour and a half left. Then she would worry about getting as far away from them as possible. If she didn’t leave soon, she was afraid she would openly beg them to have their wicked way with her.

The rest of her shift passed uneventfully with most of the guys behaving themselves. She flirted openly, refusing to let her rattled emotions deny her the tips she had earned. When the group finally scattered and left the bar, she started to clean the table, collecting the money left behind. Total she had made over three hundred dollars just tonight, and she had to admit she had enjoyed the flirty group.

A feeling of melancholy settled over her as she cleared away the remnants of their celebration. She wouldn’t see any of them again after tonight, and she was genuinely shocked at the feeling of regret in her stomach. This odd little town had gotten under her skin and she would miss it.

She realized that she hadn’t seen any of the Dawson brothers for the last half hour or so, and she figured they had probably taken off for the night. Otherwise they would have been out there helping. They had never hesitated to give a hand with any task around the bar. That earned them the respect of their employees. They really had been the perfect bosses, until the last twenty-four hours.

“Sid, are you all right? You have really seemed out of sorts tonight,” Kara spoke from behind her, causing Sidney to gasp and drop the glass she was holding in her hands. It hit the floor and shattered around her feet.

“Damn!” Sidney exclaimed, her hands flying to cover her mouth instantly.

“Oh Lord, that’s two in one night! Really, Sid, what is up with you?” Kara said, reaching for the broom next to the bar. She quickly swept the glass shards away from Sidney.

“I’m having a rough night,” Sidney said softly. Kara stood silently, watching her for a minute after dumping the dust pan in the trash bin.

“Yeah, I can see that. Is there something I can help with?” Kara said, cocking her head to the side and crossing her arms under her small breasts.

Sidney finally made eye contact with Kara, and instantly her eyes filled with tears. “I’m leaving,” she said as a tear slipped down her cheek.

“That’s okay, we’re pretty much done for the night—” Kara said, but her face registered her surprise.

“No, I mean I’m leaving Apache Crossing. This is my last night here.” Sidney shook her head and sat down on a barstool, leaning on her elbows on the bar.

Kara’s mouth fell open as Sidney spoke, and it was a few moments before she was able to choke out any words. “Why? I thought you liked it here?”

“I do. I like it a lot, but…something happened.” Sidney paused, glancing around the bar to make sure there was no one in earshot. “I can’t work for the Dawson brothers anymore.”

“Oh my God! What happened? You have got to tell me! I have had so many fantasies about those three men…Did you sleep with one of them?” Excitement sparkled in Kara’s green eyes, and her long red hair whipped wildly around her shoulders as she hurried closer to Sidney and took a seat next to her.

Sidney dropped her head into her hands on the bar, and a heavy sigh gushed from her lungs. “Not exactly, but I came close, and it’s not just
one
of them.”

“Oh my God! You lucky bitch! Tell me everything, and don’t you dare scrimp on the details.” Sidney stared at Kara’s excited face in shock.

“I really don’t want to talk about this now. I just didn’t want to leave without saying good-bye. You’ve been a really good friend to me while I’ve worked here.” She felt like a heel for refusing to explain the situation to her only friend, but this whole situation would get worse if people found out that she wanted all three brothers.

Kara looked confused. “I don’t understand. Isn’t it a good thing that they are attracted to you? They didn’t force you to do something, did they? I know Xavier seems like he’s a badass, but my guess is there is a teddy bear inside…deep under all those muscles…somewhere.” She grinned at Sidney.

“No, nothing like that. What happened wasn’t forced, or even bad, it’s just—” Sidney’s explanation was interrupted by Austin Garner, the bar back for the evening, as he came in the side door.

“The parking lot is clear. Are you close to being done, honey?” he asked Kara, who watched Sidney for another second before nodding at him.

Kara and Austin had been dating since high school and seemed to be on the verge of making their union permanent. Sidney was happy for them. She could remember a time when she thought that she had found that happiness with Robert. The relationship had been so beautiful for the first few months. Robert had wined and dined her and hadn’t pushed her to make love to him. He said that he was willing to wait for her to be ready, and of course his gentlemanly manners had melted her resistance.

Once she moved in with him, he took over her life. She could still remember her confusion and anger when he kept her from making plans to see her friends or even leaving the house by herself when she wasn’t going to work. Robert had taken over her life in small increments until she wasn’t even sure she remembered who Sidney Rowe was anymore.

“Thanks again, Kara, for everything. I’ll be okay. I just want to finish this table and then sweep and I’ll be out, too. Have a good night!” Sidney said. Her voice sounded much stronger than her heart felt.

“I will miss you, Sidney. Keep in touch, and call me if you need me, sweetie,” Kara said, giving her a warm hug before stepping back to meet her gaze with teary eyes. “But if you reconsider…Never mind, you do whatever makes you happy.”

With that, Kara walked over to a confused-looking Austin and took his hand, tugging him to the back to collect her purse. Sidney heard the door shut behind them, echoing throughout the silent room. This was usually her favorite time. The bar was completely empty, but in her mind she could still hear the laughter from customers and the soft sound of music from the past. It was a beautiful bar, all done in dark woods that coordinated nicely with the granite-topped counter and tables. One wall was lined by the bar area, and servers’ stations, then the stage was opposite the bar so that there was room on both sides of the central dance floor for tables and booths. Right now the empty dance floor echoed a big empty spot in her heart.

Forcing herself from her reverie, she swept the dining space floor quickly and then moved onto the stage to put it back to right. She stretched her lungs while she worked, singing out her tumultuous emotions. She had always loved to sing and had spent many years singing at competitions and town events, but when she met Robert that had to change. He had hated her hobby, saying that the country music she loved to sing sounded like a dying cat to his ears. One painful fight after she entered a talent competition in Charleston had put her in bed for over a week, so she had given up that piece of herself for him.

But at night when the bar was empty and she was completely alone, she would give herself up to the acoustics of the space and really let the music of her soul out. It was always a song to suit her mood, and tonight was no different as she belted out several different tunes. Finally she started into the lyrics to one of her favorites by Jo Dee Messina, “Stand Beside Me.”

As she sang she swayed across the stage with the broom, relaxing into the song and letting it distract her from everything else that had upended her life.

She relished the strength of the song, and the confidence that singing it gave her. Something about the clear-cut way the words explained her own feelings made it dear to her heart. By the time she reached the end of the song, she had completed cleaning up the stage and was moving on to the dance floor. She heard a quiet noise behind her and gasped as she spun that direction. Her eyes went wide when she spotted Tyce and Noah watching her from just inside the doorway, and she flushed with embarrassment.

“Oh shit! You guys scared the hell out of me!” Her heart was racing, and she felt slightly nauseous.

“Sorry, honey, we didn’t mean to!” Noah moved quickly to her side, pulling her over to a chair. “Sit down for a minute. You look like you’re going to pass out!” He paused. “You have a fantastic voice, Sidney.”

She looked up at him, startled and very embarrassed. “Uh, thank you. I didn’t realize anyone else was still here. Were you there the whole time?”

“We came in when we heard you singing. It was amazing.” Tyce dropped to squat next to her and placed one large hand on her knee. A ripple of pleasure went through her. Tyce was the lead singer in a band, and according to fellow employee, Anna, had even turned down a recording contract to help his brothers open Triple Shot. She was astonished that he would compliment
her
! “Hey, are you all right? Do you want some water?”

She startled when he interrupted her thoughts. “No, I’m fine. I’m just finishing up sweeping and then I’ll be out of your hair. I’m going to leave my uniform in the locker, and I’ll stop by tomorrow morning for my last check. Thank you again for giving me a job for the last few weeks. It’s been fun.” She stood and moved to go back to her sweeping.

“You’re not fired, Sidney,” Noah said, sounding very perturbed.

Sidney paused with the broom in her hand and then lifted her head to look at him. “I know that, but I’m still leaving.”

“Why?” Tyce snapped. His blue eyes had turned ice-cold with his frustration, and the muscle in his jaw twitched. “Is it because Xavier and I touched you? Or maybe it’s because you wanted us, too, but you’re too afraid to admit it?”

“No!” she said evenly. Cocking one hip, she glared at him, irritation at being called a coward coursing through her veins. “Contrary to your high opinion of yourself, Tyce Dawson, there are some women in this world who aren’t lusting after your body every moment of the day. What happened last night and this morning was a mistake. It was a weak moment that will not be repeated. I’m moving out of town, and I have decided to leave sooner rather than later.”