Page 29 of Spike (Iron Thunder MC 5)
Sophie was shouting to make herself heard over the thumping music. My heart was beating so fast but I stared into her eyes and had no choice but to believe her, and already, I could feel myself starting to calm down.
But I still couldn’t see Spike. I didn’t know where he was, but I didn’t want to ask her any more questions.Sophie pulled me to the bar after giving me a few minutes to recover. She said she needed to start serving the drinks before all hell broke loose, and she needed my help.
I had never worked behind a bar before. I had never had any kind of job before, so I had no idea how this was going to go. But at this point, I would have done anything to not be by myself.
Sophie ran behind the counter while I followed her and stood back, staring in awe. There were big biker men hanging off over the counter, shouting enthusiastically for drinks.
Sophie made playful and flirty comments while she started pouring. She was working expertly, filling up shot glasses and popping open bottles. I didn’t know what to do or how to help. I was beginning to feel useless. But this had a calming effect on me. Standing behind the bar, behind Sophie, I knew nobody could come close to me.
At one point, Sophie turned and handed me a shot glass.
“Here. Drink this. It’ll help you feel better.”
“What is it?” I asked and held the glass up to my nose.
“Tequila,” Sophie replied with a smile. I had never tried tequila from a shot glass before. I had only ever had it mixed in cocktails. But I trusted Sophie and knocked back the drink in one quick gulp.
It burned my throat for a second and I was about to cry out, till it hit the pit of my stomach and I felt good. Sophie threw me a look over her shoulder. I managed to smile at her.
“Good? Now grab those glasses and give them a rinse in that sink. You’ll find some towels in that drawer. Dry them up and put them in that rack.”
I nodded and followed her orders. I tried to drown out every other sound and just focus on the job. Wash. Dry. Set aside. The supply of glasses was endless and Sophie kept bringing them over for me to wash. Very soon, I fell into a kind of rhythm and I was much calmer now. Having something to do gave me focus. I didn’t have to think about anything else. Or anyone. Sophie offered me a few more shots of tequila and I drank all of them. They loosened up my limbs. I felt lighter and better. I wasn’t even looking for Spike anymore.
I finished another load of glasses and started to carry them to the rack. When I turned with four glasses stacked in each hand, I saw Spike standing there on the other side of the bar. His eyes were on me. Focused directly on me. How long had he been watching me?
When I saw him, I was instantly filled with relief. It was like a shock to the system. He was here. He was actually here, and the best part was there didn’t seem to be any wounds or scars or injuries that I could see.
I walked slowly to the rack and put down the glasses. He was still watching me. In the midst of the party and music and celebrations, I went to him. My chest was heaving…
“Are you okay?” Spike asked. Loud and clear over the music. My nostrils flared. I wanted to scream and tell him how worried I was, and how happy I was to finally see him.
“Yes, I think so. Are you okay?” I asked. He ran a hand through his thick dark hair and nodded. That was it? Nothing more? No explanation?
I looked past him to where some people were dancing. Men sort of swayed to the music while girls draped themselves around them, grinding against them.
“Do you wanna dance?” I asked and Spike just looked confused, as if he had no idea what that word meant.I was holding Spike’s hands while I led him to one corner of the room. I swayed to the music and I knew he was watching the way my hips moved.
“Don’t worry, nobody can see you here. You can make an attempt to move,” I said with a grin. I was amazed he was even letting me hold his hands. He hadn’t made a single attempt to do anything that came even close to dancing.
The music wasn’t my type, but I made good use of it. The other girls were doing it, so why wouldn’t I?
I spun around so my back was to him. I leaned into him, pressing myself to his chest and rolling my hips to match the rhythm. Spike was still unmoved. He just stood there like a block, but it didn’t matter; I loved feeling his body against mine. Maybe the tequila made me brave. For whatever reason, I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t care about the consequences.
