Ella Frank - Try

Who he was really addressing was anyone’s guess. Logan noticed the bartender’s eyebrow arch, as he listened to Jessica’s husky laugh. He imagined the man in front of him saying, Right now , and removing all his clothes, starting with that black vest.

That didn’t last long though because the guy angled his head like he was about to leave, but Logan didn’t want him to go anywhere.

He held up a finger, and contemplated the man in front of him as he said into the phone, “I’m out right now, Jess. You think we could have this conversation a little later?”

Hot bartender reached for the ever-present towel with his left hand, and he started to once again wipe down the bar. His repeated actions came close to confirming Logan’s earlier suspicions.

That’s a nervous habit. It’s got to be.

“Yes, tonight is good. I’ll talk to you then. Bye, hon.”

As he ended the call and placed the phone on the bar, he waited for the man opposite him to talk. When nothing came, Logan leaned in and decided to stop being polite. What the fuck, right?

“I think the bar is clean. You can stop wiping it down now.”

Immediately, the towel stopped moving, and the guy stood back up, tucking it into his pants.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable—” Logan started but was cut off quickly.

“No, you’re not.”

Logan scoffed at that and started to finger the rim of his glass. “Okay, you’re right. I’m not. I figured you deserved it after talking about me with your coworker. Isn’t that frowned upon or something? Gossiping about your customers?”

His bartender— Yeah, that’s how I’m going to think of him —leaned his hands on the counter.

“I suppose it would be. Dating the customers is also frowned upon, but you don’t seem to mind that rule,” he replied steadily.

“Ah,” Logan said. It was the usual work gossip . “The new guy has finally been informed.”

“Informed of?”

Logan didn’t know what had provoked him, but the cap he normally kept on his personality had finally been unscrewed.

He pushed up a little from the rungs on the bar stool and rested his palms on the bar top as he leaned across the surface. “That I like to fuck, and that I’ve slept with almost all of the women and a couple of the guys you work with. And just so you don’t worry about them, they all thanked me afterward.”

Sitting back on his stool, he was proud to see that his little admission had shocked the bartender. The man’s mouth was parted as he remained focused on Logan.

“Isn’t that what you were discussing with Stacy? Oh, come on, we aren’t strangers anymore. You know my name, remember? But I still don’t know yours. Should I just keep thinking of you as the hot bartender? Or maybe that’s offensive. You should give me your name, so I stop labeling you in the same way you are trying so desperately to label me.”

Who is this guy? Tate stood there, completely stunned by the words that had just come out of that perfectly shaped mouth— Wait. Why do I care about his mouth? Fucking Stacy, talking about how good-looking he is.

“Would you like another drink?” He needed to quickly get this conversation back on track. This guy could have him fired on day three of his employment.

“Oh, I’ve shocked and scared the man behind the bar. That’s amazing really, considering only…” He stopped and looked at the clock on the wall. “Fifteen minutes ago, you jumped to take my order.”

Tate was trying to keep up with what the hell was going on while looking at the man peering at him from behind the dark-framed glasses, but he was coming up with absolutely nothing.

“It’s okay,” Logan assured, dropping the heavy sarcasm. He gave a relaxed smile. “I’m only inappropriate when I’m sober.”

That finally made Tate laugh. Somehow, he doubted it.

“So, I just have to get you drunk to shut your mouth?” As soon as he’d said the words, he knew they were the wrong ones, considering the current conversation.

“Well, that’s definitely one way, but I can think of a more preferable one, not to mention more pleasurable,” Logan responded.

Tate recognized the same voice he had heard Logan use on the phone with Jess when he’d said he wanted to get her naked. Or maybe Jess was a he?

“Do you hit on everyone you meet?” Tate heard himself ask as he stood, frozen to the spot by some perverse curiosity.

Yes, he’d been the object of affection over the years, but there was something different behind Logan’s comments. Logan’s scrutiny was a lot more intense than a casual once-over. Logan was looking at him like he wanted to see him without his clothes on, as soon as possible.

“Do you?” Logan countered, looking directly at him.

Well, he has a point. Tate had been flirting with him earlier when he thought the guy was gay and interested enough to give him a good tip. Yeah, joke’s on me. Now that Tate knew Logan thought he was hot, Tate was thinking that flirting hadn’t been such a great idea. He was actually thinking it would be a very dangerous one, if he continued.

“It’s part of my job, I guess,” Tate tried explaining.

As soon as an I-don’t-believe-you expression crossed Logan’s face, Tate knew that whatever was about to come next would be highly inappropriate.

So, Tate interrupted. “Do you want another drink?”

Logan inclined his head forward, “Yes, please.”

Tate was relieved that Logan had let the conversation go, and turned away quickly. He went about making his drink, all the while telling himself to pull his shit together. The guy was just confident and went after what he wanted .

Right now, he’s playing with me because he thinks I was talking shit about him. I will not let him get to me. At least he doesn’t know my name.

Tate moved back to the bar and slid the drink across the counter. He watched as Logan’s large hand stopped the glass.

He lifted it in a mock salute. “Thanks for the drink, Tate .”

Tate narrowed his eyes on the laughing ones looking back at him, and he couldn’t help the annoyance bubbling up inside of him. Logan knew my name all along.

“By the way, Stacy was right about you grabbing my attention, but the next time you gossip, you should do it quietly.”

Tate had nothing to say to that. Instead of trying to come up with anything, he turned on his heel and made his way down the bar to the other waiting customers, getting as far away from Logan as he could get.

Logan took another sip of his drink, enjoying himself immensely.

Tate. He now had a name to go with the currently bewildered face. Poor guy . Logan knew he was sending out more mixed signals than a broken down traffic light, but fuck, he was having fun. With every cryptic comment he had thrown, Logan could see the questions running through the man’s mind.

Well, let him wonder, and while he’s wondering, I’m going to concentrate on watching.

Tate hadn’t punched him yet, so that was a plus. No, Tate had almost flirted. It wasn’t until he’d realized how interested Logan was, that things had changed. That was when Tate had backed off.

Logan always went after what he wanted though. That was half of his problem. He had no boundaries. Thanks, Mom . Throughout his life, his mom had been so busy apologizing to him for his worthless sperm donor of a father that Logan had pretty much done whatever he’d wanted to.

But wanting this guy? That was a stupid choice in every way.