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“Come again?” Rhone exclaimed, and I gut punched him so quick no one would have noticed if he didn’t huff out a groan.
“He’s free,” I added. “Right, Rhone?”
Rhone's tightened jaw eased, and he straightened, though pain lines still creased around his eyes. I guess I hit him harder than I realized.
“Right,” Rhone uttered before clearing his throat. “Franc doesn’t need me tomorrow, and Sutton asked if she could pick up a few shifts since her rent went up. I told her she could come work with me for the day. Honestly, this brute will just be in our way.”
I would have argued, said something witty to counteract the insult, but everyone was in the way when it came to Rhone and Sutton together. Though, I’d have to check with him after Lanes left because this was the first I was hearing about Sutton taking on some shifts. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I was always willing to take her on. She had a great work ethic and actually had knowledge about wine. It was refreshing.
“Great,” Lainey said, shouldering her bag and grabbing the two bottles of Pinot. “That’s great. If you’re really okay with it. I don’t want you to feel obligated because I helped you the other day. You know, that girl, me, you, your tongue down my throat… Remember?”
Heat filled my cheeks. Was I actually blushing?
“Oh snap!” Rhone said, and this time I didn’t hide the hit. He let out another groan, and I shoved his ass clear across the bar. His laughter followed him, but I turned my attention to Lainey.
“I’m offering because you need help, and I know you would do the same for me if the tables were turned.”
Her eyes locked on mine, her chin setting in a stubborn tilt. “I don’t believe you, but I’m desperate, so even if you are offering out of guilt, I don’t care. Thank you. I have to leave at ten. The trip should take a little over two hours. The party is at two, but I want to make sure I have enough time to get there, and extra time in case there are any emergencies. Nope, scratch that. There will not be any emergencies. We will get the cake there in one piece, and all will be good.”
She was cute when determined. “I’ll be at your house at a quarter to nine.”
“With coffee?”
My lip twitched. “A dark roast with two sugars and a splash of heavy cream.”
A pretty pink bloomed on her cheeks, highlighting the adorable roundness. “Exactly.”
“See you then.”
She shot her hand out, debit card pinched between her fingers. “Don’t think I forgot.”
“Lanes…”
“Nero…” she mocked back. “Charge my damn card.”
“No.”
The pretty pink turned to a muddled red. “Don’t make me jump over this bar and hurt you.”
I crossed my arms and nodded toward her. “I’d love to see that. Seriously, if you jump over the bar, I will charge your card. And no, you cannot use the stool to help you.”
Her stubborn jaw unclenched. “You’re lucky I’m not wearing a sports bra. If the girls were strapped down, I’d already be over there smacking you one.”
I kept my eyes on hers, but now I had a new vision to occupy my mind. Lainey hurdling the bar, her tits bouncing like Pamela Anderson’s running down the beach. “Excuses,” I joked.
“Look, just be grateful I know my own capabilities or my boobs would have taken out a five-foot radius, and you’d be cleaning up a lot of spilled wine and broken glass right now.”
Great. Just the mere mention of them, and my attention shot to her boobs, wondering how many handfuls each one would be.
Fuck me.
“You okay?” she asked, and I shook myself out of my trance.
“Fine. Tell you what. You can buy me lunch tomorrow.”
“Deal.” And with that, she sauntered out of the tasting room. Her ass swayed and though I might not have been able to flick a quarter off it, I could damn well sink my teeth into it. My eyes lingered on each step until she was gone.
I shoved my hand through my hair and went back to stacking the clean glasses in their place. I needed to make sure everything was in order before I headed to Lainey’s, and I only had an hour. As the tasting room manager, I could hire someone to handle all the little details, but if I wasn’t willing to get my hands dirty, what kind of manager was I?
