Page 30 of Whirlwind

Interlude

Charlie

Charlie finished wiping down the bar and turned to one of her favorite customers.

“Eric, Eric, Eric. Drinking at 4PM?”

Charlie wasn’t trying to shame him—she made her living serving alcohol after all—but she knew she could get away with gently teasing Eric and his band of friends.

She’d worked hard to cultivate a low-key, friendly feel at Whirlwind where people could be themselves. She never wanted anyone to go through what she had—feeling isolated and unworthy with her masculine clothing, thick body, and short haircut.

A lot had changed in the two decades that she’d owned the bar, and now her own clothing was unremarkable. More importantly, her regulars had become her family.

Eric was the most reserved of one of her favorite groups. He liked to observe, and he thought before he spoke. While he could be stern, he was never cruel or thoughtless. She liked that about him.

When she first met him, he’d come off as a bit uptight and standoffish, but she now knew he was sweet underneath. She’d had several people confide that those tendencies made him even more attractive as a Dom.

So, she felt pretty comfortable teasing him about his change in schedule. His gang usually came to Whirlwind every Tuesday for trivia nights and often on weekends for dinner before they headed to the BDSM club around the corner.

“I’ll have you know that I’m only here for your delicious food.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Well, maybe one beer.”

“Ah, up to a different kind of mischief tonight?” She hitched her chin in the general direction of the club. She’d learned a lot about BDSM from Eric and his friends oversharing, and she knew that they wouldn’t play while intoxicated. The rest of what they got up to over there was still mostly a mystery. Though sometimes she wondered…

Eric smirked. “You know me well. I had an appointment nearby and I’m meeting the guys later, so this seemed to be a good place to hang out.”

Charlie nodded. “The bar’s practically empty this time of day, so stick around and keep me company. The kitchen’s open.”

“That’s good because I probably can’t afford to drink after Ben and Parker cleaned me out.”

“What did they get up to this time?” Those two were the worst, always egging each other on to crazier stunts.

“We had a bet going on Julio and Taylor getting together. I mean, everyone knew it would happen, but I bet it wouldn’t happen until after the new year. That cost me forty bucks.” He looked chagrined.

“And then we placed another bet about when they would get engaged. I guessed three to six months.”

Charlie nodded. “Seems reasonable.”

“But Ben bet that it would be under a week.”

“That also seems reasonable.” Those two had been mooning over each other for as long as she’d known them.

“Really?” He gave her a glare.

“How long did it take?”

“One day. Like 24 hours.”

Charlie let out a guffaw. That sounded just like Julio, never holding back when he went after something.

“So now I’m down eighty bucks.”

“Poor baby,” she told the stern, muscular man. She knew he did something with computers and was financially comfortable, so his complaints were more for effect.

She filled a tall glass with his favorite beer and slid it over to him. “This one’s on me.”