Husbands And Boyfriends Ch. 04

The bar where Connor works and then maybe one more.

Jewel

Walking into the building Saturday night, a rush of giddiness flowed through my blood as several men's attention swung to follow our progress as we made our way to the bar. The dress was everything Jack had promised. Its neckline was plunging, the material hugged my curves deliciously, and the hem would be scandalous if I needed to bend over for anything. Especially given that Jack intentionally hadn't purchased any panties for me to wear under it.

"Old-fashioned?"

The sound of Connors' smooth voice made me jump. I'd been so caught up in the attention, I hadn't done a good job focusing on what was right in front of me. My cheeks heated as I slid onto one of the tall stools. "Yes, please."

Jack took the stool to my right. "I'll take one as well. My wife tells me they are stellar."

"Alas, I'm off duty. I'm just passing your order off to Scottie. You'll have to give him a chance tonight." Connor nodded to the guy who was flirting with a blonde twenty-something at the other end of the bar.

I pushed my lip out in a slight pout as I crossed one leg over the other. The dress rode up with the movement putting a good deal of my upper thigh on display. "I don't know, he seems pretty busy at the moment. Are you sure you can't just make two more drinks before you clock out?" I batted my eyelashes at him in a shameless ploy for attention. "I would owe you one."

"As would I," Jack added. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders as Connor glanced down at Scottie once more. With any other guy and the move would've felt possessive. With Jack, however, it had always been comforting.

With a sigh, Connor looked back at us. I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. "Okay. Two more drinks. I can do that."

"Thank you." I smiled brightly at him. "I've told everybody who would listen how great your drinks are." Looking around, I gave him a sheepish glance. "Not that you need the business. Wow. It's packed tonight."

"Saturday nights usually are," He answered easily as he mixed the drinks. "One of the reasons I prefer Saturday afternoons."

I filed that little tidbit of information away. "And here we are keeping you from your Saturday night plans." Yes, it was an obvious attempt for more information. I didn't care. With Jack's arm around me and Connonr's attention focused on me, while he was doing me a favor, I felt more confident than I had in weeks. I liked that feeling. "I'd apologize for the inconvenience, but I'm not really all that sorry. And I try not to lie. At least, I try not to lie in order to make myself look better."

When both Jack and Connor laughed at the same time, my heart beat a little faster. What were these guys doing to me?

"So you would lie for some other reason, then?" Connor asked.

I nodded. "Only the most noble of reasons, though."

So to spare someone's feelings? Would you lie for that?"

"Maybe. I would need a specific example." The banter we tossed back and forth was fun. Like a game of tennis.

"Like telling me my drinks were sublime?" He sat our drinks in front of us as he asked the questions. Instead of answering, I took a small taste of mine. "Would you lie to me about that?"

Jack laughed as he pulled me closer to his body. "She probably would, but I wouldn't."

Connonr's attention moved to Jack as he took his first drink. "And? Did she play me for a drink making fool?"

I giggled as Jack put his glass back on the bar. He looked at me and then at Connor as he let the old-fashioned sit on his tongue for a bit. He was really playing this up. I swear, Connor was starting to look genuinely concerned. Then Jack swallowed and smiled at the bartender. "Sublime."

The rest of the bar glanced our way as the three of us laughed together. "Then I know it must be true," Connor said with a wink.

Scottie pulled himself away from his flirtations to wander down to our end of the bar. "Thought you were taking off, Connor?" He glanced pointedly at me and Jack before slapping Connor on the back. "Poor guy has already worked his fingers to the bones today. Or, at least, that's what he told me."

"Never too tired to fix a couple drinks for friends." Connor brushed the man's touch off. The move had been discreet, but I noticed.

"Friends? Of Connor's? In the bar?" Scottie held his hand out for me to shake it. "Here I assumed that he either didn't have any or was embarrassed to bring them by."

Yeah. I didn't blame Connor for brushing Scottie off just seconds ago. I didn't want to touch this guy either. He oozed of fratboy douche. A look I wasn't into even when I was in school. With little else to do, however, I cleared my throat and took his offered hand. It was clammy. I hoped my forced smile hid the shiver of disinterest that went through me at his touch.

"You know what they say about assuming, don't cha Scottie?" Jack asked, his attention focused on the drink in his hand. Connor's mouth twitched as if he were having a hard time suppressing a smile and I had to bite back the small laugh that wanted to bubble out at Jack's dry comment. "But we're sorry to have kept you late, Connor. If you give us the check, we'll pay and head out."

"It's on me," Connor said. "If you wanted to continue your evening, however, there's a place around the corner that's a little more private."

"Or you could stay right here," Scottie said as he elbowed Connor. The move must happen often however, as Connor sidestepped it without even looking over at the other bartender. "I bet my drinks are every bit as good as Connor's." This time a small bark of laughter did manage to escape me. "Okay. Well I know they are better than what they serve at Rosa's."

Jack threw a couple of bills on the bar. "Thanks. But we have a party to get to anyway. Maybe next time, Scottie."

Scottie looked at the twenty and ten Jack had just put down. "Yeah. Absolutely. I'll keep an eye out for you."

I finished my drink, as did Jack, then we waved to Connor before heading out. The stay at the bar hadn't been as long as I'd hoped it would be and I hadn't had enough to drink to lose all the nervous energy and dread humming in the pit of my stomach, but I did feel better. Laughing helped.

The cool night air brushed over my bare shoulders as we stepped outside. When I shivered, however, Jack pulled me closer to him. "Want my jacket?"

"For the five steps it'll take for us to get to the car?" I shook my head. "I'm tougher than that."

"I actually had something else in mind." True to his words, he steered me in the opposite direction of our car. "We still have some time to kill before we have to be at the party."

At that point, I really didn't care what my charming husband was up to. Anything that bought me more time before having to face Aaron again was a welcomed distraction. "I'm at your mercy." He pulled me tighter to him as we walked for a bit. Still, when the Rosa sign came into view, I was a little surprised. "This is the place Connor was talking about."

The comment was more of a passing thought than a question, but Jack still said, "Uh-huh. A little privacy sounded nice. Once we show up at the party, I won't get another second of your time. You'll be too busy charming all the other partners and their wives."

He did have a point. I tended to be the social one in our partnership. Partly because I'm just naturally outgoing. Partly because Jack hated small talk. "You could always join me in charming them," I teased. "Best of both worlds. You'd have my attention and your partners would get to see first hand how amazing the man I married is. You know, instead of hearing me say it for the millionth time." Yes, I talked my guy up. Every chance I got. I wasn't going to apologize for that. Ever. Regardless of who might roll their eyes when I opened my mouth. I did, however, make a point to keep a closer eye on those who did the eye-rolling. It was a keep your friends close and your enemies closer kind of thing. "This will be your first partner's party. Maybe it's time to shake things up?"

"No thank you. I'm happy to keep my head down and my attention focused on the drink in my hand. I'll let you, and my work, speak for me."

The place did seem to offer more privacy when we walked in. It wasn't dead. Most of the tables were occupied. But somehow it managed to be full and yet not draw attention to that fact at the same time. Jack took a second to look around then picked a small table out of the way. Much as all the tables appeared to be.

"I think it's the lighting," I commented absently as I took the chair Jack held out for me. It hadn't been exactly bright at Connor's bar, but neon had reflected off enough of the surfaces that it was well lit. Here the lights were muted. Most of them were soft blues and purples. It had a cooling effect that instantly put me at ease.

He dutifully helped me scoot the chair in before saying, "And the partitions."

Looking around, I noted the high walls strewn about the room. There weren't enough of them to make the space feel crowded or the patrons trapped, but just enough to give the illusion of personal space. "I really like it."

"Me too," he whispered into my ear. "I'm going to get our drinks. Be a good girl and don't disappear on me."

As if? Where did he think I would go? Maybe the bathroom, I conceded as I pulled out my phone. When I felt a tap on my shoulder, I was so enthralled in my social media that I jumped.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." Connor said, his teasing smile telling me otherwise. "Glad you and your husband decided to check the place out."

Putting my phone down, I focused my attention on him. "It really is everything you promised it would be. Very private. Low key."

Jack came back carrying three drinks. I lifted an eyebrow at him. Had he known this was going to happen? I rolled my eyes as he gestured to Connor to take the empty chair at the table. Of course he had.

Connor started to pull the chair out, but stopped as I glanced from him to Jack. "Is it okay if I join you?"

It was sweet of him to ask. Truth be told, I didn't have an issue with him. It was Jack's behavior I was questioning. For someone who liked to be kept in the loop, he seemed to have no problem throwing me curve balls. "Be our guest." I smiled to make sure he didn't read any animosity in the words. Truth be told, it was nice to get to see more of him. "How did you two work this out?" I asked, taking my drink from Jack. "Thank you, Sweetheart." Then, to clarify, I added, "For the drink." I didn't want either of them to think I was presuming that anything else was going to be offered. We were already on our way to see one guy who rejected me. The last thing I wanted was to add the salt of fresh rejection to the wound.

"Oh, we didn't work anything out," Connor said as he took his seat.

"The place just sounded so nice, I wanted to check it out." Jack raised his glass to his lips. "It was just a lucky guess that Connor might stop by as well."

A lucky guess? One that had him buying the guy, who may or may not be showing up, a drink? I shrugged. "Okay. If you say so."

The old-fashioned was smooth and warm as I took my first drink of it. Not as good as Connor's, but definitely better than what Scottie had implied it would be. "That's pretty good," I said as I put the glass down.

"But not sublime?" Connor asked. I could've sworn there was a nervous undertone to the question. Did he really expect me to say it was better than his.

I shook my head. "Not sublime."

Jack laughed. "So my wife here tells me that she told you all about her day that Saturday before she walked into your bar."

"She did." Connor said, taking a drink. He kept the answer brief. Discreet. Already I liked this Connor a bit more.

"And what did you think about her situation?" Jack pressed.

Connor looked at me. When I nodded, he answered, "I thought that any guy who rejected her was either an idiot or gay."

Jack turned to focus on me. "He's definitely an idiot." His gaze trailed down my body as he examined each inch of skin the dress revealed. "But I was more asking about your thoughts on me. A husband who was okay with his wife fucking his boss. Hell, more than okay. Turned on by the thought of it."

Goose bumps broke out on my skin as I was pulled into the deep timbre of Jack's voice.

"Not my place to judge." Connor took another drink. When he put the glass down, he added, "We all have our kinks. I certainly have my fair share. Wouldn't want strangers to judge me on them."

I had to shift in my seat as desire started to pool in the bottom of my gut. Connor had kinks? Kinks he comfortably brought up in front of us? "Like what?" The words were past my lips before I could think better of them.

"Restraints, wax, public places." He paused as he took a small drink. "Threesomes. You know, the usual." When he winked at me, my pussy got a little damp. Surely he wasn't implying what I thought he was?

The image of being tied to a bed with Jack and Connor melting candles above my body drifted through my head. With a mental shake, I pushed the fantasy away. He wasn't offering. I'd asked a question and he'd answered it. Simple as that. He hadn't even given any clue that he would like to satisfy any of those kinks with me. With us, I corrected.

But he had said Aaron was an idiot for not wanting me. Did that mean Connor maybe did? I bit my bottom lip as I contemplated my current situation. It'd been forever since I'd flirted with anyone. Aaron didn't count. That was a business deal. This, whatever this was, was more about the attraction. Like back in my college days. Could I still manage to get his attention without making a fool of myself? Or had I forgotten the art form of flirtation?

"Man. I do believe that's judgment dancing in your eyes." Connor's teasing smile softened the accusation and made me wonder what he really did see in my expression.

I held my hands up in surrender. "Not judging."

"Something's definitely going on up there, though." He rested a finger against my temple as he said the words then let it trail down my cheek. The touch was no more than a whisper of his skin against mine, still, it lit something in me on fire.