Stand By Your Man: (Three Bad Boy Romance Novellas) Read online

  Then, a few months after that, I dated Kaden. He drifted into the bar one day, all muscles in tight jeans and a tank. He put his hands on the counter, smiled at me, and asked me if I had any jobs available.

  I was in no position to say “no.” Two of my bartenders had called in sick on me, and at that particular time, we were super crowded. I barely said two words to him before I ordered him behind the counter to start serving. No background check. Nothing. I didn’t know who he was. All I knew was that I needed someone fast. I didn’t have time to worry about it.

  Came to find out, he wasn’t half bad. We pulled in a lot of money that night, and after the bar had got its cut, he made out pretty good. Kaden hung around for another two months, fucking me in the office after closing time when we should have been cleaning the bar for the night. He was good, but he owed a bunch of wise guys money. When he knew they were heading our way, he split, leaving me to explain to the jerks that Kaden was nowhere to be found.

  Then there was Neville, a black guy from South Carolina. He was the only one I found myself falling in love with. The problem was, his rap sheet was a mile long. I didn’t find that out until later, either. He was a huge con artist. He had more plays in his book than my high school football team.

  I’m pretty sure that the Southern accent didn’t do him any harm in that respect. That slight hint of a drawl made him sound so polite and like such a gentleman. Everyone instantly trusted him including me, much to my disgust now. Of course, he was also as sexy as hell. A single sentence out of Neville’s mouth could make me wet. Can you blame a girl for falling for that kind of onslaught? He hung around longer than the others, and that made me happy for a while, but once I found out he was a con artist, he had to go. I finally managed to get rid of him.

  I tell you, I sure can pick ‘em. It’s a wonder nothing bad happened to this place, or to me with some of the characters I’ve chosen to fuck.

  Now there’s this guy. I don’t know his name. He’s cute, but all I’m going to do is serve them drinks and then he and his friend can get the hell out of here. I’ve never seen him in this bar before. He and his friend are probably just a couple of drifters. But I can tell by the tats on his arm and his demeanor that this guy has probably done time. I can spot a bad boy a mile away.

  Five

  Colton

  Axel throws his elbows on the counter and rubs his baldhead. “So what are we gonna do next, man? I’m already itchin’ for a new gig.”

  I turn my head. He’s talking, but I don’t respond. My eyes are back on the redhead and on that firm butt and those long, thin legs. There should be a law against shorts that tight.

  Axel pushes my arm. This time, he gets my attention. He’s sitting there with a shit-eating grin. “You gonna hit that?” He says.

  “Mind your own business, Ax. How’s that Pabst? You want another one?”

  “Hell yeah, since you’re buying.”

  I look back at the sexy bartender. “Hey?”

  She turns and looks at me with a slight smile. “Hay is for horses.” Then she walks up to me. “But what can I do for you? Would you like another drink?”

  I smile back. “You can get my buddy here another Pabst. As for me, I’ll take your number.”

  She stares at me and then throws her head back and laughs. “And what makes you think you can have my number? Maybe I’m married. Ever consider that?”

  I lean in, looking her dead in the eyes. “You could be.” My gaze scans her body and then returns to her face. “But you aren’t. Give me your number. Let me take you out sometime.”

  “Really?” Her mouth drops open. “That’s your approach?” She puts a hand up in the air. “I don’t have time for this.” She turns and fetches another beer for Axel. Then she brings it to the counter and places it in front of him.

  “Thank you,” says Axel. His shit-eating grin is even bigger. This time, his missing tooth, lost in his latest brawl, is clearly visible.

  “You’re welcome.” She gives me a look and then looks back at Axel. “It’s nice to have polite guys in the bar for once. Your buddy could learn from you.” She looks at me again and then turns her back on me, walking back over to where she was before. She switches her ass when she does it, just to rub it in a little more.

  But there’s one thing she’s gonna find out about me. I’m not the kind who gives up.

  “My name is Colton,” I say in her direction. “And you are . . . ?”

  She turns around again, this time, faster than before. “Who am I? I’m a girl who is tired of you already. Thank you for your coming to Fork’s, but please leave me alone.”

  “I’m sorry for being rude,” I say before she turns around again, and I make sure I’m smiling when I say it. “Maybe we can start over?”

  She stares at me and doesn’t say anything. But it’s not a mean stare.

  “Okay. I’m Abby. My name is Abby.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Abby.” I hold out my hand.

  She approaches my hand and shakes it. “It’s nice to meet you, too. And who is your buddy here?”

  “This here is Axel. Axel likes to play darts. Don’t you?” I put my hand on Axel’s shoulder. He knows my cue. It’s time for him to get lost and go busy himself with darts or the pool table or whatever. He always obliges.

  “You know that’s my game,” says Axel. “Looks like you’ve got a nice one over there.”

  “Yes,” she says. “It hasn’t gotten much use tonight. Maybe you can change that.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” Axel hits my back and winks. “You know where to find me, buddy.” He grabs his beer and walks over to the dartboard, leaving the sexy redhead and me alone.

  I stare her in the face. “So . . . Abby . . .”

  “I’m busy here.”

  I take a look around the empty bar. There’re no more than ten people in here, including Ax, the sexy bartender and me. She and I can both see that it’s a ghost town in here. I look back at her with a smile. “Maybe you can take a break and have a drink with me?”

  She smiles at me, knowing that I know she’s not busy. “All right. I guess one drink won’t hurt.”

  Six

  Abby

  It’s 2:30 in the morning. We closed at two, and everyone in the bar is gone, everyone except Colton and me.

  We’re in the bar’s office. I’m against the wall by my desk. My arms are raised and pinned by Colton’s firm grip. He’s whipped off his shirt, and his buff chest along with the rest of his body is pushed against me. His huge erection presses into my groin. His lips are on mine and our tongues dart into each other’s mouths as if we’re horny lizards.

  He pulls his lips away and whispers into my ear. “I want you, and I want you now.”

  “I know,” I breathe out. “I want you too.”

  He drops his hands from my wrists and unbuttons my shirt, removes it, and throws it on the floor. In no time at all he has removed my bra, as well, freeing my large breasts. There’s a mirror in front of us, and I can’t believe how aroused I am. My nipples stick out so straight that I barely recognize them.

  He drops his head to one of my nipples and draws it firm into his mouth. I can’t stop the loud groan that escapes my lips.

  Another thing I can’t believe is how wet I am. For all the posturing that I did with this guy while he was chatting me up in the bar, I know I’m full of shit. Colton is the hottest thing that has come into Fork’s Pub in a long time, and if I don’t get his cock into me soon, I’ll die. I kick off my flats and pull my shorts off, leaving only my panties.

  I reach for his jeans and run my hand over his erection. Jesus, this guy is huge!

  He doesn’t wait for me to unzip his pants. First, he backs away and takes off his boots. Then he undoes his belt and the zipper of his jeans. As his pants fall, leaving only his underwear, I get to see his penis, huge and straining against the fabric. My God! I’m gonna be in pain tomorrow. That’s for sure.

  Before anything happens, I
reach into my desk and grab a condom. Yeah, I know. It’s pretty pathetic for me to carry condoms in the bar. I know I can be a total slut sometimes. But I’d rather be safe than sorry.

  As I take the condom out of the drawer, Colton smiles. “Is that for me?”

  I smile back. “What do you think?”

  “You sure it’s big enough?” He winks and pulls his underwear down his legs, releasing a cock that is even larger than I expected. I gasp, and as I do, my pussy grows wetter.

  He steps out of his pants and underwear, and his hands are on me now as I stand there in bikini underwear and no bra.

  He looks me up and down. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Abby.”

  “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  “Tonight, I’m saying it to you.” The way he looks into my eyes when he says it gets me even wetter if that’s even possible.

  He grabs the top of my panties. The crotch is so wet that I could wring it out, trust me. He slides my panties down my legs and throws them over to the side. And there we both are naked, alone and hot for each other.

  With one hand he clears the desk to make room for us. A couple of books fall to the floor, and some papers scatter on the floor, as well. I could protest about the mess he’s made for me, but that’s the last thing on my mind as he picks me up by the waist and lays me across the desk. My legs spread open and his cock, large and erect points toward me. I am in a fog, but I’m clear enough to rip open the condom package, take out the condom, and slide it over his cock, so hard and meaty.

  The groan that comes out of me is loud as he slides into my wet pussy with ease.

  My arms wrap around him; my head presses against the desk, and my neck arches as Colton bites my neck. His penis impales me, and then slides back only to impale me again. My eyes are open and then they’re closed and then they’re open again. I scream out over and over and feel his large balls smash against me with every thrust.

  My hands move to his firm butt, and his mouth leaves my neck and falls on my mouth. Our tongues return to darting, like lizards in heat.

  I’m on edge, ready to erupt and as I do, he explodes into the condom, letting out a howl that is born of nothing but pure lust. It’s no coincidence that we orgasmed together.

  Seven

  Abby

  I know. I know. How am I ever going to improve my life if I keep making the same mistakes? I’m sitting here at my kitchen table thinking about my night with Colton. My pussy is sore, but it’s a good sore, you know? I’m telling you, Colton is huge. As much as I’m kicking myself for sleeping with yet another bad boy, the sex last night was better than I’ve had in a long, long time.

  But enough of that now. He and his friend, what was his name, Axel? Anyway, he and his friend are just drifters. I probably won’t see Colton again. After we had finished fucking, we got dressed. He kissed me on the cheek and walked out. Colton told me his buddy drove the both of them to the bar, but his buddy had left a long time before we fucked. So I don’t know how Colton got home, and honestly, I don’t care.

  What’s done is done. I don’t have to see him again. He may be one of the hottest guys who has ever come into the Fork, and he may be one of the best fucks I’ve ever had, but he’s a bad boy, probably tied up in a whole lot of criminal activity, in one way or another, and I don’t want anything to do with the likes of him.

  I just wish I could get enough money to get my bar out of debt, then clean up the image, you know, change the whole concept. That way I could draw in a more respectable crowd.

  But with as much debt as I’m in, that’s just wishful thinking, isn’t it? I’ll be lucky if I can hold on to the bar the way things are going. I’ve really made a mess of my life. How am I ever going to get out of it?

  I could borrow money from my parents, but I won’t do it. I just won’t. I’ve got too much pride to go crawling to them. After all, my dad gave me a substantial sum of money to get this place going. I don’t want him to know I’m failing.

  They never come around, not because they don’t support me but because bars just aren’t their scene. So they don’t even know the Fork is in trouble.

  Eight

  Colton

  When I told you I could get any woman I want, I meant it. Usually, I hit it, and then I quit it. But I can’t get Abby off my mind. It wasn’t just her silky red hair or the way her green eyes looked into mine. It wasn’t the feel of her soft skin or the way her round breasts fit perfectly into my mouth. No, it wasn’t just that. It wasn’t her round, firm ass or the way it felt when my dick dove into her. No. All that stuff will get me every time, don’t get me wrong, but this woman is different. I guess I was turned on immediately after I saw her throw that drunk out of her bar.

  I gotta go back. Get to know more about this Abby. There’re so many bars in this town, I barely noticed Fork’s Pub. But I’m coming back. And by the looks of the place, I gotta do it now. You can’t run a bar with no customers. I can tell that place is hurting. So I want to get to know more about this Abby before the place closes down.

  She kept asking me what I do for a living. I told her “this and that,” and not much else. She kept pushing. But like all the other chicks I’ve fucked, if I want to tell them something, I’ll tell them. If not, I won’t. Most of the time it’s better that I don’t. You know what they say, “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.” With as many buckets as my hands are in, I don’t need some chick I’ve dumped showing up in court to finger me for something I’ve done.

  I want to see more of Abby, and then when I fill like ditching this town like I usually do when I get bored, I won’t see her again.

  But for now, I’m heading back to Fork’s for round two.

  Nine

  Abby

  Ever since Colton made himself at home here tonight, he’s been staring at me off and on between looking at his cell. Whatever. I don’t have time to worry about him right now. Walking into the door is a guy I’d hoped I’d never see again. It’s Shane and one of his posse, I’m sure. He was one of the guys I told you I fucked before. Oh wait, I think I forgot to tell you about him. God, I’m such a slut. Well, he’s another one of the bad boys I regret hooking up with.

  I didn’t technically meet this one in the bar; I met him on the street. I know, but it really wasn’t as bad as it sounds. I’d gone out to the convenience store down the street to pick up food for me and Monica and outside, a group of guys was hanging around a pretty slick car. I couldn’t resist stealing a peek, at the car I mean.

  “Like it, baby?”

  Instinctively, I glanced at the speaker. He was hot—floppy dirty blond hair, blue eyes, broad shoulders in just a tight tee even though it was cold out, firm abs, slim hips, long legs encased in pale, faded jeans, and boots. Okay, so maybe it was more than a glance. Anyone else might have mistaken him for just an average, sexy guy, but I’ve got experience. Even if the crowd he was hanging with hadn’t given it away, I knew Blondie was no boy next door.

  I immediately looked away and strode back to the bar. If I’d stopped to chat, things might have been different. Walking away was the worst thing I could have done. He took it as a personal challenge and damn was he relentless! He followed me to the bar, turned on the charm, persisted night after night until eventually he wore me down, and I agreed to go out with him. It was good for a while, and yes, he did own that car. I soon found out getting involved with him was a huge mistake, and it wasn’t the only one I made when it came to Shane.

  The guy is trouble with a capital T. During the days when I was sleeping with him, I let him use my bar for business. So stupid. After we had broken up, he left, and I thought he was gone for good. Now, he’s walking directly toward me. What does he want?

  “Hello, Abby.”

  “Hi, Shane. Long time no see. What brings you back to the Fork?”

  He looks around my bar. A smug grin is on his face. “I see things haven’t changed much around here.”

  I know what he’s referring to
, but I’ve got one for him now. “On the contrary, the place greatly improved once you left.”

  “Touché.”

  I sigh. “Can I get you a drink, Shane? Otherwise, I’ve got stuff to do.”

  “Actually, I’m here to buy your bar.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m here to buy your bar.”

  “You serious?”

  “Yeah, I’m serious.”

  “Ha!” I can’t believe how arrogant this guy is. “You want to buy my bar? Forget it. It’s not for sale. Besides, why do you want it, to set up shop for your shady deals?”

  He gives me that smug grin again. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry. Don’t worry about why we want it. Just take the money and be done with it. You need the money. “

  “You don’t know what I need. The bar is not for sale.” I turn to walk away, but Shane puts his hand on my arm and stops me. I turn back to look at him.

  “I’m not asking,” he says. “I got the money in my truck. We can make the sale right now.”

  I pull my arm away. “Get out, Shane!”

  Colton is immediately at my side. “You okay, babe?”