Free Just One Night: Part 2 by Elle Casey

bartender’s attention. He stands in front of us and holds up a finger to tell us not to speak. His finger goes to his ear and he cocks his head, as though he’s listening to someone. When his hand moves back away, I see an earbud there. He’s smiling at us like a total pervert. It makes me want to leave this place and never come back. I rub my upper arms trying to make the feeling go away and shake my head at my irrational response to a bad smile. I think I’m already beginning the process of experiencing my next William hangover.
    “Can I get you a drink?” he yells, leaning across the bar a little. He’s staring at my boobs, of course.
    “Yes.” I look up at William. “What do you want?”
    “I’ll have a vodka martini, rocks, with a twist.”
    The bartender is waiting for me. I chew my lip as I try to decide whether to go for a beer or something more ladylike.
    “How about a sloe comfortable screw up against the wall?” the bartender says.
    With a straight face. Just like that. He offers to make me a mixed drink that describes exactly what I just did around the corner from his work station. Okay, so it wasn’t slow, but it was a screw and up against the wall. Oh my god.
    “Uhhh … what?” Yeah, that’s it. Play dumb. Try and use the stall time to figure out if this is just a fluke.
    “Thought you looked like the type that might like that.” He shrugs and smiles again. Or maybe it’s more a leer than a smile. It skeeves me out, whatever it is.
    “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you have some information you’d like to share,” William says, moving me over to the side a little and putting himself more prominently in front of the bartender.
    “Share? Me? Nah. But if you’re the type to share, well, sure.” He shrugs. “I’d maybe take you up on that.” He looks at me again, or I should say, he looks at my chest.
    It happens so fast I never see it coming. William’s hand goes across the bar and grabs the bartender’s shirt. He yanks hard and pulls him towards us, causing the guy to drop the glass he’d been holding as he crashes into the bar top.
    “What the …?!” The bartender is as shocked and surprised as I am.
    “Give me that fucking thing,” William growls, pulling the ear bud out of the guy’s ear.
    “Hey, asshole! What the hell!” The bartender struggles against William’s grip with little success.
    I back away to avoid being hit by swinging fists.
    William’s furious. My charming, sexy Englishmen has become a raging bull. He pulls the bartender completely over the bar and throws him to the ground at his feet. “Where are the cameras?” he yells in the guy’s face, holding him down with two fistsful of shirt now.
    “Fuck you, man! This is a private club! You don’t have any rights here!”
    A bouncer shows up and grabs William by the shoulder, pulling him up and away from the bartender below him. “You gotta leave, man. Don’t do anything stupid.”
    The bartender stumbles to his feet and tries to straighten his shirt.
    William brushes the bouncer off, standing up straight and fixing his hair. “I want to talk to the manager. I believe he’ll know what about.”
    The bouncer rolls his eyes, sighing like he’s incredibly tired. “She’s up there.” He points to a dark space at the end of a set of stairs. “I’ll have to escort you.” He puts his hand up to his ear and speaks. “I’m coming up with this dude.” He points at William, nods once, and then gestures across the room. “Come on. After you.”
    I stand there dazed and confused. What just happened here? Why was William so angry at a complete stranger? And what’s with the camera comment? Did someone take a picture of us? Oh, my god … that would be soooo embarrassing.
    Mia shows up at my side. “What’s going on? Did you get in a fight?”
    “William did. I think.”
    Edward walks over to his brother and puts a hand on his shoulder, looking at him and talking quietly.