NOAH

Chapter 9

~ Noah ~

"What's got you so happy?" Toby - one of the waiters, who also doubled as a bartender when needed, asked while I gave the bar one last swipe with the cleaning rag. It had been a busy night, but it had also been one of those nights in which you have so much to do that before you know it, your shift was over. I was tired, but in a good mood, partially due to not having had too problematic patrons and partially because I'd gotten plenty of tips.

I told Toby as much and he nodded. "The guys from the bachelor party were very generous. One of them gave me a fifty. He also gave me a bunch of looks that I think he thought were seductive, but I just took his money; he can keep his looks."

I chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't think your girlfriend would've been too happy if you returned the looks."

"Exactly. She'd go mad. And not the good, leading to wild sex mad." Toby gave an exaggerated shudder, then waived and headed for the locker room. Before reaching his destination, he was stopped by Jess. I watched them as they exchanged a few words, and then Jess came to me.

"We are having drinks before we head home; want to join?"

I briefly pondered on her offer. True that it was the wee hours of the morning, but I felt exhilarated and my shift at Marv's Groceries wasn't until the afternoon so I could spare an hour or so.

"Sure." I bunched the rag up. "Who is we?"

"You, me, Gracie, and Mac. Ash will join us in a bit. Everyone else is going home."

I nodded and put the rag away. If we were drinking, I'd need it again later to wipe after we were done. With me being the only bartender left, I'd probably be the one serving drinks, at least until Ash showed up. It wasn't unusual for staff members to gather like this and then Ash would sometimes assume the position of a host and manage the bar.

"What are you having?" I asked Jess when she plopped on a bar stool.

"A strawberry basil Mojito for me, a regular Mojito for Gracie, and a beer for Mac. I don't know what Ash will be having. Probably his favorite vanilla vodka ."

"Got you." I put a bottle of beer on the bar opposite a nearby stool and got to work on the drinks for the girls while I contemplated what to get for myself. It was after working hours so alcohol was allowed, but I didn't feel like it. What I was craving was a club soda.

"Man, it was a busy night!" Gracie said and I looked up to see her stretching her arms above her head and approaching us with Mac by her side. She sat down and turned left to give Jess a peck on the lips. Mac sat to the other bouncer's right and took the cold beer I'd already opened for him.

"Oh, this is good!" The big man sighed contentedly after taking a huge gulp.

"Here you go." I pushed the drinks towards the girls then opened one of the small refrigerators below the alcohol shelves to take out a bottle of club soda. I walked around the bar and took the empty stool next to Jess. She was wearing a purple tank top and now that the disco lights were off and the regular lighting on, I could clearly see the tattoos on her inner wrists. The right one had a cluster of stars and the left one - some tiny, delicate flowers.

"Isn't that the same design as Gracie's?" I asked, thinking of the delicate branches graced with equally fine pale pink flowers that covered a third of the female bouncer's arms. Once Jess turned to me, a question in her eyes, I pointed to what I'd been looking at.

"Yeah." Her glossy lips quirked up into a smile. "I got them to match hers six months into us dating. I already knew she was the woman I wanted to spend my life with."