Apprehension: Part One

HOOK AND LADDER

Allie walked into the Hook and Ladder and sat at the bar. She was hoping that Shawn would pop in for a beer that night. It was his routine for Thursdays. He got off at eight, and he, along with his shift, would stop in for their end-of-the-week drinks. The last time she saw him, he was ass deep into a busted coffee table. She never did get a visit from the local cops, so he must have decided not to call. The best part of being a DI is that she was able to get her anger out. It's fantastic therapy when you are required to yell at people for a living. She had a dream last night, and in it, her father told her to man the fuck up, get over it, and get even. Sound advice he had given her for years. So here she was looking, as Ian once told her, hot as fuck in that outfit. She was in a pair of tight blue jeans and a backless red shirt. What made it was the black heels she was wearing with it. Heels and jeans were a huge turn-on for Ian, so she thought she would see what the rest of the male population thought. She planned to pick up a hot firefighter and get laid; no strings, no relationship, no emotions, no love, just sex. She was not going to go years with the last person she was with, being yet another cheating bastard.

"Well, hey there, gorgeous. I have never seen you here before. You must be new to the area," the bartender said.

"I am close to the area but have never been here. My ex always warned me not to come here."

"What an asshole depriving us of your beauty. Was he a smoke eater?"

"Yeah. He is," she said.

"And he's your ex? Is he mentally deficient? Why would he let you go?"

"Because he was a fucking another woman. Well, actually, he stopped fucking me to start fucking another woman. I found out the hard way," she said.

"Oh, I am so sorry. That was a really crass way to say it."

"I am a bartender at a bar full of men who think their dick is as big as the hoses they carry. I have heard it all!

"Hold on one minute. First of all, what can I get for you? Then, we shall go from there," he said.

"I want three shots of Jose Cuervo and a Bud Light Platinum chaser."

"Oh, I like your style. I'll be right back."

Allie looked around. The man-to-woman ratio was about 10:1. She wouldn't have any problem choosing from this crowd. She knew what to look for and who to avoid.

He set the drinks down in front of her.

"Here you go, miss. I never caught your name," he said.

"I never threw it to you."

She smiled at him.

"I'm Allie. And if you want to throw me your name, I will catch it," she said.

I am your friendly neighborhood bartender. You can call me Jay.

She put her hand out, and he shook it.

"Holy shit, what a grip. Do you arm wrestle for a living?" Jay asked, shaking his hand.

"No. But I could hold my own in a competition."

"So, who is this ex that told you never to come in here? I don't particularly appreciate hearing that someone is keeping pretty girls from my establishment. We need more pretty girls here. My wife can't be the only one."

"Awe. Jay, that is so sweet. I would love to have a man who appreciates me as much as I can tell you appreciate your wife. She's a lucky woman. I would love to find someone who loves me like that."

"Can you tell her that when she comes in later?"

"I would be more than happy, too!"

"So, really, who is the guy?" he asked, looking around.