Princess Next Door

Going to a bar!

Finishing off her lunch, she made her way back to the classroom where Tammy was setting up. She’d scrubbed all the chalk off the board, and was joining up some letters.

“I’ve got it.”

“What?” Tammy asked.

“How do you feel about going to a bar Friday night?”

Tammy looked at her once again, brow raised. “You know I’m forty, right, and married?”

“That doesn’t mean you’re dead. Get a babysitter and bring Marshall.”

Tammy laughed. “You are my babysitter. My kids have blacklisted all credible babysitters because they’re terrors and they only like you. If you want me to go out, you’ve got to talk to my kids.”

She loved Tammy’s kids. They were a bit of a handful, but she found bribery with food worked every single time.

“Deal.”

“Wait!” Tammy held her hand up. “Where did we go from pie to Friday night? You don’t need Marshall and me to be your wingmen.”

“I can’t go to a bar on my own. Besides, you could totally give me a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down on potential dates.”

“I’ve confirmed that you’re a weirdo, right? I say this with all the love in the world.” Tammy placed a hand over her chest.

“Come on, you’ve got to help me with this. I’m not good with dating and talking to men.”

“Then you need to use your neighbor. He’ll be a good one to practice on.”

She shook her head. “I can’t practice on him, and besides, this is totally not practice. This is the real thing. I know I can trust you.”

Tammy groaned. “I hate doing these things.”

“Please, please, please, if you love me. You’re my best friend in the whole wide world, and no one would take care of me like you.” She wrapped her arms around Tammy, hoping her friend would cave.

“Yes, fine!”

****

Serving up beer, Zane looked around the crowded bar and nodded his head to the beat of the heavy rock music the live band was playing.

His friends were in one corner, tuning up his guitar for him. He sang, played the guitar, and occasionally smashed the drums.

“You playing tonight, Zane?” a brunette asked.

“You betcha.”

There was a time the pussy in the bar would have appealed to him, but for some strange reason he couldn’t get a little blonde in conservative shorts and tank top out of his freaking mind. Even last night he’d woken up with some serious wood, and it had taken him half an hour to deal with that shit.

Every single morning, he was awake in time to watch her climb into her car and drive away. His life was becoming stalkerish with his obsession to know more about the princess living next door.

“Three beers,” Jones said.

“You driving?”

“Nope, you are.” Jones winked at him. “It’s a big crowd tonight.”

“It’s always a big crowd.”

“I don’t mind. We’re going to smash the shit out of it either way.” Jones took the beer, handing him some cash. “Well, well, well, it must be your lucky night. Look who just walked in.”

Zane looked toward the door and gritted his teeth.

He shouldn’t have thought about her. Work was the only place he wasn’t tempted to see her, and now here she stood, in his damn place of work, the bar. She wasn’t alone either. He saw a much older woman and man beside her.

“I wonder if she’s stalking you,” Jones said, winking at him.

His friends had been riding his ass over his little obsession with her. Not that it was all that much of a problem or anything. Watching someone wasn’t a crime, or at least he fucking hoped not.

Wynter headed toward the bar, and Zane ignored Jones, making sure he was the one to serve her.

Princess spotted him first. “Zane, I had no idea you worked here.”

“Yep, been working her a few years now.” He nodded at her and glanced at the other two people.

“Stop being rude, honey. Introduce us,” the woman said.

“Zane, this is Tammy and Marshall. They’re both really great friends. This is my neighbor I was telling you about.”

He held his hand out. Marshall shook his hand firmly. “Nice to meet you.”

After he nodded at Marshall and then at Tammy, his gaze returned to the blonde bombshell. Her hair fell down around her in ringlets, looking sexy as fuck. She reminded him of sin and sweetness mixed together. The things I want to do with her.

Tammy took the lead, ordering a round of beers, and he got them in the nick of time.

“Enjoy,” he said.

He couldn’t linger as another customer was already signaling to him that he wanted a refill.

For the next hour he kept them all in his sights. They took a booth, and he watched as they all talked, leaning over the table and looking out onto the dance floor.

Finally, after about half an hour, Princess and Tammy got up and joined the others in the center of the room. He saw a couple of men interested in his very sexy neighbor. He understood exactly what they were all seeing … fresh meat. There was no way anyone else could deny she was temptation in their midst, and he felt like calling dibs first. Ignoring his instinct, he kept on serving at the bar, noticing Jones, Silas, and Riot all kept an eye on her as well.