Rennie- Chapter 1 Part 2

She hated working Saturday afternoons. Not only was the tip money not there, but only the true scum of society went to a strip club at two in the afternoon. Animosity towards the person who inspired this shift change aside, she finished filling the mixes, stocking the bar, and cleaning the bottles before she moved to the back. Jeff was just coming in, nodding to her as she took the whole thirty dollars for the six hour shift from the tip jar. She nodded back and let him take over the bar without a word.

She grabbed her sweater and James came into the back room to walk her to her car. She let him open the door and proceed her to her vehicle, and she watched as he checked for anything in the tires, or around the car. She thanked him, getting in behind the wheel and driving off as quickly as possible, toward O'Hare, then reaching Manheim, turning around and going back the same way she had just come down Higgins.

While at a stoplight, she pulled off the black sweater and pulled on a filmy white top over her black tank top. Reaching behind her, she undid the hooks for her garterbelt and then released the stockings being held up. She pulled garter belt out of the shorts and, upon pulling into the parking lot, she rolled down the stockings, removed the shoes and replaced them with strappy sandals that buckled at the outside of each ankle. She tested them quickly, when she stepped out of the car, and realized that they were just as sturdy as her work shoes.

She knew she should not make this stop, but instead go to the mall, or another high population place, but she felt drawn to go here, to see if she was just overwrought when she had been here before, or if she was truly affected by him. Besides, she only had about two hours before she had to leave to catch a flight. It was funny, but things always seemed to happen right before she was set to leave the country. But it was only six in the evening, what could possibly happen?

She waded into the throng that seemed to surround the bar. Apparently it was fashionable to sit in the bar here before making your way out to the clubs for the evening. As she approached the bar itself she noted that both Duncan and Nick were positioned in front of one man at the bar, and all the looks on their faces indicated extreme unhappiness. Nick seemed to be barely restrained from leaping the bar itself to take care of this customer. Seeing the empty chairs on either side of the man, she made her way into the fray.

He was under six foot by an inch or two, sandy blond and attractive if you like overbearing men. He wore a suit, despite the fact that it was ninety degrees outside and Saturday. Nick's attention flickered for a moment, and mentally she chided his inattention to his aggressor. He looked in that instant, almost unhappy to see where she sat, but know what she did, she sat anyway. Duncan asked the man to leave, his voice full of scorn and disdain, cold in a way she would never have attributed to him before. As she took her chair, the antagonist spoke.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Seems I still have enough left to me to get the ladies." He sneered at Duncan and Nick. Placing his hand on the back of Rennie's barstool, he leaned toward her. "What's your name?"

Rennie never looked at him, gave him no noticeable attention. Smiling at Nick, she spoke only for him. "Nick, darlin', can I have a menu?" Not paying attention to his astonished look, she took the menu when he handed it to her, then asked, "What sounds good for dinner?" She looked again at him, never letting her attention waver to either Duncan or the suit beside her.

"I think the nachos sound good." Nick haltingly replied, then noticed how being ignored was affecting the man beside her and began to catch her game. "But anything would sound good, if I were to eat it in your company." He seemed to lie the flirting on thick, and as drunk as the man beside her was, it worked.

"Hey, honey," he spoke to her and grabbed her hand at the same time. "I'm Justin. I can make all your dreams come true." His word slurred with the combination of anger and alcohol. "What could you possibly see in this asshole that I don't have?"

Turning slowly, Rennie released the menu with the one hand she had free. As she faced him she moved in for the strike. She liked to think she would not have done it if he had not grabbed her, but she felt the simple gratification in the pain she inflicted when she saw the surprise on his face. She reached between his legs and grabbed his manhood, and her mind registered how little there was. In his pain, he released her hand and half stood from his seat.

"I do not like to be touched by strangers. I do not want to be touched by you. I think it was time that you left, don't you?" She said each word with the amount of menace that, when she released him at the end of her question, he did not even pause to pay his bill, if there had been anything left to pay. He got up and ran staggeringly to the front door. In his wake, Rennie did not even turn to watch him leave the building or his mad dash to the parking lot.

She turned to look back at the bar, one hand beneath the rim, the other idly fingering the menu. She finally looked up and into Nick and Duncan's awestruck faces. "I think I will have those nachos, but without all that stuff in the middle, please."

As if she had not spoken, the dam burst between them and they began to speak over each other in their amazement. "That was amazing." "How did you do that?" "Only a woman could get away with grabbing a man's junk like that." And finally from Nick, "Are you okay?"

Grinning like the Cheshire cat, she nodded. Duncan in his now morose voice pointed out, "You know we shouldn't have let him leave. He was so drunk, he'll probably kill somebody on his way home." Nick looked at him and swore, then pounded a frustrated fist on the bar in front of her. When the clang of keys dropped next to his hand, he looked perplexed.

"Don't worry, I took his keys when he was otherwise occupied.

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Thirty minutes later, Rennie was leaving. She had only made things worse by coming back, she realized. The affliction was only made worse the longer she was in his presence. Of all the things she could do, the smartest thing would be to not come back again, despite getting his number, despite everything she felt for him.

All her life, she realized as she put her fingers under the door handle to get into the driver's side of her car, all her life had been spent doing the smartest thing. Perhaps the smartest thing, was not always the best thing. One way or another, she was going to let this one ride, see where it went. She was intrigued by her reaction and his attraction. Perhaps this was not just the best thing, but the right thing.