1 Chapter 1

I was working at a shitty little hole in the wall bar when we met. I had made my way up north and found the cheapest place to rent, found a job, and unloaded. Most of the clientele were middle aged men who sounded like they belonged in the deep south but had lived in Michigan all their lives. There wasn't even a post office in this little hole, just a gas station liquor store combo, a few businesses that rotated out regularly, and of course, the local watering hole. It wasn't too far off the main drag between the lower peninsula and the UP, so from time to time we got strangers, but otherwise it was all local drunks or the random family that decided it was okay to bring their children to a seedy bar as if it was a family dining experience. I had lucked out, their last bartender wandered off to find adventure. I didn't need adventure, I needed quiet room to breathe. Little did I know, adventure was going to find me.

On this particular day, I hadn't seen anyone besides the cook and the dedicated drunk who I saw more than his wife did, James. It was just after lunchtime and I was cleaning under the bar. Before I showed up, the bar wasn't cleaned regularly. It wasn't that anyone was intentionally negligent, it just wasn't something anyone really thought about. I was going inch by inch across the back bar, cleaning up the years of dust and stickiness that gets missed when you aren't paying attention to your surroundings.

When I heard the bell chime on the door, I didn't even bother to stand, just offered from over my turned shoulder, "What can I get for ya?"

"Bud light and a menu please." Was the chuckled reply. That deep gravelly chuckle made me warm in all the right places. Ignoring it, I swiped a bottle from in the cooler, popped the cap on the edge of the bar and handed it over with a menu.

It wasn't until after I'd set his beer down in front of him that I looked up at him to smile politely. When I did, my chest squeezed a little. I was captivated by deep chocolate colored eyes that crinkled at the corners, a slightly crooked nose that had probably been reset after a break, and a full mouth that was highlighted by stubble that was entering beard territory. He had a jaw that could hold up buildings and a thick neck leading into broad shoulders and biceps straining against his t-shirt.

To recover myself I smiled quickly then turned away. "Let me know what looks good and I'll have the cook get started on it for you."

I could hear him chuckle behind me, then the rustle of the menu. I continued to clean beneath bottles on the back bar until I felt his eyes on my back. I turned, "anything look good?"

"Absolutely, but I'm not sure what I want to eat more." My cheeks heated, wondering if he was referring to the menu or not. I steeled myself and stepped back to the front of the bar. He was looking at me expectantly, a spark of something I couldn't quite place in his eyes.

"Henry makes a mean cheeseburger if you're feeling indecisive." I pulled the notepad from my pocket with a pen. He looked down at the menu.

"Yeah, a burger sounds good. Fries too please." He looked back up and handed me the menu, smiling.

"Lettuce, onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard?" I inquired. He nodded. I tucked his menu back in its spot and scribbled his order in short hand on a ticket, then ripped it out for Henry. "Coming right up."

I slid the ticket through the cook window. "Order up Henry" I called back into the quiet kitchen.

I heard Henry grunt from the back office and shuffle from his chair. I went back to cleaning the bar. I listened to meat sizzle and fries bubble in the oil as I cleaned. I could feel my handsome stranger's eyes on me again but chose to ignore him as I worked. He came here to eat, not get chatty… right? After a few more minutes, I heard his empty beer bottle against the bar. Before he could say anything, I turned, "Another?" He smiled and nodded at me. In one fluid motion I grabbed another bottle, popped the top and set it before him. With the other hand, I grabbed his empty.

"Your food should be up any-" I was interrupted by Henry dinging the little bell in the cook window. My stranger threw his head back and laughed, I could see all of his straight white teeth. I suddenly felt teeth grazing across my skin and shivered. I smiled and turned, grabbing his plate out of the window and setting it in front of him with a couple napkins. I set a bottle of ketchup and the salt and pepper shakers down too. "Anything else?" He looked as if he was about to insinuate something, but he stopped himself and shook his head.

"No, this looks good. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything." I said as I wrote up his check and set it next to his plate. I turned back to cleaning the bar. Before I could even pick the cleaning rag back up, my stranger made a sound in his throat that sent heat straight to my core. It was a cross between an "mmm" and a purr and it was absolutely delicious. I was instantly aroused and I hated myself for it.

"That's a good burger" he rasped. I wasn't sure if he knew what he was doing to me or not, but I was paranoid enough to suspect that he did.

Before I did something dumb like jump over the bar into his lap, I grabbed a tub of dishes and bee lined for the kitchen. I slid through the swinging door, set the tub near the dish sink, and took a deep breath. I needed to pull myself together, what the hell was my problem?! I'd never had such a strong reaction to anyone in my life. Especially not someone I'd just met. I knew it had been awhile since I'd fooled around, but was I losing my damn mind?!

I took a few more deep breaths, pulled myself together, and grabbed a few cases of beer to restock the bar fridge. I pushed my way back through the door and didn't look up as I hefted the cases onto the bar. I could tell he was looking at me but I wasn't about to look up. Instead, I looked over at James.

"James, do you need another one, hon?" I made my way to his end of the bar where he was watching TV disinterestedly. He made an affirmative noise and I scooped up his empty glass. I refilled it from the tap and placed a bowl of peanuts in front of him with his fresh beer. "Here you are. Holler if you need anything." He made another affirmative noise. I heard the other occupied bar stool scoot on the cracked linoleum and steeled myself to look up at my stranger. I looked over and he was now standing, putting away his wallet and finishing off his beer.

"Check is all set. Thank you, ma'am, for lunch." He smiled at me with those straight white teeth, his chocolate eyes filled with mirth. He set down his beer bottle, touched the tip of his baseball cap in salute, and strutted out the door. He had a slight limp, but his movements were still fluid. I was mesmerized by his muscular back rolling under his shirt as he left. I couldn't help but let my eyes trail down to his well-toned ass and huge thighs encased in snug jeans. He was about my height, but twice my size in muscle.

It took everything in me not to follow him out the door and climb him like a pole. A thick, heavily muscled pole… Stop it! I chastised myself. I shook my head and scooped up his plate and the wad of cash he left with the bill. After putting his dishes in the kitchen, I counted the cash at the register. Holy shit, he'd given me thirty dollars for his ten-dollar lunch. I shook my head.

The rest of my day passed uneventfully, the locals coming in to drink around 5:30. I had my usual 6 bar stools to keep up with and a random booth of family for dinner. At the end of the night I kicked everyone out and sent them home, locked the door, and wiped down the bar. Henry had gone home a few hours ago, as we served alcohol long after we served food. I finished closing up for the night and went home.

When I got home, I trudged up the stairs to my flat. I rented the second story of a small house on the edge of "town". I unlocked my door, flicked on the kitchen light, then plopped my purse and jacket on the table. I crossed the house to my bedroom, discarding clothing as I went. I entered the bathroom inside my bedroom and turned on the water to let it heat up. I walked back to the fridge and found a beer, cracked it, and sipped as I wandered back to the bathroom. I let my aching muscles relax under the spray of hot water. My accommodations were less than glamorous, but the spray of the shower was as good as a massage. The water pressure there was amazing. I spent way too long in there, but the beauty of Michigan was no water shortage.

My traitorous mind pictured the stranger from earlier in the day. Despite smiling and laughing, his eyes held something sad and dark. In my memory, I took in every detail of his appearance. He must have been around thirty years old, a few grays at his temple and in his growing stubble. He had a light dusting of freckles that almost blended in with his skin color. (which seemed to be a tan, I could see a tan line from under his shirt sleeve) Dark hair peppered his arms. He was just shy of six feet with broad shoulders, a thick neck, and a barrel chest. The man looked like he could stop a vehicle in its tracks. If I had to guess, he was some sort of ex-military.

Before I could go into full on arousal, I shook his image from my head. Sometimes my near photographic memory got me in trouble. I finished washing up and turned off the shower. I toweled off and headed straight to bed.

The next morning, I got myself around, drank a little coffee, and headed back to the bar. It was shaping up to be another uneventful day, until around 2 o clock- when you know who walked in. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a polo shirt that left little to the imagination. He had another ball cap on his head and a grin on his face.

"Afternoon ma'am," He said, taking a seat at the bar. I smiled, grabbed him a bud light from the cooler and handed him a menu.

"Hello again." I smiled, taking a chance and keeping eye contact. "What brings you by today?"

"I've picked up a new truck route and I very much enjoyed lunch yesterday." His eyes crinkled at the corners a little as he spoke, then he looked down at his menu. "I think this will be my new favorite route." He looked pleased with himself over the joke. I leaned a hip on the bar and pulled out my notepad in anticipation. He took another moment to look and asked, "ma'am, what's your fancy on the menu?"

"I'm Melody, please, call me Mel." I leaned in to look at the menu upside-down. "I think the Ruben sounds good today, we just received fresh baked rye this morning and Henry finds the best corned beef and slices it himself."

"Alright Mel, I'd love a Ruben, no fries today." He answered, looking up at me with a smirk that tugged at my chest.

"Kraut or coleslaw on your sandwich?" I asked.

"Slaw please." He answered. I nodded, scrawled it down, and handed it in to Henry. I turned back and started washing bar glasses in the little sink beneath the bar, which my luck, was right in front of my stranger.

"So, now you know my name, may I have yours?" I asked, barely glancing up from my washing.

"I'm Zach." He answered, taking a swig of his beer.

"Nice to officially meet you Zach." I smiled and looked up, but had to pause in my washing. He was staring at me so intently with a look that I couldn't quite place. His chocolate colored eyes looked hopeful today. "So, I'm on your route, but are you from around here?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"I live about forty-five minutes away and I pick up near home and drop off near here. I got lucky with a local route." He took another swig of his beer, watching me work. "What about you?"

"I'm not from here originally, but I kind of landed here. I'm not sure how long I'll stay." I said, keeping my eyes on the glass I was cleaning. I could tell he wanted me to elaborate, but he didn't say anything further. His sandwich was in the window and I handed it over, along with a second beer.

"Now this is a sandwich!" He enthused, picking it up with both hands. Henry liked to stack them high, so you could barely fit your hands around them. I chuckled and watched him take a bite with his eyes closed. I had a thought about his mouth on me instead of that sandwich and I had to distract myself. He made an appreciative noise in his throat that made my stomach clench a little. I had no idea if he was toying with me or if I was just in need of a good lay.

Zach didn't stay as long for lunch this time, he finished, set down $20 and went out the door after thanking me. I sighed as I cleaned up his plate. If this was going to be a regular thing, I was in trouble.

Suddenly, from the other end of the bar, James pipes up, "Mel, honey, I think that boy likes you."

I huffed and threw a wadded napkin at him. I stomped off to the kitchen, his laughter ringing in my ears.