At the Bar

I’d been sitting there for over an hour. Alone, waiting. Every tick of the clock fraying my patience a little more—especially when yet another smug lawyer in a tailored suit decided to try his luck, mistaking my silence for an invitation. I wasn’t here for them. I wasn’t here to play a game, not their kind anyway. I was here for one man. And he was just on the other side of those banquet room doors, talking business with my father… and standing beside his wife.

Noah Blake.
Dad’s golden boy at the firm. Charming, successful, married. We’d met a few times. And there was always… something. Lingering glances. The kind of awareness that hung just a little too long in the air. The kind you feel behind your ribs.

He looked at me like he wasn’t supposed to.
And I liked it.

He flirted in that careful, quiet way men do when they’ve convinced themselves it’s harmless. And I let him, because I was curious. I wanted to see how far he’d let that fire spread.

Midnight came. The fundraiser was winding down, and more of Dad’s drunk colleagues spilled into the bar. I threw back another Long Island, ignoring their eyes on me. The last thing I needed was another sweaty handshake or a lecture about “networking.”

God, I hated lawyers.

And then—he walked in. Noah. His eyes locked with mine, and something shifted inside me. My breath stalled. My heart thudded harder than I’d care to admit. But I kept my face calm. I’d learned how to wear a cool mask while everything inside boiled.

“Missed me already, eh?”
I didn’t look at him straight away, just swirled my drink lazily, pretending I wasn’t thrilled he came.

He slid onto the stool next to mine. “What can I say? You have your own gravity,” he said, motioning for the bartender and ordering us tequila.

This time, he wasn’t nervous. There was a confidence to him now. A heat.
And I wasn’t sure if it excited me… or scared me.

I turned just slightly toward him. “How’s the wife?”
It was a test, and we both knew it.

He smiled like he wasn’t sure what game I was playing. “She’s good,” he replied, tugging at his tie. “Pretty taken with your father, actually. They’re playing blackjack.”

“Oh? So you’re jealous, that’s why you came in here.” I tilted my head, letting just a hint of a smile curl my lips. “Didn’t take you for the possessive type.”

“Not jealous,” he said with a slow shake of the head. “Just… enjoying better company.”

We raised our glasses. “To good company,” he said with that damn wink.

The tequila burned in the best way.
And when I looked at him again, I wanted to know just how bold he’d really let himself be.

“Do you like me, Noah?”
I asked it flat, knowing exactly what it would do to him.

He blinked. His eyes bounced between mine and the bar top. Lawyers like to control the conversation. I’d grown up watching them twist words and dominate rooms. I knew exactly how to flip the script.

“I do,” he said finally. “You seem like… a nice person.”

I almost laughed. Nice?
God, if that’s what he thought of me, then he didn’t know a thing.

I shifted, letting my leg slide along the bar of his stool—just enough for the slit in my dress to fall open. His eyes followed. He stared. Hard.
And I let him.

“I think you’re a nice person too,” I murmured.

His hand twitched, jaw tightening.
“Like what you see?” I asked, watching him squirm.

“I didn’t mean to stare,” he said, eyes dragging back up.

“I don’t mind. I like being looked at.”

The bartender brought us another round. I grabbed one, swallowed it fast, and let the warmth settle deep.

Then I reached under the bar and placed my hand on top of his. Soft. Testing.
“Is this okay?” I asked quietly, my eyes flicking toward the banquet room door.

Mistake.

Noah noticed. He turned to follow my glance, nerves flashing across his face.
Damn it. Rookie move.

I gripped his hand tighter, guiding it to my thigh—just under the slit in my dress. No hesitation now. If I gave him a way out, he’d take it. But if I led?
He might just follow.

And he did.

The second his fingers brushed my skin, I froze. Not with fear—but with thrill. We were officially past the point of return.

His hand stayed. Rested.
My pulse pounded in my ears.

I leaned forward, elbows on the bar, pretending nothing had changed. On the surface, we were just two people having drinks. But under the bar? My leg was hooked over his stool, his fingers slowly trailing upward.

I let go of his hand. The rest was up to him now.
He hesitated—only for a second. Then he moved.

Higher. Bolder.
His fingertips grazed the inside of my thigh until they met bare skin. Bare. His eyes flicked to mine, wide, surprised.

I smiled into my glass.

He took that as permission.

When his finger finally slid through the slick heat between my legs, I forgot how to breathe.
I bit down hard on my lip, trying not to whimper.

Everything in me was on fire. The room blurred. My grip tightened on the drink in front of me like it might save me from drowning in sensation.

God, it had been so long since someone touched me like this.

Guilt. Shame. Desire.
They all crashed into each other inside me—but desire rose fastest.

Noah’s touch was slow. Intentional. Like he was savoring it. Learning me.
He circled over my clit and I almost cried out, barely stopping the sound behind clenched teeth.

I couldn’t think. Couldn’t move.
Every muscle in my body clenched, waves of pleasure rolling harder, higher—

My leg dropped from the stool. The metal clanged against the floor.
I gripped the edge of the bar, shaking. Trembling.

It hit me so fast—too fast—and I was gone.

My orgasm ripped through me like lightning.
My head dropped against the bar. My whole body pulsed.

Noah didn’t stop.

Even as I came undone right there in the middle of the damn bar, he kept touching me—soft, slow strokes that made my thighs quiver and my spine arch.

I wanted to grab him. Kiss him. Pull him into me and let the whole world fall away.
But I didn’t.
Because people were watching.
Because I was playing a dangerous game.

So I did the only thing I could.
I smiled.

And he finally pulled his hand away, sliding it casually onto his lap like he hadn’t just taken me apart under a table in a room full of people.

And that’s when I knew…
This was only the beginning.