10. CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 10

Chyler: Two Weeks Later

It has been over two weeks since Atlas left me in that park. My body was screaming with need for him, and ever since then, he has not once attempted to reach out to me - no messages, no calls, nothing. I haven't even had the chance to run into him downtown during the lunch rush.

I refused to beg for him.

I beg for no one; the men beg for me, goddamnit.

I was tearing my hair out by the root in sexual frustration over him. The simple fact that he had the balls even to attempt to toy with me made me want him even more.

He liked games, but so did I, and I played to win.

“ I’m a patient man.” I scoffed to myself as I imitated his words.

I should have moved on from him at this point; I don’t need to waste my time pining over him when there are plenty of other men out there who are willing to give me what I want. And yet, I have spent nights— nights —dreaming about him, his touch, his voice, his scent— his cock . About the way he fucked me in that restroom.

I have pleasured myself with thoughts of him more times than I would like to admit. I am running out of my own patience. I need him before I explode out of my skin.

This man has occupied every free moment of my mind since he entered my life, and now I feel like I’m hanging on a hook, waiting for him to come and devour me.

I have tried to get him off my mind by flirting with other men at bars when the girls and I go out, but the rush is no longer there, and I give up trying shortly after starting any form of conversation. Nothing can compare to the high I get when I am with Atlas.

He fucking broke me. Is this what it means to be ruined by a man? The appeal of sex with anyone but him has shriveled up and died; no matter how attractive they are, I only want him .

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Madison was right. That first night we met, he did something to me that changed me, and now I am on the precipice of giving him what he wants. Why do I want him this badly? How is this even possible? I refuse to give him the satisfaction of winning by being the first to break the silence between us, which is why I have avoided contacting him.

The moment I message him, it’s all over. He wins.

We haven't received any new instructions or tasks from Charlotte regarding the assignment. We've been keeping a low profile to avoid any repercussions from the 'Tyler' incident. We' re still uncertain about who discovered us at the warehouse. Since then, we have been looking for a new location to use for future tasks.

Alexis has been looking further into Michael August. Unlike Roman Atwater, he was significantly easier to find. Unfortunately, he is in Paris, and we can’t touch him until he returns to the US. Our agreement with the client prohibits us from following anyone internationally. While we have performed jobs abroad many times before, the client has provided specific instructions for this particular job. However, once Michael lands back home, we can detain him immediately and finally get our answers as to where Roman has been hiding all this time.

Alexis confirmed his position and closeness to Roman. If anyone knows where he is currently hiding, it will be Michael. So, with the assignment at a standstill, I have had to get a new job to pass the free time away.

Alexis and Madison both have full-time jobs, Alexis with her web development and Madison as a registered nurse, which allows them to jump in and out of our work with Charlotte easily.

When they both started picking up more work and shifts to fill in their spare time, I started getting bored. Knowing that I needed something else to do with my spare time, I started a new job at one of the bars we frequented. I knew the owner and lead bartender—Austin, well, and he was more than happy to have me start working for him.

Working for Austin has been going great so far. I haven’t worked at a bar since I left Nevada, but there was something oddly comforting in it .

Austin didn’t take shit from anyone in his bar. He was a good-looking man, about six-foot-one, and absolutely ripped like a god. He had bleached blonde hair long enough to tie in a bun at the nape of his neck. His arms and back were covered in tattoos, and he always wore a loose-fitting tank top when he worked—he said it showed off his body without being completely topless. I rolled my eyes at him when he told me that.

Austin looked like a hot surfer from California who had been transplanted into the Midwest, and while he was attractive in all manners, Austin was never my type—and I wasn’t his, which was another reason why we worked well together. Neither of us bothered flirting with one another unless it was to purposely annoy whatever bar patron was trying to hit on us. We had each other’s back when necessary. I could easily see myself working for him long-term.

After my late afternoon pilates class, I went straight to Madison’s. I needed to talk to her about my ridiculous ‘Atlas’ situation, and I knew in doing so that I’d be admitting to her that I was thinking about him more than I should have been—and that he was getting to me. She’d probably rub more salt in the wound by telling me that I was being stupid and to call him right this second.

Even though I had a solid idea of where the conversation would go with her and what she would tell me to do—after reveling in her victory that I was falling for a man I barely knew, of course. I still needed to hear it from her. Sometimes, hearing things from people other than yourself makes them seem more realistic. I needed that kick to my stubborn senses .

Arriving at her townhouse, I noticed a beautiful summer floral wreath adorning the moss-green door. It perfectly reflected her elegant style. I walked up the steps, used the spare key she had given me when she first moved in, and let myself in. It was quiet inside. Madison must not have been home from work yet. I made my way to the kitchen, dropped my bag on the counter, and began raiding her fridge for something to eat.

Working out always made me hungry afterward, and—her fridge had nothing worth eating in it. Great. Well, what the hell, Madison?

Her fridge was usually stocked with leftovers. Did she leave on a trip? That’s the only reason why she wouldn’t have food here. A loud bang came from behind me as I was digging through the fridge, and I startled, placing my hand on my chest.

“What the—” I was breathing heavily like I had just seen a ghost. She scared the ever-living shit out of me.

“If you would have called me before just showing up, I could have told you there was no food for you to steal and that I was going grocery shopping after work.” Madison peered at me over the rim of her sunglasses and began unloading several bags of groceries.

“Oh, Mads, I only steal food from you because you are the only one of us who knows how to actually cook. So, what did you bring me?” I shot her my best saccharine smile, closing the door to the fridge.

“Nothing.” She deadpanned and then threw me a bag of mini peppermint patties. These were like crack to me. So sweet, minty, and addicting—and suddenly, I was thinking about Atlas again. Okay, I clearly have a problem.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have.” I sent her an amused tone as I ripped open the bag and popped one into my mouth, making my way to the couch and plopping down on it.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening?” She asked, continuing to unpack her groceries. I tried to think of the best answer to give her that wouldn’t make me feel as guilty as I did about the whole situation.

“I’m not staying long. I have to work tonight, but I just came to talk for a little bit.”

“Okay... about?…” She raised a brow, and I hummed, deciding if I really wanted to tell her about Atlas or not. “Chyler…” She demanded, growing impatient with me.

“I just need… some of your ‘I know you better than you know yourself’ advice.” I was taking my sweet-ass time with this, and I could see her growing annoyed with me and my vagueness.

“Involving?” She gestured her hand for me to continue. She put the last box of cereal away and closed the cupboard, resting her hands on the kitchen island and glaring at me.

“Atlas…” I mumbled under my breath.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. You need advice involving who?” She smacked me with a smug-ass smile. There it was, the start of her revel.

“Atlas! I need advice on Atlas. Goddamnit woman!” I fell back onto the couch as if I could drown myself in the pillows and disappear .

I was never going to hear the end of it now. She won her battle with me, and soon Atlas was going to win his. I was on a losing streak. Call it my path of ruin if you want.

“Let me take a wild guess, he’s not talking to you?”

“Not exactly… Kinda… Sorta.” I ran my hand through my hair and bit my cheek.

“Since when?” She didn’t care to know the exact details. She didn’t need to. The fact that I haven't talked to him in over two weeks said enough.

“Since our coffee date…” I grimaced.

“You two haven’t spoken since your date over two weeks ago, and are you just now bringing him up?” She guffawed.

“Yes?” I hesitated, answering it more like a question. A long pause fell between us, and Madison slowly raised an accusing brow at me.

“Oh. Oh no. You care now,” She gawked and covered her mouth with her hands. “You think he’s no longer interested in you anymore, and it bothers you!” She was jumping around at my embarrassment like she just won the ‘I told you so’ lottery.

“Yes, and no, I’m concerned that I blew my shot with him because I am too stubborn to admit that I am more interested in him than I’ve ever been with someone before.” I began to ramble, throwing my hands in the air.

“So what’s the issue? Message him? What’s stopping you?” She gave me a confused look, as if the answer was just that simple and I was overcomplicating things .

“He told me he wanted me to… beg for him,” I mumbled under my breath.

Madison cackled like a mad woman and ran over to the couch, throwing a pillow into my face.

“No way, he what?!” She exclaimed and laughed even harder. My face flushed with embarrassment. “Okay, but seriously, girl. Just reach out to him. He was all over you when you first met, and if you are still thinking about him, I am sure as hell he is still obsessing over you.”

She sat down next to me, and I straightened myself, hugging the fluffy pillow that she had shoved into my face. I sighed deeply, pulled my phone out of my pocket, and stared at the screen.

“Well… go on. What are you waiting for? He’s not going to bite you… Or is he into that?” She giggled and urged me on.

“Madison!… What do I even say?” I sighed as I unlocked my phone, pulling up our last messaging thread. I can’t believe I am going to do this, that I will be the one to break first.

“Just be honest with him. I know it’s hard for you, but clearly, you let him in enough to keep thinking about him instead of moving on as if he were old news.” She rubbed my arm and gave me a soft smile. “Let go… embrace the feelings for once. Go with the flow, for fuck sake.”

She was right, as per usual. I nodded and got up from the couch, placing my phone back into my back pocket.

“I’ll think it over at work tonight and message him when I get home. ”

“Atta girl. Proud of you.” She beamed and stood to give me a hug. “Let me know how it goes.”

“I will, thanks Mads.”

I hugged her back and then left, heading to my apartment to quickly get ready for a long night of work at Austin’s Bar.

“Baby girl! Get your ass behind the bar; we are getting slammed tonight.” Austin shouted as I entered the crowded bar. I couldn’t help but chuckle and smile when he called me that. For some reason, I found it cute and not annoying when it came from him.

I made my way through the growing line of customers at the bar and slipped behind the counter. I threw my purse into one of the bottom cabinets and wrapped my apron around my waist. I was wearing denim shorts and a hot pink crop tank tonight. I tucked my flat bar into my black sweatband, which I kept on my left forearm for easy access to open bottles.

Saturdays always got a little crazy during the summer, especially when a Twins game finished, and the crowd from it filtered into the downtown bars.

Tonight, Austin wanted to run a special on Bud Light and Coors buckets, so we were popping bottle caps all over the bar for a good chunk of the night. If I didn’t see another beer bottle after tonight, I would be more than okay with that .

Around ten, I overheard a lot of yelling and arguing coming from the end of the bar. I could briefly see that a man was getting a little too aggressive with a woman near him—she clearly was not interested in any of his advances, and he wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.

Abso-fucking-lutely not.

“Hey, Austin.” I jerked my chin in their direction, and he nodded.

“Get ‘em, baby girl.” A devilish smirk on his face. He knew what I was going to do, and he was ready for a good show from it. Austin doesn’t take shit lightly in his bar when it comes to men harassing women, and everyone knows it—except for this guy, apparently, and he was about to be updated on how we ran things around here.

I gave a sadistic grin and reached under the bar, grabbing a metal baseball bat. I slammed the bat loudly on the counter, creating a loud bang, which caused the entire bar to go quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the music playing over the speakers.

This was my favorite part.

I only got to do this once last week, but it was so worth it.

As I had the full attention of everyone in the bar, I climbed up onto the counter. I stared down the man at the end of the bar, pointing the bat's cap directly at him with a savage sneer on my face.

“You,” I said as I began slowly strutting down the bar to him, swinging the bat around with a flick of my wrist. Then, I rested it over my shoulders, hanging my forearms off it. I could give Harley Quinn a run for her money tonight. Hell, now that I think of it, I could give her a run for her money on a normal work night.

Once I reached the man, I crouched on the bar, resting the barrel of the bat in my free hand and leveling him with a glare that said I wasn’t fucking around.

“She’s clearly not interested in you. I suggest you get the fuck out of here right now.” I hissed.

“Or you’ll what?” He laughed as if I was a joke. The man had balls; I’ll give him that. I couldn’t help but chuckle. It was cute that he wasn’t intimidated by me, but most men weren’t until I had them by the balls—screaming.

“Oh honey, you don’t want to know the ‘ or you’ll what’ part. Trust me.” I cooed and gave him a wink, standing to my full height on the bar and staring down at him. The rest of the customers in the bar started whispering amongst themselves about what was going to happen to the man. A few of them had great ideas about what I should do with the bat. But unfortunately, while Austin loved seeing me act like a crazy bitch against assholes in his bar, I wasn’t allowed to do much outside of scaring them. Maybe give them one or two broken bones if I was lucky.

“Last chance. Get the fuck out, or I won’t be held responsible for your broken nose.” I pushed the bat’s cap into his nose, and with that, he turned and high-tailed it out of the bar. I guess his bravery fell short with that simple threat. It wasn’t even my best one .

When I confirmed that he had left the bar entirely, I jumped down from the counter and made my way back to Austin, putting the bat back under the bar.

“Shame you didn’t get to use it this time. I was looking forward to the show.”

I shrugged. “He was a smart man, I’ll give him that.”

He chuckled and ruffled my hair like the big brother he was and went back to serving drinks along the bar. I really enjoyed working with Austin and having the freedom to be me here. He never judged my aggressive tendencies, and I was thankful for that. We made one hell of a team at night. Everyone felt safe when they were in his bar.

It was midnight by the time I checked my phone to see if I had any new messages. I knew I still needed to send something, anything, to Atlas, but I had no idea where even to begin. I couldn’t come off desperate for him, but I also didn’t want to be too casual—like two weeks of no communication was nothing to me.

I was returning from the restroom when I was enveloped in the intoxicating scent of cedar and spice. Was that Atlas? I stopped moving, raised a brow, and looked over my shoulder to where the scent had hit me, and sure enough, there he was. Sitting at a high top with a couple of the guys I saw him with at The Landing and… a woman?

My brows furrowed. Who the fuck was she?

Atlas looked gorgeous as usual, with his dark jeans, white t-shirt, lightly mussed hair, and a smile that made my knees go weak. These past weeks, I had fantasized about him naked and in my bed. The thought replayed in my mind again as I stared at him, and I felt a rush of heat between my thighs.

A woman was leaning against his table, and she had her hand on Atlas’s arm, running her fingers along it as if he were hers. She had a beautiful, sultry smile, long blonde hair, and a lithe figure. She wore a denim mini-skirt with a lace tank top and cowboy boots. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but see red bleed across my vision.

She was a dead bitch; that’s what she was right now.

They were laughing about something, and I couldn’t tell if she was flirting with him or if he was flirting back. It didn’t matter in the end because clearly, he had found someone else to chase. It was foolish of me to wait and think that a man like him would actually be as patient as he claimed. My heart squeezed in my chest, and I couldn’t tell if I was angry or upset.

Turning on my heel, I struggled to control my breathing and keep my heart from bursting under the pressure as I headed back behind the bar.

“What’s wrong, Chyler? You look upset.” Austin came over to me and put his hand around my shoulders. I didn’t answer him; I just tilted my head and rolled my eyes in the direction of Atlas’s table, blinking away the tears that threatened to show.

I never cried; he made me weak. Atlas had made me weak.

Austin raised a brow and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” I wasn’t in the mood to play games with him, and he was clearly making a joke about my frustration.

“I really hope you aren’t jealous of Brodie. ”

“I’m not jealous of anyone. Especially someone by the name of Brodie .” I scoffed at him as I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Look, I’ll say this once, and you can do whatever you want with it. Brodie likes to play games with the men in this bar and is known as ‘Plan B’ to those who’ve taken her up on her offers for company .” He patted me on the shoulder and went to clear the counter behind me.

I looked over my shoulder at the table, grinding my teeth at Brodie, her hand still on him, caressing his skin. I will cut that hand off if she continues touching him like that. When did I become the jealous type? When did I stop taking what I wanted? When did I claim Atlas as mine?

Atlas had me begging for him; he won, and I was done pretending that I didn’t want him anymore. I was going to take what was mine and deal with Brodie later. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, I popped the cap off and made my way across the bar, walking with a confident stride as if I owned the place and everyone needed to get the fuck out of my way.

Without hesitation, I approached Atlas's table, took a swig from my bottle of liquid courage, and settled into his lap, leaning against his chest as my curves molded against him.

“Hey baby, I didn’t know you were coming out to the bars tonight.” I gave him a saccharine smile and a wink before taking another pull from my beer and licking my lips. My eyes dropped to his mouth briefly, the lips that I wanted all over me right now.

“Who’s she?” I gestured to Brodie with the top of the bottle while still keeping my eyes on his. I knew I had taken him by surprise, but for some reason, he effortlessly returned the sentiment, wrapping his arms around my waist, his gaze dropping to my mouth, and he licked his lips.

“I guess I forgot to tell you, sweet thing. I’m sorry about that.” He leaned in a little closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “And she is no one.” His voice; goddamn his voice. I was a puddle in his lap, melting away with the heat of his words. Biting my lip, I leaned in, bringing my mouth to graze against the side of his face.

“Care to prove it, Atlas?” I whispered and then moved ever so slightly forward so I could bite his earlobe and give a gentle tug with my teeth.

He sucked in a breath, and I could feel him begin to harden underneath me. I couldn’t help the grin that pulled at the corners of my mouth. I had him right where I wanted him. Sure, he could set me on fire when he wanted to, but I could burn him alive.

Clearing his throat, he shifted me in his lap, his hardening length rubbing up against my ass.

“Guys, you remember Chyler from The Landing?”

They all looked at me in confusion, like I just grew a second head.

“AJ got the hot bartender!” Marcus chimed in and high-fived Atlas with a playful laugh.

Brodie, now losing the attention of Atlas, stormed off from the table, and I moved to follow her, but Atlas’s grip tightened around my waist, and he refused to let me go. I clenched my teeth and leaned back into him. I needed to get to her before it was too late .

“Let me go; I need to get back to work.” I gritted out, lightly tugging on his hand to release me.

“You don’t get to pull that crap and then just leave me.” He softly murmured into my ear, still paying attention to his friend’s conversation.

“I’ll be back. I swear.” I whispered, my eyes meeting his, and I pushed as much truth into them as possible. I wasn’t lying; I was going to come back. I had every intention of leaving this bar with him tonight. I just needed to deal with a minor detail before I did.

“You’ve got ten minutes.” He stated.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do. Not after avoiding me for two weeks.” I scoffed.

“Five.” He growled.

“Fine.” I snapped and hopped down from his lap. “Be right back,” I added in my sweetest tone and made to follow Brodie to the restrooms at the opposite end of the bar.

Once inside, I checked to ensure it was only the two of us in the woman’s room before I kicked in her stall door—my switch snapping into place. She let out a scream and jumped up from the toilet seat.

“What the fuck!” She yelled.

I didn’t say a word; I just grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the ceramic tiles on the wall, cracking a few of them with the force of it. I slammed her a second time as she clawed at my arm with her nails. She tried to swipe at my face like a feral cat, and I narrowly avoided it. Scratches on my arm, I could explain, but I wouldn’t be able to explain a scratch to the face .

“I’m going to show you what happens to those who touch what’s mine.”

My eyes darkened, and a wicked smile pulled at the corners of my mouth.

“I—I didn’t know he was yours. I wouldn’t have tried anything with him if I knew. He said he was single.”

I tilted my head in an animalistic way and sucked on my teeth.

“Yeah, see… I don’t think that’s very true, Plan B . And if that’s what he told you, then he lied. He’s spoken for, and it doesn’t matter if you knew or not. You still touched what’s mine, and I will rectify that issue.” I slammed her into the wall a third time; this time, it shattered a few tiles, and there were flecks of blood left behind. Pity.

A whimper broke from her throat.

“P—please s—stop. I can’t. B—breathe.” She dug her nails deeper into my arm, breaking skin; beads of blood bubbled to the surface, and I squeezed harder around her neck. Her eyes slowly started rolling to the back of her head, and I couldn’t help the satisfying thought of her breath stopping entirely.

“That’s the whole point.” I hissed through my teeth.

My grip was so tight that she could no longer speak, and I could feel the ever-slowing rate of her pulse against the palm of my hand. I squeezed as hard as I could, and after a few more minutes, she eventually stopped breathing and went limp in my grasp.

I dropped her body to the floor, and she landed with a hard thud, her head lolling over the toilet seat. She looked as though she had just passed out while vomiting. Easy cover-up .

I shrugged, closing the stall door and washing the blood off my arm in the sink. On my way out of the restroom, I picked up a dark-colored wrap from the first aid kit behind the bar and wrapped the small portion of my forearm where her nails broke the skin.

Satisfied that I had covered most of the noticeable damage, I returned to Atlas.

“It’s late, and I don’t have closing duties tonight. Did you want to get out of here?” I asked him with a fake yawn.

He looked over to the dark-haired man next to him, and he nodded back.

“Sure, let’s go.” He got up from his seat and wrapped his arm around my waist. “What’s with the wrap?”

“Oh, I accidentally cut myself on a glass while cleaning. It’s nothing.” I gave him a nonchalant shrug.

“Want me to take a look at it?” He went to take my arm, and I pulled it away from him.

“No, it’s fine. Austin helped me with it already. Let’s just get out of here.” I tucked a stray hair behind my ear and began leading him out of the bar. He grinned, leaning down to whisper in my ear. His hot breath caressing my exposed skin.

“Does this mean you are ready to beg?”

We stopped just outside the bar's doors. I inhaled a deep breath, and without second-guessing myself, I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to me. I crushed my mouth to his, kissing him as deeply as he would let me .

The kiss was searing, and my core ignited for him. He tasted so good. Thoughts of what I would let him do to me after all this time caused my underwear to become damp with my need. I bit down on his lip before pulling back from him.

“Is that answer enough for you?” I whispered, looking up into his eyes.

Fine. I’ll beg for him. I’ll get on my hands and knees. I’ll crawl. I’ll do anything.

He licked his lips, gripped my waist tightly under his arm, and pulled me toward his apartment.