A Guy Walks Into My Bar
A Guy Walks Into My Bar
Lauren Blakely
Little Dog Press
Contents
Also by Lauren Blakely
About
A Guy Walks Into My Bar
FRIDAY
1. Dean
2. Dean
3. Fitz
SATURDAY
4. Dean
5. Fitz
6. Fitz
7. Dean
8. Fitz
9. Dean
10. Fitz
SUNDAY
11. Fitz
12. Dean
13. Fitz
14. Dean
15. Dean
16. Fitz
MONDAY
17. Dean
18. Fitz
19. Dean
20. Fitz
21. Dean
TUESDAY
22. Dean
23. Dean
24. Fitz
25. Fitz
26. Dean
WEDNESDAY
27. Fitz
28. Dean
29. Fitz
30. Dean
31. Fitz
32. Dean
33. Fitz
34. Dean
35. Dean
THURSDAY
36. Fitz
37. Dean
NEXT WEEK
38. Fitz
39. Dean
A WEEK LATER
40. Fitz
41. Dean
42. Dean
THE NEXT DAY
43. Dean
A FEW DAYS LATER
44. Fitz
45. Fitz
46. Dean
47. Dean
48. Fitz
THE NEXT FEW DAYS
49. Dean
NEXT YEAR
50. Fitz
51. Dean
The First Epilogue
Maeve’s Epilogue
That Night and On Into the Next Few Years
One Last Epilogue
Also by Lauren Blakely
Contact
Copyright © 2020 by Lauren Blakely
Cover Design by Helen Williams. Photo by Michelle Lancaster. Model Chad Hurst.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This book is licensed for your personal use only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you enjoy sexy romance novels with alpha males. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Also by Lauren Blakely
Big Rock Series
Big Rock
Mister O
Well Hung
Full Package
Joy Ride
Hard Wood
The Guys Who Got Away Series
Dear Sexy Ex-Boyfriend
The What If Guy
Thanks for Last Night
After Dark: The Gift Series
The Engagement Gift
The Virgin Gift
The Decadent Gift
After Dark: The Extravagant Series
One Exquisite Touch (Coming in October)
One Time Only (Coming in November)
One Alluring Chance (Coming in 2021)
One Shameless Secret (Coming in 2021)
The Heartbreakers Series
Once Upon a Real Good Time
Once Upon a Sure Thing
Once Upon a Wild Fling
Boyfriend Material
Asking For a Friend
Sex and Other Shiny Objects
One Night Stand-In
Lucky In Love Series
Best Laid Plans
The Feel Good Factor
Nobody Does It Better
Unzipped
Always Satisfied Series
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Instant Gratification
Overnight Service
Never Have I Ever
PS It’s Always Been You
Special Delivery
The Sexy Suit Series
Lucky Suit
Birthday Suit
From Paris With Love
Wanderlust
Part-Time Lover
One Love Series
The Sexy One
The Only One
The Hot One
The Knocked Up Plan
Come As You Are
Sports Romance
Most Valuable Playboy
Most Likely to Score
Standalones
Stud Finder
The V Card
The Real Deal
Unbreak My Heart
The Break-Up Album
21 Stolen Kisses
Out of Bounds
The Caught Up in Love Series:
The Pretending Plot (previously called Pretending He’s Mine)
The Dating Proposal
The Second Chance Plan (previously called Caught Up In Us)
The Private Rehearsal (previously called Playing With Her Heart)
Stars In Their Eyes Duet
My Charming Rival
My Sexy Rival
The No Regrets Series
The Start of Us
The Thrill of It
Every Second With You
The Seductive Nights Series
First Night (Julia and Clay, prequel novella)
Night After Night (Julia and Clay, book one)
After This Night (Julia and Clay, book two)
One More Night (Julia and Clay, book three)
A Wildly Seductive Night (Julia and Clay novella, book 3.5)
The Joy Delivered Duet
Nights With Him (A standalone novel about Michelle and Jack)
Forbidden Nights (A standalone novel about Nate and Casey)
The Sinful Nights Series
Sweet Sinful Nights
Sinful Desire
Sinful Longing
Sinful Love
The Fighting Fire Series
Burn For Me (Smith and Jamie)
Melt for Him (Megan and Becker)
Consumed By You (Travis and Cara)
The Jewel Series
A two-book sexy contemporary romance series
The Sapphire Affair
The Sapphire Heist
About
A sexy, passionate, utterly addictive standalone MM romance from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely!
Every bartender should follow one simple rule—don't go home with the customers.
That’s been easy for me to stick to, until the night a cocky, confident, and sinfully charming hockey star walks into my bar. This sexy athlete is too hard to resist, especially when he makes it clear how much he wants the “sarcastic, witty, hot AF” guy behind the bar—also known as me.
Still, I’m not keen on breaking my own rules since I know where that can lead—no place good. But when that man makes
his case with one bone-searing kiss on the streets of London, I throw resistance out the window.
What could go wrong with a hot, no-strings-attached fling before he leaves town in five days? Trouble is, soon our nights together lead to days, to long conversations, to getting to know each other, and to something I never expected—falling ridiculously hard for a man who’s getting on a plane to America when I live a world away.
My life is here. His is there. And no amount of falling or feeling will change that one big problem.
Warning: contains hot hotel sex, loads of dirty talk, PDA all over London, and two sexy, witty, charming heroes…
A Guy Walks Into My Bar
By Lauren Blakely
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This book is dedicated to the women who insisted on this story. If it weren’t for Kim you-did-tell-me-so B, as well as Kara, Kim L, Kelley, Jen, KP, Candi, Viviana, Helen, and so many others, this story wouldn’t exist. You ladies get me and I love you all.
And, of course, to Laurelin, for everything. I refuse to do it without you.
For the readers and listeners, you may notice as you experience this story that Dean and Fitz live in a world with zero homophobia. That is intentional and that's my wish for everyone. To have epic love stories and all the acceptance and joy everyone deserves. Love is love.
FRIDAY
Also known as the day I meet this guy who drives me absolutely crazy.
1
Dean
I blame Maeve.
She’s made me addicted to this game.
It’s four o’clock on a Friday. I walked into work fifteen minutes ago, and I’m already in the mood to play.
We haven’t even opened yet, but I’m in a winning kind of mood.
Victory is in my grasp.
Lately, my opponent has been weakening.
I’ve seen it in her eyes.
I’ve sensed it in her flirty attitude.
Tonight, it’s time to go for broke—to pull out all the stops and get my damn prize.
What can I say? I’m a junkie, and I’ve got an excellent don’t-sleep-with-the-customers streak going. We both do.
Time to goad her a bit.
“Have you seen the crowds out there? All those American tourists here for the British Summer Time music festival,” I tell Maeve as we clean and stack glasses, preparing for another busy night at The Magpie. “I bet we’ll have a full bar tonight.”
“Hmm. I hadn’t noticed,” she says, in a way that tells me she certainly has.
“Teeming with lots of strapping, single men. Your favorite type. I’m thinking you’re finally about to cave.”
“You always say that,” Maeve argues, shooting me a you’re so wrong stare with her big brown eyes. “And you’re never right.”
“That’s not true,” I say in protest, grabbing a new glass. “Besides, I know you’ve come very close. The other night you seemed to fancy that table of businessmen in all those expensive suits. The night before, you were definitely flirting with that bad boy who kept ordering tequila shots.”
An impish grin lights her face as she checks that all of the bottles are facing out. “He was highly shaggable. Plus, he was from New York. I do love an American accent.” She takes a beat and arches a brow. “And yet I resisted.”
“And so very many Americans will likely be streaming in tonight,” I say, gesturing to the door that we’ll open soon. “It’s going to be soooo hard for you. If only you weren’t this stubborn.”
“Stubborn or smart? I choose the latter,” she says, all saucy.
“It’s a shame, your stubborn streak,” I continue, sticking to my strategy of reminding her what she’s losing out on. “Think of how many shaggables you’ve let just walk on out the door. Not to mention kissables. All because of a silly game we play.” I shake my head like I’m mourning all the one-night stands she’s let pass her by. Over the top, yes, but losing out on a chance with a fantastic guy is just cause for crying into your beer.
But a game is a game.
A bet is a bet.
And I won’t cave.
Maeve sets down a pair of martini glasses on the shelf behind her. “What about you, Mr. Checks Out All the Hotties and Pretends Not To? I’ve seen the guys who have caught your eye. It’s only a matter of time before you spot one of them and—poof—you’re in mad love, the game’s up, and I collect my big winnings.”
“And that is where you’re wrong,” I say, standing my ground. “Because I don’t believe in all that rubbish.”
“You don’t believe in love? Get out.”
I shrug, moving from organizing the glassware to wiping the bar down. “Oh, I believe in love. But I definitely don’t have the time or interest in it.”
Love is messy. It gets in the way of logic, facts, and hard work.
“Everyone has an inherent interest in love,” Maeve says, heading to the tables to straighten up the coasters. “And someday it’ll knock you on your arse. And I’m going to laugh so hard when it smacks you right in the face.”
“Which one is it, Maeve? Am I going to be knocked on my arse or smacked in the face?”
Setting down the napkin holder, she parks a hand on her hip and shoots me a steely stare. “In your case, both. Especially since you’ve been so focused on business, business, business since we bought this place.”
“As I should be. Because . . . loans. Also, because who has time for distractions when we have an empire to build? First stop, The Magpie. Next, world domination in the bar biz.”
“But on the path to world domination, you might go home with a hottie, and then you’ll be footing the bill for my big-ticket item,” she says, a hopeful glint in her eye.
“When I win—and I will win—I’ll give you a week to clear out a space for the pool table you’re going to have to get me,” I say as I spray down the bar. “Just to soften the blow.”
She doesn’t miss a beat. “When I win, I’ll let you take out a loan for the vintage jukebox I’ve been eyeing. You know, I searched online, and it’s going up in value. Sure you don’t want to just buy it now and save yourself some cash?”
“That’s sweet but completely unnecessary.” I tap my chest. “Have you seen my willpower? It’s pure iron.”
“Something tells me that willpower of yours is just going to melt—and soon,” Maeve says with a smirk as she snatches the rag from my hand and whips it at my leg. “And when it does, it won’t just be money you’ll lose. It’ll be your heart.”
“As if.”
“Just you wait.”
She sashays away, past the bottles of expensive booze that line the walls of our clean but elegant bar. She cues up the music for tonight, the usual jazzy standards, and then opens the doors.
Soon, the customers will come in. I imagine someone that’s just Maeve’s type—chiseled jaw, witty sense of humor, rugged good looks—walking in.
Walking in and securing me my pool table.
The thought gives me an idea.
Maybe I need to edge this bet in my favor.
It might be time I set a trap for my victory.
A tall, sexy trap that is the perfect fairy tale for Maeve.
2
Dean
For the next few hours, I serve and chat, and I study the guys who walk into The Magpie. I look each of them up and down as I search for the type I need to finally sink Maeve.
A businessman with a tight suit and trim blond hair? No, she’ll think he’s too pretty.
Or maybe that guy with hipster glasses and ripped jeans? He’s cute with an edge, but she’ll think he’s too grungy.
More guys weave in and out, ordering pints and whiskey sours, all of them too basic or too drab, too loud, or too impressed with their own jokes.
And then, I spot him.
A guy with so much potential it’s practically radiating off him.
He strides in like
he’s walking into his bedroom at home, an effortless swagger to his movements. His large build is flanked by two women who giggle and laugh, already a little tipsy by the look of it. With inked arms and a trim beard, he has that rugged and dangerous quality she adores, right down to the dark jeans and tight white shirt.