Running From Forever Read Online Free PDF Page B

wanted
a beer and a shot, not a Cosmo.
    McShane’s was warm and friendly, a
hole-in-the-wall Irish Pub like the ones we went to in college.
Maybe it was the name, I don’t know, but whatever is was, it
certainly had a homey feel to it. I loved it.
    Immediately upon entering, we heard people
hollering Sami’s name, telling us to come join them at the bar. It
was obvious that she knew a lot of people at ETV—I’d have to find
out how long she’d been working there. Once we found a couple of
open stools, I realized that I recognized at least some of the
people; none that I had met, but definitely people I had seen
around the building in the last couple of days. Sami was kind
enough to introduce me to all of them.
    “Can I get you a drink?” the bartender asked,
coming up to me on the other side of the bar. I had been facing
sideways, talking to one of the girls I had just met; Kelly, I
think her name was.
    He was very attractive, catching me off guard.
He was the kind of guy I would’ve been all over not too long
ago—tall, very muscular, short brown hair that matched his big
brown eyes, and then there were his tattoos…they covered his arms,
disappearing up into his fitted black tee. I cursed myself as I
stared, wondering if every guy in New York was alluring. If so, I
was going to have myself a problem, especially since my objective
in coming here was career first, personal life second.
    I didn’t notice the lapse in the time I spent
checking him out until he snapped me out of it.
    “Miss?” his deep voice rang out. “Can I get you
something?”
    “Uh, yeah, sorry,” I embarrassingly answered,
pulling myself back together. These New York men were going to be
the life of me. I mean the death of me. Crap. “I’ll just
have a Mic Ultra, please,” I managed to order without
stuttering.
    He smiled before saying, “You got it,” and
turning away to fetch it. It wasn’t until his back was facing me
that I let out the breath I apparently had been holding.
    “That’s Merrick.” Sami startled me, noticing my
weak moment. “He’s our eye candy twice a week. Feel free to drool.
We all do.”
    “Does he have a girlfriend?” I found myself
immediately asking.
    She chuckled. “Nope. Well, not that we’re aware
of. We don’t really know his story actually. The guys think he’s
gay, but there’s no way.”
    “Why?” I continued to speak without thinking.
For some reason, my brain needed to know these answers and wasn’t
letting me work them out in my head first.
    “Because that would just ruin the dreams we have
about him when we go home at night,” she joked, making us both
laugh out loud just as he returned with my beer.
    “How much do I owe ya?” I asked him, pulling out
my wallet.
    He put his hand up, stopping me. “First one is
on the house. It’s kind of a welcoming thing we do.”
    “Thanks,” I answered, smiling as I brought the
bottle to my lips to take a swig. I saw him watching. I extended my
hand after putting the bottle back down, realizing I never
introduced myself. “Kayla,” I said. “I’m Kayla.”
    “Merrick.” He shook my hand. It was firm,
rugged, and big, making my hand look like a child’s in his.
“Welcome to the crew.” He winked before gently resting my hand back
down on the bar and moving away to help the other customers.
    “Claimed another heart, did he?” Kelly said next
to me. “Don’t worry. He has with us all. It’s inevitable; he’s one
of the reasons why we always come back to this bar.”
    I shrugged my shoulders like he was no big deal.
And really he wasn’t. He was attractive, yes, but nothing that I
got all hot and bothered over. Eye candy, for sure, and that’s
where I’d leave it.
    After talking with Kelly a little while longer
and grabbing another beer, I mingled around the bar, talking with
some of the new people I had just met and learning what departments
they worked in and what their job descriptions entailed. It was
nothing wild and