"Hailey are you even listening?"

"Huh?" I asked, being pulled from my thoughts as my friend Katelyn snapped her fingers in front of my face.

"Honey I was trying to talk to you about this hot guy I met at the bar, but I look up and you're zoned out with this goofy grin on your face. What has you grinning like that anyway?" She asked.

I could feel my cheeks heat up as her questioning eyes stared at me. Waiting for me to crack and tell her everything.

"Are you blushing? Oh my God please tell me you met a guy? That's it right? Right?"

I tried to ignore her, but she kept asking me questions. After the millionth time, I couldn't help but grin as I gave her a knowing look.

"Yes!" She practically screamed out, gaining the attention of some of the customers.

"Calm down Kat, people are staring at us," I laughed as she was doing a little happy dance.

Kat has been trying to get me to finally date someone again, but I kept telling her no, that I wasn't ready. That was until I met him, Travis made me feel things I had never felt before. The way he looked at me, talked to me, even the way his arms held me so tightly to him.

I couldn't help but smile as I thought of him, which earned a squeal from Kat who was desperately trying to get me to blab on who he was.

"I won't tell anyone, pleeeeaaasssseeeeeeeee," she begged as I denied her once again.

"Sorry Kat, but I can't say anything at the moment."

"Why not?" She asked.

"You know how it is, when you're in the beginning of a relationship."

Technically I was lying to her, but there was no way in hell I was going to tell her that Travis was actually my sugar daddy.

"I get it. I've had my family ruin a few of my relationships because of that shit. You'll tell me when you're ready hun," she said smiling at me.

It's one reason I loved Kat so much. We became friends after I started working here. Kat was 25, from a small town in Arkansas, as of right now she was happily single and no kids, and to put it in her terms, living the dream life. When I first got here, I was fresh out of my relationship, still had the bruises on me to prove it.

I wasn't my best self at that time. My ex had me so mentally wore down by the time that I had left him, that I was just simply going through the motions of life. Living was like a routine to me, wake up, go to work, go back home, eat dinner and repeat. That was my existence at the time, but then I met Kat.

She was the one they had assigned to training me. I went from being a waitress to moving up to where I am now, a bartender. If it hadn't been for her I don't know if I would have ever gotten out of my shell. I'm so thankful for her, she's honestly my best friend.

"So. Is he cute?"

"Is who cute?" A deep voice asked. I looked up to see Travis sitting at the bar, staring at me with those intense eyes of his.

"Her booyyyyyyfriend," Kat said in a teasing tone, before walking away with a tray full of drinks.

"So you have a boyfriend huh? You trying to break my heart?" Travis teased, smirking at me.

"Shut up," I said laughing as I fixed his bourbon on the rocks.

"So. Is he cute?" Travis asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Meh," I said in a bored tone, shrugging my shoulders.

Travis raised a brow at me.

"Meh?"

Smiling I leaned forward, making sure only he could hear me.

"He's really cute."

I could see Travis's cheeks slightly darken as he took another sip of his drink.

"How was work today?" I asked.

"Pretty good actually. We got to publish an amazing author today."

"Oh yeah? What are your hopes for them becoming a number one best seller?" I asked.

I honestly wasn't much of a reader, but Travis was a very passionate person when it came to books, so I loved hearing about his work.

"I personally have high hopes, their books are so beautifully written."

"That good?"

"Very."

"Well hopefully your feeling is right."

"I hope so," he said sighing.

"Something bothering you?" I asked.

"Just tired. Today was long," he said right as Kat returned with an empty tray.

"So Travis, darling," Kat started, as Travis gave her a questioning look.

"When can I expect a book four," she said causing Travis to smile.

Kat has been bugging Travis for months now since she found out he was the publisher to her favorite vampire series.

"Sorry Kate, but that series is fully completed," Travis said, as I watched Kat's heart shattered into a million pieces.

"But it can't be. She left so much unfinished. Like what happens to James and Lana? Do they get married? Does James change Lana into a vampire? Or does Josh come and reclaim back his only true love?" Kat said with this dreamy look on her face.

Travis looked around before he leaned in closer signaling for Kat to do the same.

"I really shouldn't be saying this for legal reasons, but she told me today that she's doing a spin off series," Travis said in a low tone, so no one but us could hear him.

"No fucking way really. Oh my God thank you Travis, I swear I'll keep my mouth shut. Just promise me you'll let me know when they come out."

"I will, right now she's working on them so it could be a while."

Kat grabbed her tray of drinks, practically skipping over towards the table of guys who were waiting for their drinks.

"You just made her night and possibly her whole year," I said smiling as I watched how giddy she was.

"'Well I can trust her not to say anything, that and maybe now she'll stop bugging me," he said chuckling.

"Hate to tell you sweetie, but you just made it ten times worse than before," I said laughing.

"Probably," he said smiling as those intense eyes watched me make three rum and cokes before Kat left with them.

"When is your next day off?" He asked.

"Tomorrow actually. Why?"

"I have an event at work. I was hoping you could come with me."

"How fancy is it going to be?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Don't worry about that, I'll have something sent for you to wear. I just want to hear you say that you'll go with me," he said.

"A-Alright," I said feeling my cheeks heat up by his tone of voice. It was demanding but at the same time searching, searching for the reply he already knew I was going to say.

The corner of his lips curved up as he took a sip of his drink.

"Good girl."