Weekdays at the bar were annoying. Mostly because Cat got so few tips it barely covered her living expenses for the day, but also because it gave creeps an open opportunity to sleaze up on her.
"Why don’tcha let me buy you a drink, sugar?" one squirrelly forty-something called at her as she pushed a towel over a neighboring tabletop.
"Thanks, but I'm not quite old enough yet," Cat replied briskly, making sure to avoid eye contact with the short, skinny man.
"Betcha old enough for somethin’ else. Mm-mmm!"
She caught him making a lewd gesture out of the corner of her eye. She continued to ignore him.
"Hey! I'm tryna talk to ya!"
"And I'm tryna work over here." She mimicked his gristly inflection.
"How 'bout you work that sweet ass over here and have a seat?" The disgusting Skeezix pushed his chair back from the table and patted his lap in a crude manner.
In the most authoritative way she could muster in the midst of total intimidation, Cat marched to his table and collected the handful of empty pint glasses.
"Ready to tap out?"
"I'm ready to tap this," the man wheezed as he reached over and grabbed her by the ass.
"Hands to yourself, or I will personally pitch your ass onto the curb," Cat growled as she twisted away from the grimy fingers.
"Fuckin' a," the man scoffed. "Like to see ya try."
Cat pulled back with one of the empty glasses and was about to slam it over the man's head when Alec appeared out of nowhere. He wrapped a muscular arm around her waist, cutting off the disgusting advances. Cat instinctively gripped the fabric of his shirt and was about to say something like “Hi,” or perhaps “Thank you,” but before she could open her mouth, he greeted her as if their relationship was one of a totally different nature.
"Hey, babe. Sorry I'm late." His chest was suddenly flush against hers, his soft lips had captured her own, and an unexpectedly powerful jolt of electricity shot down her spine and out the tips of her toes.
As quickly as his lips came, they left, and Alec turned to the man seated at the table.
"How's it going?" It was clearly a rhetorical question, seeing as Alec had taken on an uncharacteristically fierce tone and intimidating appearance. His blue eyes blazed, his square jaw was set, and his voice had dropped to several octaves below its typical pitch.
Alec stared down the troll, who immediately understood that he'd tread on the territory of the far younger, larger, and stronger man. He tossed some cash on the table and swiftly retreated out of the bar with his tail tucked between his legs.
Alec released his grip on Cat's waist and gave her a sheepish half-smile.
"Sorry, it was the only thing I could think of other than pounding on his face."
Cat knew she was supposed to say something in response, but she was still rattled by the scary customer and more than a bit dazed by the surprisingly enjoyable kiss, so she simply smiled back and gave a dismissive flip of her hand.
Alec inched closer to her face and reached across to hold her trembling wrist.
"You all right? You're shaking a bit."
“Yeah,” she squeaked after finding her voice. "I'm good. Thanks for coming to my rescue…again." She squeezed his forearm. "Just going to grab some water. Can I get you a Coke or something?"
"How 'bout five fingers of scotch?"
Cat whipped around and gave him an incredulous look.
"Jesus, Alec. It's not even two p.m." She chuckled and swung around behind the bar to pour his drink, and then slid it across the wood into his hand. "You must've either had a really bad day or a really good one."
"I've had an incredible day."
He grinned from ear to ear as she studied his face, and she instantly figured out why he was in such a good mood.
"You got the part."
"I got the part."
"Oh my god!" Cat squealed as she threw her arms around his neck, the counter providing what was probably a necessary barrier between her and her handsome friend in that moment.
She pulled away from him and held him by his broad shoulders, smiling uncontrollably. "Oh my god, that is the most amazing news. I'm so excited for you! Congratulations!"
"Thank you! I'm stoked. Rehearsals start next week. I really think this is going to be a turning point for me."
"Of course it is. Isn't that what I told you? You should listen to me more often." She reached over and tousled his dark hair, as he continued to grin widely.
Cat grinned right along with him and then sighed contentedly.
"Man, I am so proud of you." She picked up a rag and started absentmindedly wiping the counter. "All I have to say is you better not forget your old buddy Cat when you're a big deal in Hollywood."
Alec chuckled. "Please," he scoffed. "I'd never be able to forget you, not even if I tried."