Hooch and Holler
Emery sighed, as she wiped dry a rack of glasses from the dishwasher. It was Friday night in Benton Holler, North Carolina, and the bar was packed.
Emery Jade Rossi was a 30 year old woman from Manhattan, NY. She was a successful Victims Advocate for the city, but when her only family member, her grandmother, got sick, she left her job, the city, and the string of heartbreaks in New York, and moved to Benton to care for her. She has rebuilt her life in Benton, working as a Victim Advocate for the city of Charlotte, and as a bar tender for Hooch and Holler, a typical southern dive bar. She was alone now, and that was fine with her.
Emery was about 5’1, and plus size. She knew it, anyone who saw her knew it. Being alone meant she didnt have anyone to fuss at her for having another serving of dinner, even if she was still hungry. It meant not having anyone make a show of cringing anytime they were intimate. It meant not having to have her heart crushed again when they ultimately left her for someone smaller.
“You know, you’d be a knockout if you lost 50 pounds.”
She had heard it before, multiple times, from multiple people, and she was just glad she only had to hear it from one person now, herself.
Hooch and Holler was busy, like it always was on a friday night. A group of local police officers sat at their regular spot in the corner, one of them, a local regular walked up to the bar just as Emery finished cleaning out a glass.
“Hey Roy, you want the usual?” She asked.
He nodded, taking one last sip of his existing drink before sliding her his glass. “Yes ma’am.” Roy was a friend to Emery, always polite, but nothing more. She filled his glass from the tap and slid it to him, adding it to his tab. “How’s work been?” She asked cordially as she went to wiping everything down.
“Oh, not bad, the usual.” He shrugged, and she nodded. The jukebox was playing a song about the men in blue, causing the whole table to erupt in drunken, out of tune vocals. Emery laughed a bit and shook her head, as Roy practically skipped over to the table to join them. It wasn’t until then that Emery had noticed another group walking through the door.
Emery recognized all but one of the men. Firefighters. Jason came in leading the pack like always. The last one in was new though, and “Damn,” Emery thought to herself. “Hes gorgeous. Stop it. Stop it. You don’t get those feelings anymore, and you don’t wanna feel how Jared made you feel ever again, so just stop it.” She chastised.
Nicholas “Nico” Stevens was the last man in. The new Lieutenant of Firehouse 17, Nico came from Raliegh, having been hired on in Benton Holler, with a promotion, he purchased a small house and just completed his first week on the job. He was much taller than Emery’s 5’1, he was 6’3, 230 pounds of pure muscle, with bright green eyes, and hair cut close on the sides with enough shag left on top to fix into a messy, but stylish mop of dirty blonde tendrils. He was laughing at something Miller said as he walked in, but everything went still when his emerald eyes locked on the petite, curvy, dark haired beauty behind the bar.
Nico’s breath caught in his throat when the bartender looked up, and made eye contact with him. She had these light, stormy blue-gray eyes. The depth behind them, something he suddenly longed to explore. She looked away far quicker than he would have liked, but threw out a “Hey guys.” To the crew before she did, the crew all shouting a greeting back.
Nico watched as she immediately went to work grabbing 7 glasses, setting one off to the side before mixing up a few cocktails, and pouring drafts of beer into the others, leaving just one empty glass by the time they got up to the bar. She lined the glasses up and each of his 6 man crew walked up to one, before sitting down in front of it. The seat nearest the blue eyed beauty was empty, until Nico sat down. The empty glass now in her hands, she finally brought those baby blues back over to him. “And for you, new guy?”
He watched her turn away from him, waiting for his order. “Why won’t she just look at me?” He thought to himself as he responded “just a Heineken please.” She nods and fills his glass, sliding it to him. She goes to her computer and starts creating the tabs for the crew, she gets down to the last entry, the Heineken.
“New guy, I need a name for your tab, unless you wanna keep being “new guy”.” She turned to him again, their eyes locked and he smiled. Finally fully facing him, Nico was able to fully see her face. Her mid-back legnth chocolate brown hair had waves throughout, her skin is light but not overly pale, she clearly spends some time outdoors, with a gentle rosey hue to her cheeks which are adorably supple, she has the cutest button nose he’s ever seen, and her full, pouty lips were clad in only chapstick, and her eyes, those stormy seas of secrets, he couldn’t wait to try to discover, they made all rational thought stop in Nico’s mind.
“Nico.” He responded quickly. She nodded and started typing. From this distance he could see her body as well now. She was short, a tiny thing compared to him. She had, what he thought, were the most tantalizing curves he’d ever seen. She was heavy chested, but not overly so, they fit her well, she had a cute, chubby belly, he was sure was soft, thick thighs, and a round ass. He swallowed hard, suddenly imagining tossing her over his shoulder and cave-man carrying her to his bed.
Nico had long fancied women who carried more meat on them than society usually deemed attractive. Nothing wrong with some extra weight, as long as she is healthy…he liked ‘em hearty. He allowed a slow smile to spread across his face “She is the exact reason I work out the way I do. I wonder if she’s ever been with a guy who can manhandle her the way I would…” he thought to himself before he heard himself say…
“Well….?” She looked up at him confused. “I gave you my name…it would only be fair to know yours?” He finished. She kept her eyes trained on his. She wouldnt allow herself to scan his gorgeous features. He thought he saw her tense a little, as if already on guard. The thought made him a little disconcerted. Why would she be on guard from him just asking her name?
“Emery.” She answered as flatly as she could manage. She went to walk away again, when she heard her name dance out if his mouth, as though it was made only for him to whisper. Why, why did her own name off his lips make her shiver…she shook off the thought and turned to face him again. He sat there, smiling at her, “Its a pleasure to meet you.” He said with enough vigor to seem pleasant, but enough slow drawl to make it sound flirtatious.
“You too.” Was all she said back before walking away to restock.
With Emery out of earshot, Nico turned to Miller and cocked an eyebrow. “She always like that?” He asked, Miller smiled back and nodded. “She don’t do flirty.” Was all Miller said back. “She must be married, or taken..” Nico mused aloud. Miller coughed a little on his beer at this and shook his head. “No man, no…she um, she just don’t flirt, or date…”he shrugged. Nico was insanely curious now, a woman that looked like she belonged in a Greek painting, was not only single, but anti-relationship? Suddenly he had a little pang in his chest, wondering what would make her swear off men. “I’ve never shied away from a challenge before.” He said to Miller, but it was DeMarco who responded, “Lieutenant, I’d…I’d leave her alone if I were you. She got a temper and a half, and..well, you got about seven other women making goo goo eyes at you behind us.” Nico turned, and sure enough there was a table full of thin, blonde women all staring his way. He turned back to DeMarco and shook his head. “I’m sure they’re all lovely, but not one of them…is as beautiful as” before he could finish Emery walked back into the room, carrying a case of beer. He smiled “her.” He finished.
