by Dakota Dawn
He dropped his shoulders in defeat. “You can’t use your gift in front of others.” When she nodded her agreement, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and murmured sadly, “I guess you must do as your heart demands, even if I don’t like it.” He raised her chin and stared deeply into her eyes. “What will you do if Gaven does not return your love?”
She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. “The only thing I can—I’ll let him go.” And Lunn, too, she silently added.
Chapter Two
Gaven looked up to see who had just entered his vision. He sucked in a breath, making Lunn turn to see what was going on.
Lunn nudged his arm. “She’s hot.”
“That she is. The question is, who is she?” he replied, never taking his eyes off her.
They both watched as she walked over to the bar and talked to Doug. Doug reached under the bar and handed her an application then said something to her and then pointed at him. She turned, and her eyes locked with his. Violet eyes. He loved violet eyes. They were so beautiful. He didn’t care if they were contacts. Those exquisite eyes darted to Lunn then quickly lowered. Her gaze came back to him, and she nodded as if acknowledging his presence. He grinned and nodded back. A blush bloomed across her cheeks. He watched as she moved to take a seat two tables away from them. His cock stirred as he watched her settle in and cross her legs.
Lunn nudged his arm again. “Looks like you are about to find out a lot about her.”
“Looks like it. Good thing I don’t need another waitress or bartender. I never have sex with my employees. She seems to be shy. Did you see how she could only hold my gaze for a short amount of time and yours she couldn’t even hold?” He was surprised at how much she intrigued him. Usually shy girls didn’t do anything for him. He liked his women wild and proud of it.
“Oh yeah, I saw it. She has submissive tendencies for sure. Something about her makes the dominant in me stand up and take note of her. That hasn’t happened in quite a while. Maybe it’s her eyes or the way her dark hair is wound up in a tight bun just begging to be taken down. The animal in me is screaming to get her naked and tied up.” Lunn’s tone lowered as he watched her.
“If she’s into it maybe we could talk her into spending a night or two in our arms.” He settled deeper in his chair and watched her. Something about her made him consider more than two nights of hot sex. She called to him on a deeper level.
Warning bells rang all the way up his spine. A shiver followed the scary sensation. Maybe having sex with her is a bad idea. Men like him couldn’t trust women to stay with them for very long.
She bit her lip with small white teeth, and his cock sprang to half mast and demanded he at least take her out on one date.
Lunn was quick to respond. “I’m down with that. The things we could do to her.” Lunn shifted in his chair. “Damn, she’s got me hard, and we haven’t even tasted or played with her yet.”
Gaven nodded his head. He could relate to Lunn easily. They both seemed to be thrown by her. With their agreement settled, they both sat back and watched her.
The dark-haired beauty sat gracefully in her chair. Her long skirt flowed down her legs and pooled on the floor. Bracelets circled her wrists, making her arms look very feminine and delicate. Her hand filled out the application with even, bold strokes. Mmm, he had something else that could use a bold stroke. Maybe she wasn’t that shy after all. He sure as hell hoped not.
He took his eyes off her for a moment when a baby—correction, twin babies—started screaming. A family at the table across from the beauty looked like they were about to leave when their other child, a little boy who looked like he was almost three, spilled a whole cup of milk all down the front of his clothes. The dad jumped up and herded the little guy out the door after telling his wife he’d be back in a minute.
Probably going out to their vehicle to change the boy. Spoiled milk sure did stink.
“I wish someone would shut that baby up,” said a grouchy voice from three tables over.
He glanced at the grumpy old man who had made that statement and frowned. Some people didn’t seem to have a sympathetic bone in their bodies. Gaven was just about to get up and help the now-blushing mom, who was trying to calm both babies, when he noticed the beauty get up and move over to the woman.
His heart lurched when she smiled at the woman and said something he couldn’t hear over the hollering, beet-red infants, the TVs, and the music that played softly in the background. He would have loved to calm the babies and turn the TVs and music off so he could hear every word she had to say.
“Maybe she’s not as shy as we thought,” Lunn said, echoing his thoughts as he watched her, too.
Gaven observed the scene. She reached out and took a baby from the woman, leaving her free to pick up the other crying baby. The beauty snuggled the infant close and rocked her body side to side as she patted the little one’s back. Within seconds, all the crying stopped. Kimmie, one of his waitresses, walked up, and the beauty took control, telling Kimmie exactly what to do. She never even stopped rocking or patting the baby. While Kimmie grabbed a rag and cleaned up a car seat that had been splashed by the spilt milk, the women talked until the dad came back.
“Thank goodness you don’t need a new waitress. I want her bad. She’s awesome.” Lunn never took his heated gaze off the beauty. “You know, she seems familiar for some reason.”
“Yeah, she does. We haven’t met, though. I would remember her for sure.” He tapped his finger on his lips and tried to figure out why she looked familiar.
They both watched as she handed the baby to its dad and said something to the family before smiling and walking back to her table. She didn’t even look around. She just went back to the task of filling out the application. Once she was done, he watched her leave the table and approach him.
His heart beat heavily in his chest. Something inside him whispered that she was special. That thought should have been spookier than it was, but he didn’t have time to try and decipher it right now.
The scent of fresh flowers swirled around him the minute she stopped in front of his table. His cock stirred, and his nostrils flared appreciatively. She smiled, and his heart thudded harder. Once again, he was glad he didn’t need a waitress.
Her eyes darted to Lunn then settled on him. “Hello, Mr. Walker. I’m Katarina. I heard you were looking for a manager. I recently received my degree in hospitality and would like to be considered for the position.”
His heart dropped to his stomach. Damn, why did this lovely creature have to be applying for the position he needed? Marshall, his friend and last manager, had left three weeks ago to work for his wife’s family company. He held his hand out and took the application she offered. Hopefully her school would be questionable, that way he could turn her down.
Fuck!
Her degree was from one of the top schools in Florida. He couldn’t think of one reason to turn her down…except. He looked at her age.
Fuck!
He wouldn’t hire managers that were younger than twenty-five years old. She was twenty-six. Five years younger than him and six years younger than Lunn. She wasn’t too young for the job or them. Maybe he could find another reason to turn her down.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Have you worked in a pub before?”
“Yes. My family has a small club that I’ve worked for regularly over the last eight years.”
“Why aren’t you working for them? With your degree, you would be an asset to your family,” he asked in a little sharper tone than he intended. He was irritated by his own need of a manager and that she appeared capable of filling the position. Sometimes life sucked.
She cleared her throat nervously. “My father thinks it is too rough a place for me to work.”
His brows shot up. “What is the name of this bar?”
She swallowed hard and then licked her lips. “Russo’s. You probably haven’t heard of it.”
He had notice
d how she’d cast her eyes to the right when she’d answered him. Could she have lied about working in a bar? Did she need a job that badly? “No, I haven’t. Sometimes it can get rough here as well. Can you handle that?” He sure the hell hoped not.
Katarina straightened to her full height. “Of course. If you will give me a chance, I will become indispensable.”
Gaven’s eyes slashed down her lush body then returned to her face. “Come in tomorrow at nine in the morning. We’ll see if you can handle working here.” Her eyes lit up, causing his cock to swell. He hoped she couldn’t handle it. His tongue longed to taste all of her, and the beast between his legs was begging to get inside her and stay there forever.
* * * *
Katarina felt like she was on cloud nine. Tomorrow she’d start working for Gaven. It was important that she prove herself quickly. She would be crushed if he was ever disappointed in her. The love in her heart that had been steadily building for him over the last seven years couldn’t stand the thought of him not approving of her. Lunn, either.
A picture of them sitting at a table in the pub flashed in her mind. They had looked so handsome sitting together. Gaven’s playful smile always made her blood sing with happiness and love, but Lunn’s dominating aura drew her to him in a different, somewhat exciting and scary way. Her fingers itched to dive into Lunn’s shoulder-length hair. Would it be as soft as it looked?
If only she could have both of them. Her rational side said that was impossible, but her heart longed for the two of them. Tomorrow was a new day, a day full of Gaven and maybe even Lunn. Jumping up from her chair, she grabbed up the special doll her mom had given her and danced merrily around her hotel room.
Being near them was enough for now. As she twirled past the window, she thought she saw a shadowed figure looking into her room. A chill slithered up her spine. She held the doll closer and received a small amount of comfort. Holding onto Gaven or Lunn would have been a lot more comforting. With nimble fingers, she quickly closed the curtain.
Nervously, she looked around the room and then laughed at herself. Every since she’d left her father’s house, she had felt like someone was watching her. Shaking her head, she decided she was just imagining it. Who would follow her? She wasn’t a superstar, just a silly young woman alone for the first time in her life. In time she would get used to being on her own. She ran her finger over the spot her mother had last kissed the doll and put it back on the nightstand next to her two favorite bears.
Her papa would tell her to keep her phone on her, make sure the door was locked, and remember the fighting moves he’d taught her. The thought of him brought a ghost of a smile to her lips. Although she knew she needed to grow up, she missed him. A part of her always would.
With a shaky sigh, she plopped down on the bed and looked at the TV. Noise was what she needed to chase away the spooky feeling that surrounded her. Scanning the room for the remote, she spotted it on the table next to her glass of iced soda. Deciding to practice her inherited family gift, she murmured, “Magic that hovers all around, please place my drink and the remote in my hand.” She held her breath as both items started moving toward her.
Yes, yes, yes. She’d done it.
As the items drew near, she reached out her hands. To her utter dismay, the remote moved up and over the glass and was dropped into her soda before the glass lowered into her outstretched hands. She quickly pulled the remote out of the soda and wondered what she’d done wrong.
She had to be the worst enchantress in her family history. Only a few family members had been gifted with the blessing—or curse, as it would seem in her case. It had been over eighty years since anyone in her family had been born with violet eyes. Her eye color was supposed to be proof that the family gift was still alive, but with nobody to teach her, she was failing miserably at her gift. That was one reason she didn’t use it in front of others, and of course she didn’t want to openly be called a witch. She shuddered at the thought of being killed or experimented on just because she had a small amount of power that she couldn’t even control.
Oliver Russell Russalino, one of her ancestors, had married Lily Camile White about six hundred years ago. Lily was an enchantress with dark hair and violet eyes, according to family records. Oliver was madly in love with her. Many thought she’d put a spell on him, but if the family records were correct, an enchantress from their family couldn’t place a spell on his or her destined love. Her heart cried out for Gaven and Lunn to be her destined loves. Old Man Time was the only one who knew for sure, and he was a tight-lipped bastard. If she’d had a mentor, she probably could have cast a spell to find out if they belonged to her.
After manually turning on the TV, she cleaned up her soda mess. She wished one of her enchanted relatives would have passed down a handbook of spells. The last reported one had died in the crossfire of a burglary thirty-five years ago. Annabella and her husband didn’t have a chance at all. Cameras showed them walking into the jewelry store and being shot one step inside the threshold. With her mentor dead, Katarina had a hard road ahead of her. If she ever got any spells right, she’d have to start a secret family handbook. There was no sense in letting any future enchanted descendants struggle like she was.
Glancing at the remote drying on a towel, she doubted she’d ever have any spells to pass on. Most of the witches and their spouses in her family lived for around one hundred and twenty-some-odd years. With a shake of her head, she wished Annabella had lived. Going it alone was painful and depressing.
* * * *
Gaven saw her pull into the parking lot the next morning and wanted to curse the fact that she was fifteen minutes early. Why couldn’t she be fifteen minutes late? Then he could have fired her and started on a plan to seduce her. With those well-rounded hips, she was a perfect match for him. He loved to thrust into a curvy-licious woman. The sound of an aroused female moaning and grinding into him never failed to excite him. He longed to hear all the sweet sounds Katarina would make as she was being made love to. Was she a screamer, or did she shudder and purr?
As she walked in the pub, he had to push down the need to whisk her up in his arms and take her straight to bed. He crossed his fingers behind his back and hoped she would suck at the manager’s job.
The twinkle in her eyes when she spotted him almost made him forget to breathe. She had an unsettling effect on his heart, but his libido didn’t seem to notice. With each step she took, his dick twitched. Down boy, I haven’t fired her yet. Letting a smile cross his face, he greeted her, “Hello, Katarina. You ready to get started?”
“Ready and willing, Mr. Walker.”
At her words, he barely held back a groan. Taming his wild mind around her was going to be pure hell. “Call me Gaven, please. Let’s go up to my office, and I’ll run you through a typical day here.”
Or I could run my fingers through your glorious hair as I kiss your neck and bury my hard cock into your pretty pussy. He took a cleansing breath and willed himself to act professional. At least until he could fire her.
Nine hours later he was afraid she may be good at her job. She was catching on like a pro. No matter what was thrown at her, she handled it well.
The chemistry between them was off the charts. Every time they brushed against each other as they worked side by side during the lunch rush, he felt a zap of energy arc between them. That was new and disturbing for him. It was also unfortunate for him because she seemed to be perfect for the manager’s job.
Chapter Three
Gaven didn’t like her!
Katarina had been working for him for a month, and all he’d been was nice to her. Nice was not what she wanted from him. She couldn’t get the image of a couple of laughing, cotton-top sons playing tricks on a dark-brown-haired daughter with violet eyes out of her mind. The violet-eyed daughter couldn’t be right, but that’s what entered her mind. Her arms ached to embrace the children.
Before she could cuddle her children, she had to get naked with Gaven
and Lunn. She was sure Gaven was the one holding them all up with his rules or his lack of true interest in her. Sorrow blanketed the air around her. He must not feel the same chemistry for her that she felt for him. After releasing a puff of air, she took a bite of her burger then glanced at the stairway that led to his office.
Doug, the bartender, sidled up to her. “You’re doing a good job.”
A small smile curled her lips. “Thanks, I like this place.” Her eyes darted up to Gaven’s office.
Doug whistled. “Give that one up.”
Her brows drew together. “Give what up?”
Doug’s eyes cut to Gaven’s office. “Him. He never dates his employees.”
She groaned in mortification. “Was I that obvious?”
“The eyes are the windows to the soul.”
With a sardonic tone and a twist of her lips, she replied, “So what you’re saying is that I need to put up some thick curtains.”
Nodding his head sympathetically, he patted her on the shoulder. “That would be a good idea.” He paused then added, “If it makes you feel better, I know he thinks you are very attractive. But right now he needs a manager more than a lover. Plus, that man is no fool. Your value is way higher than two nights in his bed.”
As Doug went to help a customer, she went back to eating and pondering this new piece of information.
Gaven came down the stairs, talking to someone on the phone. He was so intent on his conversation that he didn’t see her. She watched as he bent down behind the bar then stood studying a new employee application. Turning, he headed back to the stairs. He laughed at something the other person said then responded, “That’s the last thing you have to worry about with me. You know I never touch virgins, and I never touch my employees. Your daughter is safe working here.”