by Dakota Dawn
Her heart sank as she watched him go into his office. Fretting, she worried her fingers over the sleeve of her shirt. Would he turn her down if he thought her to be a novice in the bedroom? Neither of the partners she’d been with had sparked a fire in her. Sex had felt good, but not great. That was why after only one round of boring sex with each of them, she’d never done it again. Her heart just wasn’t in it with either of them. She couldn’t help but think being with Gaven or Lunn would be the best experience of her life. With a sad sigh, she pushed her plate away.
Why did she have to love Gaven? Of course, that she worked for him was another hurdle to leap. On the bright side, Doug did say Gaven thought she was attractive. But was she attractive enough for him to break one of his rules? If he was one of her destined loves, he’d come around. She just didn’t know how much longer she could wait. She needed him and Lunn. Her heart longed for them.
With a glance at the clock, she realized it was almost ten. The day had been a busy one, so she had taken a late dinner break. A loud noise not far behind her made her look back then jump up from her seat. A tipsy customer in the pub had just fallen down. Doug had cut him off an hour ago, which made her think one of his friends must have smuggled in some alcohol. Three of the four men had glazed eyes. Thankfully their designated driver looked as sober as a preacher on Sunday morning.
Moving to the fallen man, she knelt beside him as his friends laughed uncontrollably. “Are you all right?”
He blinked twice then smiled. “I will be if you’ll kiss my hurts away.”
“Funny.” Deep down she didn’t think so, but he was a customer, and she had to be nice.
“Aw, come on, hot stuff. You could make me feel better in no time.” He stretched his arm out to touch her shoulder.
She backed out of reach then grabbed his hand. “Time to get you up.”
One of his friends called out in a slurred voice, “I’m guessing he’s already up.”
His two drunken buddies burst out laughing.
She thanked her lucky stars that most of the time the customers didn’t party this hard. The man shifted and started getting up. She pulled his hand, guiding him to his feet.
“Why don’t you sit down for awhile? Get your balance back while your friend goes and gets his car.”
He swayed, but didn’t fall. “I’m not ready to leave. You haven’t kissed my boo-boos yet.” His words were so blurred she could barely make them out.
With a harrumph, she glanced at Doug and saw that he was busy with a customer. She looked around for the waiter-bouncer and found that he was gone. This was an issue she was going to have to address. At least one strong man needed to be handy at all times. She longed to cast a spell that would freeze everyone on the property until she could find the bouncer and get her rising anger under control. Too bad she wasn’t able to do that. Maybe one day. Looking back on tonight would be darn good incentive for figuring that spell out.
One of his laughing friends stopped long enough to sputter, “Yeah, kiss his ass and make it all better.” That got them going again. Booming laughter filled the pub.
Great.
“Yeah, darling, kiss my ass and make it better.”
He reached out to touch her, so she swatted his hand away and then turned to the designated driver. “I need you to get your friends out of here. You are all welcome to come back on another day.”
The up-until-now-silent drunken friend spoke up, “You can’t kick us out. We have rights.”
“Damn straight,” said the man still standing next to her.
A spell came to mind, but she didn’t dare utter it. In her angry state she’d probably kill them all, or nothing would happen and she’d look like a fool. Keeping her voice calmer than she felt, Katarina responded, “I understand that you have rights, but as the manager of this establishment I have the right to ask anyone to leave that is starting to get out of hand.” Giving all three of the men her best you better do as I say look, she continued. “You three are getting out of hand, so it’s time for you to leave.”
The man standing next to her grabbed her wrist and pulled her around to look at him. “I’m not going anywhere until I get my kiss.”
She pulled her wrist free. “It’s past time for you to leave.” Katarina gave him a hard look. “Don’t test me.” In her peripheral vision she noticed a few of the customers staring and others whispering. She didn’t want to be part of a scene, but it looked like the men wanted one.
He quickly pulled her in close and pressed his pelvis to hers. She banked her anger and went into fight mode. As his lips descended, she pushed him away. When he tried to grab her hips again, she brought her hands up and karate-chopped his neck on both sides at the same time. The man sank to the floor. He was out cold.
His enraged friends jumped up, but they found that they were surrounded by Gaven, Doug, and Mick, the waiter. They were late to the party, but at least they’d shown up.
She looked straight at the designated driver. “Go get your car and take your friends home.”
He nodded. “Will do. Just to let you know, I wouldn’t have let him hurt you. Scott was laid off yesterday, and I was just letting him blow off some steam. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
She nodded and watched as he headed for the door with one of his friends in tow. What a night!
Scott started coming to. He groaned then sat up and touched his neck. His friend started laughing and then bellowed, “Dude, a chick just took you out.”
A scowl twisted Scott’s face. He got to his feet then bounced his gaze between her and Gaven. His friend’s renewed laughter made his eyes glow with anger. “This is how you treat your customers? I treat animals better than this.”
His friend laughed harder then croaked out, “They must like animals better than you. If you bark, maybe they’ll like you.”
Scott’s cheeks turned red. The designated driver returned and ordered both men to go get in the car. The laughing man stopped only long enough to salute the designated driver, and then he turned and stumbled to the door. A few steps later, he called over his shoulder, “Let’s go, Scott. Or should I speak dog. Roof, roof, roof.”
Scott looked at his retreating buddy then glanced back at her and Gaven while he rubbed his neck. “This isn’t over. You’ll be sorry for treating me so badly.” Most of his slur was gone, but anger added a hiss to his voice.
His friend tugged on Scott’s arm and gave them an I’m sorry look before he guided Scott away.
As soon as the men were gone, she turned on Gaven and motioned him upstairs. In a hushed voice, Gaven told Doug to calm the customers then followed her. Once in his office, she blasted him. “We need to talk about security. From now on I want one bouncer visible in the pub at all times. If we need to hire more, then let’s do it. The last thing we need is a bad reputation. This pub could go from good to bad in the blink of an eye.”
With interest shining in his eyes, Gaven watched as she started pacing. She refused to fall for the charming grin he gave her when she stopped her pacing for a second to give him a scowl. Didn’t he understand how important this was?
“That could have gotten out of hand.” Her hands started moving wildly as she continued. “The last thing we need is a lot of rebels in this place.” She stopped her pacing again and stared straight at Gaven. “Rebels equal trouble.”
She wanted to rant some more, but he held up both hands in surrender. “You’ll get no complaints from me.”
“Good. I’m glad you agree. We can’t have a repeat of tonight. When I looked around for help and didn’t find any, I was so pissed. I hate to have to put the customers down. All that was necessary was one strong man. That is enough to stop most drunks before it goes too far.” She went back to pacing and tried to stop her ranting, but she just couldn’t. “Tomorrow I’ll see how many bouncers are full-time. We have to get this under control right away.”
“Katarina.”
The adrenaline coursing through her veins only va
guely let her hear him.
Gaven stepped in front of her. “Katarina, stop pacing. I have something to tell you.”
The energy that arced between them pulled her from her thoughts. She licked her lower lip and looked up at him. A lock of his blond hair had fallen over his right eyebrow and was dangerously close to his long eyelashes. Her hand itched to smooth the strands back into place.
“We don’t need any more bouncers.”
A frown wrinkled her brow. “Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve said? It’s my job to make sure this pub runs smoothly.”
He walked over to his desk and leaned against it. “Everything was under control.” He gestured toward the two-way mirror that ran the length of one wall. “I saw what was happening and called Doug and told him to hold back so we could see if you could handle the situation on your own. You can’t be a manager here if you’re not tough. Tonight you proved you are tough enough.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. She had been raving at him for nothing. Hell, she shouldn’t have even talked to him like that. He was her boss, not her husband, even though she wished he was. She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry I talked to you like that. I was out of line.”
He moved away from the desk and stood directly in front of her. “No, you are just passionate about the pub running smoothly. I’m proud of you for handling the situation then trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Nice neck-chop, by the way.”
His praise warmed her soul. God, she loved him. She took a deep breath and savored the scent of him. “Thanks, my dad taught me how to do it.”
“I’m glad he did. Go on home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
All she wanted to do was lean into him and breathe his scent forever, but instead she nodded and left his office. As she remembered how good his praise felt, she knew she’d wait a lifetime for him.
Chapter Four
Katarina had been flustered all evening.
The day shift had received a visit from the health inspector. Although it had gone well, she was constantly checking to make sure all the night employees were doing everything up to code.
What a week. Two days ago she’d had the run in with the drunk, today the health inspector had shown up, and, to top it all off, Lunn had shown up tonight and sat talking to Gaven for at least three hours. Her libido always kicked into overdrive when she saw them together. Why were these two the only men she was attracted to, and why did it have to be both of them? If she could cast a love spell on them she would.
At least the night was over and she was off tomorrow. She locked the door as soon as Gus, one of the evening bartenders, stepped outside with her. “Good night, Gus. See you in a few days.”
Gus nodded his bald head. “Night, Katarina.”
As she walked to her car, a shiver raced up her spine. All the sudden she felt as if someone were watching her. Since moving to Naples she’d had that feeling more than once. Was she crazy, or could someone be watching her? With hurried movements, she got in her car and drove off. She was most likely just tired. Being off tomorrow would help her out.
The hotel parking lot was a welcome sight. Driving through the parking lot, she found that some asshole had taken her favorite space. Could this week get any worse? Ten spaces down, she found a parking space. After locking her car, she trudged up the stairs. Her feet felt like they were weighted down. Why was her door ajar? No fucking way! She rushed inside and looked wildly around for the burglar. Her stuff was scattered all over the place. Pausing, she listened. Not a sound. Stepping outside, she called the police. The jerk was probably gone, but she’d have the cops check it out. In the meantime, she’d wait by the door in case the person was still in there and tried to run out. As mad as she was, the burglar wouldn’t get far. A good ass-kicking was due someone. Thank goodness her papa had taught her to defend herself.
By the time the cops showed up she no longer thought anyone was inside. She waved them up, but she kept her eye on the door.
“Are you the person who called?” the first officer up the stairs asked.
“Yes, sir. I came home and found my door ajar. I stepped in and saw the mess then stepped out and called the police.” She was surprised to hear how tired her voice sounded.
“Have you heard any movement inside the room?” the second officer asked.
“No.” Where the hell am I going to sleep tonight? Who the hell would want her stuff badly enough to break into her room? Her mind was quickly bouncing from one thought to the next.
“Go down to the front desk and wait for us there. Once we clear the crime scene we’ll come down and get you.” That said, both men went into her hotel room to do their job.
Good ole Timmy was asleep at the front desk when she entered. “Timmy.”
He grumbled something then started snoring.
She rolled her eyes. “Timmy, wake up.”
This time he woke up and looked around quickly. He relaxed visibly when he saw it was her. “Did you lose your key?”
“No. My room was broken into. The cops are here now. They are checking the place out.”
His eyes rounded comically, and he looked wildly around and then out the front window before looking back at her. “No shit?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I’ll need a different room. My lock was broken.”
“Sure, sure. Let me see what we have. Is he still here? Did you see the guy?” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and smoothed his slumber-rumpled hair.
“No. I think he’s long gone.” At least she hoped he was.
As he scanned his guest book, Timmy said, “I hate to hear that happened to you. We haven’t had a burglary in five years. Hope this isn’t the beginning of a crime spree.” He wrote her name down by another room and turned to retrieve the key. Facing her again, he handed her the key. “This room is on the other side, but it’s the best we have left.”
“Thanks, Timmy. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll be moving as soon as I can find an apartment anyway.” Just as she finished speaking, the officers entered the room.
Officer Cramer, according to his name tag, approached her. “All is clear. The perpetrator is gone. Can you come up with me and see if anything was taken?”
“Yes.” She followed him into the room and looked around. She didn’t notice anything missing. Though all her small stuff was tossed around as if monkeys had been playing with it, her computer was untouched on the table. The cherished doll her mom had given her was turned to face the wall, and the two bears that sat on either side of it were tossed to the floor. That was strange. A peek into the bathroom proved the same thing. All her dirty clothes and towels had been tossed around, but her makeup and jewelry was left orderly on the counter.
As she spotted the strange things, she pointed them out to the officer.
“Anything missing?” he asked after they had gone over the whole area.
“Not that I can tell, but why would a person come in here and do this?” she asked as she reached out and touched a perfume bottle on the counter.
The officer shrugged. “Who knows? Do you have any enemies?”
“Not really. A guy was mad at me the other night at the pub I work for, but that’s about it.”
“What is the man’s name?”
“Scott. I don’t know his last name though. Gaven Walker, my boss, may know.” She answered the officer and held back a smile at the sound of Gaven’s name. Although he evoked good feelings in her soul, now was not the time to show them. This was a serious matter.
A smile crossed his face. “You his new night manager?”
It was obvious that he knew Gaven. Maybe smiling wouldn’t be a crime after all. “Yes.”
“Good to know. I’ll give him a call tomorrow and see if he knows the man. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”
She held up her new key. “It’s been taken care of.”
“Good. Are you all right?” Concern laced his words.
“Yes, thank you. It was probably just a
random hit. And from the looks of it, the person didn’t think I had anything worth stealing. I guess I should be insulted.” Now that she knew he knew Gaven, she felt more comfortable around him.
The officer chuckled. “I don’t think that was it. The person could have been looking for a certain item and thought for some reason you had it. Some criminals actually have buyers lined up before they take an item. The person who rented this room before you may have had whatever the criminal was looking for.”
“That makes sense.” She was surprised when the other officer came in a second later carrying a few large bags.
“We need to gather up all your stuff and move you to your new room,” he said in a fatherly tone that made her think he must have children.
With their help, all her stuff was bagged, and she was moved into the other room within thirty minutes.
She locked the door behind the officers then plopped down on her bed. It looked like tomorrow she was going to have to go apartment hunting. That was going to be tough on a Saturday. No rest for the weary. Damn, she had really wanted to laze around all day tomorrow and possibly try to conquer at least one spell. How could she pass down information if she never learned one stinking spell?
* * * *
Gaven ended the call he’d just gotten and felt anger stir under his skin. Someone had broken into Katarina’s hotel room, and she hadn’t called him. Didn’t she know he needed to know when these things happened? Didn’t she know he could help her? Did she think he was connectionless?
His mind went into a frenzy of activity. The first thing she was going to need was a place to stay. There was no way he was going to let her stay at that hotel. Lunn. He would know where to get her into an apartment quickly. Punching a speed-dial button, he called his buddy.
“Hi, Gaven. What’s going on?” Lunn’s voice sounded sleep laden.
He looked at the clock and realized it was just seven in the morning. That would be early for Lunn if he worked at his club last night. “Sorry about calling so early, man. I just received a call from Donny. He told me Katarina’s hotel room had been broken into last night. I can’t believe she didn’t call me. Does she think I’m weak and can’t help her out? Have I done anything that screamed wussy? Doesn’t she know I need to know immediately when bad things happen to her? This is unaccepta—”