by Sarra Cannon
I knew from the way she asked the question that she already knew the answer. “No,” I said. She may have figured out that I wasn’t really sick, but that didn’t mean I wanted her to know the truth, either. Lyla had been super nice to me so far, but I didn’t know who I could really trust with the whole story. How much had Rend told them, anyway? How much did he want them to know?
Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about it, because Shay interrupted us and told us the staff meeting was about to start.
“We can talk about it later,” Lyla said, looping her arm in mine as we made our way out to the main room of the club. “If you want.”
I gave her a half smile and concentrated on walking in the ridiculously high heels she’d given me to wear. I mean, I usually loved high heels but these things were sky-scraper-high. How the heck was I going to dance in them all night?
I nearly tripped my way into the bar area where Rend was already addressing the small staff of the club. When I stumbled, he looked up from his clipboard for a moment and his eyes froze on mine. The smile was ripped from my face as his expression smoldered with anger.
“Franki, I wasn’t expecting you to come in tonight.” His words were tense and harsh.
Everyone in the room turned to look at me. I cleared my throat and did my best to act completely unaffected by his obvious rage. “I was feeling better,” I said, challenging him with a single raised eyebrow.
Only, challenging him turned out to be exactly the wrong thing to do in that moment.
Rend slammed his clipboard down on the top of the bar. “Excuse us a moment,” he said. “Azure, can you take over for me, please?”
Lyla slipped her arm from mine and took a few steps in the other direction as Rend came straight at me. He locked his hand around my arm and pulled me into the room behind the black curtain. I stumbled in the high shoes, but he didn’t pause to let me take them off. He just kept pulling me along.
And he didn’t stop there. He continued past the velvet couch and into a smaller room behind another private door. This room held a small table with two chairs. Rend shut the door and pushed me back against it.
“Let me go,” I said through clenched teeth. “You’re hurting me.”
His eyes flashed silver and he released me, then cursed. He didn’t back away, though, and his body was still pressed close to mine. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I flinched. Yes, the possibility that he might not be happy to see me had crossed my mind, but hearing the anger in his voice startled me.
“This is my job, isn’t it?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I thought you understood,” he said. “You can’t just—”
“I can do whatever I damned well please,” I said. “Unless you’re firing me, in which case I’ll take my pay for last night and get out of here.”
My heart was beating so fast against my chest, I was sure he could feel it through the jacket of his black suit. Why did he have to stand so close to me? Couldn’t he see that he was driving me insane? No matter how hard I had tried to rebuild the walls between us I knew, in that moment, that it was no use. He would just keep tearing them down every time he got close to me.
I couldn’t resist him even if I tried.
“Of course I’m not firing you, but I don’t want you here looking like that,” he said. Mercifully, he backed away, running a hand through his dark hair. “You can’t possibly understand how difficult this is for me.”
“I have an idea,” I said, my voice a whisper.
What I didn’t understand was exactly why he was having such a hard time being around me. Was this just about the smell of the blood running through my veins? Or was Katy right? Was it more than that? Was I special?
I wanted to ask him, but the words caught in my throat.
“Do you want me to leave?”
He closed his eyes, his profile half in shadow here in the dimly lit room. “No,” he said. “I just wasn’t expecting you to show up after what happened before. I was afraid you weren’t ever coming back.”
“Would you have come looking for me?” I asked, my breath hitching on the last word. “Or would you have let me go?”
He turned to me, dark eyes flashing with intensity. The muscles in his jaw rippled as he clenched his teeth, his lips tight and his shoulders rigid.
“I don’t think I could let you go even if I tried,” he said.
He took two long steps toward me and slid one hand behind my back, pulling me into his arms. I pushed against his chest, my heart in panic-mode. I wanted him and hated him at the same time. How did he always have this power over me? How could I possibly protect myself against this?
“Rend.” His name was a prayer against my lips. Only, I wasn’t sure what I was praying for most. I knew what I really wanted from him, but I was overcome by fear of never being able to have him that way. And if I couldn’t have him all, I didn’t want any of him. It would destroy me, piece by piece.
His eyes locked on mine and our bodies pressed tightly against one another. My struggle stopped and I grabbed his jacket into my fists instead, urging him closer.
His lips descended on mine and I gave in to him, releasing my grip so that I could wrap my arms around his neck. I knew first-hand how dangerous kissing him could be, but I didn’t care. Let him take my blood if he wanted it. I couldn’t deny him anything.
Rend pulled me close, his hands roaming over my back as his lips explored mine. We broke apart and came together in fits of passion, my leg hooking around his as he pressed my back hard against the closed door. He groaned, then pulled away, but he didn’t release me. Instead, his eyes met mine and he placed his thumb along my jawline as his hand cradled my head. “Franki, I don’t ever want to hurt you again,” he said. “But I don’t know how to resist you.”
“I can’t keep playing this game,” I said. “I need to know how you feel. I need to understand what it is you want from me.”
His eyes searched my face, but before he could answer, someone knocked on the door.
“Rend?”
It was Azure. Rend’s body tensed and he released his hold on me. “I’ll be out in a minute,” he said.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve only got about ten minutes before the doors open,” she said.
“I said I’ll be there in a minute,” he said.
I ducked under his arm and moved away, feeling exposed in the skimpy outfit, my body pulsing with desire for a man I swore I would protect myself from. I immediately regretted our kiss, now that it was over. Was I really this girl? The kind who let a man constantly get away with this push and pull, never committing or fully giving in? I didn’t want to be her. I swore I’d never be her.
“I have to go,” he said. “I want you to get changed and come back out as soon as you can.”
He was back to business now.
“Rend, I—”
“I know,” he said, cutting me off with a gruff tone. “We’ll talk later, I promise. After your shift. For now, get out of those clothes before I rip them off of you.”
I shivered at the thought, remembering last night and the way he’d practically torn the white shirt from my body.
“I’ll see you out there,” he said. He straightened his suit jacket and opened the door, but then he turned back to me before he walked out. “And by the way. I like your natural blue better.”
My hand fluttered toward my eyes as he walked away. There was no doubt the desire was still there between us, but I was no closer to understanding whether he wanted me for the right reasons or the most horribly wrong ones.
Chapter 7
Lady Luck
When I had changed back into jeans and a Venom Staff t-shirt, I walked into the main room to catch the tail end of the staff meeting. As I’d feared, most people turned to stare when I walked in. Probably, they all thought I had done something horrible to incur Rend’s wrath the way I had, which was actually better than if they suspected the truth.
I was s
o confused, I didn’t even know what the truth was at this point.
“Why did you change?” Lyla whispered. “Are you not dancing again tonight?”
“No, she’s going to be behind the bar with Azure tonight.”
Rend had this terrible habit of stepping into conversations when I least expected it. I hadn’t realized he was even listening to Lyla’s question.
At the sound of his voice, my heart raced. My cheeks flushed, and I prayed no one could tell in the half-darkness of the room. I took a deep breath before I dared to look up at him. All it would take was one very competent observer and everyone in this room would know we’d kissed. And more.
I needed to get myself under control. If I was going to be working here, I’d have to keep my feelings for him under tight lock and key.
Thankfully, when I finally did turn toward him, he had already moved away. If I’d had to stare into those dark black eyes right now, I might have cracked. Instead, I was able to collect myself with no one watching.
And did he just say I’d be working with Azure tonight? Awesome. And here I’d thought this night couldn’t get any worse.
As Rend finished going through the instructions for the evening, I picked a random spot behind him to focus on. The glowing exit sign on the back door. That way I didn’t have to stare directly at him in those black pants that clung to his body in all the right ways. I didn’t have to think about how the white dress shirt he wore reminded me of the fact that hours earlier he’d practically torn a shirt just like that off my body.
“Franki?”
I snapped to attention, embarrassed I’d been caught not listening.
“Yes?”
He raised an eyebrow and tensed his jaw. “Is that good with you?”
I had no idea what he’d been talking about, and I looked to Lyla as if she could somehow telepathically fill me in on the last ten minutes.
Rend sighed. “These meetings aren’t just for my own amusement, Franki. I need you to pay attention.”
I wanted to crawl under one of the tables and disappear into shadow.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
Lyla reached over and squeezed my hand. I gave her a half-smile and she looked at me with pity. Poor Franki. What a complete idiot.
“I was asking if you would mind spending a few minutes behind the bar with me before your shift so I can show you the basics of what we offer.”
“Oh. Sure,” I said. Did it matter if I was okay with it or not? It wasn’t like I had other options. I damned well wasn’t going to say I’d rather be dancing. Or cleaning toilets. Being behind the bar was probably one of the best jobs in this place. I especially liked the idea of the actual bar standing between me and most of the people coming in here. There was a feeling of safety in that barrier.
Still, the thought of spending time that close to Rend right now made me all tingly and nervous.
Was it too much to hope that he would stay twenty feet away from me at all times for the next few hours? At least until his kiss wasn’t still raw on my lips?
When the meeting was over, Lyla squeezed my hand one more time. She leaned close to me, her back turned so Rend couldn’t see or hear her. “If you need anything, just let me know, okay? He can be a real ball-buster sometimes. Don’t let him get to you.”
Too late.
“Thanks,” I said, genuinely touched that she cared. And relieved that she had obviously mistaken my awkward nervousness for fear that I was in trouble.
Azure however, was staring daggers at me again from behind the bar as I approached.
“Looks like we’ll be working together tonight,” I said, trying to infuse my voice with some level of enthusiasm.
“Oh, joy,” she said. She gave me a sickly sweet smile.
This promised to be an interesting night. Maybe I should channel all my nervous energy into annoying the shit out of Azure. That would help to keep my mind off Rend, at least.
I waited for him behind the bar, busying myself with cleaning glasses and getting acclimated to the arrangement of everything back there, but my eyes kept drifting over to where he stood talking to Selena.
God, he really was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in my life. Just catching him out of the corner of my eye made my body yearn for him. How was I going to survive working so close to him and not being able to touch him?
I was crazy if I thought I could convince myself I didn’t have real feelings for him. The moment his lips had touched mine, I knew it was hopeless to deny it.
But, at the same time, it was dangerous to give in to those feelings.
Normally, I would have just walked away and cut him from my life. A clean break was the only way to get over feelings like this. But, that wasn’t even a possibility for me right now.
I sighed and glanced up at him again, unable to keep my eyes off him. He’d been talking to Selena for quite a while and now their discussion had escalated into more of an argument. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from the tension in their shoulders and faces, I could tell they were both angry.
I looked to Azure and she raised her shoulders in a shrug.
“Then do it yourself, dammit,” Selena shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. “I’m not about to put my life at risk for some—”
Rend grabbed her arm and leaned in to say something in her ear.
Selena’s body grew softer as she listened. Rend loosened his grip on her and she looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine for a brief moment. She nodded at him, then opened her palm. Rend took something out of his pocket and handed it to her. Selena closed her fist around it before I could see what it was. She dropped the object into the back pocket of her jeans and stormed out to take her place in front of the club.
“What was that all about?” I asked when Rend came over to stand beside me behind the bar.
“What makes you think that’s any of your business?” Anger rolled off him like a dark cloud.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that she said she wasn’t going to risk her life for someone and then looked directly at me?”
He shook his head. “You never let up, do you? Have you always been so blunt?”
I shrugged. I couldn’t tell if he meant it as a compliment or an insult.
“I just don’t like it when people keep things from me,” I said.
He gave me a sideways glance and I met his eyes, letting him know that yes, I meant that exactly the way it sounded.
“I asked her not to let Fallon or any of the Devil’s other minions into the club tonight,” he said.
I swallowed. “Do you think he’d actually try to come back?”
“I have no idea,” he said, keeping his voice low and looking around to make sure no one was listening.
Azure stood at the end of the bar polishing glasses, but I’m sure she was listening to every word. He didn’t seem to mind, though. Maybe he trusted Azure more than most of his other workers. I wondered again exactly what their story was. And whether there had ever been more between them than a simple boss-employee relationship.
“Thanks,” I said. “You know, for trying to keep me safe in here.”
“It’s my job,” he said. He reached for a shot glass and set it up on the top of the bar. “Okay, so here’s all you need to know for tonight. We serve five basic drinks to ninety percent of the people who come in here.”
He leaned over the top of the bar and pointed to the first of five bottles lined up in a row just beneath the bar top. “We call this one Blue Frost. It goes down with a cooling effect, drawing the heat from your body and heightening the senses, particularly touch and sight. Drinking this makes people remember details more clearly. They think better. A lot of the people who ask for this drink are here to have some kind of meeting where they need to be sharp and clear and calm.”
He nodded to the bottle. “Pour me a shot,” he said.
I had worked behind bars before, so I was comfortable with pouring a normal shot. But when I pic
ked the bottle up, it was much lighter than I expected. I used way too much force to lift it, banging the top hard against the underside of the counter.
“Oh, shit.” I jumped back as the spout on the top shot off and disappeared under a mini-fridge behind me.
At the end of the bar, Azure snorted. I shot her a look.
“Potions aren’t like normal liquids,” Rend said. “They aren’t like water or scotch or whatever. They actually have different weights, so something you’ll have to get used to is how each bottle feels. You don’t want to break any of these bottles because you weren’t prepared for the weight of the correct color.”
I nodded, my heart racing. Okay, so now I was a little bit nervous. Not that I wasn’t smart enough to figure out five basic shots. It was more that I knew he and Azure would be watching my every move tonight. Azure in particular would be waiting for me to mess up, snickering each time, I’m sure.
“How can I tell them apart? You said they’re each a color, but they all look clear to me.”
Rend’s eyes questioned me, then he seemed to remember something and softened. “I can’t believe I forgot,” he said. “You never got your mark.”
“Mark?”
“When someone becomes an employee here, I give them the mark of the serpent,” he said. “The mark holds power and allows the staff to see things normal patrons can’t see.”
“Like the colors of the drinks?”
“Among other things,” he said. He came around to my side of the bar and reached inside a cabinet to pull out a long needle filled with silver liquid.
I shook my head and backed away. “No way am I letting you near me with that thing,” I said.
He lifted the needle and smiled, his eyes dancing. “This little thing?”
The needle was huge. Just looking at it made me want to pass out.
“Are you serious? What are you going to do with it?”
He kept coming toward me and I kept backing up, but eventually, my ass hit the wall and I had nowhere else to go.
Rend reached toward me with his free hand and swept my hair back on the right side, exposing the skin just behind my ear. I shivered at his touch.